Pärnu.
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Overview

Pärnu is a resort seaside city (and Estonia's summer capital) with a small harbour in south-western Estonia. The city is known for its spas, shallow white sandy beach and beautiful parks. In summer, Pärnu offers beach life, dozens of festivals, night clubs, big party crowds, concerts and funfairs.

Understand

During the Great Northern War, the University of Tartu was relocated to Pärnu from 1699-1710. Tartu University still has a branch campus there.

Pärnu is an ancient Hanseatic town, where a medieval festival and an arts and crafts fair are held every summer.

It is also a popular place for conferences, theatre performances and concerts. In 1838 the first spa was opened and nowadays Pärnu is a health resort of international stature.

Get in

See Estonia#Get around for bus and train schedules.

By bus Buses arrive at the small on the border of the old town. This bus station feels like a big bus stop because the terminal building is somewhat hidden on the opposite side of the street. The nearby fast-food kiosk opens early in the morning and caters to morning travellers while the whole city is still sleeping.

Buses from Tallinn depart every hour and reach Pärnu in about two hours. You can also travel from Viljandi (1 hr) and Tartu (2½-3 hr), Kuressaare (3 hr), and Valga (2½ hr). There is one daily bus from Saint Petersburg in Russia with a stop in Narva (5 hr). Check the schedules at here.

Pärnu is a major stop in the middle of the Tallinn–Riga route. Buses run every 1-2 hours and connect you to the Latvian capital in 2½ hr. Pärnu can be an excellent stopover on your away between the Baltic capitals.

By train Pärnu's train connection to Tallinn was closed permanently in 2018. Rail travellers will have to change to buses in Rapla and Lelle.

Pärnu has road connections from Tallinn (128 km), Haapsalu (108 km), Tartu (174 km), as well as to Riga in Latvia (184 km). The major artery of the Baltic states, Via Baltica, passes near Pärnu.

Expect absolutely no service at the airport. You will have to call taxi or arrange some other private transportation to the city. City bus #23 runs to the airport twice a day, but its schedule is adjusted to the airport staff, not to sporadic travelers.

By boat Pärnu has a large port, which is mostly used for cargo traffic. Ferries to the island of Kihnu depart from the Munalaid dock located 35 km west of Pärnu. However, a small passenger harbor exists at Kalda 2(right at the city center) and may serve occasional weekend ferries to Kihnu and Ruhnu.

If you are arriving by sail boat (keelyacht), you can dock at the Pärnu Yacht Club. To stay with motorboat you can use Talvesadam on (Pärnu vallikraav).

Get around

By bus The bus network covers the whole city, including the suburbs. There are 26 routes and their schedules can be found at pilet.ee. Load a mobile app to buy tickets. At summer free Kaubamajakas bus can be used.

By taxi Read more under Estonia#By taxi.

On foot Pärnu's old town is pretty small and navigable by foot and it's full of small boutiques. Lots of them are on Rüütli street.

See

The old town with buildings even from Medieval times.

Art galleries. Lydia Koidula and Modern Art Museum and City gallery

Pärnu Town Hall. The Town Hall is located in a house built in 1797 by the merchant P.R. Harder. In 1804, the Russian czar Alexander I stayed in this house during his visit to Pärnu. A new art nouveau building with neo-baroque details was completed in 1911 to the north side of the town hall.

Tallinn Gate. The only surviving bit from the city walls, demolished in the 19th century. It remains the only surviving 17th century city gate in the Baltic states.

Church of Jekaterina. Completed in 1768, the Church of Jekaterina is the most style pure and ample baroque church in Estonia. The church has influenced the development of orthodox church architecture in whole Balticum. To this day Pärnu Russian congregation operates in the church.

Seegi Maja. Known to be the oldest building in Pärnu. It was built in 1658 on the remains of the old almshouse of the Holy Spirit's Church as a shelter to the sick and the cripples. Based on research on the wooden raft under the basement of the building, the old almshouse dates back to 1250-1350. The building was restored to look the way it did in the 17th century. It houses the St. Peterburg Hotel and the restaurant Seegi Maja.

Statue of Raimond Valgre. The musician Raimond Valgre who played in Pärnu in 1930s and brought the town a lot of fame, can today be found sitting in the park near Kuursaal, as a bronze statue. You too can sit down next to the beloved Estonian composer and enjoy his beautiful compositions.

Eliisabet's Church. Eliisabet's Church, inaugurated in 1750, is the most outstanding sacral building of the Baroque period in Estonia. One of the best organs in Estonia is in Eliisabet's Church and the place is popular as a concert hall among music lovers.

Do

The Pärnu Jetty. The jetty has gained a romantic aura as a place for lovers to take walks on; however, before taking a walk there, be sure to check the water level! The length of both jetties is a bit over two kilometres.

Football: Vaprus play soccer in Meistriliiga, Estonia's top tier. Their home ground Pärnu Rannastaadion (capacity 1500) is 1 km south of town centre. The playing season is March-Nov.

The beach promenade. Pärnu has a long beach that opens to the south and has lovely, almost white sand. It is a major Baltic seaside resort. Completed in 2006, the attractive Beach Promenade has the feeling of a real resort and makes the Summer Capital's beaches inviting even in bad weather! Well thought-out lighting keeps the beach active even when the sun goes down, and the playing colours of the fountains are a sight in themselves in the dark of night.

Sassi Talu. Horseback riding. European-standards excellent service and reception; good both for novice and for experienced riders.

Veekeskus. It may rain in summer, and when it does many Estonian holiday makers go indoors to the veepark / veekeskus, which is an indoor water park at the largest beachside hotel. As water parks go, this one is fantastic, and insures that your few days at the beach won't be wasted because of inclement weather.

In winter time, consider one of the many spa hotels:

Spa Estonia. Modern and moderate-priced; great variety of medical treatment and procedures.

Tervise Paradiis. The hotel’s spa area consists of a water park popular with water beasts, with slides, an adventure pool, a mountain river with rapids, hot tubs, steam and steam baths, an outdoor pool and a 100 m long slide. For adults, the spa section has an additional Paradise sauna section, where you can relax in various saunas and pools, including a Japanese bath and salt bath.

Tervis Medical Spa Hotel. You can work out in the 25-meter swimming pool, relax in the jacuzzi or in the Japanese bath. Children have their own children's pool. The department also has various saunas from a steam bath to a salt bath.

The Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival.

Art Just south of downtown is a modern art museum and art school. Exhibits change frequently, and are often edgy and provocative.

Eat

Kolhehti. Small and cozy restaurant serving all sorts of Georgian dishes. If you are at least two persons, want to taste most of what is on the menu and are really hungry, try the "Georgian celebration plate for two"; it also includes a jar of the famous - albeit salty - Georgian mineral water Borjomi.

Steffani. Another pizzeria with a beer garden. Crowded in summer.

Drink

Pärnu has several clubs and lounges, most of them located in the center near Rüütli street. There are also many cozy terraces and pubs around the numerous parks in the summer time.

Sleep

On Sauga river you can stay on a boat at the Sauga Sadam fishing village.

Hostel South Pärnu. Inexpensive and recommended.

EstRent Cottages. Holiday cottages and apartments.

Victoria Hotel. Small historical hotel in the city centre.

Hotel Pärnu. Centrally located — most things worth seeing can be reached within ten minutes by foot. The outside doesn't look very appealing but the rooms are clean and modern, with well working Wi-Fi, balcony and air conditioner. Their Restaurant Embecke is on the ground floor.

Pärnu rannahotell. The hotel in functionalist style was opened in 1937, but was soon taken into other use. It was reopened in 1994 and again renovated in 2016.