I recognise the energetic, economic and humanistic effort Tallinn is investing to compete as a modern European capital, with strong contenders close by—St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga and others. The transformation at the main port and along the city’s outer perimeter is striking; both areas thrum with new and renewed architecture. As a Baltic harbour that has long connected Estonia with the wider region and central Europe, Tallinn’s maritime culture endures, reinterpreted in contemporary forms—such as Paat (“Boat”) in Viimsi, once a fishermen’s district—where material traditions meet modern design.

RESTAURANT PAAT

In Tartu—the university city—life feels gentler and more protected by its inland setting. Urban development is less intense than in Tallinn, and the overall quality of life is high. The city’s scale is walkable, ideal for students. Spring is especially revitalising: as flowers appear, winter layers give way to colourful skirts and dresses; smiles return to the streets; members of fraternities and sororities re-emerge in their traditional colours; and on sunny days, the whole city blooms with youthful energy.

I particularly recommend a stroll through Tähtvere, where low-density family houses, generous gardens and low boundary walls create a distinctive ambience. Walking in Tartu is a vivid experience: the openness of the urban fabric offers endless alternative routes, and the city’s modest density means almost every plot has its patch of green. I’m continually struck by the interplay between flowers and daily life—front gardens edging the pavement, backyard plots, and older ladies tending their borders on bright spring mornings—memories that take me back to my grandmother, one of the most dedicated flower-growers of my past home country.

The main buildings of the University of Tartu are exemplary examples of the Neoclassical style. The University Café is elegant and fashionable—historically a high-class family venue, remodelled in the manner of an Italian palazzo and later adapted to academic life. I highly recommend visiting the University of Tartu Library and, for a deeper immersion in scholarship, spending time in the lecture room of the Estonian History Archive.

Coming from a different university culture, I find the fraternities and sororities here especially distinctive. They maintain traditions that reach back to Europe’s earliest universities, binding national identity to a sense of academic nobility—a heritage I believe merits consideration for UNESCO recognition.

THE BUILDING OF EÜS, THE FIRST FRATERNITY FOR ESTONIAN STUDENTS

TARTU ART MUSEUM

VANEMUINE THEATRE (SMALLER HOUSE)

UNIVERSITY OF TARTU, MAIN BUILDING

TARTU ST ALEXANDER CHURCH

SIILI STREET (RIVERSIDE)

TARTU RAILWAY STATION, A RENOVATED OLD BEAUTY

ESTONIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES, SPORTS BUILDING

KASTANI STREET: BEAUTIFUL OLD

KASTANI STREET: BEAUTIFUL NEW