Mänttä-Vilppula Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Mänttä-Vilppula is a municipality with three town centres in Pirkanmaa, Finland. One of them, Mänttä, is a well-known art town.

Mänttä is the main centre, in the east: an old industrial site. The town was born around a paper mill founded by the Serlachius family, which now belongs to the Metsä Group. The name Serlachius is still visible in the town’s well-known museums: the Serlachius Museum Gustaf presents industrial history and the Serlachius Museum Gösta is a well-known center of classical and modern art.

In addition to museums, the annual cultural events in Mänttä are Mänttä Fine Arts Weeks and Mänttä Music Festival.

Vilppula is in the west of the municipality, Pohjaslahti and Kolho in the north.

Mänttä-Vilppula is about halfway between Tampere and Jyväskylä, 80–90 km from each. Its neighbours are Keuruu, Juupajoki, Jämsä, Ruovesi and Virrat.

Vilppula and Kolho have railway stations. Timetables are available from the VR website. The regional train Tampere–Vilppula takes about 1 hr, Tampere–Kolho slightly more. From Jyväskylä there is one daily direct train connection. By transfer there is a connection also from Seinäjoki.

Long-distance buses from Tampere and Jämsä. For timetables, see Matkahuolto. The Serlachius shuttle bus runs from Tampere to Mänttä on the days that the museums are open.

Map of Mänttä-Vilppula

There is a service line in Mänttä, see timetables. Notify the driver by 12 noon on the previous day of the need for transport.  The car may deviate from the route if the schedule allows. The route is also accessible to people with reduced mobility, with provision for 1 wheelchair space and assistive devices. The driver will assist you to your door if necessary.  

• Taxi station Mänttä, Ratakatu 10, Mänttä, ☏ +358 100 4711. 
• Taxi station Vilppula, Keskuskatu 2 C, Vilppula, ☏ +358 100 4848. 
• Mäntän Taksipalvelu. 
• Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

• 62.01710624.6469721 Mäntänvuori observation tower. From the observation deck of the tower, you can gaze far across the city to the sparkling lakes of the Keurusselkä and the lush forests beyond. (updated Oct 2022)

• Serlachius Museum, R. Erik Serlachiuksen katu 2, Mänttä, ☏ +358 3-4886800. Serlachius Museums Gustaf and Gösta feature the history of Finnish paper industry and art, magnificent architecture and enchanting lakeside views amid green forests. 

• Lounaskahvila Miina, Miinanpellonkatu 2, Mänttä, ☏ +358 40-679-4114. M–F 09:00–15:00, lunch: M–F 11:00–14:30. Cosy lunch café in the heart of the office building. €11, pensioners €10. (updated Jul 2020)
• 62.01489924.4948661 Rantaravintola Isabella, Kirkkotie 5. Finnish style food. (updated Oct 2022)

City of Mänttä has information about hotels^{[dead link]} and rural accommodation^{[dead link]}.

• Petäjävesi – the wooden church of Petäjävesi is a UNESCO World Heritage site