Estonia is the smallest Baltic State - slightly bigger than Switzerland or Denmark. It borders Russia in the east and Latvia in the south. Nearly 10% of Estonian territory is made up of its western islands, the biggest of which are Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Northern Estonia faces the Gulf of Finland and beyond that, its northern neighbor Finland. Estonia is mainly flat, though there are upland areas in the southeast where the hill Suur-Munamgi, the highest point in the Baltic Sea States, proudly stands at 317 meters. Estonia also has the biggest lakes in the Baltic region: Lake Paipus, which straddles the Estonian-Russian border, is the fourth largest in Europe.

At the beginning of the 13th century the country was conquered by the Teutonic knights, and a class of landowners mostly of German descent was established in the country. The country was governed by a succession of foreign powers, including the Teutonic Order, Denmark, Poland and Sweden. In 1710 Peter I won Estonia from Sweden and made it part of Imperial Russia. In the second half of the 19th century Estonians' self-awareness grew into a powerful national movement, which led to the establishment of the Estonian nation. Estonia declared itself an independent democratic republic in 1918. In 1940 Estonia joined the Soviet Union. After 51 years Estonia managed to peacefully proclaim independence again on August 20, 1991. All of these changes in Estonia's history have left their mark here and this is what makes the country so fascinating. You can take a walk in a medieval town, visit the stone tombs of ancient Estonians and explore an abandoned Soviet base all in the same day.

The capital of Estonia is Tallinn. "A small town resembling a great fortress" - this is how Tallinn was described in 1154, when it first appeared on the map of the then-known world. The history of Tallinn is to a great extent also the history of Estonia and its people. The city has preserved its medieval look, and it is one of the few towns in the Northern Europe where whole blocks of ancient buildings have survived. Tallinn is growing by leaps and bounds, and even if you have visited it in the past six months, there is lots of new things to see.

The jewel of Tallinn, its Old Town, beckons visitors with its twisting cobblestone streets and medieval charm. Toompea Castle and the Dome Church in the Upper Town and the Town Hall in the Lower Town are the main tourist attractions. The famous weathervane "Old Toomas" on the spire of the Town Hall has become a mascot of Tallinn. The Kadriorg Park with its beautiful palace and Swan Pond, and the Pirita sports and recreation area are the popular places where the residents of Tallinn spent their weekends. Tallinn has retained the charm of small town. You can take a stroll around the old, narrow streets without any risk of getting lost. You can also visit one of the many cafes and befriend the good-hearted, hospitable Estonians.

Parnu, in southwestern Estonia, offers fantastic beaches and a real summer resort feel. The well-developed infrastructure and small-town atmosphere will make you an instant fan.

RED STAR TRAVEL invites you to visit Estonia, the land with a wide variety of entertainment possibilities, from relaxing island seaside getaways to discos pulsing with dance music and laser lights stabbing through the darkness. Enjoy its unique, unspoiled nature and its intriguing folklore, language and culture. Spend a few days in Tallinn and feel the pulsing energy of the capital city.

OLYMPIA HOTEL

Located very close to the city center, 2 km to the airport. Built in 1980. Renovated in 1996. 26 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 395 rooms. 387 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, color cable TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. 24-hour room service. Restaurant for 230 seats. Pub. Night club. Business Center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, computer and translation services. Conference center. Banquet hall. Fitness center: sauna, swimming pool, gym. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Gift shop. Pharmacy. Post office. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates from $120.

VIRU HOTEL

Located in the city center, 4 km to the airport. Built in 1973. Renovated in 1998. 22 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 427 rooms. 424 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. Room service. Restaurant for 230 seats. Banquet hall. Lobby bar. Pub. Night bar. Business Center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, translation and computer services. Conference center. Sauna. Safety deposit box. Gift shop. Currency Exchange. Post office. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates from $95.

PARK HOTEL

Located very close to the city center, 2 km to the airport. Built in 1997. 6 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 120 rooms: 24 doubles, 94 twins, 2 suites. All rooms feature private bathroom, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. Room service. Restaurant for 80 seats. Pub. Night bar. Casino. Business Center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, translation services. Post office. Currency Exchange. Baggage storage. Laundry. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates from $90.

CENTRAL HOTEL

Located in the city center, 2 km to the airport. Built in 1995. Renovated in 1998. 5 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 222 rooms: 113 standard doubles, 48 superior doubles, 50 superior twins, 8 junior suites, 3 main suites. All rooms feature private bathroom, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone. Room service. Restaurant for 80 seats. Bar. Service bureau. Conference rooms. Fitness center. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Baggage storage. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates from $85.

Tallinn Museums

Estonian History Museum. Operating hours: from 11am to 6pm, closed on Wednesdays. Housed in the Great Guild Hall, the museum's exhibits cover Estonia's earliest history with text in Estonian, English and Russian. The building itself (built 1407-1410) is significant as the home of Tallinn's union of wealthy merchants. Temporary displays as well as a permanent exhibition on Estonian prehistory can be viewed. Gift shop.

Art Museum of Estonia. Operating hours: from 11am to 5pm. The Estonian Museum was founded in 1919, and in 1928 it was renamed the Art Museumof Estonia. Since 1921 it got its permanent building - the Kadriorg Palace, built in the 18th century. On January 1, 1998 the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia comprised 62170 items (medieval painting and wooden sculpture, West-European and Russian fine and applied art, national applied art, Baltic-German Art, classical and contemporary Estonian fine art). One building in Kadriorg is currently being rebuilt and a new building is in the planning stages for the new century.

Estonian State Maritime Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 6pm, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Originally standing 300 m from the sea, Fat Margaret (built 1510-1529) once guarded the entrance to Tallinn's busiest street. After incarnations as a barracks and prison, the cannon tower now houses the Maritime Museum. Since 1978, the museum is active in underwater archaeology, presently using their own research ship Mare, a modern side scan sonar and a remote operated vehicle to search for sunken ships. The Baltic sea is unique because it is a brackish sea where a sunken ship will be preserved for centuries. Presently the museum's archaeologists are locating so many wrecks that it will take many years to investigate them. Belonging to the museum are the submarine "Lembit", built in 1936, and the icebreaker "Suur Txll", built in 1914 , in the Tallinn harbour.

Applied Art Museum. Operating hours: from 11am to 6pm, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The museum is situated in the granary built at the end of the 17th century. The exposition of Estonian applied art has been opened here since 1980 to show the development of Estonian national professional applied art from from its beginning at the 1920s untill the present day (textile art, adornments, ceramics, artistic leather-, glass-, and metalwork). In addition ti the permanent exposition one can visit exhibitions of Estonian as well as other countries applied art in the ground floor exhibition hall.

Energy Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 5pm, on Saturdays from 12am to 3pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays. Follow the history of energy production from 1283 through the present day. The museum building is a former power station, in operation from 1913 to 1979. The museum is currently undergoing major renovations and should reopen this autumn.

Tallinn City Tour, 4 hours

The tour begins on the slope of Toompea, leading us through the narrow streets of to upper town. The first stop will be in the Palace Square where two imposing buildings Toompea Castle and Russian Orthodox Church face each other.

Toompea Hill consists of Castle Square, Toompea Castle and Alexander Nevski Cathedral - which according to legend was built on the grave of Estonian hero Kalevipoeg and has suffered structurally as a result.

Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, originally belonging to St. Michael's Convent of the Cistercian Order, the Church was given to an Orthodox Congregation in 1716. The carved - wood iconostasis is one of the most impressive of its kind.

Dome Church is the oldest church in Estonia. As you enter be sure to step on the tomb of Thuve, who asked that his grave be placed in this humbling location to atone for his too- merry life.

Town Hall. Tallinn's civic life has been centered here since 1341. Old Thomas, the weather vane who symbolizes Tallinn, has been keeping watch since 1530. Climb the tower for an unbeatable view.

The bus tour will take you through the beautiful suburbs of Tallinn - Kadriorg and the Song Festival Grounds, the picturesque residential districts of Kose and Merivalija, and end in Pirita, famous for its sandy beach and ruins of the former St. Bridget's Convent.

The cloister St. Bridget's Convent both for monks and nuns, was built in 1407-1436 and its name has stuck to the whole district up to the present day. About 10 minutes' drive from Pirita will take you to an open-air museum on Viimsi peninsula where formally a fishing village was situated.

Walking Tour of the Old Town, 3 hours

The tour begins on the slope of Toompea, leading us through the narrow streets of to upper town. The first stop will be in the Palace Square where two imposing buildings Toompea Castle and Russian Orthodox Church face each other.

Toompea Hill consists of Castle Square, Toompea Castle and Alexander Nevski Cathedral - which according to legend was built on the grave of Estonian hero Kalevipoeg and has suffered structurally as a result.

Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, originally belonging to St. Michael's Convent of the Cistercian Order, the Church was given to an Orthodox Congregation in 1716. The carved - wood iconostasis is one of the most impressive of its kind.

Dome Church is the oldest church in Estonia. As you enter be sure to step on the tomb of Thuve, who asked that his grave be placed in this humbling location to atone for his too- merry life.

Town Hall. Tallinn's civic life has been centered here since 1341. Old Thomas, the weather vane who symbolizes Tallinn, has been keeping watch since 1530. Climb the tower for an unbeatable view.

Tour of the Open-Air Museum Rocca al Mare, 2.5 hours

On the way to the Open-Air Museum you can get a glimpse of the Old Town and the town fortifications. We will drive you through Tonismae, where the new national library has been erected, the living districts Lillekula and Vestkimedsa where also the Tallinn Zoo is situated and finally stop in the museum on Kakumaja peninsula. The Estonian Open-Air Museum (founded in 1957) is the central museum of Estonian rural architecture, situated at a 8 km distance from the center of Tallinn. It sprawls over an area of 70 hectares in a sea side parkland referred to by its old Italian name Rocca al Mare - Rock by the Sea. At present the museum has more than 47.000 specimens - farmhouses brought from West-, North- and South-Estonia as well as from the islands together with public buildings - in its collection, including 70 whole building arranged to form 12 farmsteades. The exposition is divided into 4 zones corresponding to the historical - ethnographic regions of Estonia. In summer on Saturdays and Sundays the folk art group "Leigarid" performs at the museum, staging a merry folk-dance in which all the visitors are invited to join.

Tour of the Lahemaa National Park, 6 hours

Lahemaa, the Gulf Land situated 35 km to east from Tallinn, is the only national park in Estonia. It was founded in 1971 and covers the area of 112,000 ha, incliding 65,000 ha of land and 47,000 ha of marine aquatorium. Most of its area is unspoiled and untouched forest and swamps (ca 70 % of the territory is covered by forests and 9 % are mires; 14 % is urban area). The Lahemaa National Park was created to protect a typical landscapes of the North Estonia: coast of the Finnish Gulf with peninsulas, Baltic glint, alvars, mires and peatbogs, forests (70% from the total area), erratic rocks (340 - 584 m3); historical buildings, villages, manor houses, churches and other objects with historical, cultural and architectural value. Palmse Manor House and parkland (18th centure) rate among the most beautiful in the Baltic states. Period furniture is exhibited at the manour house. Sagadi Manor (18th century) now houses a forestry museum. House size boulders that are quite common in Lahemaa are extremely rare in the rest of Europe. Each boulder has its own name and story. Sailo' sand fishermen's villages of Kasmu and Altja were bustling with activity when Lahemaaa was major "maritime power".