Culture and attractions

Hämeenlinna has several museums where you can experience history, art and design. Many museum attractions can be accessed for free with the popular Museum Card.

The birthplace of famous Finnish composer Sibelius has been converted into a home museum, which can be found in the city centre of Hämeenlinna. The building, which has been a museum since the 1960s, is part of the Hämeenlinna City Museum. Jean Sibelius, Finland’s national composer, was born in the house in 1865 and spent his childhood there. The nearby Palander House allows you to travel back in time for a hundred years into the life of a bourgeois family.

Other museum sites in the downtown area include the Hämeenlinna Art Museum and the main exhibition space of the City Museum, Museum Skogster, which features, among other attractions, an exhibition of the oldest Savings Bank Museum in the Nordic countries. The Art Museum in particular is a great place for the whole family to visit, as different age groups have been taken into account in the changing exhibitions and workshops.

The medieval Häme Castle, which is one of the Castle Peninsula museums, was built at the end of the 13th century and is located on the shore of the beautiful Lake Vanajavesi. Today, the castle serves as a museum and offers changing exhibitions as well as daily guided tours. Other attractions in the peninsula area are the Museo Militaria and the Prison, which is the largest prison museum in Finland. The unique Design Museum Iittala is only a 30-minute drive away in Iittala Village.

In addition to this, there are a number of smaller speciality and local museums in the city. Find out more here.

The joy of movement

The Vanajavesi waterfront route, one of the most popular recreational outdoor areas in Hämeenlinna, starts in the front of the hotel and travels through the city centre of Hämeenlinna, local park areas and the railway bridge to Aulanko, to the shore of Sairio, and all the way to the Verkatehdas beach through Varikonniemi peninsula. Along the way, you can admire sights such as the Häme Castle and the outdoor exhibition area of the Museo Militaria. The total length of the route is 5.7 km and it is mostly accessible. Our hotel offers recreational equipment such as Nordic walking poles and bicycles. In the winter, good cross-country skiing routes in Ahvenisto and Aulanko invite people to enjoy themselves, and even the youngest of the family can enjoy the winter time outdoors with sleds that can be borrowed from the hotel.

Aulanko, one of Hämeenlinna's most popular areas, offers unique nature experiences as well as diverse recreational activities. The Aulanko area is visited by more than 400,000 people every year.

The city district of Ahvenisto is the destination for a wide range of sports and leisure activities. The area features, for example, a shooting range, a beach and an outdoor swimming pool known for the 1952 Olympics. The several local walking and jogging trails, skiing routes in winter, and the public winter swimming spot and sauna maintained by the city also offer exercise opportunities. The adjacent Pullerinmäki district is home to the well-known Ahvenisto Race Circuit, the Rinkelinmäki Ice Rink and ski jumping hills that are no longer used for their original purpose.

There is also a newly expanded padel hall near the hotel, where you can either play with your own team or find a padel partner among the regular users of our hall. You are also welcome to try the sport without previous experience, as the hall offers rental rackets and also padel training and coaching when necessary.

Welcome to the experience-rich Hämeenlinna!