Discover the Medieval Old Town of Tallinn

A major lure of Tallinn is the fantastically well preserved medieval Old Town. A rabbit warren of twisting cobbled streets flanked by eye catching architectural delights, a trip to the Old Town takes you back to 15th century and beyond. Uncover the church spires dotted amongst the streets and sip a coffee in a half hidden café. There is plenty to see and more to learn during your explorations! A fairy-tale town indeed, the shops, monasteries, museums and restaurants are the icing on the cake.

Tallinn, Estonia by David Pursehouse

Escape it all on Estonia’s Islands

As I mentioned earlier on, the beauty of Estonia is one of its favoured attributes and it extends even further onto the islands which float just off the west coast. Interestingly, there are close to 1,500 with the largest and most visited including Hiiumaa, Kihnu, Ruhnu and Vormsi. Stop at the most popular island, Saaremaa, for a visit to the medieval castle in the island’s only city and be sure to sample the delicious local beer! Life passes at a calm and comfy pace on the islands and you can soak up the beaches and forests with little interruption. Enjoy!

Visit Jagala Waterfall

We’ve all heard of Niagara Falls in North America and even if you haven’t visited, you are likely to have at least some idea as to how impressive it is. Well, Jagala Falls is Estonia’s answer to Niagara Falls. No more than 8 metres tall, it is the width of the waterfall which makes it so striking, spanning more than 50 metres across. Only 4km from the mouth, the waterfall is found in the lower course of the Jagala River in northern Estonia. It’s an attraction that can be visited for free throughout the year and is an ideal spot for a summer picnic but the best time to visit is definitely in winter when it is covered in ice and takes on a completely different, and somewhat mystical, appearance! Pick up one of the many rental cars in Estonia and see for yourself!

Jagala Waterfall, Estonia by Aigars Mahinovs

Jam out at a Music Festival

Estonians love their music, there’s more than enough evidence of this fact from a glance at their annual summer festival calendar! Celebrating all types of music from around the world, no matter what your taste you will likely find an event to get your feet tapping. Plan your trip to Estonia to coincide with Ollesummer Festival, a 4 day event held in Tallinn in July which features a variety of musicians and artists; it’s an event not to be missed. For something a bit more authentic, head to the town of Viljandi in south Estonia for its annual Folk Music Festival. Rest assured that there are plenty more to choose from!

So, there you have it; a taste of the opportunities that Estonia has to offer. Whatever you are after from a holiday, you will probably be able to find it here and the best part is that you won’t have to share it with thousands of other people!

Bio: Kerri Ware is a travel blogger and writes for EconomyCarHire.com, a car hire broker offering great price car hire in Estonia. Follow us on Twitter @economycarhire.

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Tossa del Mar, Costa Brava / Jay Cross

Going Back in Time

The Costa Brava is an ancient region and nowhere is this more evident than in Tossa del Mar, where the Vila Vella is an amazing sight. The name means old town. It’s a well preserved walled city, part of which was constructed in the 12th century. Later additions included the fortifications, completed some time in the 14th century. There are other sights to see nearby (such as the Sant Vincenc Gothic Cathedral and a striking lighthouse) so it’s worth planning a day trip to this area.

Going even further back in time, you can also explore the area’s medieval history. Ulla is worth a look and you can also visit the medieval ramparts of the Torroella de Montgrí in La Bisbal. Summer offers a surreal experience as you listen to the sounds of a modern music festival in this ancient setting. And the time travel experience doesn’t end there. The early Iberians left traces of their passage on the Sant Andreu mound – find out more about these 7th century settlers in the archaeological museum in Ullastret.

La Bisbal d’Empordà (Costa Brava) / Jean Robert Thibault

Exploring Natural Beauty

While there’s plenty of natural beauty on show as you walk or drive along the Costa Brava region, there’s one more must-see for nature lovers – the Santa Clotilde Gardens. These exquisite gardens are done in an Italian Renaissance style with fountains and ornate sculptures set among the beautiful flora. The gardens’ location on a hillside give access to gorgeous views and if you look carefully, you might be able to spot Fenals beach, which makes a nice place to relax after your visit.

There’s lots more to see on the Costa Brava, but these attractions make a good starting point for a memorable and enjoyable visit.

Marian Jaime writes for Suntransfers. She recommends the company’s’ low cost airport transfers from Barcelona to get your holiday off to a wonderful start.

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Jakab’s Palace, Kosice, Slovakia

There are about 240 thousand, mostly young people, living in the city of Košice. The city is therefore also called the city of youth. It is a home of several universities – Technical University, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University that includes faculty of Medicine, Law, Science, and others. This vibrant city is the seat of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic and can well take care of tourists and visitors.

Košice is not only a key economic agglomeration, but also the crossroad of transport routes. The town lies in the Košice basin along the wide valley of Hornád river, which is bounded on the west with foothills of the Slovak Ore Mountains (Slovak: Slovenské rudohorie).

Košice grew up in a crossroads of the trade routes connecting southern Europe with areas of the Baltic. Košice have a very good strategic location, because it lies close to three other states. Only 20 km away from Hungary, about 90 km from Poland, and about 80 km from the Ukraine.

Kosice main street, Slovakia

The city’s history dates back to the 10th century, when it was a part of Hungary. In 1369 the city gained a city emblem, which is the oldest documented city coat of arms in Europe.

Medieval history of the city is closely associated with trade and craft.

The historical center of Košice is the largest urban reserve in the Slovak Republic and is definitely worth visiting. The dominant sight of the city and its most important monument is the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth. It is the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. Cathedral has a double spiral staircase as one of just five in Europe. The adjacent St. Michael Chapel and St. Urban Tower create together with the Cathedral a great complex of national cultural monuments.

St. Elizabeth Cathedral and Urban Tower, Kosice, Slovakia

The historic city centre offers a pleasant pedestrian zone with lots of boutiques, bars and cafes. The main street is lined with Gothic and Baroque churches. A great atmosphere is supplemented with the playing fountain and a carillon. Park around the fountain is a universal place of relaxation for both young and old.

Among other sights of Košice you can find a baroque Town Hall, Andrassy Palace, State Theatre from 1899, The Levoča House (Košice’s oldest, still standing bourgeois building), Bishop’s Palace and the parish house, which now houses the Gallery of Claire Jakoby, which was a representative of Slovak art history.

Kosice main park and State Theatre, Slovakia

Košice’s golden treasure is one of Europe’s largest golden treasures. The total weight of gold in the treasure reaches thirteen kilograms. Its insured value is almost 8 million Euro but in fact has an immeasurable historical value. The East Museum in Košice built for it a special unique vault, and since 1970, visitors can see the treasure in the permanent exhibition. Golden treasure was discovered during digging the foundations of the new house in 1935 in Košice. The money and gold probably hid their owner in 1679.

Under the city centre you can visit the archaeological complex of Lower Gate. Lower gate was originally part of the fortification system. The remains were discovered in 90′s of the last century during the huge reconstruction of the city.

St. Michael Chapel, Kosice, Slovakia

Extremely rich cultural life in Košice represent theatres, clubs, museums and galleries or puppet theatre.

On the outskirts of the city is the international airport where you can also find interesting Museum of Aviation, which was open to the public in 2002. It documents the development of aviation and aviation technology from its beginnings until 1943. There are about 30 historical machines, aircraft engines, navigation and other devices that are used in aircraft. Definitely the most interesting exhibits of the museum are 18 original pieces of military aircraft.

In Katov bastion on the eastern edge of town you will find a zoological and geological exposure.

In Nicholas’s prison you can see jail facilities and torture chamber with the instruments that were made ​​specifically for the witches.

Nicholas prison, Kosice, Slovakia

I also have to mention the traditional Europe’s oldest and second oldest marathon in the world – the International Peace Marathon. Marathon was founded in 1924 and still takes place every year on the first Sunday of October.

The last and probably the biggest attraction is the Technical Museum at the north end of Košice. You will find here absolutely everything in terms of historical metallurgy, engineering, locksmithing, blacksmithing, energy, physics and chemistry.

The city is a birthplace of many celebrities such as Sándor Márai, Martina Hingis, Stefan Margita and Waldemar Matuska. In May of 2011 Košice held the Ice Hockey World Championship.

Levoca House and Slavia Hotel, Kosice, Slovakia

All pictures taken by Claire on March 2nd, 2013 for Europe Explored.

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