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Region

Tartu County

The university town and the heart of Estonian culture.

4 museums
All museums ↓
📷 Aron Urb /Visit Estonia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tartu County is students, science and the Emajõgi river, with lakes and old manor houses around.

Museums in Tartu County

Look inside, then pay your admission straight to the museum.

The story of Tartu County

Tartu is Estonia's second city and its university town, founded in 1632. The Estonian National Museum tells how Estonians and their Finno-Ugric relatives live; the University of Tartu Museum sits in the ruins of the cathedral on Toome Hill; the AHHAA science centre is a favourite with children. Outside the town, Lake Peipus on the eastern border has onion villages of the Old Believers, where the Russian-speaking community still grows onions along the village street.

  • 1632the University of Tartu is founded
  • 1869the first Estonian Song Festival takes place in Tartu

Tartu County through time

The big moments, and where to see them today.

  1. 1869Singers gather in Tartu for the first song festival.See it: Estonian National Museum
  2. 1920The peace treaty with Soviet Russia is signed in Tartu.See it: Estonian National Museum

What to do in Tartu County

  1. 01

    Estonian National Museum

    How Estonians live, from farm to phone.

    Tartu3 hours
  2. 02

    University of Tartu Museum

    Science and student life in the cathedral ruins.

    Tartu1 to 2 hours
  3. 03

    AHHAA Science Centre

    Hands-on science for all ages.

    Tartu2 to 3 hours
Getting there

Getting to Tartu County

From the airport to the city centre by public transport, then the trains and local lines to the museums.

Arriving by plane

TLL
Tallinn AirportTallinn

Getting around Tartu County

Lines and timetables change. Check the operator’s website before you travel.

On the map

Hidden story

The onion road

On Lake Peipus, villages live from onions.

Read the storyClose

Along the western shore of Lake Peipus, Old Believers settled from the 17th century, fleeing reforms of the Russian church. Their villages stretch in one long street, and in late summer the houses sell strings of small, sweet onions and dried fish. Their wooden prayer houses still stand among the gardens.