Estonia
Tartu
Estonia's university city, where the student life sets the pace.
Tartu is Estonia's second city and its intellectual capital, a river town built around the University of Tartu, founded in 1632 and one of the oldest in northern Europe. A neoclassical old town of a sloping town hall square and a leaning house rises to Toome Hill, where a ruined brick cathedral stands among parkland. Wooden suburbs, a lively student scene and the Estonian National Museum on a former Soviet airfield round it out.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Estonian, Russian
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Tartu
The university a 17th-century foundation whose students and grand neoclassical buildings shape the whole town
Toome Hill cathedral ruins, Angel's and Devil's bridges and shady parkland right above the old town
Wooden suburbs Supilinn and Karlova's painted timber houses make for easy, atmospheric wandering
Southern Estonia Lake Peipus, Otepaa's hills and the Old Believer villages are all close by
Best time to visit
May-Sep
16-23° days
58.378° N, 26.729° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Tallinn
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Weather & when to go to Tartu
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best May-Sep
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Tartu
November to March is cold, dark and often icy, though the town stays lively in term time and nearby Otepaa's cross-country ski trails are at their best then. April and October are cool shoulder months. In high summer many students are away, so the town is quieter even as the weather peaks.
Top things to do in Tartu
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Town Hall Square and the Kissing Students fountain
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe sloping main square runs from the pink-and-white Town Hall down to the Emajogi river, with the Kissing Students fountain in front and the visibly leaning house that holds the Tartu Art Museum on one side.
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Toome Hill - cathedral ruins and the university museum
history scenic 👍 PopularThe park-covered hill above the old town is crowned by the shell of a Gothic brick cathedral; its restored choir houses the University of Tartu Museum, and the towers can be climbed for views. Cross Angel's Bridge and Devil's Bridge on the way.
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Estonian National Museum - a museum on a runway
culture arts history ⭐ Highly recommendedA long, low building rising out of the old Raadi military airfield, holding the country's main exhibitions on Estonian life and history and on the wider Finno-Ugric peoples. Easily half a day.
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University of Tartu main building and student lock-up
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedThe columned neoclassical main building is the symbol of the town. Inside are the grand assembly hall and, up in the attic, the old student lock-up where misbehaving students were confined, its walls still covered in their graffiti.
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St John's Church - the terracotta figures
history culture artsA medieval brick Gothic church famous for its hundreds of small terracotta sculptures of faces and figures, rare in northern Europe. It was badly damaged in the Second World War and has been carefully restored.
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KGB Cells Museum - the Grey House
historyBasement cells of the former Soviet security headquarters, now a branch of the city museum telling the story of occupation, resistance and deportation in Estonia. Sobering and well presented.
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AHHAA Science Centre - hands-on science by the river
culture arts 👍 PopularA big interactive science centre under a domed roof near the Emajogi, with a planetarium and enough hands-on exhibits to fill a rainy afternoon. A favourite with families.
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Supilinn - Soup Town's wooden streets
history culture artsA low-lying riverside district of old wooden houses whose streets are named after vegetables and soup ingredients. Walk it slowly for gardens, porches and a village feel a few minutes from the centre.
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Botanical Garden and the old observatory
nature wildlife historyThe university's early 19th-century botanical garden sits just below Toome Hill, and the old observatory on the hill is a point on the Struve Geodetic Arc, a UNESCO-listed chain of survey stations.
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Southern Estonian food - Peipus fish, rye and local beer
foodLook for dense black rye bread, smoked fish and onions from Lake Peipus, kama desserts and beer from the town's long-established A. Le Coq brewery. Student cafes keep everyday eating good value.
Best areas to stay in Tartu
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Old Town
First-time visitors $$Neoclassical squares below Toome Hill
Explore hotels in Old Town →
Supilinn
Slow travellers $$Wooden houses and gardens by the river
Explore hotels in Supilinn →
Karlova
Budget travellers $Bohemian wooden suburb south of centre
Explore hotels in Karlova →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Tartu
Getting to & around Tartu
Getting there
Fly into Tallinn (TLL), then about 2-2.5 hr by train or coach south to Tartu
Flight
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport (TLL)
Coaches to Tartu leave from Tallinn, some calling at the airport, in about 2.5 hours; or take the tram into Tallinn and the train from Balti jaam, about 2 hours.
Train
Tartu station
Regular trains from Tallinn's Balti jaam; the station is a short walk west of Toome Hill. Trains also run south to Valga for connections into Latvia
Coach
Tartu bus station
Frequent coaches from Tallinn and direct services to Riga and other Baltic cities; the bus station is central, by the river
Drive
The main highway from Tallinn runs south-east to Tartu in roughly 2-2.5 hours
Getting around
Walking
The old town, Toome Hill, Supilinn and the river are all within easy walking distance
Free
Bike share
Tartu's city bike-share network, largely electric bikes, has docks across town and is the easy way to reach the National Museum
TBC
City bus
Local buses cover the suburbs, the station and the Estonian National Museum at Raadi
TBC
Taxi
Taxis and ride-hailing apps are widely used and easy to book
TBC
Day trips from Tartu
Lake Peipus and the Onion Route
Full dayOld Believer villages
Follow the shore of Lake Peipus through Russian Old Believer villages known for onions, smoked fish and painted wooden houses, and stop at Alatskivi's turreted neo-Gothic manor on the way.
Getting there
car | tour
About 45 min-1 hr by road to the shore, by car or tour
Otepaa
Full dayHills and lakes
Estonia's 'winter capital' among rolling hills, with Puhajarv lake for summer walks and swims and the country's best-known cross-country ski trails in winter.
Getting there
car | bus
About 45 min by road, or by bus
Viljandi
Full dayCastle ruins town
A small hilltop town with the ruins of a Livonian Order castle above a long lake, a suspension bridge across the castle ravine and a strong folk music tradition.
Getting there
bus | car
About 1-1.5 hr by bus or car
Suur Munamagi and the Haanja Uplands
Full dayHighest point in the Baltics
Climb the observation tower on the Baltic states' highest hill for views over forested uplands, then explore the lakes and villages of Estonia's deep south.
Getting there
car
About 1.5 hr by car via Voru
A little history of Tartu
Tartu grew from an Estonian hill fort on Toome Hill, first recorded in 1030 when a Kievan prince took it and named it Yuryev. German crusaders captured it in 1224, and as Dorpat it became a bishop's seat and a Hanseatic trading town. In 1632 the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf founded the university here, and after wars and a great fire in 1775 the centre was rebuilt in the neoclassical style it keeps today; the university reopened under Russian rule in 1802.
Tartu became the cradle of the Estonian national awakening in the 19th century, hosting the first song festival in 1869, and the 1920 Treaty of Tartu ended Estonia's War of Independence. In Soviet times a large military airfield at Raadi kept the city largely closed to foreign visitors; that same airfield is now home to the Estonian National Museum.
First recorded, as the hill fort of Tarbatu is taken by Kievan forces
German crusaders capture the town, which becomes the bishop's seat of Dorpat
The Swedish king Gustav II Adolf founds the University of Tartu
A great fire destroys much of the town, which is rebuilt in neoclassical style
The first Estonian Song Festival is held in Tartu
The Treaty of Tartu ends the Estonian War of Independence
Estonia restores its independence
The Estonian National Museum opens in its building on the Raadi airfield
Tartu is a European Capital of Culture, together with southern Estonia
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+372
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Tartu
▸ When is the best time to visit Tartu?
May to September brings the warmest weather and long light evenings for Toome Hill, the riverside and day trips to Lake Peipus. November to March is cold and dark, though that is when Otepaa's ski trails are at their best. Term time keeps the town at its liveliest.
▸ How do I get from Tallinn to Tartu?
Trains from Tallinn's Balti jaam station take about 2 hours, and frequent coaches take about 2.5 hours. Both arrive within walking distance of the old town.
▸ Tartu or Tallinn?
Tallinn has the bigger medieval old town and more to see; Tartu is smaller, calmer and more of a student town, with the National Museum and easy access to southern Estonia. Many visitors add Tartu as a second stop.
▸ Does Tartu have its own airport?
There is a small airport just south of town, but scheduled flights are very limited and change often, so most visitors fly into Tallinn and come down by train or coach. Check current routes before relying on it.
▸ How many days do you need in Tartu?
Two days covers the old town, Toome Hill, the university and the Estonian National Museum. Add a day or two for Lake Peipus, Otepaa or Viljandi.
▸ Is Tartu expensive?
It is generally cheaper than Tallinn, and the large student population keeps plenty of cafes and simple places to eat good value.
More in Estonia
Parnu
Estonia's summer capital: a long sandy beach, a historic mud cure and a small old town in between.
✓ best May-SepSaaremaa
A whole medieval castle, a meteorite crater and an island of windmills, juniper and empty dolomite coast.
✓ best Jun-SepTallinn
A walled Hanseatic town of red roofs and spires, two hours by ferry from Helsinki.
✓ best May-Sep