Estonia is one of those Baltic states that many of us Westerners did not realize existed before the fall of Soviet communism. I am pretty sure that it was not even marked on my map at school, which might mean that is was even less recognized than other comrade countries such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

But never forget when talking to an Estonian that Estonia has a proud history of being an independent state. After a long build up to recognizing their national identity, Estonians finally achieved independence from the Russian Czars at the end of the first world war, thanks to the revolting Bolsheviks.

But then, not much later - at the start of the second world war, they had that independence rudely snatched away from them once again by the same bunch of left-wing Ruskis. However, even during the years when it looked as if Estonia was a fully integral part of Russia, Europe never officially recognized Estonia as being part of the USSR.

Today, the politics of the people is among the most liberal in the World and more closely represents that of its Scandinavian neighbors than other European states… as does the language, which is closely related to Finnish.

The summers are long, warm, pleasant and breezy (thanks to the Baltic sea to the North and West) but the winters are bitterly cold. Coming here in January, you might be forced to learn to understand what wind chill factor can actually mean (-10°C is bearable unless there is a 20+ km/h wind).

But if you like it bitter cold… or you choose to arrive, quite sensibly, between April and October, then a real treat of a tour awaits you. Estonia offers a refreshing different experience to other Eastern European destinations in that many of the must-see hotspots are on the coast, offering a sea front focal point to many a tour. Tour the quiet, serene beauty and pleasantly small towns that Estonians call cities and I am sure you will return home thinking “Well, that was real nice!”. Estonia offers a refreshing different experience to other

The place that you are most likely to arrive in Estonia is Tallin - the capital city… and so this guide starts there: