Estonia – the best attractions which you must see

What is the first place you must see in Estonia? It's Tallinn, of course! It is an excellent mixture of the historic and very atmospheric Old Town with the metropolitan vibes of the western part of the capital. You will find there narrow streets and vast squares, pleasant alleys, impressive temples and splendid townhouses which are the legacy of the rich and entrepreneurial townsmen. Since Tallinn belonged to Hansa, you will see a typical architecture of that alliance of North European trade cities. All this was recognised by UNESCO, which entered Tallinn in its World Heritage List. Apart from historic monuments, there are also lots of excellent bars with serving delicious regional cuisine, fashionable clubs and interesting street art. Discover all the city's attractions and book cheap flights to Tallinn!

If you like big cities, then you should visit Tartu, too! Estonia's second largest city, Tartu is an important cultural and academic centre vibrant with art and student life. Established in 1632, the local university is one of the oldest schools in the north of Europe. In addition to that, you will find a nice Old Town with Gothic brick buildings, and suburban districts with traditional wooden architecture.

What is worthy to see in Estonia apart from cities? Subtle and intriguing nature! Estonia has no imposing mountains (the tallest hill in the country rises to only 318 metres), but you will have no problems finding primary forests, a rare sight in Europe, as well as vast swamps and peat bogs. If you like silence and peaceful contact with wild nature, it will be your perfect place for hiking.

Being a Baltic State, Estonia boasts fantastic coastline interspersed with numerous gulfs and bays. If slow walks on sandy beaches are what you are after, they you are at the right place! As is normal in the Baltic, water is quite cold even in the summer, but if you fancy some carefree fun, dip yourself in the sea and have a great time. Or perhaps you prefer to escape from the noise of the world around you? Then visit one of the 1,500 local islands. They are quite hard to get to, but it makes them wild and stunningly beautiful. Accounting for 10% of the country's area, most of them are either sparsely populated or not populated at all. If that suits you fine, take a boat to Hiuma. Sparsely populated by densely forested, the island has a lighthouse built in 1531. Sarema, another island, is more "civilised" and offers tourists quite a lot of attractions, including windmills, which are its hallmark. Visit also the Lahemaa National Park in the north of the country, which protects an intact stretch of coastal nature, and the popular resort of Pärnu in the west, which is considered Estonia's summer capital. In there, you can spend some time on the local sandy beaches or taking popular therapeutic peat baths.

A visit to Estonia would not be complete without seeing some castles. Kuressaare, which is said to be the best preserved fortress in this part of Europe, special tourist appeal! Initially a small stronghold, it was significantly expanded after the St. George's uprising in the mid 13th century, and today it housed the Museum of Sarema. You will also find a beautiful castle in the old town of Haapsalu. If you read the illustrated edition of the Bullerby Children, then you might be amazed by the fact that Ilon Wikland, the excellent illustrator of Atrid Lindgren's books, grew up there.