Estonian Song and Dance Festival 2025 Tour

Arrive Tallinn airport and meet your English-speaking guide and driver and travel to Lahemaa National park. The drive is approximately 30 - 45 mins and the tour duration approx: 5 hours.

This is opportunity to learn about the diverse Estonian cultural history and see the Lahemaa nature preserve situated at the Gulf of Finland east of Tallinn. The most attractive part of Lahemaa is indeed the nature - bays, forests, bogs, limestone cliff and huge boulders.

Enjoy a short walk in Oandu along the ‘beaver trail’. It passes through the Altja River valley, in which you will see a diversity of plant and animal life. You can spy beaver activity in the valley too: the dams they build, their dens on the banks of the river and the trees whose trunks they gnaw through.

Then it is time to travel further passing beautiful manor houses of German landlord families dating back to the 18th centuries (Palmse or Sagadi manor). At the idyllic captain's village of Käsmu, you will be introduced to Estonian seafaring past. Käsmu was home to a maritime school, and virtually every family had its captain or coxswain.

Moving on, stop also at Altja village, which is typical seaside village, with all of its houses stretching along one street. On this point in Altja, you can see the fishing net sheds, which were reconstructed on the basis of old photographs and the memories of the villagers. The village also has its own quirky village wooden swing and old-fashioned tavern.

Arrive at Vihula Manor house and settle in.

Transportation

Accommodation

There is lot to do in Vihula starting with a leisurely stroll around the gardens, hire bikes or golf buggies to explore the near by area.

You can also have an optional guided tour of the manor grounds and learn about the thrilling 500-year history of Vihula Manor. The manor is shrouded in legends that have been past on from generation to generation. Visit the old historical houses, enjoy the beautiful surroundings and get acquainted with the large renovation project, financed in part by the Estonian Cultural Heritage Fund. You are welcome to join the full daily manor tour with price 10 € (price is subject to changed and will be confirmed by Vihula).

Locally, you can visit different places for lunch or dinner - the manor house concierge will help with recommendations. On the Manor house grounds, you have a small coffee shop for light meals or the tavern for traditional Estonian food or a la carte dining in the main building.

Meals

Accommodation

This morning, transfer back into Tallinn and meet your guide for your private walking tour of Tallinn's Old Town (1.5 hours).

The walking tour goes through the two sharply contrasting parts of the Old Town: the Lower Town, once a free trading town and member of the Hanseatic League with its guild houses, warehouses, a unique Gothic Town Hall, dwellings of prosperous merchants, and churches with charming slender towers; and Toompea or the Upper Town, the seat of German landlords and their houses from the 18th-19th centuries.

You will also visit the biggest churches of Tallinn: the Alexander Nevski cathedral is an active Russian orthodox church, built just over 100 years ago, and the Dome church, the church of the local German nobility for centuries, which contains a valuable collection of their family coats of arms. The church itself is one of the oldest in Estonia and is built in the Gothic style. From the viewing platform you can see a panoramic view of not only the Old Town but also the rest of the city.

The rest of the day is free to explore the city.

Meals

Transportation

Accommodation

Restaurants

Optional Add Ons

Each day, enjoy festival tickets to various shows at the Estonian Song and Dance Festival. The festival is an unparalleled dip into another culture - a lovely and immensely powerful insight into a nation. But even more than that, there is something powerful and universal about music - in this case sung by a choir of 30,000 singers to an audience of 80,000 people! - that transcends language and culture.

Each day will have processions, evening events and many options for your pleasure. You will get the final details closer to the event. The itinerary can be shortened if you don't wish to go to the festival for three days.

Meals

After breakfast, independent transfer to the airport.

Meals