Tallinn
This sprawling ethnographic and architectural complex comprises 80 historic Estonian buildings, plucked from across the country and resurrected in…
Must-see attractions in Estonia
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Estonia
Begun by the Danes at the end of the 13th century and strengthened by successive owners including Germans, Swedes and Russians, this castle, along with…
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Estonia
Built between 1885 and 1895, the five green onion-domed towers of Pühtitsa Convent, crowning Kuremäe (Crane Mountain), are visible for miles. Murals by…
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Estonia
Originally a Danish stronghold of the 13th century, Rakvere’s star attraction is a hulking, atmospheric semi-ruin that now aims to transport visitors back…
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Lahemaa National Park
Fully restored Palmse Manor is the showpiece historic building of Lahemaa National Park, housing the visitor centre in its former stables. The pretty…
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Lahemaa National Park
The photogenically tumbledown, neoclassical manor house at Kolga dates from 1642, but was largely rebuilt between 1768 and 1820 by the wealthy Stenbock…
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Lahemaa National Park
It's extraordinary that an obscure, remote village near the top of the Pärispea peninsula should be home to one of the country's best galleries, yet…
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Lahemaa National Park
Completed in 1753, this pretty pink-and-white baroque mansion is surrounded by glorious gardens (which are free to visit), encompassing a lake, numerous…
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Tallinn
Boasting a broad collection of rare goat and sheep species, plus around 350 other varieties of feathered, furry and four-legged friends (including lions,…
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Lahemaa National Park
Known as the 'Captains’ Village', from 1884 to 1931 tiny Käsmu was home to a marine school that churned out ship captains. At one stage it was said that…
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Lahemaa National Park
First mentioned in 1465, this fishing village has many restored or reconstructed traditional buildings, including fishing sheds on the rocky point and an…
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Estonia
Oru Park was built around a grand palace in 1899 by Grigory Yeliseyev, at the time one of Russia's richest merchants. In 1935 it became the summer palace…
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Estonia
This massive 7-tonne, 3.5m-high, 7.1m-long statue was completed by local artist Tauno Kangro to commemorate the town’s 700th anniversary in 2002. You…
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Estonia
Thought to have been a sacred site to pre-Christian Estonians, this 23-hectare expanse of mature oak and lime forest is a wonderful place for a leafy…
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Estonia
Narva Museum occupies the Hermann Tower and east wing of the castle. Climb the tower's 51m to a wooden viewing gallery, checking out the exhibits on each…
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Lahemaa National Park
The former Soviet border-guard barracks at Käsmu now shelters this eclectic museum, displaying artefacts relating to sailing, fishing, smuggling and other…
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Estonia
Dating from around 1430, although it’s been damaged and repaired several times since, this lovely, whitewashed Lutheran church has a 62m steeple (a 19th…
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Tallinn
This shallow beach is in Pelguranna, a neighbourhood favoured by Tallinn's Russian community. Broad and shallow, there’s a distinct local buzz in summer,…
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Estonia
At Valaste a viewing platform and metal stair faces Estonia’s highest waterfall (varying from 26m to 30m), which, depending on the month, may be a torrent…
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Estonia
There are many historic wooden and stone buildings on Pikk street, including this 18th-century home, restored and furnished to reflect Rakvere town life…
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Lahemaa National Park
Split into several pieces over millennia, this gigantic 7.8m-high erratic boulder, hidden within a lovely stand of forest, is still an impressive sight…
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Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Estonia
This cute 19th-century church was originally a two-storey house, bought by Tsar Nicholas I in 1839 to provide a house of worship for Rakvere's Orthodox…
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Estonia
Named after the Russian tsar assassinated while it was being built (1881–84), this Lutheran church is the largest religious building in Estonia. It was…
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Estonia
For a Soviet-era plaza, Tartu's expansive main square is actually pretty cool. Big yellow steel lamps arch over pebble circles and fountains, and there's…
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Estonia
Six rooms of exhibitions on Sillamäe, its shale-chemical factory and rural life in Vaivara parish await within this building, erected in the late 1950s in…
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Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection
Estonia
Hidden among dingy apartment blocks northwest of the train station, this 1896 cathedral, built for the workers of the Kreenholm textile factory, has an…
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Lahemaa National Park
Housed in a 19th-century forestry office, with displays on Lahemaa's flora and fauna, outdoor exhibits including a plant trail, hay barn and ice-cellar…
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Estonia
This branch of the Sillamäe Museum, housed in the Sillamäe Cultural Centre (a former bomb shelter), displays the museum's collection of artefacts from the…
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Estonia
Spread over three floors of a 19th-century gunpowder storeroom on the Gloria bastion, Narva’s art gallery has an interesting collection, including…
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Estonia
Kaberneeme's peaceful, pine-lined beach runs down the western side of the peninsula. There's decent swimming among the glacial erratics in the shallows,…
