Estonia is a land for nature lovers and has so much to offer. It’s a well-known fact that Estonia has over 50% of its territory covered in forests. And the main activities are all outdoor. Why you should put Estonia on your travel bucket list? Here’re some things to see in Estonia and you can decide if it’s worth it!
Estonia was part of the Baltic road trip I took last summer when I drove all the way from Bucharest to Tallinn and back. And I would do it again. Here are the everyday vlogs from this amazing European road tri.
A few fun facts about Estonia…
What do they speak in Estonia?
The official language in Estonia is Estonian. Estonian is closely related to the Finnish language, the official language of Finland. Some Estonian also speak Russian, due to the fact that 25% of the population is Russian.
Where is Estonia?
Estonia has only 2 land borders, with Latvia and Russia and the rest is bordered by the Baltic Sea.
Estonia is the most Northern country of the Baltic countries, which are considered to be part of Eastern Europe.
How many islands does Estonia have?
Estonia has over 2300 islands, with some famous ones that you can visit. The most famous Estonian islands are Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Kihnu, Ruhnu and Vormsi. The Estonian islands charm their visitors with their ancient history and pretty Northern style houses.
What is the capital of Estonia?
Tallinn, the the capital of Estonia, ties this beautiful land to other important cities via cruise ships and ferries. Tallinn is connected to St. Petersburg, in Russia, Helsinki and Mariehamn, in Finland, and Stockholm in Sweden.
What currency is used in Estonia?
Euro is the official currency of Estonia since 2011, although Estonia became a member of the European Union in 2004.
Here’s what you shouldn’t miss while you’re in Estonia and why you should put Estonia to your travel list.
Why you should put Estonia to your travel list
As I said at the beginning, Estonia will fascinate you with its virgin nature, and you will see lots of woods. But what do these woods hide? They hide the hidden gems of Estonia. Here’s why you should visit Estonia!
Tallinn
The medieval city of Tallinn, which was founded by the Dutch and influenced by the Germans, is the capital of Estonia and the main port of the country.
I wrote about what to see in Tallinn before, and I strongly encourage you to read that if you want to visit Estonia and Tallinn.
Pärnu
Pärnu is known as the sea resort of Estonia and often referred to as Estonia Summer’s Capital. It is located in the South, on the shore of the Baltic Sea and close to the border with Latvia.
In summer time, Estonian like to spend their holidays in Pärnu, and I can understand why they like it so much. The town is small and romantic, but the beach is its greatest asset.
Alpakafarm OÜ (Alpaca Farm)
The Alpaca Farm is a famous attraction in Estonia, but it is open only 3 months per year, July and August. Although it is called an alpaca farm, the farm ha other animals as well, such as rabbits and smaller rodents, and also a herd of goat (which I thought that was going to kill us on that field in Estonia).
But we were all good and all animals are extremely friendly and that’s a sign of the good treatment they are getting.
The owners of the farm do a very good job at taking care of the animals and take all the precautions to not stress to much the alpacas during the summer, when a lot of people visit them.
Saaremaa island
Saaremaa is the largest island of Estonia and it is located in the Baltic Sea.
Saaremaa is an island of vikings, which was inhabited since 5000BC. The coast is home for the gray seals.
Saaremaa island is also famous for the craters of the Kaali meteorite. Sometime between 4000 and 1000 BC, The meteorite Kaali got into the Earth atmosphere, got divided into nine smaller meteorites and created the nice meteorite craters that are today on Saaremaa. The largest crater is 110m in width, 22m depth and is now a lake known as Kaali järv (“Lake Kaali”).
How do you get to Saaremaa island?
You can get to Saaremaa, from the mainland, by ferry. You have to take the ferry from Virtsu to Muhu and then drive on a bridge to Saaremaa.
From Tallinn there is a bus to Saaremaa, which goes the same route.
Saaremaa is also connected to Hiiumaa island by ferry.
Viking Village
The Viking Village is nice place to spend the Sunday with your family. It’s a theme parked, with Viking buildings spread around. They often organize Viking inspired activities, which seem to have a great success.
When I was there, in August 2019, I had a hard time finding a place to park. And Estonia is one of those countries where you can drive for hours and not see anyone else.
Lahemaa National Park
Famous for its natural diversity, Lahemaa National Park is one of the largest parks in Europe. Lahemaa translates roughly as Land of Bays.
The park is covered mostly by forests, and the wildlife includes individuals of boar, red deer, wolves, bear and lynx.
The park is big and included some villages and trails, wild beaches and bogs.
What not to miss in the Lahemaa National Park:
- Palmse manor
- Vihula manor
- Kolga manor
- Sagadi Manor
- Käsmu peninsula
- Viru Bog
- Juminda lighthouse
- Nõmmeveski waterfall
- Hauaneeme bay at Pärispea village
There are the most important palces to see in Estonia in care you were wondering what to see in Estonia.
I hope I have convinced you to pus Estonia on your travel bucket list, because you will love it (If you love nature)! And if you do decided to visit Estonia, make sure you visit it in summer and be prepared to camp. They allow wild camping and they have some of the best camping sites I’ve seen (and the cheapest!).
So… When are you going to visit Estonia?
Great info thank you! I was hoping to visit Tallinn this year along with Riga and also Helsinki in the same trip. Fingers crossed…!
Let’s hope things will get back to normal soon!