In late August I finished up my Estonian visit with a couple days in Parnu, know as the summer capital of Parnu due to the beach and all the spas….
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After getting bounced around by German, Danish, Swedish, Polish and Russian rule for over 700 years, Estonia attained independence in 1918 when the Russian Empire collapsed due to the revolution. Unfortunately the revolution brought about the Soviet Union and Estonia was forcibly incorporated behind the Iron Curtain in 1940. Estonia finally re-gained independence in 1991 through its “Singing Revolution”, a non-violent movement that overthrew a brutal and violent occupation.
Helpful Info
Population – 1,330,000
Money – Euro (as of Feb 2020 US$1 = €0.91; current rate available at XE.com)
Language – Estonian, but English & Russian is understood by many
Religion – 70% claim no religion or undeclared
When to go – Summer when it is warmer
World Heritage Sites – 2 – Struve Geodetic Arc & Tallinn
Country formed – gained independence from Soviet Union on August 20, 1991
My Visit
In August 2019 I spent a month traveling around the Baltic states and I flew from Vilnius, Lithuania to Estonia, skipping over Latvia which I went to when I left Estonia. I did this because flights tend to be cheaper and more frequent out of Riga, Latvia than Tallinn, Estonia. During my time in Estonia I was invited to visit Finland for the day and I was surprised how easy it was to take a two hour ferry to Helsinki. After returning from Finland I rented a car and drove all over Estonia.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
The is nothing I disliked about Estonia and I found the country to be a great combo of history, nature, and stories of the Soviet occupation. I recommend renting a car as I did so you can get all over the country easier than by bus. After several days checking out the capital of Tallinn I drove along the northern highway and checkout Jagala Waterfall, the bogs of Lahemaa National Park, and the castle at Narva on the Russian border. From there I dropped south to see the Observatory at Tartu and then west to the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Finally I returned the car in Tallinn and took the bus to the seaside town of Pärnu and a ferry to the island of Kihnu before leaving by bus for Riga, Latvia. About the only thing I wished for was an extra day on the island of Saaremaa and maybe in Tallinn, otherwise I think the above itinerary done in nine days was just fine.
For recommendations, checkout each of the blogs below to see what I discovered at each site and city.
All Blogs From Estonia
On August 21st I got up to catch a 7:15 bus from Parnu to Munalaid to get on the 8:30 ferry out to a small island off the Estonian coast…
Yesterday I told you about my favorite sites in the split town of Tallin. There is Toompea (upper town) and Vanalinn (lower town). But of all those sites it is…
Tallin is the capital of Estonia and a bit different than other European cities. While most other towns had the upper and lower classes, only Tallin actually had an upper…
Back in mid August I was on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa, which is know for its lighthouses as I wrote yesterday. Well, as I was almost to Tahkuna Lighthouse…
The last two days I have written about the day I spent on Saaremaa Island back in mid August during my trip around Estonia. I also told you how I…
Many people would not like to stay in a place like this because it truly was a cottage from the 1920’s and was just one room with a fireplace breaking…
In order to get to Saaremaa Island you have to take a 30 minute ferry from the mainland, but the good news is that it leaves every half hour or…
Construction of the University of Tartu’s Old Observatory started in 1808 and had the largest refracting telescope at the time. Starting in 1813, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve worked here…
In fact, Tartu is the oldest city in Estonia and dates back to 1030. Sadly large parts of the town were destroyed in WWII, but Tartu still has a charming…
Yesterday I told you all about my visit back in mid August to Hermann Castle, which sits right inside Estonia next to the Russian border. While I was going through…
After leaving Lahemaa National Park in mid August, I drove across the north part of Estonia to visit Hermann Castle in Narva, which sits right on the board with Russia….
On Friday I wrote about my time hiking through the Viru Bogs in the southwestern part of the Lahemaa National Park. What I did not write was that during the…
Lahemaa National Park was established in 1971 and is one of the main tourist draws in Estonia. The name roughly translates as “Land of Bays” because the large park is…
As you read the last several days, After leaving Lithuania to go to Estonia in mid August I immediately took a ferry to Helsinki, Finland for a day trip. Well…