As an old industrial city modernized with style, Tampere has a lot to offer to a city explorer. From cosy, wooden-house, corner shop cafés to cat cafés, here are the 11 best coffee shops in Tampere to rest your feet while sightseeing!
Café Amurin Helmi (‘the pearl of Amuri’) is located in the historic working-class area of wooden houses in the Tampere city centre. The block where the café is located is a dedicated museum area, which includes, for example, the Museum of Worker’s Housing, a public sauna, a bakery and a paper shop. The café sells traditional Finnish delicacies in a historic and cosy atmosphere. In the Amuri district, there are also the Tampere Art Museum and the Moomin Museum to visit.
Fazer is a legendary Finnish chocolate brand, which now has cafés in Finland’s biggest cities, too. The Tampere city centre Fazer Café is a perfect choice for a relaxed breakfast or brunch before sightseeing. You can choose two or three items from the weekday breakfast menu, which includes smoothies, chia-seed porridge or poached egg and avocado. Weekends are brunch time!
Lovers of waffles, this is the place for you! Vohvelikahvila, or The Waffle Café, is located near the city centre Tammerkoski rapids in a quaint stone building from 1926. The waffle menu includes sweet and savoury options. The sweet waffles vary from apple and nutty chocolate to liquorice and goat cheese with strawberry jam, whereas the savoury ones include taco, smoked salmon, mushrooms and vegetarian options. It’s the perfect pit-stop when strolling the streets of Tampere.
When in Tampere, a visit to the hundred-year-old Market Hall is a must. The Nordic countries’ biggest market hall hosts an array of food stalls from sushi to soup. Café Linkosuo is located in the centre of the Market Hall’s hustle and bustle and serves tasty treats to go with coffees and teas.
Despite its name, Café Pispala is more of a restaurant than just a coffee shop. Located in the beautiful wooden house area of Pispala, the café serves coffee and sweet treats but is also a popular spot for lunch and dinner. On weekends, you will get vast brunch and various breakfast options from vegetarian feasts to pancakes and fried chicken treats.
For a cat person, this is the place to go in Tampere. The cat café is not only a home for several furry and purring feline friends, but also hosts a collection of artworks and literature revolving around cats. Apart from all things cat, the café also offers hot and cold drinks, pastries and light savoury snacks.
Lautapelikahvila (that is board game coffee shop) Taverna is Finland’s first and, so far, only coffee shop dedicated to board games. Taverna has over 450 board games in its collection and offers freshly ground coffee and craft beer, as well as pastries and small snacks from salads to toasts. Taverna is located in Tampere’s city centre, only one kilometre away from the central railway station.
Tampere’s best third-wave coffee find is the city-centre coffee shop Kaffila. The coffee comes from the acclaimed Swedish roaster Johan & Nyström, but apart from being a spot for coffee enthusiasts, Kaffila also has a wide tea selection. Located on the ground floor of a beautiful Art Nouveau building, Kaffila has a cosy atmosphere and invites to sip your coffee longer than necessary – and enjoy something from the wide selection of snacks, too!
3D Crush Café, also known as the Pupukahvila (bunny café), is Finland’s first coffee shop with a 3D printer. Apart from the possibility for 3D printing, the coffee shop offers over 10 different types of hot chocolates, coffees, milkshakes and Italian sodas. Oh, yes, and there’s a couple of actual fluffy bunnies, too!
Simply put, Pyynikin Munkkikahvila is a doughnut café. The doughnuts are freshly baked and make for some foodie Instagramming. The coffee is locally roasted at Tampereen Paahtimo. Apart from the famous doughnuts, the café is also a popular spot with its 26-metre look-out tower rising on top of the Pyynikki hill. The café is located in the tower.
Lillan Hotel’s Café Butik is not only a café find but also a stylish boutique hotel. The coffee shop offers soups and salads for lunch as well as savoury pies and sweet treats. Healthier options include smoothies and raw porridges. There’s also a little shop oozing of light, French-countryside flair.
