Estonia

Walls, towers and guild halls surviving in their Hanseatic form, among the best preserved in Europe. The view of red roofs from Toompea hill is the defining image.

An onion-domed cathedral built under imperial Russian rule, standing directly opposite parliament. As a symbol of that rule, its demolition has been debated more than once.

A baroque palace Peter the Great built for his wife, now an art museum. The park behind it walks on to the Kumu art museum.

Timber boardwalks laid over peat bog let you walk through the middle of a wetland without boots. An hour from Tallinn by car, with old manor houses on the same route.

The open-air arena where hundreds of thousands gathered in the late 1980s to sing banned songs as an independence movement. A major festival is held every five years; otherwise it simply stands open.

An abandoned seafront prison and a concrete arena built for the Moscow Olympics, both largely untouched. Whether to preserve or clear them is still argued over.

A medieval old town pressed up against glass towers, which makes for a sharp contrast. Helsinki is two hours away by ferry, and plenty of people go for the day.

One of the older universities in northern Europe, so it is full of students and inexpensive. Two and a half hours from Tallinn by bus.

Sand beaches and spa hotels make this the Estonian summer resort. It is largely quiet in winter.

A medieval bishop’s castle, a meteorite crater and windmills, reached by ferry. Time moves slowly enough here to justify more than one night.

A castle and a fortress staring at each other from opposite banks, which you will not see elsewhere. It is a border zone, so check the current rules before going.

When the snow melts the whole forest goes under and you paddle a canoe between the trees. Locals call it the fifth season.

Snowmelt is when Soomaa floods. Still cold, but almost nobody is about.

Daylight so long there is barely a night, and the festivals cluster here. Around midsummer the whole country lights bonfires.

The forests turn and the bog walks are at their best. Rain becomes frequent.

Dark by three in the afternoon and the sea freezes. The old town Christmas market and snow on the walls exist only now.

Up to ninety days in any one hundred and eighty across the Schengen area. The European travel authorisation scheme is being phased in, so check the official guidance before you leave.

Small shops and even buses take cards, so you barely need cash. Prices are lower than in western Europe.

Parking, public transport and restaurant booking are all normally handled in an app. Free public wi-fi is easy to find as a visitor.

Related to Finnish and unlike any of its other neighbours’ languages. Younger people speak good English, and Russian is widely used in the east.

Two hours to Helsinki, and an overnight crossing to Stockholm. An easy leg to fit into a wider Nordic trip.

The pan-European number reaching police, ambulance and fire, with English available. Signal drops out in stretches of forest and bog.