Estonia: Parnu – Beaches & Old Town

Parnu is the beach destination in Estonia – it’s facing the shallow part of the Gulf of Riga and thus the water warms up here significantly, plus there is a very long stretch of perfect fine sand. Pretty much all Estonians, and even more Russians flock here to lounge on the beach in summer. The town has a very long history dating back from 12th century – it was founded by Livonian order, then taken over by the Great Duchy of Lithuania, then conquered by Sweden, eventually falling into Russian hands in 18th century. The old town is very pretty with several old wooden buildings, city gates, and a couple towers surrounding nice pedestrian streets filled with tourists sitting in cafés.