Tartu.
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Overview

Tartu (formerly known as Dorpat or Yuryev) is the second largest city in Estonia with a population of around 96,000. A Hanseatic city and a university town, it dates back to 1030, and as such it's the oldest city in the Baltics. Although large parts of the town were destroyed in World War II, Tartu still has a charming old town surrounded by large parks (some of which used to be fully built-up neighbourhoods before the war). Toomemägi, or Cathedral Hill, towering over the city, hold some of Tartu's major sights.

Understand

Tartu's ancient name of 'Tarbatu' was shortened to 'Tartu' in Estonian and to 'Dorpat' in German.

Tartu is 185 km southeast of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The Emajõgi River, which connects two of the country's largest lakes, Võrtsjärv and Peipus, flows for 10 km within the city limits.

Talk Since Tartu is a student town, English is widely understood.

Get in

By plane If arriving on a commercial flight, your main option is Tallinn, which is only 180 km away with buses and trains to Tartu running directly from the airport. Alternatively, Riga (250 km from Tartu) may be an option as well - buses from the Riga Bus Station to Tartu are operated by Lux Express as well as trains are available (see below).

The bus line to the airport was ended 2026; use Bolt for taxi.

By bus Regional as well as long-distance buses arrive at the small at Turu 2, which is connected to the Tasku shopping mall, 5-10 min walk from the central square of Tartu. The tiny building hosts a ticket office, luggage room and a kiosk. If you need more, head to the nearby shopping mall. When arriving from Tallinn, you can also get off the bus at one of the stops in the city centre.

Buses from Tallinn depart 1-2 times per hour between 06:00 and midnight, and also stop at the Tallinn airport. Some buses have free wireless internet and free drinks available. Note that Friday afternoon departures from Tartu to Tallinn (and Sunday night Tallinn-to-Tartu) are usually crowded during the school year as lots of students go home for the weekend, so try to buy your ticket a bit in advance or take the train instead.

Regular buses also run between Tartu and Narva (3 hr), Viljandi (1 hr), Pärnu (3 hr), and Kuressaare (6 hr). Check times on Tpilet, but if your journey is run by Lux Express go to their website to avoid the booking fee.

See Lux Express for details. Avoid the buses coming from the Russian border in Narva (there will be a warning on the website), as these can be massively delayed. However trains are cheaper as well as more spacious. Also note that the evening bus from Riga to Tartu no longer exists and the latest departure from Riga is at 13:15.

Elron operates several daily trains between Tartu and Tallinn via Tapa. These are the prices on board the train, tickets might be cheaper online. Tickets for students and seniors are 30% cheaper (only in 2nd class). There is free Wi-Fi and tables with electric outlets on trains. 1st class passengers get more comfortable seats and may book a specific seat online. Standard class tickets do not guarantee a seat (so they can't sell out as well).

However they only leave in the morning from Riga and in the afternoon from Tartu. Tickets are sold by Elron and no seat reservations are available. You can also do this on board the train. Some journeys require a quick and easy transfer across the platform in Valga from the Estonian train to the modern Lithuanian or old Latvian one. Check the schedule. The Lithuanian train also sells snacks and drinks on board and is considered the most comfortable. Cheapest way is once again to buy separate tickets for the Estonian and Latvian side.

By car An excellent day trip is to drive from Tallinn to Tartu. About the first 100 km is motorway, the latter half two-lane highway with some 2+1 sections. The 185-km drive along Highway 2 takes 2-2.5 hours. There are few sights of interest along the way. The terrain is flat and most of the road is bracketed by a birch trees and a few pines.

Coming from Riga, drive along A3 to Valka/Valga, then Highway 3 up to Tartu.

It's usually quite easy to find a parking spot in Tartu. Pay for your parking in a ticket machine or by app. More information at the city's website.

Get around

On foot Tartu can be easily explored by walking. It's only a 20-minute walk from the train station to the old town, and a beautiful 30-min walk from old town to the Estonian National Museum. Walking up to Toomemägi for views of the city and attractions like the old observatory and the cathedral ruins is also definitely worth it. All the tourist sites are very close together and it's unlikely you would need any transportation.

By bicycle Cycling is the best and fastest way to get around Tartu. There is also a quite an extensive network of cycle paths. Tartu has 750 city bikes, and 500 of them are electric. Electric bikes can be recognized by the lack of gears. There are 104 bike docks in Tartu. If the bike dock is full, you can lock the bike near the dock using the lock in basket. You can also use the lock while you're for example in a store, but note that the time doesn't stop then.

Bikes can be used for 60 minutes after which you have to bring them back to dock, where you can get another 60 minutes.

For unlocking bikes you need to download Tartu Smart Bike app (available on Google Play and the App Store) or use a bus card. Available bikes can be seen online. Only bikes with charge level of over 50% are available, even if the app claims otherwise.

By bus Tartu has a network of 14 intracity bus lines and 2 night bus lines. See online information about local buses. You can check the schedules on Google Maps. Easiest way to buy a ticket is using a contactless card on the bus. If you ride enough it will also be automatically converted into a day ticket.

See Pilet.ee for more details. Although there are many different designs, cards from everywhere in Estonia can all be used interchangeably. QR-tickets can only be bought for 1-hour. All tickets have to be scanned or tapped on each boarding.

Important lines are: 7 to ERM 3 to Tartu Railway Station Bus line 69 is free, and runs between the bus station and the Lõunakeskus shopping center on the edge of town. As this is a sponsored line, its buses do not have the red-and-white color scheme of regular municipal buses.

By taxi Use Bolt app to order a taxi. Regular taxis are available as well of course, but more expensive.

See

Town Hall Square. The main square between Emajõgi River and the pink town hall is probably the iconic view of the city. Right in the front of the town hall you can see the kissing students fountain, which is a symbol of Tartu. When standing at the river end of the square, with the town hall in front of you, on the right hand side is the leaning house - first it doesn't seem to lean so much, but go closer and look at it from a right angle!

Main building of the University of Tartu. One of Tartu's grandest buildings, facing a relatively narrow street. As such if you want to take a photo of the whole building you need to do so at an angle.

Botanic Garden of the University of Tartu. Nice place for a walk.

Toome Hill. Many monuments, statues and historical buildings

Statue of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde.

Soup Neighbourhood. Neighbourhood where all of the streets are named after soup ingredients. Features charming old wooden houses.

Estonian National Museum. The new building of the Estonian National Museum features a permanent exhibition on Estonian and Finno-Ugric culture, language, and traditions, as well as various temporary installations. Definitely worth visiting. The museum can be easily reached from the city center on foot by following the newly constructed walkway along Roosi street (ca. 2 km total distance).

Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum. The Baltics' biggest museum designated to sports, with several interactive exhibits.

Tartu University Museum, Toome Hill. Summer: Tu-Su 10:00–18:00, Th 10:00-20:00. Also has one of the best views of Tartu from the tower of the old cathedral.

Tartu Art Museum. In the "leaning house", mainly displaying 20th century art.

KGB Museum. This nondescript building was the headquarters of the Estonian KGB. It tells the story of how the prisoners were treated there, and some stories about the Estonian resistance heroes, the Forest Brothers. The museum is small and does not have a very big sign, so look carefully.

Tartu City Museum. Classicist style structure was built as a town palace in 1790. The building is popularly called Catherine's House. The legend has it that Empress Catherine II made a short stay there. It is not true, though. The permanent exhibition provides a good insight into Tartu's long history up to 1920.

St. John's Church. A 14th-century red brick church, famous for its thousands of medieval terracotta figures.

Cathedral ruins. From the 13th century and were dedicated to apostles St. Peter and Paul. Today the choir part houses the Tartu University History Museum, and the towers are reconstructed to sightseeing platforms.

St. Paul's Church. An outstanding redbrick Finnish National Romanticist style building by the famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen.

St. Peter's Church. A Neogothic Lutheran church from 1903, built on the grounds of the first general Estonian song festival, which took place in 1869.

Roman Catholic Church. A beautiful revivalist redbrick building from 1899.

Tartu Salem Church. A Baptist church.

Gunpowder Cellar. Dug into the side of the hill in 1767 as part of the complex of the bishop's citadel. It was used as a gunpowder cellar until 1809. Until 1982, it served as a storage room for many different enterprises, and was later developed into an eating place. Today, the building hosts a bar/restaurant of the same name, claiming to have the highest pub ceiling in the world, at 11 metres.

National Court. In 1763, a military barracks was erected in this place. Onto its ruins was built the university hospital in 1808, which functioned until 1990. Since 1993, the national court is again in Tartu, which is Estonia's supreme judiciary court.

Old Observatory. The observatory, designed by university architect J.W. Krause, was built at the beginning of the 19th century. Working place of many famous astronomers including Struve; indeed the observatory is a point on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc spanning from the Arctic Sea to the Black Sea.

Old Anatomical Theatre. One of the first buildings of the re-opened Tartu University, built in 1803-1805 according to the drawings of university architect J. Krause.

Barclay House. Late 18th-century building. Duchess Barclay bought the house in 1819 after the death of her husband, Barclay de Tolly. The riverside wall of the building is actually a reused part of the old town wall, while the other side was built on a new foundation. This is why the house is now askew and is popularly called the Tower of Pisa.

Tartu Centre for Creative Industries. Congregates several creative enterprises and creates therefore a creative atmosphere. The three buildings of the centre were built between 1830 and 1913 and represent different architectural styles: historicism and Art Nouveau.

Angel's Bridge. Built in the 19th century and spans Lossi Street.

Devil's Bridge. Built in 1913 in honour of the 300th jubilee of tsarist Russia's Romanov Dynasty, which is memorialised on the bridge by the dates 1613-1913.

Arched Bridge. Stands on the site of the original stone bridge of Tartu which was built in 1784 and blown up by the Soviets in World War II. This new bridge is only for pedestrians and allows you to do one of the most loved cultural activities of Tartu, walk over the top of the arch after a big night in the club. It is said you have to walk over the arch at least once to be a true student in Tartu. Just don't let the cops catch you.

Modern architecture During the 21st century, Tartu has seen several interesting pieces of modern architecture being built. They are well worth a visit and give an insight of how people in modern Tartu think and live, in addition to traditionally history-driven image of the city. Some of them are right in the city-centre.

Do

AHHAA Science Center. Interactive and entertaining science centre.

Vanemuine Theatre. National theatre of Estonia.

Aura Waterpark. Swimming pool, water park, fitness centre

V Spa A more modern spa centre on the 4th floor of the Kvartal shopping centre. Has plenty of saunas.

Lodi River Cruises. Offers various cruises for up to 30 people along River Emajõgi. This is the historic type of ship used to carry goods on Emajõgi and the laike Peipus.

There are other companies offering more frequent river cruises on regular ships as well. Football: JK Tammeka play soccer in Meistriliiga, Estonia's top tier. Their home ground Tamme Stadium (capacity 1600) is 500 m south of the railway station. The playing season is March-Nov. Elektriteater A small cinema showing more special movies instead of the regular blockbusters.

tARTuFF. Film festival in August. Themes include love and tolerance.

PÖFF - Black Nights Film Festival. Film festival at the end of November.

Tartu Student Days. Since Tartu is a student town each spring and fall there are also events related to that. These are not only for students, but important for the whole city. Most important events are the Night Song festival in spring and the celebration of the Walpurgis Night.

Learn

Tartu University. Established in 1632, it's one of the oldest universities in Europe. The main building was built in 1804-1809 according to university architect Johann Wilhelm Krause's plans in classical architecture. It includes the historic lock-up on the attic, Assembly Hall and the Tartu University Art Museum which displays ancient art. Considered the best university in the Baltics.

Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Buy

Kvartal. Shopping centre next to Kaubamaja. Has a spa. Opened in 2016.

Lõunakeskus. Features a wide range of small boutiques, as well as big department stores Maksimarket, Lidl and Rimi. Has a hotel, cinema, indoors adventure park as well as a skating rink.

Tasku. Shopping centre near the bus station. Also has a cinema.

Prisma Sõbra. A hypermarket. Only 24/7 store in Tartu.

Tartu Kaubamaja. Department store with several floors full of fascinating things to buy. "Kaubamaja" belongs to Kaubamaja consortium.

Veeriku Ostukeskus. Regular supermarket.

Eat

Ruunipizza. Different pizza and pancake dishes (both as desserts and as main courses), soups, rice dishes, etc.

Sirius Aardla. A fast food restaurant.

Püssirohukelder. Built inside an ancient gunpowder cellar.

Drink

Pirogov Park. A small park where consuming light (<6%) alcohol is allowed between 15 March and 15 October until 23 (as it's a designated picnic area). It's the only public place in the city where drinking is legal so in the evenings it's full of students and homeless.

Café Crepp. French-themed, serves delicious pancakes.

Café Werner. Excellent café, in business since 1895. A large selection of baked goods; cakes, pies, buns, sandwiches and so on. They also serve some light dishes.

Café Krempel. A cosy café which also offers vegan dishes (breakfast only on Sunday) in which you can apparently get in touch with strangers.

Illegaard. Jazz Club. Many sporting events (mainly football) are broadcasted.

Möku. A nice, somewhat (more) alternative-hipstery bar.

Genialistide klubi. An alternative club with concerts, theater performances, seminars, etc. The bar Möku resides on the ground floor.

Illusion. According to girls more into Genialistide klubi, Illusion is where people get drunk and start fights, and the music is bad. So, the latter basically means main stream music.

Shooters. Drinking and party, as flat and fun as is it might sound.

Sleep

Hostel Looming. An eco-friendly boutique hostel.

TerviseksBBB. English speaking, overlooking the Town Square, Excellent kitchen and bathrooms.

Hostel Tartu Student Villa. Self-service accommodation in apartments with all comforts.

Tartu Student Village. Best rooms go quickly so book ahead.

Kastani B&B. Small guest house. The lady who runs it speaks a little English but she is delightful and you can communicate without too much hassle. Best to email ahead.

Hotel Starest. It is a quality budget hotel. All rooms are equipped with Sat-TV and an internet connection. Located just few minutes by car from Tartu Town Hall square, with frequent bus service from in front of the hotel.

Domus Dorpatensis Guest Apartments. Apartments are located in a historical house on the main square. They offer spacious and clean apartments with all the equipment and privacy needed.

Barclay Hotell. 49 rooms including 2 suites with saunas. Restaurant serves authentic Estonian food.

Hotel Dorpat. 200 standard rooms and 5 business class rooms.

Draakon. BBC TV. Wheelchair accessible.

Hotel Soho. Mid-level hotel. Two blocks away from Raekoja Plats. Has a decent Mexican restaurant in the same premises.