Parnu - life's a beach

If you're thinking about travelling through the Baltic states by bus, then you could do worse than stopping in Pärnu.

Here are some walks for whether you just want to stretch your legs between buses, go for a paddle in the sea or connect with nature. You may end up cancelling your plans and staying longer.

Strolls

leg stretch (orange 2.5 km)

If you haven't got long, this little circular route will take you past the town museum (1) and along the along the river front, including over a nice little bridge and through the parkland of what used to be fortifications to the old town (2). If you're interested in architecture, then you might want to make a little detour to visit the statue of Olev Siinmaa outside one of his creations. Then back to the bus station through the old town where there are plenty of places to pick up some thing to eat.

to the beach! (green 5 km)

If you've been on a coach for a long while, maybe you crave a dip in the sea, in which case this route will take you through Rannapark (beach park) where there are some viewing platforms you can climb. If you're travelling in the winter when the bay freezes over, you might see people ice fishing. Some enthusiasts even travel up from Latvia, just for the experience.

I've also put on the map a link to Seikle Vabaks. This is an adventure trips company run by Argo Linnamäe who taught me how to read snow-covered wildernesses. If you have the time, get in touch with him - you won't regret it.

nature extension (black 1km)

Beaches are great but there is a chance to go on walkways through a nature area - a chance to see something special when there aren't screaming kids around.

Getting there

There are regular buses from Tallinn taking just under 2 hours.

Flixbus and Luxexpress buses run from Riga taking 2 hours 20 mins.

Further information

Tourist info: https://visitparnu.com/en/tourism-information-in-parnu/

For a more detailed map of Parnu: https://visitparnu.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/web-eng-Parnu_linnakaart-2022_A3.pdf