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travel Estonia

Estonia - Places to see and things to do.

Situated in the north-eastern part of Europe, Estonia borders Finland, Sweden, Russia and Latvia and has a coastline on the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. Estonia is divided into fifteen counties with the capital being Tallinn. As an ex-member of the Soviet Union, Estonia has preserved some traces of that past.

Today, however, the country is independent and a proud member of the European Union, attracting an increasing number of tourists and businesspeople. The official language in the country is Estonian, with Russian and Finnish being understood and English being spoken as well, especially by the younger people. The currency in Estonia is the Estonian Kroon, which is fixed to the Euro at an official rate of 15.6466 to 1. Being a member of the Schengen Agreement and the European Union, Estonia is open to all tourists who have a European Union Schengen visa and no passports are required at its borders.

The road system in the country is dense, with the speed limit allowed being 90 km/h in the countryside and 50 km/h in the cities. Estonia's international gateway is in Tallinn and the country can be accessed by plane using the services of Estonian Air mainly, but also FinnAir, SAS, Lufthansa, and others. Recently, a few low-cost carriers offer flights to Estonia, with EasyJet being the most popular. A good way to reach Estonia from Sweden, Finland and Germany would be the ferry lines. Actually, the Tallinn Helsinki sea-road is one of the busiest in Europe.

Another way to reach Estonia would be on one of the international trains from or to Russia, though tourists should know that the train network in Estonia doesn't cover the whole country. The bus connections, on the other hand, are quite good and cheap, covering all of the major Baltic and German cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Warsaw, etc. The road network in Estonia is quite good and covers all regions. There are many car rental companies offering cheap prices, which make the service available to all independent travellers. All drivers should know, however, that the Estonians can be quite aggressive drivers on the road, so the best policy would be to drive defensively. Hitchhiking in the country is possible and usually safe for those who practice it.

The tourist season in Estonia is usually in the summer, as the winters can be quite severe. The main tourist destination in the country is its capital, Tallinn, which is among the oldest towns in Europe and features towers and Medieval city walls. The Old City in Tallinn is an area that can easily be explored on foot. The places to see there include the Viru Gate, wherethe most appealing shopping zone in town begins at, and the Raekoja Plats, which is the most popular square in the Old Town, featuring many pleasant restaurants and delightful cafes. Among the other places to be seen in the Old Town of Tallinn are the Toompea, the Danish castle site that founded the city back in year 1219; the Alexander Nevski Cathedral and the Toomkirik Lutheran Church, which is the oldest of its kind in Tallinn. Outside the Old City walls, the Museum of Occupations presents the living conditions under the Nazi and Soviet regimes; the National Art Museum and the Open-Air Museum shows the architecture of 72 buildings from the tsarist era.

Also, the Kadriorg seaside district with its beautiful palace and wooden buildings the in Art Deco style is worth visiting, as well as the Holy Birgitta Monastery. The other city that attracts tourists besides Tallinn is Tartu, which has a pleasant old university and a lovely old town district. Worth visiting in Tartu are the Botanical Garden of the university, Toome Hill (where most of the monuments and historical buildings are), and the Town Hall Square with the Kissing Students statue on its fountain, which is considered to be the symbol of Tartu. The city has also many churches, an old observatory, remnants of a town wall and an Angels and Devils Bridge. Estonians do love nature, and that's why they have so many national parks and islands ideal for eco-tourism and adventure trips.

Some of the largest national parks to be mentioned here are the Karula, the Lahemaa, the Matsalu, the Soomaa and the Vilsandi National Parks. The Baltic islands are more than 1,500 in number, with the largest being Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. The largest and most beautiful waterfall in Estonia is named Jagala Falls.