Estonia is a country I’ve already visited before, but only to the degree of a bare minimum visit. I’m not proud of it and have been plotting a return for a very, VERY long time to do this Baltic country justice.
I was in Tallinn for a day in November 2012 on the ‘booze cruise’ during my semester abroad. It departed from Stockholm, Sweden, and went to Tallinn via Åland—legend says someone was jailed aboard the ship because he misbehaved and the captain decided to drop him off at a proper jail on the halfway islands. And then the boat returned the following night. It was a fun whirlwind experience and though I did see some fun things, I was very hungover. Hence the need for a do-over.
In the same month but during a different trip, I flew to Helsinki with a layover in Tallinn (TLL). The flight from Tallinn to Helsinki was insanely short and also on a cute small plane.
Things I’d Like to Do Next Time in Estonia
- Hitchhike! I didn’t hitchhike at all in Estonia during my last visit [Everyone disliked that.]
- Revisit Tallinn as a digital nomad. Since 2012, a lot has changed in terms of Estonia becoming a global leader in interesting fields such as e-residency and e-governance. That’s the way it should go because damn, it was hard to vote from abroad in 2021 and it shouldn’t be. I think eastern EU countries such as Estonia are really on the right track
- Do some touristing in Tallinn. I’m mostly interested in visiting the Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour, Museum of Soviet Vehicles, Museum of Fight for Estonia’s Freedom, Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, Glehn Park, The Museum of Estonian Drinking Culture, Pirita Convent Ruins, and of course, Tallinn TV Tower
- Enjoy the vistas of some beautiful castles, forts etcetera. I’m thinking of the Kiiu castle tower, Põltsamaa Castle, Kuressaare Fortress, and some of the many windmills, such as the one in Aaspere
- Enjoy natural spaces, such as the Valaste waterfall, the Jägala waterfall, Lake Peipus, Lake Võrtsjärv, Vesitükimaa islet, Piusa Caves, Kurisu Sinkhole and Helme Caves. Moreover, Estonia has loads of national parks and reserves (such as the Põhja-Kõrvemaa Nature Reserve) that might or might not feature real living bears which will scare the shit out of me. Perhaps it’s a cool idea to hike some section of the E9 long-distance path
- Enjoy the brutalist architecture that’s left behind mostly from Soviet times, which ties into and overlaps with the activity of urban exploring. Sites of interest: Hara old submarine base, Rummu Underwater Prison, the ghost towns of Ahitsa and Horosuu, and this whole-ass list of abandoned airports scattered across the country
- Travel off to some smaller cities, such as Narva (Hermann Castle, Narva-Jõesuu beach), Tartu (Museum of KGB Cells, Planetarium of Tartu, A. Le Coq Beer Museum), Pärnu (Alpakafarm), and the binational town Valga/Valka shared with Latvia
- Visit as many (small) islands as I can, possibly by hitchhiking over an ice road. In no particular order: Kihnu, Piirissaar (lake island), Vormsi, Pakri archipelago, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Muhu, Ruhnu (!), Abruka and Manija (which has an ice road in winter!)
- Visit some remote parts, such as Parmu (southeast corner), the Saatse area panhandle,
- So you probably know I love kayaking and sailing. Estonia seems like a great country for kayaking on the rivers, lakes or sea. The Võhandu river looks very beautiful for an autumn paddle, but if you have any suggestions, please comment below!
- Visit as many cool lighthouses as I can. There are some in Suurupi that look beautiful. Then there’s Tahkuna Lighthouse, Ristna Lighthouse and the wonderful Kõpu lighthouse that looks absolutely epic
- Hike up the tallest peak of Estonia and the Baltic states Suur Munamägi (318masl). It also has an observation tower for extra height
- Take a ferry to somewhere else. Probably Finland!
If you know cool places and things to do in Estonia or if you are Estonian, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return!
So you are a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Estonia. Then drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
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