Two months have passed since I arrived to study in Tartu, and I am back in Lithuania again! Time really flew by and I have to admit that my current feelings are quite mixed: I longed my home being there, but now I miss Tartu and its people too! So this post is all about my recommendations of where to eat, what to see and what to do while being in this picturesque Estonian town!
WHERE TO EAT
I have to confess that I am a sweet tooth, so after arriving to a city I usually spot cafeterias way before proper restaurants. And Tartu is exactly the place for people like me! If you follow me on Instagram then you already know my favorite place in Estonia - Cafe Werner! They have an amazing offer of cakes and other desserts, plus, their cacao is the best that I had ever chance to taste!
For a proper lunch I suggest heading over to Vein Ja Vine (former Wilde & Vilde). They have amazing meat dishes and great selection of wines. I went there for their daily lunch offers, usually consisting of perfectly prepared meat with various vegetables and delicious sauces. Their pork in white wine sauce is exquisite!
My favorite dinner place is Italian restaurant La Dolce Vita. If you crave for pizza, pasta or risotto, this is the place! They also have all sorts of gellato and their white home wine is something worth trying!
WHAT TO SEE
If you are architecture fan like me, take a tour in the old town of Tartu. It is quite small, but the buildings are really worth looking at. From one-store wooden houses to the magnificent buildings of University of Tartu, everything's intriguing. Also, pay attention to bridges, because there are lots and lots of them!
My favorite place is the Old Cathedral Ruins on Toomemägi - Cathedral Hill. It's a wonderful example of Gothic architecture with constructions that endured ages of wind, rain, and sun.
WHAT TO DO
Did you know that Estonian National Museum is not in Tallinn, but in Tartu? And I cannot stress enough how much I recommend visiting this place! Especially an exhibition called Echo of the Urals that explains how Fino-Ugric tribes came to live in Europe. I loved how well prepared and interactive this exhibition is!
I might sound boring, but another place to visit is Estonian Museum of Natural History. Although I am not a huge fan of taxidermy, I enjoyed parts where you can just press buttons and listen to bird songs or look at minerals and fossils. But the best thing is that they have amazing pins for sale! Birds, mammals, fungi - you name it! Needless to say that I bought a good bunch of them!
So this is my guide to Tartu and its places that I liked the most! Estonia is worth visiting because it somehow beautifully combines Nordic spirit, Germanic Influences and their own indigenous culture!
Comments