The Estonian people have long understood the benefits of connecting with nature. Wild swimming, foraging for food and hiking in the countryside are all a part of life in this northern European country - which boasts some of the cleanest air in the world and is also one of the most sustainable.
© Tracy SchaverienSo, it proved to be the perfect destination for a girls' weekend of hiking, sauna sessions, tree-hugging and skinny-dipping!
With its rich forests, diverse wildlife, lakes, beaches and sauna culture, Estonia has plenty to offer visitors who want to focus on wellness, nature, culture and great food. Sitting on the shores of the Baltic Sea, just across the water from Finland, it has much more in common with Scandinavia than with its other neighbour, Russia, and since gaining independence from the USSR in 1991, Estonia has evolved into a modern, progressive nation where you can find a Scandi vibe with a Baltic price tag. A fifth of the size of Britain, it’s also easy to travel around and experience the pretty, compact cities and the countryside in a weekend.
Midnight sun:
© Tracy SchaverienOur trip began with a three-hour flight to the capital city Tallinn, one of northern Europe's best preserved medieval cities. We stayed in the historic Old Town, a Unesco world heritage site, and the Nunne Boutique Hotel, where we stayed for the night, is built into the original cobblestone city wall, visible from inside the corridors to our rooms.
It was the middle of summer and, since we were so close to the Arctic Circle, it was still daylight as we explored the cobbled streets close to midnight, passing landmarks such as 13th century St Nicholas church and the historic Town Hall Square, which is transformed into a Christmas market during the festive season.
There are plenty of museums, galleries and restaurants, while in the Telliskivi district, the Soviet era industrial complex has been regenerated to become a trendy creative hub that includes a photography museum, a theatre and cool bars.
Estonia’s second city Tartu – the 2024 European Capital of Culture - is a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, by car or bus and is equally compact, quaint and pretty, with cobbled streets, street art and a bustling student scene.
Sauna culture:
© Tracy SchaverienA visit to Estonia would not be complete without at least one sauna session – something we managed to do every day of our stay. Much like in Scandinavia, sauna is almost like a religion here, and generations have conducted some of life’s most significant events - from conception and birth to business meetings and cleansing the dead – inside the sauna. Much like we Brits meet up with family and friends in the pub, a lot of Estonia’s social interaction happens in the sauna – the subject of the award-winning documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, which followed the conversations and close bond between a group of women as they sat together the Old Võrromaa smoke sauna at Mooska Farm in Võru County, in the south of the country.
We decided to try out this famous sauna for ourselves, guided by sauna master Eda, who encouraged us to fully embrace Estonian culture and strip naked for the experience, which costs €300 for up to 10 people. Despite feeling a little self-conscious, we took off our clothes as Eda, who seemed infinitely more comfortable being naked, poured water on the hot coals creating an intense, steamy heat. We were handed wet birch leaves and instructed to "whisk" ourselves by slapping them on our bodies while chanting affirmations like "I am strong" and "I am loved". When we got too hot, we ran to the pond outside and stepped gingerly down the steps into the chilly water, an experience that was refreshing and calming.
In Tartu, where we spent two nights at the Antonius Hotel, we enjoyed yet another sauna experience – this time on board a saunaboat which groups of up to 12 can hire for €69 an hour. We wore swimsuits this time as we watched the world go by through the sauna windows, sunbathed on the deck and jumped off the boat into the (very clean) Emajõgi River. We even managed to score ourselves a Guinness World Record title, when we joined people all over Estonia to get the most people in saunas simultaneously.
Connecting with nature:
You don’t have to venture far out of town to find peace and tranquility. An hour outside of Tallinn - either by train or car – is the Põhja-Kõrvemaa Nature Reserve. Here, we checked into a Scandinavian style Kuuse Concept House, which are built from natural materials and offer open plan living, floor to ceiling windows private saunas with views of the pine forest.
© Tracy SchaverienFor the next 24-hours we immersed ourselves in our beautiful surroundings, paddleboarding along the river in search of birds and beavers, hiking through the forest and going for an impromptu lake swim. It was raining and not particularly warm, but our tour guide Marilin persuaded us that we should once again fully embrace Estonian culture and swim naked – something we did again early the next morning. Despite our initial screams, we felt peaceful and liberation as we swam across the glass-like water with the sun on our faces.
© Tracy SchaverienAfter warming up with steaming cups of nettle tea – made from leaves Marilin had picked along the way - we headed back to our accommodation where local chef Ellery Powell, a Brit who runs nearby Forest Restaurant, arrived to give us a forest food cooking workshop, whipping up a feast in our kitchen using locally foraged ingredients, including a dandelion leaf, nettle and wild garlic meadow salad, wild boar with pan fried fireweed and acorn and chestnut pancakes.
After dinner, there was still time for a late-night sauna next to a peat bog that is thousands of years old. After smothering our skin with black peat– a nourishing natural facepack – we got into the steamy sauna. By now, we had thrown caution, as well as our clothes, to the wind and before long we were running outside and plunging into the very chilly bog – prompting more screaming.
While our trip took place in summer, winter tourists can enjoy cross country skiing and take husky rides across the snow in this area. Other activities, such as the river hike we did along the Taevaskoja River in southern Estonia, where we put on wetsuits and floated along on our backs while taking in the beautiful scenery, can be enjoyed any time of year.
© Tracy SchaverienEating and drinking:
Much like in Scandinavia, Estonian food is fresh and delicious – but significantly cheaper - and there are plenty of great places to eat and drink, from Tartu's Italian-with-a-twist restaurant Pompei, where the menu includes langoustine spaghetti, trout with nduja and spumante sauce and beef entrecote with cognac, to the Michelin Guide recommended Hõlm, where main courses start at 21 Euros and where we feasted on beautifully presented dishes like scallop, trout roe and pumpkin and venision fillet with celeriac and juniper.
How to get there:
© Tracy SchaverienDirect Flights: Air Baltic from Gatwick, Wizz Air from Luton, Ryanair from Stansted
Rooms at the Nunne Boutique Hotel in Tallinn start at €110, rooms at Hotel Antonius start at €85
Kuuse House prices (2 double bedrooms with sauna) start at €290
For more information or to book, go to www.visitestonia.com
