Small lakeside municipality south of Tampere, best known as the airport gateway to the Tampere region.
Pirkkala is a small municipality of about 15,000 people just south of Tampere, about 15 minutes by road. It is home to Tampere-Pirkkala International Airport, the gateway for budget flights into the Tampere region, and its main claim to fame for travellers.
The town itself sits beside Lake Pyhäjärvi and offers a quiet, residential character. For most visitors, Pirkkala is simply the airport town — Tampere is the destination worth your time.
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is the main reason to come here. Budget flights from multiple European cities land here; Ryanair uses it as a base for routes to and from UK, Ireland, and continental Europe.
From the airport to central Tampere, take bus line 61 (Tampere Airport Express) or a taxi. Journey time to the Tampere city centre is about 25 minutes by bus, less by taxi. There is no rail connection directly to the airport.
By car from Tampere centre, Pirkkala is reached via highway 3 heading southwest. The drive takes about 15 minutes.
Pirkkala's main draw is as the airport municipality for the Tampere region. That said, the town sits beside Lake Pyhäjärvi, and the shoreline offers pleasant walking and cycling paths used by locals.