Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is a developed country with an advanced, high-income economy and part of the European Union and in 2011 was ranked among the fastest-growing in the EU. As a part of the Union, the country accepts the Euro. Even not so well known the country is pretty tech-savvy. Some of the most known companies started in this country are Skype, Hotmail, Transferwise, Veriff and others.
The best time to visit this Baltic country is late spring or summer when the weather is good enough to allow you to explore the cities by combining some great outdoors. Traveling to Estonia is perfect for all types of outdoor lovers.
Summers are short – from around mid-June to late August, but even then you can experience showers and chilly nights. It is recommended to pack a waterproof jacket and warm sweater alongside your T-shirts.
The first snowfalls usually can be expected around mid-November.
The reasons to visit Estonia are countless. But before you book your trip to Estonia, here a few things you may want to know:
Currency
The euro is the official currency of Estonia, which is a member of the European Union. ATMs are available throughout the country and credit cards are widely accepted, but you can expect to pay with cash or pay with your phone, most of the time. Half of all point of sale transactions in Estonia were done with cash in 2016, according to the European Central Banks in comparison to the rest of the EU where on average, 75% of POS transactions were made with cash.
Technology in Estonia
Estonia is one of the top tech countries in Europe. You’ll have WiFi pretty much everywhere you go. Internet access is widely available throughout the country. Based on Estonian World Estonia is ranked 15th in world fastest internet speed. The electrical outlet is standard as the rest of Europe, so you can use your European adapter.
Language
The official language of Estonia is Estonian, a Uralic language which is related to Finnish. It is unrelated to the bordering Russian and Latvian languages, both of which are Indo-European.
Prices
Estonia is still a budget travel destination in Europe. The prices in Tallinn have increased in the past couple of years, but still affordable.
Safety
Estonia is pretty safe to travel to. Its crime rates are mostly low, but of course in bigger cities and the capital city of Tallinn, you have to be more cautious about areas to avoid pickpockets, or other types of assault.
Cuisine
The traditional cuisine of Estonia uses meat and potatoes varieties. There are a lot of soups, seafood, of course, meat. Estonian food is heavily influenced by its nearby neighbors. Many types of food are close to Russian. Kohuke is a great Estonian snack. It is a milk-curd sweet covered with chocolate.
The most typical foods in Estonia are black bread, pork, and potatoes. Estonians are proud of their beer and vodka.
Transportation
Estonia is a small country and it is, therefore, very easy to get around. The majority of the travel throughout the country is by bus. However, some of the islands require a car in order to fully explore them.
Reccomendations: Travel Insurance – Don’t forget about getting travel insurance when you are traveling since it covers not only the costs of medical problems but also theft and loss of valuables.
Visas – Many countries do not need a visa in order to enter Estonia, for any stays shorter than 90 days. If it is longer than that, you might need to acquire a visa. Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from the date you plan on return. You can always check your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com
If you have your own tips on what not do, when you visit Estonia, please share them in the comment below. I would love to hear about your experience.
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With its scenic countryside, relaxed villages and handsome cities, the Dutch offer travelers a fabulous contrast between traditional and modern, rustic and stylish. In the Netherlands, you’ll find exciting but laid-back cities, cobblestones, and culture, with stunning architecture and some of Europe’s best galleries and museums. The best way to experience the Netherlands is to meet up with the people and share some of the amazing things they do.
With its strikingly lovely canals, bicycle-happy locals, and cheery flower markets, it’s no surprise that Amsterdam attracts so many visitors year after year, but there is way more besides Amsterdam.
Here is a list of 7 other wonderful Dutch cities and towns to consider visiting.
Photo credit: Antony McCallum / wikimedia
Haarlem
Haarlem is a city, located just 27 minutes by train outside of Amsterdam in the northwest Netherlands. Once a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall, it retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses.
Over 1000 years old, this smaller city is beautiful and offers visitors a less-touristy and less-crowded experience.
Haarlem is also a great place to take a canal boat cruise using one of the many offers for specialty cruises that take you outside the city by boat. Some of the city attractions are the 14th-century Town Hall, the magnificent St. Bavo’s Church, and the outstanding art collection inside the Frans Hals Museum, Corrie Ten Boom Museum.
If you want to see the Dutch countryside, visit the neighborhood of Zaanse Schans (30 minutes by car), where you’ll find authentic, typically-Dutch windmills and shops showcasing the traditional crafts
The Netherlands’ fourth-largest city, Utrecht was founded as a Roman fortress almost 2000 years ago! Its original Roman name, Trajectum ad Rhenum (Ford on the Rhine).
The city is just 20 minutes away by train and the trains depart quite frequently.
The Dom, the yards along the Oude Gracht, the Hoog Catharijne shopping center and the Neude are just a few famous places in Utrecht. The province of Utrecht is home to a number of nature preserves, castles and bustling cities. With the region having such a rich and long history, there are many old cities and ancient buildings to explore. The city of Utrecht features a historic center with an old cathedral tower that dates back to the Middle Ages.
The lush Botanical Gardens can be found very close to the Utrecht Science Park. The garden is home to lots of buzzing insects and hundreds of flowers and plants. The gardens are among the oldest university gardens in the Netherlands.
Photo credit: Rene Mensen/Flickr
The Hague
The Hague is a city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. Its Gothic-style Binnenhof complex is the seat of the Dutch parliament, and 16th-century Noordeinde Palace is the king’s workplace.
The Hague hosted two international peace conferences in 1899 and 1907 – known as the Hague Conventions.
Organizations such as Europol, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism are all based in The Hague.
With 30 theatres and more than 40 museums to visit, The Hague is regarded as one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the Netherlands.
The Mauritshuis, an art museum that houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, houses the works of renowned artists such as Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt, while the Louwman Museum features the world’s largest collection of historic cars.
The modern seaside resort of Scheveningen is also a favorite holiday spot for locals and tourists.
No visit to the Netherlands is complete without a visit to this city. Maastricht is one of the oldest cities in Holland. The city has plenty to offer with its Churches, city walls, monumental merchant houses and big squares merge seamlessly with a comprehensive and varied range of shops.
You can find rich architecture here ranging from Roman excavations to the modern design of the Bonnefantenmuseum. The Sint-Servaasbrug is one of the most characteristic structures in Maastricht.
The city is home to 120.000 people and is known as a city of history, attractions, culture, local folklore and education.
Maastricht is also known as a city of indulgence and culinary highlights. The city’s celebration of Carnival is among the biggest and most festive in all of the Netherlands.
Delft
This is one of the most charming towns in all of The Netherlands and the town’s world-renown export – is known as the manufacturing base for Delftware, beautifully-crafted hand-painted blue-and-white pottery.
Delft enjoys a worldwide reputation due to its connection with Johannes Vermeer, Delft Blue earthenware and the Royal House.
This small university town offers canal tours, museums, markets and many pubs, walks along canals, churches, mansions and courtyards. Delft’s inner city is dominated by two big churches: the Oude Kerk or Old Church and the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church with its rich history and connection to the Royal Family. The churches are within easy walking distance of each other and can be visited on the same ticket.
The Dutch city of Leiden Holland (Leyden in Dutch) is a picturesque community located in the tulip-growing district in the Netherlands. Home to the oldest university in the country, Leiden features spectacular landmarks, interesting tourist attractions and a variety of museums.
In the seventeenth century, Leiden was one of the most important and richest cities in Holland.
Leiden also has its own Hortus Botanicus, an impressive university garden filled with plants from around the world. There are also several museums with great collections of art (De Lakenhal), history (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden), nature (Naturalis).
Gouda is a Dutch city south of Amsterdam in the province of South Holland. It’s known for its namesake cheese and seasonal cheese market, regularly held on the medieval Markt square.
The city itself is a wonderland of monumental architecture, from its 15th century Stadhuis (City Hall) to its cruciform Sint Janskerk. The city is located just 55 minutes from Amsterdam by train, historic Gouda is a great choice for travelers looking for a convenient, day-trip destination outside the capital.
A superlative church in so many ways, the late Gothic basilica Sint Janskerk is an icon of Gouda. Museum Gouda, located in the “Catharina Gasthuis,” is home to a large collection of paintings from the Barbizon and Hague schools of the 19th century.
Spend an hour or two walking through Gouda’s historic city center and learning about some of the city’s most interesting buildings.
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The Azores are islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – 800 miles west of Portugal, and about 2000 miles east coast of North America. The Azores are lush, green are volcanic islands situated in an isolated spot of the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures are mild and change little from season to season. The Azores are known for its excellent tourism quality, especially sustainable tourism.
The archipelago of the Azores is located in the middle of the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean at the same latitude as the Mediterranean Sea. It is composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,360 km (850 mi) west of continental Portugal.
Is the Azores a Portuguese territory?
The Azores or the Autonomous Region of the Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal along with Madeira. In 1976, the Azores became the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
The Portuguese discovered the nine islands of the Azores archipelago in the fifteenth century and because of their strategic location, the islands became a stopping point between Europe, America.
The Azores has a mild, temperate, humid, maritime climate with a rainy season from November to March. Temperatures range from 14-25° C (55-76° F). The climate of the Azores Islands is subtropical oceanic, pleasantly warm in summer. The water temperature is around 22 °C (72 °F) from July to September.
Best time to visit the Azores
The best time to visit the Azores is summer, from July to August, since it is the warmest and sunniest time of the year. Because of their oceanic climate, the Azores experience a delay in the sea getting warm, which affects the air temperature as well.
September is slightly warmer than June, but the rains become a bit more frequent.
How to get to the Azores?
The best way to reach the Azores is by plane. SATA airlines serve the nine Azores Islands. International flights arrive at the major settlement of Ponta Delgada on the Azores’ largest island, São Miguel or San Miguel. When it is high season, SATA has many flights to the Azores from Boston, Oakland, Porto, Faro, London, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, and the Canary Islands.
In the last few years the flights from the US to Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel have become more frequent, but it is always good to check SATA’s websites for the latest information, as these departures change frequently.
Renting a car in the Azores is beneficial since there are too many places where you can’t get to with walking or public transport. As an alternative option, you can always join a tour, but that can get often more expensive and it’s more fun to explore on your own.
Unfortunately, renting a car in the Azores isn’t cheap. Booking in advance often can give you a better price. You can book directly to local agency’s websites like Let’s Rent-a-Car, Autatlantis or Ilha, or your other option which gives you a wider view of all the prices offering from big and small agencies is by using websites such as Holidaycars, Rentalcars or Sunnycars. This way you can find the cheapest options for your holiday to the Azores.
Local rental companies offer airport pickup, they have multiple ways of payment, and if you’re traveling to more than one island you can have a car waiting for you at every step of the way.
There is a USA airbase on Terceira
In 1953, the U.S. Forces Azores Command was organized as subordinate Unified Command under the Command-in-Chief Atlantic. In peacetime, the U.S. Forces Commander is assisted by a small joint staff responsible for contingency planning. The command mission would be to support NATO forces in the area, to assist in the local defense.
Is there good wifi in the Azores?
Huawei Marine Networks, a submarine cable network provider, has partnered with Viatel, a Portuguese telecommunications engineering network supplier to enable all nine islands of the archipelago of the Azores to be interconnected, with backbone connectivity to European, African and cross-Atlantic submarine cables.
Most villages have ADSL connections and there are hotspots in Ponta Delgada and at the Airports. GSM internet service is also available or you can use Mobile WiFi router gadgets from websites like My-WebSpot.com, Meo.pt.
The Azores archipelago is famous not only for its natural beauty and landscapes but also for the natural properties and health benefits its thermal waters provide. You’ll find spas with thermal water pools and natural thermal baths located in the Islands. The areas have a highly unusual combination of saltwater and sulfurous spring water which by claims from locals can help with inflammatory concerns like arthritis.
Ferns are everywhere
The Azores were isolated from the other continents Europe and North America for thousands of years and the flora and fauna evolved differently. The landscape is covered with fat aloe and cacti, giant ferns, black sand beaches and mineral baths with their warm water.
Tree ferns are present throughout the archipelago of the Azores but are particularly numerous in São Miguel. Fauna and flora of the Azores. Asplenium azoricum is a fern of the hybrid origin and it lives exclusively in the Azores, and it is a strict endemic Azorean fern.
Bird watching
The Azores are internationally recognized as bird-watching destinations for observing certain groups of bird species. Resident and migratory bird populations of the Azores archipelago are the islands’ most noteworthy fauna. Some 36 bird species are reported to breed in the Azores. Here we can find also the most important nesting populations of Cory’s Shearwaters in the world.
Pyrrhula murina is listed as endangered, with a population estimated at less than 250 birds restricted to islands. Breeding seabirds of the Azores comprise 5 species of Procellariiformes, 4 Charadriiformes, and 1 Pelecaniform, and include Fea’s petrel.
The number of species seen in the islands is close to 400. You can join small groups from the local company Gerbybirding, specialized in birdwatching.
Drinks and food
Food is usually imported from the nearest countries, which causes high prices in restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets, and makes fresh food hard to find. The most famous dish of the Azores that you should definitely try is ‘furnas de caldas’, a stew that’s cooked inside a volcano or a fish baked on hot stones, fresh and unusual salads or fantastic pizza.
Even the most basic supplies are imported and are priced accordingly. But the overall Azores are a great deal. You can try a local brand of ice cream, with unique flavors like coconut and sweet pineapple. To get the best culinary experience, you can book a nine-day food and wine tour across four of Azores’ islands and you’ll have the chance to taste famed Azorean dishes.
Photo Credit: madeinazores.eu
Azores wine is good and cheap
Azorean wines have a great singularity, exclusivity, and History. The vine culture dates back to the 15th century. The vineyards are planted in particular locations called “Currais” where they are surrounded by volcanic rock walls that release heat to the vines overnight and have a quite effective protection effect against bad weather.
The historic vineyards on the island of Pico have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The wines are made from Verdelho, Arinto, and Terrantez. Most wines are white, fresh and tangy, but there is some good, light red, including some Merlot.
Where to stay in the Azores
There are nine main islands in the Azores and each one of them offers different experiences and things to do. If you only have limited time to visit one island, São Miguel is the largest and it has the most and cheapest direct flights.
For accommodation, there are many options to choose from for your stay at the Azores. You can rent a Holiday home on the Azores at HomeAway or choose a farmhouse or manor house. You can browse through Booking.com to find the best hotel or check out Airbnb and find what fits your budget and style.
They have more than 100 houses, cottages, and apartments for rental or official camping sites on all islands. Or you can check the best-priced Hotels in the Azores at:
In the Azores you will find the only tea plantations in Europe, which produce excellent teas, processing the leaves on vintage 19th-century English machinery.
The plants have to grow 7 years before you can start harvesting. The tea is harvested every 2 or 3 weeks from April until October.
Ribeira Grande, in São Miguel Island, is home to the two tea factories and a plantation–the only such plantation in Europe, courtesy of the island’s balmy climate.
More Nature, Less Beach
Nature is the biggest attraction to the Azores. The largest island, São Miguel has the most versatile scenery: from mountains, lakes, to sandy beaches and precipitous cliffs.
Each Azorean island has its own identity, its own unique landscape, traditions, cuisine, and architecture. Walking around stunning landscape marked by dense coastal woods, play golf of one of the best courses in the world.
Although is not a beach destination, there are very good beaches in the Azores. You can find some in S.Miguel – Praia Populo, Praia Agua d’Alto, Praia Ribeira Quente and Praia Porto Formoso are the most known, and Santa Maria Island. There are 2 great beaches Praia Formosa and Praia São Lourenço.
Azores is full of hiking trails
There are plenty of things you can see and do when you visit the Azores and without a doubt a great place to hike in beautiful landscapes. There are dozens of trails of different difficulty, length and type so you can choose between. All islands have clearly marked official hiking trails. The official tourism website has a section dedicated to trails. You can use the search option and you’ll have a list of all the hiking trails in the Azores that match your preferences. Why not go on an adventure by hiking and climbing along these scenic trails.
