Europe
Estonia
Continent
Best States to Visit
- Tartu
- Valga
- Viljandi
- Ida-Viru
- Pärnu
Best Cities to Visit
- Tallinn
- Tartu
- Narva
- Viljandi
- Kuressaare
Size
45,339 KM2
Population
1,327,349
GDP
$26,611,651,599
Spending Budget
$79 - $1,103
Famous For
- Estonia has two Unesco World Heritage sites. The historic old town of Tallinn is well known for its wonderfully preserved medieval architecture; more obscure is the Struve Geodetic Arc.
Best Time to Visit
- June
- July
- August
History
The history of Estonia forms a part of the history of Europe. Humans settled in the region of Estonia near the end of the last glacial era, beginning from around 8500 BC. Before German crusaders invaded in the early 13th century, proto-Estonians of ancient Estonia worshipped spirits of nature. Starting with the Northern Crusades in the Middle Ages, Estonia became a battleground for centuries where Denmark, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Poland fought their many wars over controlling the important geographical position of the country as a gateway between East and West. After Danes and Germans conquered the area in 1227, Estonia was ruled initially by Denmark in the north, by the Livonian Order, an autonomous part of the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights and by Baltic German ecclesiastical states of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1418 to 1562 the whole of Estonia formed part of the Livonian Confederation. After the Livonian War of 1558–1583, Estonia became part of the Swedish Empire until 1710/1721, when Sweden ceded it to Russia as a result of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. Throughout this period the Baltic-German nobility enjoyed autonomy, and German served as the language of administration and education. The Estophile Enlightenment Period led to the Estonian national awakening in the middle of the 19th century. In the aftermath of World War I and the Russian revolutions of 1917, Estonians declared their independence in February 1918. The Estonian War of Independence ensued on two fronts: the newly proclaimed state fought against Bolshevist Russia to the east and against the Baltic German forces to the south. The Tartu Peace Treaty marked the end of fighting and recognised Estonian independence in perpetuity. In 1940, in the wake of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia and illegally annexed the country. In the course of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany occupied Estonia in 1941; later in World War II the Soviet Union reoccupied it. Estonia regained independence in 1991 in the course of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
Present Day
Estonia, country in northeastern Europe, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. Estonia’s area includes some 1,500 islands and islets; the two largest of these islands, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, are off mainland Estonia’s west coast. The Estonian landscape is largely the product of glacial activity. The south is covered with moraine hills, and the central part of the country abounds in elongated hills with flat tops. Mixed forests, with about 90 native species of trees and shrubs, cover almost half of Estonia’s territory. Most widespread are pines, firs, birches, and aspens; less common are oaks, maples, elms, and ashes. Scots pine is the most common native tree. Meadows occupy a large area, as do marshes and swamps, where one-quarter of Estonia’s 1,500 plant species are found. Compared with other European countries, Estonia has a large percentage of foreign-born residents and their children. Only about two-thirds of the population are ethnic Estonians. The country’s most important mineral is oil shale, of which Estonia is a significant world producer. Estonia is a developed country, with a high-income advanced economy; ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It is one of the least populous members of the European Union, the Eurozone, the OECD, the Schengen Area, NATO, and the United Nations Security Council. Estonia has consistently ranked highly in international rankings for quality of life, education, digitalization of public services and the prevalence of technology companies.
Future
Estonia is devoted to the UN Agenda 2030 both domestically and internationally. In addition to the 17 SDGs, Estonia is also focusing on maintaining the viability of the Estonian cultural space pursuant to the “Sustainable Estonia 21” strategy. The SDGs are the basis for the “Estonia 2035” strategy that lays down Estonia’s long-term strategic objectives and relevant policy measures. The “Estonia 2035” strategy is primarily implemented through development plans and programmes in each field. Approximately 17,000 people have contributed their knowledge and expectations to compiling the national long-term development strategy “Estonia 2035” over two years. The strategy was born as the co-creation of researchers, experts, partners, politicians, entrepreneurs, and many Estonian people, and it is based on numerous discussions, analysis, reports on Estonia, and nationwide harvesting of opinions. The SDGs are also implemented by integrating them into government level development plans. Tallinn is a green city with citizen friendly urban space and caring people. The new strategy has been created in cooperation with 5000 of Tallinn’s citizens. The city's new development strategy focuses on six goals, which cover the topics of urban space, community, green revolution, world city, proximity to home, as well as a healthy and mobile lifestyle. The goals of the development strategy are realistically achievable and will help to increase Tallinn's competitiveness as a living and business environment, of course with the principles of sustainability and climate friendliness kept in mind,” added the mayor. Tallinn 2035’s six sub-objectives will include designing a citizen friendly urban area, opening our city to the sea, connecting the green networks, smart economy, value learning, science and innovation, culture and events, support healthy lifestyle, a new level of urban mobility, developing circular economy, support biodiverse natural environment in the city, preserve cultural heritage, enhance safe eand citizen friendly environment, consideration of each other and strong civil society.
Voru
A little conventional Estonian city in the south-east of the country, Võru is located on the coast of Lake Tamula,Its best Tourist Attraction in Estonia. The city center has a unique, well-organized street design and beautiful low timbered residences. From the city center, picturesque Katariina Alley guides to the lake, its pretty beach, and famous paved esplanade. The most excellent and most charming edifice in Voru is a previous manor of the native landowner, which today contains a state secondary school. It is the most ancient edifice in Voru.
Vilsandi National Park
Situated in Saare County at the southern portion of Estonia, Vilsandi National Park, incorporates a section of the Vilsandi Island, nearly 150 little islands, the Harilaid peninsula, and sections of western Saaremaa. Formed in 1910, Vilsandi is the most ancient Baltic defended the region and one of the biggest Estonia’s seals resting spots. The park has 30 types of orchids and a wide number of species of juniper shrubs and fossils. The park is a picturesque hiking spot, and horseback riders can obtain a horse at the Reinu stables. As you hike, you will find innumerable spectacular lighthouses, but the islands are primarily unpopulated. The park has a wonderful tourist’s center with a wide collection of fossils.
Viljandi
It is a very ancient city and municipality in southern Estonia that was accepted the city charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe in 1283. This beautiful small city is nestled in the shadowy depths of thick southern Estonian woods, and its marvelous castle remains, once an abode of the ruling Livonian Order, is a great amusement to visit. There is also the charming not far away lake with a beach and boats to hire and distinctive timbered architecture. Viljandi has a big, vibrant student society from Viljandi Culture Academy, who keep lively Estonian folk music and culture. During the summer, musicians can frequently be found walking the town paths singing.
Valga
Valga’s Town Hall finished in 1865, has elevated half-hipped ceiling, small towers, and skylights. The 1816 Jaani Church is situated in the middle of the town, the sole church in Estonia that has an egg-shaped ground plan. Valga Museum is a wonderful spot to know about the history of the town. The Military Theme Park is a museum with amazing displays, for instance, military transports, a tank, armed vehicles, a broad collection of arms, and much more. The Pedeli River flows through the two twin towns and has a beautiful long hiking and biking track that runs along with it.
Tartu
An eastern Estonian town, Tartu is renowned for its extremely distinguished, 17th-century University of Tartu. The university is the town’s pounding heart with the vibrant ambience learners always make, but you can also find the old town with the university’s wonderful main edifices in neoclassical style, and the lively Town Hall Square, well-known for the Kissing Students fountain and a wide range of entertainment and eccentric cafes.
Tallinn
Estonia’s ancient epicenter Tallinn is situated on the Baltic Sea shore, an ideal blend of past and present. Now the country’s cultural center, Tallinn was first referred in 1154 and still has its fenced, cobblestoned Old Town, which is now filled with charming cafes and stores and all these make Tallinn a wonderful tourist attraction in Estonia.
Sillamae
This is a city in the northern portion of Estonia on the shore of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Sõtke River. Until the 1920s, Sillamae was a beautiful resort village famous in the 1800s among the elite classes due to its spas and charming nature. Sillamae is even now a significant industrial hub, digging and processing uncommon metals, but is also a fascinating tourist attraction to explore with wonderful nearby nature and some big waterfalls.
Setomaa
Allocated between Russia and Estonia, Setomaa is a marvelous tourist attraction in southern Estonia, south of Lake Peipus. The cultural and historic hub of Setomaa is Pechory. The people managed to maintain their customs, distinctive lifestyle, language, culture, foods, and dressing traditions. They are famous for the old polyphonic singing that the new generation received from the past people and accepted. The Seto Farm Museum is a wonderful spot to know about Seto farm architecture, craftworks, and ancient tools. Relish one of the conventional smoke saunas, explore Seto Studio/Gallery to find the present day and conventional Seto art, and attempt trout fishing at the Piusa River.
Saaremaa
It is the biggest island in Estonia. Saaremaa has been populated from no less than 5,000 years BCE, and it has a tumultuous history in both a natural and human perception. he island is a very famous leisure destination. People from all over Estonia appear here for the island’s beautiful, nearly unpeopled beaches, affluent traditions, and tremendous spa retreats. Picturesque fishing villages, conventional Estonian small houses, a huge fort in the epicenter Kuressaare, picture-perfect windmills, and distinctive wildlife make Saaremaa a beautiful spot to visit.
Ruhnu
There is a little village in the center of the island with a beautiful timbered church established in the 17th century. The village is encompassed by deep ancient forests with plenty of uncommon tree species. The total area is a paradise for hiking, with plenty of panoramic trails crossing the island. There is permanently a lovely sea breeze fetching in the odors of the ocean. The island is dispersedly inhabited, and it is feasible to hike for hours without confronting a single man.
Rakvere
It is an ancient town in northern Estonia about 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland. Its scenery is controlled by the remains of the 13th-century fort that appears over the town. Nearby the shore and Lahemaa national park, Rakvere is a beloved leisure destination with all the present day relaxations set in picture-perfect pastoral surroundings. Rakvere is too becoming famous for its substitute edge, a wide range of punk music festivals and ceremonies. The remains of the fort have been renovated as a theme park where tourists can pass a day being costumed up as knights and medieval ladies and know about life in the Middle Ages.
Pärnu
It is one of the biggest towns in Estonia and is thought to be Estonia’s summer epicenter. This medieval town is situated on the shore of Bay in Pärnu the Baltic Sea in southwestern Estonia. The Pärnu River goes through the town on the way to the Gulf of Riga. Pärnu is famous for its wide sandy shores, magnificent hotels, and charming eateries. Pärnu is also familiar with all types of spas, from big water parks enjoyed by children to the closer historic bathhouses. A long broad beach is fringed by a beloved esplanade, ideal for taking a walk, jogging, cycling, and roller skating.
Otepää
A city in Valga County in southern Estonia, Otepää is a famous Estonian winter leisure destination for those who love the snow sports. After enjoying a day of skating, skiing, snow tubing, or snowboarding, you can take some rest in one of Otepaa’s grand spas, hotels, and epicurean eateries. In the summer season, tourists can visit the panoramic hiking tracks through the Otepää nature park, through rolling hills, and by the lakes’ coasts along curving quaint village roads.
Nova and Noarootsi
Situated close to the coastal city of Haapsalu in western Estonia, the small picture-perfect village Nõva and the charming Noarootsi Peninsula are famous tourist attractions in Estonia. These destinations are especially for those people who love kayaking, sailing, and windsurfing. In the winter, there is traveling on the ice tracks for those who love an adrenaline rush. Nõva is well-known for the tiny distinctive timbered St. Olaf’s church established in the 18th century. Noarootsi is famous for its wonderful coasts encompassed by pine woods.
Narva
Situated at Estonia’s easternmost tip at the Russian boundary on the Narva River, Narva is one of Estonia’s biggest towns. From Narva, you can get a magnificent look of Russia, and the finest watching spots are situated at Narva castle on one river bank and Ivangorod fortress on the other. The nature outside the city is breathtaking, and there are hiking tracks that range from ascending the Sinimäe hills to the 12-kilometer hike to the Narva-Jõesuu coastal resort, with very charming white sandy beach encompassed by pine woods. Because of its situation, Narva has always been an important center of cultures, which is absolutely clear by the distinctive architecture in the town.
Matsalu National Park
This park is a 48,610-hectare nature conserve and park established to save a good number of migratory, nesting, and molting birds. The region, situated in western Estonia, consists of Matsalu Bay, the delta of the Kasari River, and the neighboring regions. The park is specifically significant because it is situated in the main portion of the East Atlantic Flyway. Every spring, over two million waterfowl go through Matsalu. The park is a perpetual abode for a number of extremely rare species, for instance, the white-tailed eagle. There is a number of tracks crisscrossing the park. Apart from hiking and biking, the park can be visited by boat as well. Several bird-observing-towers are dispersed throughout the park to ease seeing birds without harming them and their nests.
Lake Peipus
This lake is situated on the boundary between Russia and Estonia and is one of the biggest lakes in Western Europe. Its varied nature, conventional culture, an abundance of fish, and beautiful country roads make Peipus region a beloved leisure destination. The shores around the lake are captivating to explore, with a blend of residences, conventional markets, lighthouses, and picture-perfect conventional cottages.
Kuressaare
Kuressaare, is an extremely picture-perfect little city on Estonia’s Saaremaa island and the country’s westernmost city. The medieval Kuressaare Castle established in the 14th century is now the abode of the Saaremaa Regional Museum and is encompassed by a broad, picturesque moat. The city hall, which was established in 1654, was cautiously renovated to maintain its baroque and classicist characteristics.
Korvemaa Nature Reserve
Korvema nature reserve is a famous leisure destination for souls seeking a distinctive landscape and charming, unharmed nature. It is situated in northern Estonia just 50 km from Tallinn. Covered by lakes, woods, and swamps, this park is a paradise for nature enthusiasts with well-kept timbered tracks through strange marshes, sheer hills, and sandy roads. Kõrvemaa is beloved during the winter as well and has a web of wonderful cross country ski tracks. It is an abode to a number of defended and endangered species of wild beasts and birds.
Kihnu
It is the biggest island in the Gulf of Riga and Estonia’s seventh biggest island. For the final six centuries, the island has been the abode to a distinctive native culture that has flourished off the shore of Pärnu County. The Kihnu Museum is situated in an ancient schoolhouse and a wonderful spot to know about the island’s spectacular history and to see artwork by regional inexperienced artists. Explore Kihnu lighthouse, situated on Pitkänä Cape at the southernmost tip of the island, encompassed by spectacular boulders and providing breathtaking looks.
Hiiumaa
An Estonian island in the Baltic Sea, Hiiumaa is renowned for its unharmed and distinct nature. It is a portion of the West Estonian archipelago. There are several beautiful sandy shores on the Tahkuna Peninsula, situated in the most northern portion of Hiiumaa. The 16th-century Kõpu lighthouse is one of the most ancients on earth. Enjoy a delightful hike through the wilderness of the neighbouring island of Kassari, travel around Hiiumaa on the old sailing ship Lisette, enjoy a kayaking tour around the countless tiny islets around Hiiumaa.
Haapsalu
A little beautiful seaside resort city on the west shore of Estonia, Haapsalu is nearly two hours from Estonia’s epicenter Tallinn. Haapsalu has been a beloved resort destination for the Russian higher classes for centuries and persistently captivating travelers with its charming atmosphere, beautiful architecture, wonderful beach, and magnificent eateries. Visit Haapsalu by walking along its picturesque slender paths in the Old Town, a small but ornate city hall and old timbered residences. The seaside esplanade is famous for long afternoon walks. Have a glance at Kuursaal, one of Estonia’s most beautiful timbered edifices. Know more about the city history at the splendid 13th century Haapsalu Castle Museum and unwind in the park presenting a renowned sundial.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Established around the late 1800s by designer Mikhail Preobrazhensky, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn Old Town is the city’s most magnificent and biggest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is constructed in a unique Russian Revival style, mainly because it was made while Estonia was a portion of the Russian Empire. Tourists will see a lot of thrilling particulars in the inner sides and the outer side of the cathedral; there are also eleven wonderfully adorned bells in the cathedral, with the biggest one having a weight approximately 16 tons. Other features of the cathedral that shouldn’t be missed incorporate its religious mosaics, colored glass windows, and the three gold-painted and engraved timbered iconostases.
Estonaian History Museum
Over the years, the museum got larger more and more rapidly, and tourists will see plenty of displays that describe Estonia’s history visually. Some of the displays incorporate restoration of domestic interiors, historically clothed mannequins, and a number of army uniforms and arms from the 1940s and 50s. One of the more famous displays is a genuine hut that was utilized by the Forest Brothers, freedom-fighters who executed guerilla war during the Soviet occupation.
Jagala Waterfall
The Jagala Waterfall bears the record for being Estonia’s loftiest and broadest natural waterfall with an elevation of eight meters and a breadth of fifty meters. The waterfall is created from the Jagala River and finally falls into the Gulf of Finland. Tourists will have a wonderful look no matter which time of the year they determine to explore Jagala Waterfall; during the summer the waterfall runs into the rich greenery that encompasses it. But tourists who visit during the winter season will see the big waterfall chilled solid and stuffed with big, shining icicles. One of the more amusing features of the waterfall during winter is that the water chilled into icicles from the waterfall and the iced water on the wall of the waterfall forms a distinctive passage of ice that is completely extraordinary.