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Niguliste Museum
Dating from the 13th century, imposing St Nicholas Church (Niguliste kirik) was badly damaged by Soviet bombers in 1944 and a fire in the 1980s, but today stands restored to its Gothic glory. It houses a branch of the Estonian Art Museum devoted to religious art. The acoustics are
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Maarjamäe War Memorial
Perched on the headland next to Maarjamäe Palace, this large Soviet-era monument consists of an elegant bowed obelisk set amid a large crumbling concrete plaza. The obelisk was erected in 1960 to commemorate the Soviet troops killed in 1918 – hardly a popular edifice, as the war wa
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O Luts Parish School Museum
The future novelist Oskar Luts attended school in this rustic building from 1895 to 1899, as immortalised in his most famous book Kevade . The subsequent film adaptation was shot here and the schoolhouse now features displays on all three: the film, the book and the writer. Kevade
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Viinistu Art Museum
Its extraordinary that an obscure, remote village near the top of the Pärispea peninsula should be home to one of the countrys best galleries, yet Viinistu houses the remarkable private art collection of Jaan Manitski, reputedly one of Estonia’s richest men. This ever-expanding ass
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Pühajärv
According to legend, 3.5km-long, 8.5m-deep Pühajärv (Holy Lake) was formed from the tears of the mothers who lost their sons in a battle of the Kalevipoeg epic. Its five islands are said to be their burial mounds. Pagan associations linger, with major midsummer festivities held her
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Kadriorg Park
About 2km east of the Old Town, this beautiful park’s ample acreage is Tallinn’s favourite patch of green. Together with the baroque Kadriorg Palace, it was commissioned by the Russian tsar Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I soon after his conquest of Estonia (Kadriorg means
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Tahkuna Lighthouse
Dating from 1874, this 43m lighthouse watches over Tahkuna Peninsula’s northwest tip. Beyond the lighthouse stands an eerie memorial to the victims of the Estonia ferry disaster. Facing out to sea, the 12m-tall metal frame encases a cross from the bottom of which a bell with sculpt
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St Olafs Church
From 1549 to 1625, when its 159m steeple was struck by lightning and burnt down, this (now Baptist) church was one of the tallest buildings in the world. The current spire reaches a still respectable 124m and you can take a tight, confined, 258-step staircase up the tower for wonde
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Maarjamäe Palace
A kilometre north of Kadriorg Park, Maarjamäe is a neo-Gothic limestone manor house built in 1874 for a Russian count. It’s now home to the Estonian Film Museum and a less-visited branch of the Estonian History Museum , detailing the twists and turns of the 20th century. Dont miss
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Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
This open-air amphitheatre is the site of the main gatherings of Estonia’s national song festivals and assorted rock concerts and other events. Built in 1959, it’s an elegant and surprisingly curvaceous piece of Soviet-era architecture with an official capacity of 75,000 people and
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Palmse Manor
Fully restored Palmse Manor is the show-piece of Lahemaa National Park, housing the visitor centre in its former stables. The pretty manor house (1720, rebuilt in the 1780s) is now a museum containing period furniture and clothing. Other estate buildings have also been restored and
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Alatskivi Castle
Signposted off the main Kallaste–Tartu road, Alatskivi Castle channels the Scottish Highlands into a particularly verdant slice of Estonia – its white turrets and stepped baronial-style roofline inspired by the British queen’s favourite abode, Balmoral Castle. Upstairs, five rooms
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Rakvere Castle
Rakvere’s star attraction differentiates itself from other such mouldering ruins by offering hands-on, medieval-style amusements. While much is aimed towards children (dress-up costumes, a petting zoo), adults will get a kick out of handling the reproduction swords (blunted, thankf
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Sõrve Peninsula
Small cliffs, such as the Kaugatoma pank (bank) and Ohessaare pank , rear up along the west coast of the 32km-long southwestern Sõrve Peninsula. Legend has it that the cliffs were formed when the devil tried in vain to wrench this spit of land from the mainland to separate Suur Tõl
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Haapsalu Episcopal Castle
Haapsalu’s unpolished gem is its bishop’s castle, which was western Estonia’s centre of command from the 13th to 16th centuries but now stands in partial but very picturesque ruins. A turreted tower, most of the outer wall and some of the moat still remain. Entry to the grounds is
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Sangaste Castle
British travellers might experience déjà vu gazing on this majestic red-brick manor house, as the influence of Windsor Castle on the architecture is unmistakeable. Completed in 1881 as the home of the Rye Count Friedrich von Berg, its regarded as one of the prime examples of Gothic
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Tallinn Zoo
Boasting the world’s largest collection of mountain goats and sheep, plus around 350 other species of feathered, furry and four-legged friends (including lions, leopards and African elephants), this large, spread-out zoo is gradually upgrading its enclosures into modern, animal-fri
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Saaremaa Museum
Occupying the keep of Kuressaare Castle, this museum is devoted to the island’s nature and history. A large part of the fun is exploring the warren of chambers, halls, passages and stairways, apt to fuel anyone’s Game of Thrones fantasies. One room near the bishop’s chamber looks d
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Maarjamäe Palace Stables
The lengthy Soviet occupation of Estonia is covered in painstaking detail elsewhere, so this branch of the Estonian History Museum, housed in a 19th-century stable block at Maarjamäe, is devoted solely to the German occupation (1941 to 1944). Entitled Castles & Pawns, its a fas
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Padise Monastery
The great hulking shell of this former monastery practically begs exploration. Stairs lead up into the ruins, where you can wander around the masonry and climb to the top of the tower for views stretching for miles over the flat countryside. The former church still has its roof and
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