North Estonia

The northern region of Estonia is the most visited region in the country.

Cities, towns and villages

Map of North Estonia

59.43722224.7451 Tallinn – The capital, and financial and cosmopolitan centre of Estonia, with a medieval Old Town. Beautiful and expensive.
59.36527825.082 Aruküla – A small borough
59.51916725.2741673 Kaberneeme – A coastal village
59.60305625.9194444 Käsmu – A coastal village inside of Lahemaa National Park.
59.50083326.52755 Kunda – A small town with a historic cement plant and port on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.
59.37444424.2419446 Laulasmaa – A coastal village
59.47805625.0161117 Maardu – The industrial town in the eastern side of Tallinn, known for location of the largest cargo port in Estonia.
59.3524.058 Paldiski – A coastal and formerly closed military town during the Soviet era.
59.35055626.3611119 Rakvere – Estonia's fifth largest city, east of Tallinn, famous for its Punk and Rock festivals and spirit.
59.26444425.96277810 Tapa – A junction railway station and one of the largest ex-Soviet military towns in Estonia.
58.80944425.42916711 Türi – The spring capital of Estonia with a range of monuments of Estonian functionalism.
59.57805625.96694412 Võsu – A small coastal borough inside of Lahemaa National Park.

Other destinations

59.57111125.8002781 Lahemaa National Park – On the coast within an hour east (50 km) of Tallinn. Given its size it is the largest park in Estonia and one of Europe's biggest national parks, with 1,000 km² of bogs, trails, coastline, forests, and 4 manors. It allows for convenient up to medium difficulty day trips and hikes from Tallinn.

Understand

North Estonia contains the capital Tallinn, whose UNESCO-protected medieval Old Town is the country's premier attraction. The region covers four counties: Harjumaa (Rugel), Lääne-Virumaa, Raplamaa and Järvamaa. North Estonia is one of the most developed and industrial regions (together with East Estonia). It has the largest population, continuously growing.

Unlike the crowded Tallinn, the rural part of Northern Estonia enjoys incomparably less popularity. However, there are impressive natural attractions: the bogs and boulders of Lahemaa Park, coastal rocks and major Estonian waterfalls. There is also a share of architectural values in the region – from medieval churches, castles, and manors to the architecture of the 20th century.

This region was dominated by Denmark in the 13th century until the "Revolt of the Night of St. George".

Get in

Tallinn contains Estonia's main port and airport. If arriving from Latvia or Russia overland along major roads the road signs say "Tallinn" all the way from the border. There are also direct trains from Saint Petersburg.

Get around

Bus and train schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia#Get around.

By bus

Most villages, towns and cities are connected by regular bus services. Smaller places are often only served in the morning or noon, and late afternoon (17/18:00). Cities generally have buses up to 21:00. Make sure, you do not miss the last bus.

Põhja-Eesti Public Transport Centre. Public transport authority in North Estonia. (updated Aug 2020)

See

Jägala Falls are Estonia's largest waterfall. During cold winters, Jägala Falls freezes in a spectacular fashion and is well worth seeing.
Kunda Cement Museum, in Kunda, north of Rakvere.

Ämari Pilots’ Cemetery, south of Paliski, is the last resting place of a number of Estonia's fighter pilots who served in the air force under Soviet rule before 1991. Pilots of which the aircraft were downed and recovered have their graves decorated with the tail fin of their aircraft instead of a generic tomb stone, making the cemetery look like a squadron of jet fighters buried in the forest.

Several manor houses are mostly found around Rakvere. There are 4 more in Lahemaa National Park.
Two points of the Struve Geodetic Arc world heritage site are found just outside the village of Simuna, 41 km south of Rakvere. Woibifer/Võivere has a windmill that served as a triangulation point and has now been restored into a visitors' centre. Next to the windmill is a marker in the ground protected by a vitrine. Katko has a little stone pillar in the field marking the end of the Simuna line.

Do

Hiking in Lahemaa National Park
Enjoying the beaches of the northern Estonian coast
Fishing: at a trout farm in the northern outskirts of Halyal (10 km from Rakvere to the north). Fishing in the pond (hire fishing rods and selling food, as well as a free opportunity to dig worms for fishing). There, for a fee, the catch is smoked. Including restaurant and playground.
The Viking village near Aruküla is a theme park in a deep forest. It's a scenic place with a tavern, accommodation and its own small lake, from where everyone can catch their own fish and get it cooked. It is suitable for a day out with kids but too tacky for adults.
Vembu-Tembumaa is a large amusement park for the whole family south of Tallinn.
Atlantis H2O Aquapark, northeast of Tallinn, has lots of fun water equipment: a wave pool, a flow pool and eight different slides, the longest of which is over 120 m. For toddlers, there is a separate area with two smaller slides, a climbing area and a 0.20 m deep swimming pool.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Go next

West Estonia and Islands – Islands, Baltic Sea, spas, beaches, and wild life habitat for birds moving towards the south in fall.
East Estonia – Beautiful north coast of Lake Peipsi, and gateway to Russia through the border city Narva. More people speak Russian than Eesti here.
South Estonia – Famous for the intellectual hub, ancient city and university town Tartu, and many picturesque town like Viljandi.

This region travel guide to North Estonia is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.