When we think of holidays to Europe, if it’s not Spain, France or Italy, it’s more likely to be Sweden, the Netherlands or Germany, but Estonia is a destination more of us should consider when looking for a break.
And when we say break, we’re not only talking about weekend trips to Tallinn – great as they may be. We’re talking about family holidays.
Yep, forget Mallorca, look beyond Portugal and forget about France for a moment, because Estonia is a real hidden gem that should not be overlooked.
Located in Northern Europe, this small but beautiful country gets brilliant weather in the Summer months (think 30-odd degrees) and equally in the winter, is an absolutely gorgeous winter wonderland with thick snow and magnificent forest landscapes.
Thanks to Visit Estonia, we travelled to the country for one week in the Summer of 2022. Two children, two adults, with little idea of what to expect… and what we founds was out of this world.
Getting there…
Flights to Estonia take around 2.5 hours, with regular flights operating from Stansted (Ryanair) and Luton (Wizz Air) providing the most economical routes. It only cost us a couple of hundred pounds for return travel for the for of us leaving from Stansted and it was effortless.
When you arrive in Estonia, the airport has a really smart, boutique feel, with lots of eateries and really helpful staff. There’s a bus station right outside or you can get a hire car from Eurocar like we did.
There’s also a brilliant shopping centre across the road from the airport, with some really good eateries.
Where to see…
Thanks to our car from Eurocar, we planned a road-trip style holiday, taking in lots of different locations. With it being such a small country, no journey lasted more than hour and the roads were a breeze to navigate.
At the tart of the trip, we visited Saadjärve, Palamuse, Maarja Magdalena, Pataste and Reiu beach. The towns in Estonia offer much to see… walks, churches, museums, forests, shops and cafes. Just stopping off and exploring here or there for half an hour or more was an absolute joy.
Kids of Lottemaa…
Lotte is an Estonian cartoon character and she has an entire theme park named after her – Lottemaa… which means Lotte World. This enchanting place kept our kids entertained for HOURS. When we say theme park, don’t expect rides, rather it’s a forest-based area with lots of huge wooden houses, all aligned to characters from the stories. Don’t worry that you’re not familiar with it, there is so much to see and do. There are gift shops, a restaurant offering great value (and the best pizza EVER!), and there’s even a private beach. On the day we visited there were downpours of rain, and yet it kept all of us engaged for the entire day.
Tartu
Think of an Estonian city and you’ll think of Tallinn. We’ll come on to that, but Tartu is a magnificent, cosmopolitan city with lots to offer. Exceptional bars and restaurants, loads of great shopping, state-of-the-art museums, beautiful walks in the park or by the river… there’s a reason why this place has been named as the 2023 European city of culture, it is an absolute dream.
Where to stay in Tartu…
Whilst in Tartu, we stayed in the V Spa hotel. This super-smart hotel was located right in the heart of the centre, across the road from the main streets (which meant it was lovely and quiet).
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“Wow!” said the kids, unanimously as we walked in. The room was spacious, modern and the beds were extremely comfortable. The reception area was very smart and the attached restaurant looked fantastic.
The absolute highlight though, was the massive spa-pool area though. Part grown up spa, part kids fun pool, we spent HOURS in there! We’ve never quite experienced such a great pool area within a hotel, it was exceptional.
Speaking of which, we enjoyed a brilliant breakfast at the hotel with everything you could think of, on offer. The restaurant is sublime, the staff extremely accommodating and the kids were very happy with the choices available!
Full details of V Spa hotel can be found here.
Beach resort
When you think of Estonia you probably won’t think of a beach resort. We certainly didn’t and so when we visited the town of Parnu we were so pleasantly surprised.
This brilliant little town is lined with lovely old streets, peppered with cafes, restaurants and artisan stops. There is the most fantastic stretch of beach in Parnu. Perfect, golden sound, volley ball nets, the beautiful warm sea… plus cafe bars and a decent night-club and put it all together and you’ve got a stunning little oasis.
We stayed at the magnificent Hedon Spa hotel. This luxurious hotel was stunning – mixing historic architecture with modern additions, it really did blow us away.
The boutique spa is exceptional; multiple pools (including an outdoor one), a steam room, a sauna and loads of great treatments, it is without a doubt one of the best the country has to offer.
Rummu Quarry
On researching places to go we came across Rummu Quarry. This place will blow your mind. Set in a Star Wars-esque landscape, the Quarry has deep blue waters and a submersed former prison which is half out of the water. A cafe bar plays Ibiza style-music, guests swim and paddle-board and there’s even an inflatable assault course.
To say this place is magical is an understatement – we and the kids absolutely loved it and it was very popular indeed. With very easy parking, it made for a cost effective and special half day out. Absolute beach vibes all round!
Tallinn
As we said, when thinking of Estonia many of us don’t think beyond Tallinn. Like all the best European cities, Tallinn boasts a gorgeous old square, lined with cafes, restaurants and bars. A medieval church offers panoramic views from its high tower and below it, you’ll find some very special Schnnaps based on ancient recipes.
We ate at Olde Hansa, a medieval restaurant just off the square, with olde-worlde dishes on offer. Lit only by candle-light, the restaurant proved to offer not only brilliant food, but also a brilliant and memorable experience.
Elsewhere in Tallinn you’ll find everything you could want; first class shopping malls, beer houses, amazing book shops, cinemas, parks, ancient walls and museums… we could go on and on. There is SO much to do in Tallinn that you could easily spend a week here (although we do recommend you to move around the Country as we’ve pointed out!).
In Tallinn, we stayed at the Nordic Forum Hotel. It’s located 5 – 10 min walk from the old town and is right around the corner from Rotterman. The “Rotermanni Quarter” is a superb little haven of shops, cafes and restaurants. Walk through it and you’ll soon come to the Port, home to Oceans 11, an excellent restaurant offering views over the Baltic.
The Nordic Forum is a Four-Star hotel with a huge restaurant and another massive choice of food to have at the breakfast buffet.
Like our other hotels, this one also has a swimming pool and a mini-spa with jacuzzi and sauna. It’s located right at the top of the hotel so you can look out across the magical city whilst you swim and relax.
Summary
It’s difficult to convey quite how beautiful Estonia is. It really does have it all; forests, lakes, beaches, modern restaurants and bars, old town historical sites, first class museums and galleries… Trust us, it’s incredible.