Jämsä

Jämsä offers a range of reasons to visit: an accessible nature trail along the river, culture in the town centre, and experiences in the surrounding area. When choosing your holiday apartment, consider whether you want to explore mainly what the town centre has to offer or also set aside time for excursions to nature and winter sports destinations. Experiences range from a short walk through an alder forest to a waterfall, sauna and ski slopes.

Nature trails and waterfalls

The 450-metre-long nature trail through the alder forest of Tervaleppämetsä runs alongside the Jämsänjoki River. Its accessible design and manageable length make it a practical option for including a walk in your trip. Near the town centre, Hartusvuori offers a network of trails through deciduous vegetation, mossy spruce forests and slopes. If you would rather combine a view with a waterfall, you will find Juvéninkoski in Partala, about 9 kilometres from the centre of Jämsä: the rapids form a 7-metre-high waterfall.

At Juvéninkoski, there is a roadside car park with a viewpoint, an information board and a signpost. In summer, the river below the waterfall can be reached via a challenging path. This information can help you plan your visit: the viewpoint and the path down to the river are different ways to explore the area.

Getting around and finding your way

Jämsä town centre has both a bus station and a railway station. Seppola Harbour on the Jämsänjoki River is also close to the town centre’s services. It serves as a rest stop for boaters, travellers and visitors. When choosing accommodation as a base for exploring, you can take these landmarks and the focus of your trip into account without combining the different destinations into a single tour.

Church, gallery and sauna tradition

Jämsä Church stands prominently on Church Hill. The cruciform church was designed by Kauno S. Kallio and consecrated on 29 September 1929. Among other things, the present church preserves the altarpiece and crucifix from the church that burned down; smaller objects are housed in the church museum. This gives a visit a historical dimension that differs from the nature experiences in the surrounding area.

Galleria Kivipankki is an art gallery and cultural centre. Jämsän Kesäteatteri, which has been operating in the Sähkökoski landscape since 2015, is also part of the cultural scene. Nearby, in Juokslahti near Jämsä, you will find the Sauna Village. It is the only sauna village in the country. The oldest historic smoke saunas there date back to the 18th century; the newest saunas represent the smoke sauna building tradition of the 1940s. Visitors can use the smoke saunas in summer. The regular public sauna sessions on Saturdays usually begin in June and continue into autumn.

The Sauna Village is accessible by bus; the nearest stops, Pataniemi E and P, are 450 metres away. For a visit with children, there is also a traffic practice park in Jämsä town centre, where children can practise traffic rules using pedal cars, tricycles and ride-on cars. This lets you combine cultural and nature interests with an activity of their own for younger travellers.

Winter days nearby

Nearby, Himos offers a winter sports option with 26 well-maintained ski slopes. The longest slope is 1,200 metres long. Himos also has a flat, 300-metre-long track where children can practise skiing. Later in the winter, you can cross-country ski from Himos to Jämsä. These are different options for days in the snow; which one suits your trip depends on whether you prefer downhill slopes, a short practice track or cross-country skiing.

Pukinvuori has a lean-to shelter with a viewing terrace overlooking Jämsä town centre. In winter, a floodlit ski slope is also available there.

More destinations: Kivijärvi, Suolahti, Saarijärvi, Lannevesi, Uurainen, Pihtipudas, Keuruu and Vaajakoski.

For the regional travel overview: Central Finland.