Moomin characters at the Tampere Art Museum Moominvalley (Moomin Museum)

One of the places to visit in Tampere, Finland, if you’re with the kids, is the Tampere Art Museum Moominvalley or Moomin Museum, located at the basement of the Metso building, an important cultural landmark of the city which houses the Tampere City Library.

The Moomin museum was our first stop during our Tampere day tour and it was a place where the kids enjoyed themselves. In case you’re wondering what a Moomin (Mumintroll in Swedish, Muumi in Finnish) is, it is a popular character in Finnish and Swedish cultures. Moomins are white-colored trolls that look like cute hippos based on charming characters created by Tove Jansson, a famous Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer.

What does one expect inside the Moominvalley museum? Watch this video below:

The Moomins characters are well-loved not just in Finland but in other countries as well, and Moomins books have been published in more than 40 languages. In Naantali, Finland, there’s even a Moomin World theme park. The stories of these charming trolls were also made into several television series and films.

Here’s a video episode of an animated Moomin film with narration in English:

If you’re planning to go on a holiday with the kids, one thing to consider is to make the vacation an enjoyable experience for them as well. That would make them excited about succeeding trips, whether it would be one of those exotic Barbados holidays or a family weekend at a nearby national park. Aside from thinking about famous tourist landmarks on your list of places to visit, you have to consider that the little ones may get bored with visiting traditional museums and historical sites. I remember when we visited the Satakunta Museum in Pori, my little nephew was a bit scared of the animal figures in wax. He wanted to go home. On our Tampere day tour though, my nephews and niece had fun at the Moomin museum!

The Metso building (Tampere City Library) where the Moomin Museum is located at the basement.

Inside the Moomin museum, visitors are treated to charming displays of miniature Moomins and their way of life creatively presented in detailed scenes in three-dimensional tableaux unfolding in a series of Moomin stories. Visitors are not allowed to take photos of the miniature displays inside, so just refer to the above video instead. The highlight is the miniature model of the blue Moomin House which is about 2.5 meters tall. It is a fascinating five-storey piece of intricately-done art.

The Moomin House, as viewed from the Moominvalley stage area.

Tampere Art Museum Moominvalley / Moomin Museum information, entrance fees and opening hours

Address: Metso building, Hämeenpuisto 20, Tampere, Finland
Telephone: +358 3 5656 6578

Entrance fees:
Adults – 7 Euros
Children (Ages 2–16) / Students – 2 Euros
Family (2 adults and 2 children) – 15 Euros

Opening hours:
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday to Friday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Saturday to Sunday
Closed on Mondays

For updates on the Tampere Art Museum Moominvalley / Moomin Museum, please visit their official website at http://inter9.tampere.fi/muumilaakso/.

The Moominvalley Shop is adjacent to the museum where you can buy Moomins merchandise for your souvenirs, from clocks printed with moomins characters, to moomins mugs, moomins notebooks, moomins bag and even mouse pads. The shop opens at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, from Tuesday to Friday, and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, from Saturday to Sunday.

After viewing the museum displays, my nephews and niece had fun putting on some royal costumes for a pose at the Moominvalley stage. At least the kids were allowed to have their photos taken in this area.

A fun pose wearing the royal costumes at the Moominvalley stage.

If you’re heading to Tampere this summer with the kids, make sure to drop by the Moominvalley museum. It’s actually a museum for kids of all ages.

Visiting Tampere, the “Manchester of the North,” Bangkok, the “City of Angels” or Prague, the “City of a Hundred Spires?” I have included below a simple travel widget you can use to help you easily find where to stay.