Tartu, Estonia

#thelazycampers #kellysinestonia #Tartu #Estonia #tagurpidimaja #eestirahvamuuseum

Distance from Tallinn, Estonia: 185km, +- 2 hrs
Transportation from Tallinn: Train (Elron €26 for 2 ppl,one way)
Accommodation: Looming Hostel (€36 for 2 ppl, 1 night, double room)
Accommodation tip: there is a BnB/ Hostel in the centre of Old town called Terviseks, they have a much better location but were full when we tried to book.

Tartu, Estonia is the second largest city in Estonia and is considered to be the university town of Estonia. Only a quick 2 hour train ride from Tallinn made Tartu an easy weekend away with a one night stay. We boarded the train at 10am and were in Tartu by midday. Travelling by train is such a relaxing way to travel and I love watching the countryside whiz by.

Tartu is a cultural and arts place with lots of museums and monuments. We had heard from the tour guide at Kiek in de Kok Bastions (underground tunnels built for war times) in Tallinn that there is a pub in the Bastions in Tartu and so after disembarking the train we headed straight for lunch at the Gunpowder Cellar (Pussirohukelder) nestled in the Bastion in Tartu Old Town. This place was great, the atmosphere was warm, the food delicious, the hot wine had a serious kick and the beer was large - 1L large.

The streets around the centre of Old Town are buzzing with a multitude of cafes, bars and restaurants and there are so many great options: Tea and cake at Armastus Cafe Amore, over 100 options of beer from around the world at Keller (Ruutli Korp Ou) or a delectable breakfast of pancakes and omelette at Cafe Truffe. Also don’t miss the Leaning House of Tartu next door to Cafe Truffe, you might miss it if you don’t know it is there - we almost did.

1. Gunpowder Bastion Bar; 2. Old Town Square; 3. Breakfast at Cafe Truffe; 4. Leaning house of Tartu

The one and only night we spent in Tartu we decided we had eaten way too much during the day and that we would skip dinner but at 9pm Ross was craving chicken wings and so we went out on a hunt. After about a 45min search, in the freezing cold, we stumbled across a gastrobar called Willy & Rudy and had the most amazing sticky-chili chicken wings and a hummus/guacamole/salsa bread board. The restaurant was beautiful and so worth the roaming in the cold. We sat at the window and stared out into the Old Town square enjoying our wings and watching the people walking by and teenagers dancing in the square. This was a brilliant find!

We did not have loads of time to see every museum and monument that Tartu has to offer but the places we visited were well worth the stop. Not knowing too much about the KGB, other than they were not the friendliest people, we decided to visit the KGB prison cells. This was not as good as we had hoped mostly because we were hoping to gain more insight into the KGB in general but there was not that much information about them, however, if you are wanting to see what it must have been like to be down in one of these prison cells then this is good, short, stop.

The three most exciting stops and things that should be at the top of things to see in Tartu are the Toy museum, the Upside Down house (Tagurpidi) and the Estonian National museum.
The toy museum is a large museum showcasing toys from all eras from around the world as well as Estonia. This was a great trip down memory lane with lots of “Ooo, remember this”, “I had this” and  “I always wanted this”. The Toy museum is a great place for adults and kids but if you are planning on taking your kids remember to leave a little time for them to play in the play area, otherwise there might tears.

The Upside Down House was a fantastic stop and not to be missed. It is the perfect opportunity to get some goofy photos and have good laugh. The house is very well done and entertaining for the whole family. Even walking around the house is amuzing as the floor (well ceiling) is tilted at a 7° angle.

The Estonian National Museum is a fairly new museum and requires quite a few hours to really  make the most of this stop. The museum is spectacular and looks at the history of Estonia in an extremely interactive and technologically advanced way, as far as museums go. All information at the exhibits is on a tablet and when you enter the museum you are given a card for your language, when you get to the exhibit you touch your card to the sensor and the information will appear in your language...brilliant! There is so much to see in this museum so it is not worth the trip if you don’t have the time to really appreciate it. We ate a buffet lunch in the museum cafe as well which was delicious and gave us a chance to experience some traditional Estonian food. Don’t forget to top off your lunch with an ice-cream, I would recommend the Vana-Tallinn - Yum!

Upside Down House

Estonian National Museum

Although Tartu might not be on the top of your list of places to go in the world, if you are spending an extended amount of time in Estonia then Tartu is definitely worth a visit. There is a lot to see and I would have made the stop just to go to the Upside Down house.