A Total Trip: What I spent in Tartu, Estonia - one of the European Capitals of Culture 2024

26.01.2024 - 23:11 / lonelyplanet.com

In our A Total Trip series, writers document what they spent on a recent getaway. In this edition, Daniel James Clarke shows us how far his money went on a long weekend in Tartu, Estonia.

I’m a travel writer based in the Algarve, Portugal. Last year, keen to explore more of the Baltic and Nordic countries, my best friend and I embarked on an overland odyssey from Spain to Scandinavia. Our goal was to reach the Arctic Circle by train.

We’d originally overlooked Estonia’s second city but learned en route that Tartu and southeast Estonia would be one of 2024’s European Capitals of Culture. So we decided to take a detour and spend a weekend discovering the city’s cultural side.

Having traversed nearby Lithuania and Latvia a month earlier, I expected Estonia to be more expensive. But Tartu turned out to be surprisingly affordable. Here's what we spent.

Accommodation: €94.50 for three nights in a private twin room (shared bathroom) at the modern and spotless Downtown Hostel.

Bus ticket: €7 from Valga on the Estonia-Latvia border.

Total: €54.25 each 

Afternoon: Backpacks ditched, we walked towards the old town. The short stroll led us through Ülejõe Park, sprinkled with sculptures of Estonian cultural figures, and across the Emajõgi River to the Town Hall Square. This is the heart of Estonia’s oldest city, flanked by classical buildings. Decorations announcing #Tartu2024 were everywhere.

I’d been eager to see The Kissing Students fountain, Tartu’s romantic symbol, which stands in front of the Town Hall. Alas, it had been removed for renovation in preparation for a “mass kissing occasion” – one of the more curious events planned for 2024.

Dinner: Peckish, we walked through Pirogov Park to Püssirohukelder, an 18th-century gunpowder cellar. The cavernous hall is now a cracking pub and live music venue. We shared Baltic Sea blue mussels and mulgipuder, a hearty Estonian potato and smoked meat porridge served in a bread loaf. With an IPA and a Limonaad Traditsiooniline (a signature Estonian fizzy drink), the total was €14.25 each.

Total: €14.25

Breakfast: Lured by the cozy, candle-lit interior of Crepp, we settled into plush window seats to people-watch. We ordered regional flavors: one galette stuffed with smoked salmon and a crêpe loaded with locally foraged bilberries, oozing with sweetness. Fueled with one French Press and a cappuccino, the check came to €14 each.

Morning sightseeing: We ambled through the old town towards column-frontedTartu University, Estonia’s oldest, founded in 1632. Then, we peeked inside St. John’s Church (free), ignoring the tower to save €3. Beyond, a 17th-century bastion inside the Botanical Gardens (free) beckoned, followed by a coffee (€3) in Käkk&Mülä, a bakery-cum-bar with art-adorned