Helsinki and Tampere Matka FAM Visit & Workshop 09. - 16.01.2026

Year after year, Finland and Helsinki tops the world Happiness index. In Helsinki, we enjoy simple pleasures: clean air, pure water, relaxing sauna, unique food, walking around in the woods and seashore, experiencing various events, enjoying design in everyday life. Helsinki Happiness is the calm and peaceful type; it’s an appreciation for how things work and the ability to pause and admire the little things in life. Helsinki is a place where everyone’s free to be themselves.

In Helsinki, you are always welcomed. Read more.

Tampere is the most loved city of Finland. It’s the city with numerous events, fascinating cultural experiences, and soothing nature. This is a place where urban city life walks hand in hand with vivid nature. Tampere, the Sauna Capital of the World, is the city for sauna enthusiasts!
The nature is close everywhere you turn your head in Tampere. The location between two big lakes brings the water element to the city and you can find parks and urban nature even right in the middle of the city – all year round. Tampere region is the home of happiness with welcoming, laid-back people.

21:55 Flight from Tokyo to Helsinki

04:00 Arriving in Helsinki Vantaa airport

Meet your bus driver at the Arrival Hall of the Helsinki Airport. Driver will wait you at the Helsinki Airport’s Arrival Hall with a sign ‘’MATKA2026 Japan pre-tour Helsinki’’

Transfer to Helsinki City by bus 

Check in Scandic Helsinki Station 
Scandic Helsinki Station was opened August 2025 with a prime location and modern facilities in the heart of Helsinki, just steps from the Central Railway Station. Warm service, cozy rooms, relaxed lobby bar, and inviting breakfast area with a terrace make the hotel an ideal base for a Helsinki visit.

Breakfast at the hotel

11:00 Lobby call
Meet your MyHelsinki guide Makiko Lommi, +358 40 766 1434 at the hotel lobby

11:00 Highlights of Helsinki
Enjoy a tour of Helsinki to explore the capital of the happiest country in the world. The route will take you through the main attractions and the hidden gems!    

13:00 Lunch at the Restaurant Savotta 
Savotta offers genuine Finnish food and atmosphere, just off the Senate Square in the heart of Helsinki. The name Savotta means a logging site and the interior decoration and dishes are inspired by the Finnish forests and thousands of lakes, with a dash of Finnish nostalgy from the past decades and logging traditions. Savotta’s kitchen cherishes the Finnish food tradition. They use only Finnish ingredients from the pristine forests and lakes and from carefully selected small suppliers.

14:30 Site Inspection Hotel Kämp
Hotel Kämp is where the luxury of timeless elegance and European glamour unite. Enjoy your stay in the spacious hotel rooms of the most luxurious hotel in Helsinki, whether you'reon a business trip or a vacation. Hotel Kämp contains 179 rooms, and these luxurious rooms range from a Deluxe room to the illustrious Mannerheim Suite which boasts a maximum floor space of 258m2.

15:30 Free time

16:45 Lobby Call

Meet your MyHelsinki guide Makiko Lommi, +358 40 766 1434 at the hotel lobby

NB! Remember to take your swimsuits with you

17:00 Sauna at Löyly
Löyly’s public saunas, a traditional smoke sauna and a wood-burning sauna, are open every day. The smoke sauna has a total area of 18m2, while the wood-fired sauna is slightly larger at 22m2. Both can accommodate around 20 bathers at any one time. After a good steam, when you feel like cooling off, both saunas offer direct access to their outdoor seating area and the sea, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim, all year round.

19:00 Dinner at Restaurant Löyly

21:15 Transfer back to your hotel                    
 

Breakfast at the hotel

Check out from the hotel

09:30  Lobby call
Meet your Helsinki Partners host Mrs. Aino Mellais at the hotel lobby

09:30  Transfer by bus

10:00  RedRib Experience Survival Suit Experience
In the heart of Helsinki, try how it feels to float around in cold water staying completely warm and dry. Hear also about rescue at sea, hypothermia and about the benefits with winter bathing!REDRIB offers everything from a high-speed offshore ride for 4 persons with maximum protection and safety available to private tours or a sunny relaxed inshore cruise for a bigger group. Experience the Arctic Helsinki on our Hovercraft safari, taking you in the winter time into a beautiful frozen archipelago.

11:30 Transfer to Olympia Terminal

12:00 Boat Inspection and lunch at Tallink Silja  
Meet your Tallink Silja Mikael Hasegawa at the Olympia Terminal

Tallink Silja Line (AS Tallink Grupp) is a major Baltic Sea ferry and cruise operator known for comfortable passenger ships with cabins, restaurants, entertainment, and onboard shopping. From Helsinki, they run frequent fast shuttle services to Tallinn, making easy day trips and short breaks possible, plus overnight/mini-cruises to Stockholm on large cruise ferries. Sailings include various travel classes, family options, and package deals that can combine ferry tickets with hotels and activities.

14:30 Transfer to Katajanokka

15:00 Site inspection Solo Sokos hotel Pier 4 
The new Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 at Katajanokanranta offers a sustainable alternative to traditional luxury. Proximity to nature, domestic raw materials, and authentic materials create a multi-sensory, atmospheric environment where everyone can feel good, rest, and work.

15:30  Free time to explore Helsinki 

16:45  Gathering in the Helsinki main railway station

17.20 Train from Helsinki to Tampere

19.00 Arrival in Tampere

Check in at Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Tampere

After checking in (appr. at 20.00) we will gather for dinner at the hotel restaurant Grill It! 

Breakfast

9.00 Meeting at the lobby

9.15 Guided tour in Tampere by bus (in Japanese)
During the tour, we will visit e.g. the Tampere Cathedral and Finlayson area

11.15 Site visit at Sauna-restaurant Kuuma
Saunaravintola Kuuma Tampere offers a relaxing experience for all senses, combining Finnish sauna, Nordic gastronomy, and beautiful lake views

Walk to Kauppahalli for lunch

12.00  Lunch at Restaurant Mummola
Mummola (grandmoms house) is a new restaurant at Kauppahalli Market Hall. They serve very traditional Finnish home cooking and wish to bring people back to their memories from grandmothers cooking

After lunch, transfer by tram/walk to the hotel (appr. 13.00)

14:00  Meeting at the hotel lobby

Kurling on Natural Ice
This kurling is almost like the real one, curling, played in the Olympics. But in this version the competition will be played with Kuru grey granite stones, and the judge is corruptible by a song.
Please, note: activities according to ice situation 
Activities by Hiking Travel Hit Ky

16.00 Transfer to Niemi-Kapee for sauna evening and dinner (drive time appr. 50 min.)
A group sauna session is more than just a moment of steam — it is a shared journey into relaxation, purification, and connection.

Imagine this: sitting or lying down in soothing warmth and peace that envelops your entire body, listening to the hissing noise as water is thrown on the stones, elevating the temperature and effortlessly melting away stress. Inhale the pleasant, earthy, and woodsy aroma emanating from the sauna’s wooden structure.

Step out into the fresh air, take a refreshing dip in the cool lake, and silently enjoy the breathtaking views with sounds from the nature. Sip a drink and let the entire experience refresh you. Repeat this cycle, relishing the exquisite feeling of temperature variation. Afterward, discover a new sense of peace within yourself.
 Sauna ceremonies by SaunaKata

appr. 21.00 Transfer back to the hotel       

Breakfast

8:45 Meeting at the lobby

9.00 Hotel inspection – Lapland Hotels Arena 

10.15 Visit to the Moomin museum
The Moomin Museum is an experiential art museum for Moomin fans and art lovers of all ages. Visit us and relive the adventures of the beloved Moomin family in our permanent exhibition of Tove Jansson’s original illustrations. Experience the magic of Moominvalley by stepping inside the Hobgoblin’s Hat, marvel at our beautifully crafted tableaux, and be amazed by our sparkling comet soaring across the sky! There’s always something new to see in our Observatory, which features a diverse program of regularly changing exhibitions. Guided tour in Japanese.

11.30 Lunch at Restaurant Myllärit          

12.30 Pick-up luggage at the hotel, walk / transfer to the railway station

13.00 Pendolino train 46 to Helsinki

14:39 Arriving in Helsinki

Check in to Lapland Hotels Bulevardi

17:50 Transfer from hotel to Helsinki City Hall

18:00 Event starts at Helsinki City Hall

18:30 - 19:30  Reception

19:30 - 21:00 Light supper

21:10 Transfer to hotel

Good night!

Breakfast at hotel

Transfer to the Messukeskus - fair center:

Bus 2
8:00 Lapland Hotels Bulevardi
8:05 Hotel Grand Hansa
8:30 Messukeskus

Printing of badges

Workshop day

11:25-12:55 Lunch time – please show your badge

Workshop day continues

17:25 Post-Work Mingle, get together at Messukeskus

18:45 Transfer to hotel dinners from the main entrance of Messukeskus:

Bus 2
Lapland Hotels Bulevardi
Hotel Grand Hansa

19:30 Hotel dinners at your hotel

Good night!

Breakfast at hotel

Check out

Transfer to the Messukeskus -fair center:

Bus 2

8:30 Lapland Hotels Bulevardi
8:35 Hotel Grand Hansa
9:00 Messukeskus

Matka travel fair day

Lunch (please use the lunch coupons given out the previous day)

Matka travel fair day continues

14:00 Transfer from Messukeskus to Helsinki Vantaa airport

18:00 Flight back to home

14:25 Arriving in Tokyo

Thank you for visiting Finland!