Moving in and around Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä is a city of cyclists. Bicycle is probably the most popular means of transportation, especially among students, since it is as flexible, healthy and eco-friendly as walking but faster. It is a great way to explore the city! A good system of cycle paths, which are mainly located on the sidewalks and not on the roads, make the city a safe place for cyclists. You can easily find a used bike at an affordable price in second-hand bike shops or online in Facebook groups.

A working gear change and good brakes are quite important as the city is more hilly than it seems at first sight. When it comes to cycling in winter, opinions tend to differ sharply. While many people store their bikes in the bike shed during the cold season, others don’t want to miss their trusty vehicle and put studded tires on. Since the condition of the streets changes almost every day due to the varying mix of snow and ice, cycling in winter remains an adventure. Wearing a helmet is highly recommended.

Another adventure can be your first bus ride in Jyväskylä. I spent some time waiting at bus stops until I realized that the time mentioned in the timetable at the bus stop is not the time when the bus arrives at that specific bus stop. It is actually the departure time at which the bus leaves from the first stop, so you need to estimate the time that the bus needs till your bus stop. You may want to use this website instead, which shows you the more or less exact time when the bus will be at your bus stop as well as the route. https://jyvaskyla.digitransit.fi/ It can be helpful to familiarize yourself in advance with the route and the location of the bus stop where you want to go to, because the bus stops are not announced in the bus and the bus stops only if someone presses the stop button or if someone is waiting outside at a bus stop and waving. Tickets can be bought from the bus driver (only cash) or in the app Linkki. The price of a single ticket bought in the bus is currently 3 € and in the app 2,70 €. The ticket id valid for an hour. If you are planning to use the bus regularly, it makes sense to get a value ticket or a season ticket from the Linkki service point in Forum or any R-kioski. A ride with a student value ticket costs 1,70 € and the card can be topped up online, in the bus or at the places mentioned above. A student season ticket for 30 days costs at the moment 43 € and a ticket for 90 days 123 €.

Travelling by bus is also a good choice if you want to visit other cities and explore the country. On the website of Matkahuolto, you can buy tickets from all Finnish long-distance bus operators, such as Onnibus (https://www.onnibus.com/home) which is well-known for its low prices. In general, the ticket will be cheaper the earlier you book it and in some intercity buses you can also get a student discount. The same applies to the train tickets of the Finnish railway company VR (https://www.vr.fi/cs/vr/en/frontpage), which has a great price–performance ratio. You can get for example from Jyväskylä to the Helsinki airport for around 13 €, including seat reservation, if you buy the ticket well in advance. There is free WiFi in all trains and in many buses and they are rather punctual, which makes travelling a pleasant and stress-free experience.

Linda Stenzel, Student Ambassador
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences