This square has a certain charm; on taking a seat at one of its numerous terraces, visitors will note the student atmosphere which prevails in Tartu, and (at noon and six in the evening) the town hall’s bells ring out. Note also the museum of art at ..

The perfect place in which to unleash one’s inner child. A profusion of toys on display, including fine antique dolls. There are also toys to actually play with, in a room set aside for the purpose. A good spot to spend a pleasant hour or two; while ..

It is worth the journey away from the city centre to see this museum. Its permanent exhibition “country, people and culture” is, as the name suggests, a comprehensive insight into the Estonia of today and yesteryear, the daily life of Estonians and t..

Doctor and writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803-1882) continued the work of Friedrich Robert Faehlmann to compose the epic poem Kalevipoeg which is the very foundation of the nation’s literature. The museum is located in the house where he li..

The highest peak in the Baltic (318m), Suur Munamägi is topped by an observation tower accessed by steps. From here, visitors have splendid views over an unspoilt landscape in which lakes punctuate vast expanses of forestry extending into the distanc..

The resort quarter lies to the south of the old town. The bay of Pärnu is fringed by a long strip of splendid sand which understandably attracts hordes of holidaymakers in quest of relaxation, seaside pleasures and boating. The district also has some..

Ferries depart from the port of Pärnu and head to the port of Sääre on the little island of Kihnu (7km by 3km). This is a world apart, inhabited by around 500 people who are proud of their individualistic identity and assiduously guard their traditio..

Saaremaa is Estonia’s largest island, but it does not owe its renown exclusively to this distinction. Its landscape is expansive and unspoilt, dotted with windmills redolent of bygone days. There is also a remarkable natural phenomenon in the form of..

Reached along a signposted path, the meteorite crater (in the base of which lies a lake) is nicknamed the “tomb of the sun”. Roughly circular with diameter of 110m and depth of 22m, it was created by the impact of a meteor weighing between 400 and 10..

The rooms of this castle (a veritable labyrinth!) house a remarkable regional museum covering the natural world (dioramas recreating natural habitats), history (dealing with the series of occupations that took place during the 19C-20C) and everyday l..

The delights of the old town of Riga lie between the Daugave and the Pilsetas canal, bordered to the north by K. Valdemara Street and to the south by 13. Janvara Street. In its maze of little streets are fine restored houses recalling the city’s hist..

These three adjacent houses recall the Hanseatic history of the city when Riga’s merchants prospered. The narrowest of them, n°21, is also the youngest, dating from the 18C. The next was built in 1646 and is embellished by a Baroque doorway added a c..

An unmissable atraction, this museum has nearly a million objects, tracing the nation’s history from its origins to the Soviet era. There is so much to see, it is hard to focus on any one object: archaeological finds from 9000BC; a rich collection of..

Located in the old cathedral chapterhouse which has undergone significant remodelling down the years, notably in 1779 when architect Christoph Haberland designed the column room, this museum deals with the history of the capital and its port in chron..

This museum deals with the periods of foreign domination experienced by Latvia’s capital, largely to the city’s detriment. Gulag deportations of political opponents, the extermination of the Jews, purges of Baltic nationalists in the late 1940s… Thes..

This house bearing the name of its last owner was built in 1695 for a master glazier called Jürgen Helms, and subsequently long occupied by a pharmacy. Following restoration works which have revealed wall paintings, it has been furnished using pieces..

In these woods near the mushroom centre of Salaspils, the Nazis ran a concentration camp of 39 barrack buildings which from 1941 to 1944 housed thousands of inmates. Jews and resistance fighters from Riga and elsewhere in the occupied areas were mass..

Lying northeast of Riga, this 90 000ha national park encompasses the varied topography of the Gauja Valley. It includes forests, prairies, rivers, lakes and marshland, punctuated by impressive rock formations and caves, not to mention numerous histor..

Known for its bays, 69 sandbanks and islands covered in silver-birch brush, this lake is superb. Several saunas on its shores instil the urge to dive into its waters. A wood is the setting for a designated picnic area. If nobody else is around, walki..

A fine French-style garden is the backdrop for this palace (1735-1765) where the elegance of the exterior is matched by the richness of the interior. The east wing was the setting for public events, while the west wing housed the private apartments o..