The Journey

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09:00 — Departure from Tallinn We leave Tallinn behind and head west — through forests, coastal meadows and a landscape that gradually opens into something quieter and less visited than the routes most tourists take.

10:15 — Marimetsa Bog  Our first stop is Marimetsa, one of western Estonia's most beautiful and least-visited bog landscapes.

A wooden boardwalk leads us across open wetland, past dark peat pools and wind-shaped pines, to a viewing tower with sweeping views across the bog and surrounding forest. The landscape feels ancient and still — shaped over thousands of years and largely unchanged by the modern world.

Your guide brings the bog to life — how these wetlands formed, what lives beneath the moss and water, and why bogs hold such a deep place in Estonian culture and identity.

Depending on the season, we forage along the way — edible berries, wild herbs, mushrooms, medicinal plants or other seasonal treasures that Estonians have gathered from nature for generations. Foraging is not a trend here. It is simply how people have always lived.

12:30 — Haapsalu Heritage Walk We arrive in Haapsalu and begin on foot — the only way to properly meet this town.

Your guide leads a gentle one-hour walk through Haapsalu's most atmospheric streets and landmarks, weaving together the stories that give this place its distinctive character.

The Promenade & Tchaikovsky's Bench We begin on the famous seafront promenade — one of the most elegant in the Baltic. Among its most quietly memorable spots is a bench placed in honour of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who spent time here and found inspiration in the town's peaceful atmosphere. The view across the bay has changed little since his time.

Estonia's Most Fashionable Spa Town In the 19th century, Haapsalu became one of the most fashionable resort destinations in the Russian Empire. Physicians believed the combination of mineral-rich sea mud, fresh coastal air and peaceful surroundings could treat a wide range of ailments — and soon, Russian aristocracy, military officers, artists and intellectuals were travelling here to rest and recover.

The elegant promenade, ornate wooden villas and historic spa buildings they left behind still give Haapsalu its distinctive character today.

The Kuursaal We pass the Kuursaal — one of the very few surviving historic spa pavilions of its kind in Europe. Its delicate wooden architecture speaks of a world of leisure, music and elegant society that once flourished on this quiet Baltic shore.

Wooden Architecture & Tsarist Summer Villas Walking through Haapsalu's residential streets is like stepping into a summer resort of the 1890s. Ornate wooden houses, decorative verandas and tree-lined avenues have been preserved with remarkable care — a living collection of 19th-century Baltic resort architecture found almost nowhere else in this form.

The Coastal Swedes For centuries, the western coast of Estonia was home to a unique Swedish-speaking minority — the Coastal Swedes, who settled here as early as the 13th century. The nearby region of Noarootsi, together with Vormsi and several coastal communities, formed part of what became known as  the Land of the Coastal Swedes.

For generations these communities lived from the sea, maintaining their own language, traditions and churches. Then, as Soviet occupation approached at the end of the Second World War, thousands fled across the Baltic to Sweden, leaving behind villages that had existed for centuries. Traces of this world remain — in place names, old churches and a cultural identity that gives western Estonia a character noticeably different from the rest of the country.

13:30 — Lunch After the morning walk, we break for lunch. Your guide will suggest local favourites — from traditional Estonian cuisine to the town's own café culture. Lunch is not included; guests choose freely and pay locally.

14:30 — Haapsalu Castle & Free Afternoon

The Castle & the White Lady (optional) After lunch, those who wish to explore further are invited to visit Haapsalu Castle — once the seat of powerful bishops who ruled western Estonia throughout the Middle Ages, and home to Estonia's most famous ghost story.

According to local legend, a young woman was secretly brought inside the monastery by her lover, a canon of the church. When their forbidden relationship was discovered, she was walled up alive within the walls. Each August, locals say her image appears in the castle chapel window, illuminated by the full moon — the White Lady of Haapsalu, still waiting.

A small entrance fee applies for the castle. Those who prefer to spend the afternoon differently are welcome to explore freely — the promenade, the beach, the cafés and the quiet side streets of Haapsalu reward unhurried wandering.

Free Time The afternoon is yours — however you choose to spend it. Sit on the promenade and watch the sea. Find a café, follow a side street, photograph the wooden houses in the late afternoon light. Haapsalu rewards those who slow down.

17:15 — Departure

18:30–18:45 — Return to Tallinn