Discover Estonia, Northern Europe’s Most Underrated Holiday Destination

On the coast of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia and Russia, Estonia has all the historical-yet-modern charm of more popular Northern European holiday destinations, but flies just under the radar to be incredibly peaceful. Here at Vanilla Luxury, we were invited to sample some of the best of Estonian cuisine, prepared by top chefs and led by the Head Chef at the Office of the President of Estonia, for a taste of the country and its culture.  

Spanning 1500 islands and islets over an area of 45.34 thousand kilometers, yet with a population density of just 31 per square kilometre, Estonia is famed for its untouched natural landscapes– most glacial erratic boulders in Northern Europe are located in Estonia– but also its rich human culture. Aim to visit between May and September for perfect mild weather and plenty of daylight– Estonia’s cities and natural parks are very walkable, so you’ll want plenty of time to explore on foot. The summer and winter months both offer their own excitements: summer in Estonia is good for beach excursions and hiking, while winter is excellent for skiing.

Read on to discover our hand-picked list of Estonia best-ofs, from food and culture to natural wonders, and maybe you’ll be tempted to head north for your next getaway.

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The World’s Most Digitalised Nation

Estonia shares a special connection with Singapore, and it’s not just by being a small country in a large region: Estonia’s only embassy in Asia is located in Singapore. It’s also a highly digitalised nation where 99% of public services are online and supported by solid, secure digital infrastructure, that’s home to an astounding number of startups: as of the end of 2022, 1452 startups had originated in the country alone, with an additional 100 appearing by the first quarter of 2023. With the third highest number of startups per capita in Europe, Estonia is quickly becoming a hub for innovation in northern Europe.

Beginning in 1991, after decades of foreign occupation and with a lack of infrastructure, the country has soon become one of the world’s most advanced and integrated digital societies, which is nothing short of a technological miracle. An Estonian startup company, Starship Technologies, has pioneered last-mile delivery via adorable parcel robots which carry mail and much more. These robots have made more than seven million deliveries since their launch, and have begun to carry groceries from supermarkets to households in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

Estonia is easily navigable by public transport: visit here for more information.

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Estonian Cuisine: Rustic, Seasonal Ingredients

Much of Estonian food is prepared with a focus on fresh, local ingredients that change with the seasons as different foods become available: fruits are preserved in the summer and eaten in winter. Many Estonian households grow their own food, and berry and mushroom picking is a widespread activity through late summer and autumn. Bread, which has three names in the Estonian language, is ubitiquous as a staple: dark rye bread with a thin crispy crust is a local specialty. Potatoes and pork are also widely used, as well as dairy products like cheese, yoghurt, milk and sour cream. With its proximity to the ocean, seafood like herring and smoked fish are key ingredients in Estonian food.

In southeast Estonia, a 25-kilometre stretch is named the Onion Route for its abundance of, well, onions and onion-based dishes. Onion pie, a dish of crumbly golden pastry and softened onions in butter, is hearty, savoury and delightfully local with a cup of samovar tea. The Onion Route, which runs through several small villages, sandy beaches, and past the fairytale Alatskivi Castle around Lake Peipsi, is also eye-wateringly scenic.

Estonia also produces many of its own spirits, including some really good gin– many are infused with local herbs like meadowsweet and pine shoots.

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Historical Sights and Rich Culture

Do you know that Estonia is home to twelve UNESCO-listed heritage sites, cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage? Estonia currently has two UNESCO world heritage sites: Tallinn’s Historic Center or Old Town, and the Struve Geodetic Arc, a survey circuit by which astronomer Friedrich George Wilhelm Struve, between 1816 and 1855, calculated the first accurate measurements of a meridian to determine the size and shape of the Earth.

Estonia’s location at the crossroads of Europe has contributed to its significance in European history across the centuries. On UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register, which documents significant events in history, Estonia is noted as the origin of historical documents of the Hanseatic League, including letters addressed to and account books belonging to 15th century merchant Hildebrand Veckinchusen– today in the Tallinn City Archives.

Estonia is also noted for its participation in the Baltic Way, a peaceful protest across the three nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania against the occupation of the Soviet Union. On August 23rd 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, nearly two million people joined hands and formed a chain nearly 670 kilometers in length. The protest was significant in its contribution to Estonia’s second independence, and is a testament to the country’s faith in its future and irrepressible hope.

Best Places to Visit in Estonia 

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Tallinn’s Historic Center/Old Town

In the 13th century, crusading knights from the Teutonic Order built a castle in what was to become Tallinn, and a major center of the Hanseatic League in the 13th to 16th centuries. Today, Tallinn’s Old Town exists as an incredibly well-preserved medieval Northern European trading city, with its distinctive skyline of church spires, narrow streets and merchants’ houses that display the exchange of knowledge and culture present in this grand period.

There are various walking tours available of the Upper and Lower Old Towns of Tallinn, which together span over 800 years of history. Visit the Niguliste Museum, a medieval art museum housed in a 13th-century former church, which contains some of the most significant works of medieval Estonian art. Tallinn’s Town Hall building, also from the 13th century, is the oldest town hall in Northern Europe, and is right next to the Town Hall Pharmacy, the 600-year-old oldest continuously operational pharmacy in Europe. Hidden among the cobblestone streets, St Catherine’s Passage is a perfectly preserved medieval street home to craft workshops and stores, including the modern St Catherine’s Guild which unites eight studios and fourteen female artists.

The international airport, Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport, is located just four kilometers from the city centre. Travelling from the airport to Tallinn’s Old Town can be done through public buses that leave from the airport: the journey takes from 20 to 25 minutes. If you’re arriving from Helsinki, Finland (and Estonia makes for a great destination in a grand tour of Scandinavia and the Baltics), Tallinn’s passenger port, to which travellers arrive by ferry several times a day, is within walking distance of the Old Town (15-20 minutes).

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Estonia’s Islands

Estonia’s archipelago of over 1500 islands provides endless opportunities, no matter what your travel preferences are like. Between glamorous spa resorts, rustic villages, nature parks, historical sites and waterfront retreats, it’s hard to choose. Most of Estonia’s islands are a short ferry ride away from the mainland.

The country's largest island, Saaremaa, blends natural beauty, cultural heritage, and the mystique of history. It is possible that Saaremaa was the legendary island of Thule, mentioned in Ancient Greek texts by the geographer Pythaes. Visit the meditative site of the crater field left by the Kaali meteor fall on an already settled Saaremaa 7500-7600 years ago– the main crater is, till today, considered a sacred lake. Then, hike to the Kuressaare Episcopal Castle, a late-Gothic structure with over five hundred years of history, for a look at one of the most magnificent structures of old Northern Europe. Once you’re in Kuressaare, take full advantage of the fact that Kuressaare has the highest number of spas per capita in the world.

If you’re visiting in the warmer months, Mändjala Beach, a pristine six kilometers of sand, is ideal for swimming, kitesurfing, or simply relaxing. To get to Saaremaa, you’ll have to catch a ferry that goes between the mainland and the island, or take a plane from Tallinn to Kuressaare airport. It’s best to book ferry tickets in advance!

On the island of Hiiumaa, which can be reached from Saaremaa by ferry, romantic landscapes and deserted hiking paths are many: the winding Sääretirp runs from pebbled beaches to flowering sea kale, fragrant honeysuckle and buckthorn. Visit in the summer, but if you’re a little late you’ll be just in time for harvest season at Lavendlitalu: a field of around 20,000 lavender plants, hand-planted and waving in the wind.

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Kihnu Island, Estonia

The traditional lifestyle of Kihnu Island is marked by UNESCO as an “expression of intangible heritage”. Home to a tiny community of about 700 people, Kihnu brings the traditions of the past, including unique artworks and seafaring practices, into the present. Kihnu naïve art, a style of recording events that dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was influenced by contemporary development in photography and videography, and is characterised by its bright, dreamy colours.

Kihnu is run by women, and has been for centuries: in the absence of men who worked at sea, women carry the traditions of song, dance, traditional craft, and observe the passage of life in weddings and funerals. Here, women tend the fields, run shops and markets, make art, and govern the island. Even through decades of Soviet occupation and restrictions on cultural practices, the men and women of Kihnu have remained devoted to their way of life. Summer is the best time to visit Kihnu: a range of festivals and events are planned through June, July and August, each more colourful than the last.

You’ll need a little more work to get to Kihnu, but the trip is worth it: from the city of Pärnu, drive about forty kilometers to the harbour at Munalaid, then board the Kihnu Vivre ferry to the island.

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Beautiful Natural Landscapes in Estonia

Estonia’s six national parks each have distinct identities, and present a variety of landscapes ideal for bird-watching, hiking, and other immersive experiences. Much of Estonia’s natural landscapes are protected for conservation reasons: to maintain sensitive ecosystems and habitats.

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Vilsandi National Park

Two-thirds of Vilsandi National Park is located in the Baltic Sea, but the remaining third is a haven for lovers of the tranquil and observers of all creatures. Over 30 species of orchids grow on Vilsandi Island, as well as the rare, parrot-shaped Saaremaa yellow rattle. If you find yourself on Vilsandi Island in early spring, look ahead for clouds of arriving white-cheeked barnacle geese and other seabirds. The endangered Steller’s eider has its most important wintering grounds in the European Union in Vilsandi National Park, and they appear from December to April.

From May to September, Loode Farm in Vilsandi National Park is open for visitors: stay in the farm’s main building, barn, hay attic or forest cabin for easy access to orchid hiking trails and full immersion in untouched nature. Sit down for a meal of traditional smoked fish, wild game and home-brewed beer at the farm kitchen.

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Otepää

Otepää, in southern Estonia, is a picture-perfect winter holiday destination. It’s also a famous winter sporting area, and a favourite place of top athletes training for the Winter Olympics, so if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for you. The Tehvandi Sports Center, on the outskirts of Otepää, provides lodging for skiers, ski tracks, and an observation platform to admire the view, and the Otepää Winter Sports Museum housed inside the center lets you compare your times to those of Estonia’s top winter athletes. Elsewhere, the Väike-Munamäe Ski Resort offers eight slopes for skiers of various skill levels, two hills with T -bar lifts, and a hill for children.

The Toidupada smoke sauna, nestled in snow-capped hills, is a rustic, cleansing experience that is also recognised by UNESCO for its importance in Estonian culture. Smoke saunas are all over Estonia, but there is nothing quite like taking a post-sauna dip in an ice hole in Estonian winter.

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Soomaa National Park, Estonia

Each year, the Soomaa National Park disappears underwater, flooded in a “fifth season” that occurs at any time between March and April, when water from the spring thaws or heavy rainfall arrives. Soomaa National Park protects the largest intact peat bog system in the European Union, and its yearly flooding is a symbol of the ancient power of nature over humanity– though the park remains accessible and tourable by canoe. 

There’s so much more that Estonia has to offer– if you’d like more information, go to Visit Estonia, the official Estonian tourist hub, for inspiration to begin your journey.