Jämsä is a town with about 20,000 inhabitants in Central Finland.

Understand

Jämsä is a town and municipality located in the western part of the province of Western Finland, in the region of Central Finland. With a population of around 22,000 (as of 2021), it is one of the larger towns in the region.

A popular attraction in Jämsä is the Himos Ski Resort, which is located just outside the town center. Himos is one of the most popular ski resorts in Finland, offering over 40 slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels. In addition to downhill skiing, the resort also offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and other winter activities. During the summer months, visitors can enjoy mountain biking, horseback riding, and other warm-weather pursuits at Himos.

Jämsä is also home to a number of industrial companies, particularly those related to the forest industry.

Get in

By car

Highway 9 between Tampere and Jyväskylä passes through Jämsä. Highway from Lahti comes in from the south.

By train

Trains on the line Helsinki-Tampere-Jyväskylä stop at Jämsä.

By bus

There are buses from Tampere, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Helsinki.

Get around

Car is your best option.

See

• 1 Jämsä church. White church from 1929 with a large cupola, has many features that were salvaged from the former church that burned down. (updated Aug 2023)

• 2 Aarresaari Local Museum (Aarresaaren kotiseutumuseo), Virtasalmentie 27 (Jämsänkoski). A collection of old wooden houses from the region, the oldest are from the 17th century. (updated Aug 2023)

• 3 Ilveslinna, Jämsäntie 4 (Jämsänkoski). Imposant building in Classicist style, built in 1937. It was a club house for different local clubs, nowadays a private building that can be looked at from the outside. (updated Aug 2023)

Do

• 1 Himos. One of Finland's largest ski resorts outside Lapland. In the summer it's an event venue, with a dozen or so of different events from music festivals to a mountainbike race. (updated Aug 2023)

Eat

• 1 Ravintola Silkkitie, Keskuskatu 7. Chinese restaurant. (updated Aug 2023)

• 2 Vanha Mylly, Koskenväylä 9 (Jämsänkoski). Restaurant in an old mill. (updated Aug 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Motel Patalahti, Patalahdentie 20, ☏ +358 20 7119230. Motel next to Highway 9, adjacent to a gas station and restaurant. (updated Aug 2023)

In addition the Himos resort has hotels.

Go next

• Jyväskylä
• 1 Oravivuori, Korpilahti, Central Finland — A marker on the Struve Geodetic Arc. From the Jyväskylä–Jämsä road 9 E63, turn off towards Puolakka if coming from Jyväskylä, or Saalahti if coming from Tampere, these are the ends of the same road. Follow it for around 10 km until you see signs to the Struve chain to the parking lot to the right. From there it's 1 km of hiking uphill. The view to lake Päijänne from the tower is nice, though at the point where the UNESCO marker is, the view is obstructed by pines. Oravivuori is 193 m ASL.

• Lahti
• Petäjävesi
• Tampere