Pärnu: Estonia's summer capital

Known as Estonia's 'summer capital', Pärnu overlooks the namesake gulf with a long sandy beach and a historic center in Hanseatic style.

The center, considered Estonia's summer capital, can be comfortably visited on foot along the beach.

The beach of Pärnu, long and sandy, remains Estonia's most celebrated beach destination, animated by beach clubs and parks along the coastline.

Just steps away, the Church of Saint Catherine, baroque with its own green domes, remains the most imposing religious building in the historic center.

Continuing along the Pärnu River, you walk through Rannapark, the city's green lung connecting the center to the beach.

Toward evening, the city's spa centers, a legacy of the healing tradition developed in the nineteenth century, offer treatments based on sea mud.

Pärnu developed its spa tradition already in the 19th century under Russian rule, when Baltic nobility discovered the healing properties of mineral-rich mud found along the coast, giving rise to the region's first thermal resorts.

The nickname summer capital of Estonia stems from the fact that the city's population nearly doubles during the summer months, when local and international tourists flock to the city beach and music festivals held by the seaside.