Day Trips in Estonia: Lahemaa, Haapsalu, Pärnu

October 18, 2026

Most day trips in Estonia start from Tallinn or Tartu and finish by evening. The table gives the usual transport and a rough journey time. Times and fares are approximate and fares change with demand, so confirm on the operator’s site.

Trip	From	Transport and time	Main stops
Lahemaa National Park	Tallinn	Car, 50 to 60 minutes to the park edge	Viru Bog, Palmse, Sagadi, Käsmu, Altja
Haapsalu	Tallinn	Coach, about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40	Episcopal Castle, long station platform
Pärnu	Tallinn	Coach, about 1 hour 25 to 2 hours	Red Tower, mud baths, promenade
Onion Route	Tartu	Car, Alatskivi about 40 km	Kolkja museum, Alatskivi Castle
Narva	Tallinn	Train or coach, check Elron	Narva Castle, river promenade
Helsinki	Tallinn	Ferry, about 2 to 2.5 hours each way	City centre on foot

Lahemaa

The Viru Bog trail turns off the E20 toward Loksa at the 52nd kilometre. It is free, with a boardwalk and an observation tower at roughly 1.3 to 1.4 km. Palmse Manor charges €12 for adults between May and September and €8 from October to April, while the park around it is free. Sagadi Manor, run by RMK, sells one ticket (adult €5) for its manor museum and forest museum. The Käsmu Sea Museum charges €6. Jägala Waterfall lies outside the park, about 25 km east of Tallinn, and is free. For the exact trail position, see the Viru Bog trail page .

Haapsalu and Pärnu

For Haapsalu, Lux Express sells coach tickets from about €8 to 10 on aggregators. There are no passenger trains to Haapsalu. The castle costs €12 and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays between September and May.

For Pärnu, coach fares start at about €6 and vary by date. The Tallinn to Pärnu rail line closed in December 2018, so the coach is the only public option. In town, the Red Tower costs €8 for adults and the 1927 mud baths building stands at Ranna pst 1.

The Onion Route from Tartu

The Kolkja Old Believers Museum at Ranna 17 charges from about €11 for adults and opens daily in summer, then Wednesday to Saturday from 1 September. Alatskivi Castle costs €12 for adults and its ticket also covers the Eduard Tubin museum and the stables. Guided tours are €25 in Estonian and €30 in English or Russian.

Narva

Narva Castle at Peetri plats 7 costs €16 for adults. The railway between Tapa and Narva is being rebuilt and electrified in 2026, so look at Elron before choosing train or coach. Do not plan a visit to the Russian side. The Narva-1 crossing is foot-only, and Estonian-side hours were shortened in June 2026.

Helsinki

Tallink, Viking Line and Eckerö Line sail between Tallinn and Helsinki. Tallink’s MyStar takes about 2 hours and Viking Line’s XPRS about 2.5 hours. Prices vary by date and sailing time.

Saaremaa is an overnight trip

Kuressaare is about 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 50 minutes from Tallinn by coach, plus the ferry. Leave it for a multi day trip.

To compare guided day trips, see Estonia day tours on GetYourGuide .