– ESTONIA TRAVEL GUIDE –
Country: Estonia
National capital: Tallinn
Population: 1,307,600 people
Area: 45,226 square kilometers
Currency: Euro
Language: Estonian, Russian
Estonia is the smallest Baltic state. The capital, Tallinn, is the primary place where tourists are drawn to, but fabulous adventures await those who choose to explore all of Estonia that cannot be experienced anywhere else in Europe. You will see numerous beautiful lakes, national parks and reserves. Interestingly, Estonia has as many as 1,500 islands (most of them uninhabited), and as much as 2,000 square kilometers of its area are covered by bodies of water.
-Estonia travel guide –
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. Since 1997, the medieval buildings of the Old Town have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the center, the open-air museum, the Pirita district and the Tsar’s palace and Kadrilog Park are also worth a visit.
A coastal national park, located in a beautiful area near high cliffs. In its vicinity is the country’s highest waterfall, where cascades of water fall from a considerable height scrambling multicolored sandstone at their feet – an exceptionally charming place. The national park itself primarily protects the unspoiled by man ecosystem of the ancient primeval forest, whose inhabitants for centuries have included moose and bears. In addition, the undoubted attraction of the park are the erratic boulders, which are found both at the sea shore itself and inland – in forests, fields, villages – everywhere they look equally amazing. There is a saying here that in spring the earth gives birth to stones, as the freezing water pushes the stones higher and higher during the winter months, until finally, after many centuries, they sometimes come to the surface, and farmers discover more smaller and larger boulders each year during field work.
Parnu, located on the country’s southwestern coast, is nicknamed „Estonia’s Miami.” During the summer months it bustles with activity, with its picturesque beaches turning into bustling, but not at all crowded, squares. However, there are also many other interesting attractions waiting to be explored – including the city’s parks and the historic old town of Parnava full of winding and picturesque streets.
Haapsalu is a well-known climatic and balneological spa – the Russian Emperor Tsar Alexander II and composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, among others, have rested here. The biggest attractions are the 13th century bishop’s castle, Europe’s longest wooden railroad station and the Town Hall Square surrounded by traditional wooden houses.
Tartu is Estonia’s second largest city, considered the intellectual as well as cultural capital of the country. Worth seeing here are the numerous classicist townhouses with red and blue roofs that surround City Hall Square, the so-called Leaning Tower, St. John’s Church and the Devil’s Bridge.
– start reading –