There’s no shortage of tasty traditional Estonian dishes - many dating back to Medieval times - to try when you visit this wonderful country. The huge fields of rye and the freshwater lakes are a great source of ingredients for mouth-watering local delicacies.

Hernesupp Suitsukoodiga is a hearty Estonian broth featuring boiled onions, garlic, dried peas, carrots and smoked pork bones, while Hakklihakotlet are flavoursome ground meat patties which are served in cafes and restaurants across the land. They consist of beef, pork or veal, eggs, breadcrumbs and chopped onions, and are often accompanied by mashed potatoes and pickled red cabbage. Wild boar is a much-loved main course in Estonia, Kiluvõileib is a popular snack comprising rye bread topped with marinated sprat fillet and Verivorst, the country’s national dish, is a flavoursome blood sausage traditionally served at Christmas with sauerkraut, browned potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Popular desserts in Estonia include Biskviitkattega Rabarberikook, which is a scrumptious rhubarb biscuit cake and mannavaht, which is a foamy semolina, turned pink with boiling cranberry juice and topped with seasonal berries. Like so many Baltic countries, Estonia is renowned for its excellent speciality beers, with micro-breweries across the land. The national drink is Kali, which has a sweet-sour taste and is made with slightly fermented rye bread, yeast, sugar, lemon juice and maltose.

Estonia has four distinct seasons, with late spring or summer being an excellent time to visit, when the weather is fine and provides the perfect conditions for travelling around and discovering the country's many attractions.
The days are regularly dry and warm (hovering around a maximum 20°C to 22 °C) from mid-June to August, although the evenings can be chilly. Temperatures drop considerably from mid-September and the first snowfalls arrive as early as mid-November, with winter arriving with a vengeance in December and temperatures plummeting to minus 15-20°C. Winter is a great time to witness the enchanting snowy landscapes and frozen over lakes, rivers and areas of the Baltic Sea, but a 4x4 vehicle may be required to access them. The shoulder seasons of March to May and September to October are good times for an Estonian cruise, if you want to avoid the large crowds associated with the summer months.      

Estonia is blessed with a multitude of fascinating things to see and do, which make it the ideal choice for a cruise holiday of a lifetime. Winter wonderlands, coastal paradises, national parks and magical cities are waiting to be discovered, with something that will appeal to every type of visitor. Popular winter activities include dog sledding, snowboarding, ice-skating, horse-drawn carriage rides and cross-country skiing. Spend the night in a tepee, work up a sweat in a traditional smoke sauna or go swimming in an ice hole. You’re also spoilt for choice in the summer months with coastal sightseeing tours, hiking, horse riding, cycling, canoeing and jeep safaris among activities available. .
  Key attractions in the capital city of Tallinn include Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Telliskivi Flea Market, Kadriorg Art Museum, Tallinn TV Tower, Toompea Castle and the Tall Towers which offer magnificent panoramic views of Tallinn Old Town. Attractions which ensure a feast of family fun include Tervise Paradiis Water Park in Parnu, Tartu Toy Museum and Tallinn Zoo. More unusual attractions in this fascinating land include Rummu Underwater Prison, the KGB Museum, Kaali Meteorite Crater Field and Tuhula Witch's Well. Estonia boasts 3,700km of beautiful Baltic coastline where there are plenty of gorgeous beaches for some fun on the sands or thrilling water sports action - popular golden expanses include Võsu Beach, Kuressaare Beach, Pärnu beach and Lake Tamula Beach.