Medieval Tour in Estonia

Upon arrival in Tallinn, you will be met at the airport and escorted to your hotel to freshen up before going out for dinner and the chance to meet your fellow travelers. 

If you arrive early in the day, you will have a free afternoon to explore this beautiful capital city and its medieval architecture.

Your guide will be with you for the duration of your trip and will share insights, details, and safety tips to help you enjoy your trip.

Following a delicious breakfast, you will travel to Toompea, a hill in the center of the city covered with 15th-century buildings and cobblestone streets. From the top of the hill, you can look out over the Old City including Viru Street, the 14th-century Town Hall, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.Following lunch in one of the many delicious local restaurants, you will set off on a walking tour of the city center, exploring the churches, medieval architecture, and the history of this capital city.

Following breakfast, you will board a bus to travel to Rakvere. You will visit the 16th-century Rakvere Castle which has become a medieval theme park with costumed staff and staged reenactments including knights polishing their armor, a live alchemy workshop, and duels over questions of honor. Tour the ancient wine cellar before dining on some classic medieval dishes while history comes to life around you in a dinner theater show.

This morning you will visit the city of Narva and the easternmost part of the country. Visit the historic Narva Castle, also known as Hermann Castle, was built in the 13th century. Inside the castle is a museum with a large collection of handicraft workshops where you can watch and even learn the skills used in medieval times. From the castle tower, you can see the Russian Ivangorod Castle across the river.

Following lunch, you will journey to the city of Tartu, the oldest city in the country. 18th-century buildings fill the city. Visit the soup neighborhood, where every street is named after soup ingredients like potatoes, beans and peas. Visit the historic citadel of the city, Toomemagi and the ruined Tartu Cathedral.

Following a free morning in Tartu, you will travel to the small town of Viljandi. Here you will visit the 16th-century ruins of the Viljandi Order Castle.

If your visit is in July, you are in for a treat. The annual folk music festival attracts artists from around the country and the world. There are literally dozens of concerts during the festival, many of them free. 

In the afternoon, you will visit Soomaa National Park. This park is a peat bog formed as a result of glacier melt more than 10,000 years ago. The park is divided by several rivers so the best way to see the park is by kayak or canoe. You can see deer, boars, elk, beavers, eagles and more depending on the time of year. During what locals call the “fifth season,” heavy rains substantially increase the water levels and flood the forests and bayous, making the park even more amazing.

This morning following breakfast, you will travel to the town of Parnu, on the Gulf of RIga. Parnu has one of the best pearly-white sand beaches in the world. The town is a biking haven so there are miles of bike trails. 

You will have free time today to explore on foot or by bike, this town. Alternatively, you may relax at one of the local spas scattered throughout the town for a massage, manicure, or other spa treatment. 

In the evening, enjoy dinner along the promenade where people relax and enjoy the coastal scenery.

This morning following breakfast, you will head to the castle town of Kuressaare on Saaremaa Island. Here you will see both German and Swedish influences in the architecture with Teutonic bulwarks on the mighty citadel and Baroque designs on the municipal buildings of Keskvaljak Square. Kuressaare is another great place to enjoy the spa. The spas are known for their “healing treatments” with seaside mud and silt deposits as well as naturalist treatments. In the afternoon, you can tour the castle and the grounds along with the Regional Museum of Saaremaa. If you are a hiker or birdwatcher, head to Saaremaa’s Sõrve Peninsula for amazing vistas and a birding paradise. The island is dotted with washed-out timber windmills, green meadows, spruce forests and coastal stretches. Another great place to wander on the island is the Kaali meteorite craters.

Today you will explore another island off the coast of Estonia, Hiiumaa. Hiiumaa is the opposite of Saaremaa,  a peaceful and quiet area with many interesting lighthouses. The 19th-century cast-iron Tahkuna Lighthouse is the tallest in the country. The Kõpu Lighthouse is the oldest, dating to the 15th century. Following a morning on the island, you will visit Lahemaa National Park on the mainland. Visit Viru Raba, or Viru Bog, where trees poke from the swampy ground. Walk along the boardwalk and admire the scenery. Sagadi Village is in the middle of the park.  Tour Sagadi Manor and learn more about the culture and history of the park area. The primeval Oandu Forest (home to lynx and wolf packs) and the majestic Hauaneeme Bay, are also incredible sights to see.

We hope you have gained a deeper appreciation for the history and beauty of this country. Today you will be escorted to the airport to begin your return trip home.