Tourist Guide – Barista Camp 2016
Coming to Camp? You'll likely be flying into either Tallinn or Riga airport so we highly recommend taking the time to visit these beautiful Baltic cities. For those of you lucky enough to tag on a few extra days away before or after Camp, we've put together this handy guide to the surrounding areas.
Pärnu
The location for Barista Camp 2016 is also a place where Estonians head when they need a break. For nearly two centuries this has been the nation´s premier resort town and spa getaway. Nestled on Estonia´s west coast, just 1.5 hours by road from Tallinn and 2 hours from Riga, the city´s history as a group travel destination began in 1838 when its first heated seawater baths opened. Since then Pärnu has been making its mark as an international spa centre and also boasts an active arts scene – each year Pärnu hosts some popular music, film and dance festivals as well as countless concerts and exhibitions.
Just outside of town, you´ll find more coastal beauty, golf centres, and the vast Soomaa National Pak, where peat bogs mingle with rivers and forests to create spectacular scenery. Pärnu is the perfect place to slow down, breathe fresh air and get some perspective.
Visit the Pärnu Tourism Portal with lots more information on the city
Tallinn
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is located on Estonia`s northern coast on the Gulf of Finland, only 80km south of Helsinki. Tallinn has been a meeting point from its very early days as it sits at the crossroads between East and West. Despite devastating wars throughout the history, Tallinn's Old Town is one of a few places in Europe where the fairy tale of medieval walls, turrets, spires and winding narrow cobblestone streets has remained mostly intact. In 1997 UNESCO added the Old Town into the World Heritage List, acknowledging its unique value.
Tallinn is a maze of contrasts – medieval and yet dizzyingly dynamic, small, but still very lively in its heart, buzzing with visitors and business-like locals, but quite easy going and relaxed.
Visit the Tallinn Tourism Portal with lots more information on the city.
Other handy links:
Recommended cafe´s in Tallinn:
Need a place to stay? We have secured favourable rates at the following hotel in Tallinn.
Prices are per night, per room:
Park Inn by Radisson Central Tallinn
Guest Room: €65
Premium Room: €75
Rates include VAT, buffet breakfast, high-speed WiFi and gym access
Contact information for reservations office via e-mail and include SCAE as a subject title.
Riga
Similar to Tallinn, 800-year-old Riga holds it's heritage in being a medieval spa town with a dynamic cultural life. The Latvian National Opera Hall gathers world-level artists in the city where there are regular classic and popular music concerts and exhibition halls present works of world-known classical and contemporary artists. The traditional cuisine of Latvia is well represented amongst the city's thriving gastronomy scene and there are a few specialty cafes well worth checking out too! Our friends and BGE Media Partners, European Coffee Trip wrote a handy guide to the cafes of Riga which you can check out here.
Riga was European Capital of Culture in 2014 which is still apparent when discovering the new and old city juxtaposed – Riga is a city with an irresistible charm of old times.
Visit the Riga Tourist Board with lots more information on the city.
Staying the night? We have secured favourable rates at the following hotel in Riga.
Standard Room: €65 for single or €75 for twin room
Business Room: €85 for single or €95 for twin room
Rates include VAT, breakfast and high-speed WiFi.
Contact information for reservations office via e-mail and include SCAE as a subject title.
Thumbnail image: Andres Putting