AHHAA Science Centre

AHHAA grew out of a University of Tartu outreach project and moved into its own building in 2011. The name is the Estonian version of an "aha" moment, and the centre is built entirely around that idea: almost everything on the floor is meant to be operated rather than looked at.

What you actually see

• Two exhibit halls - hands-on mechanics, optics, electricity, water and human biology, meant to be operated rather than looked at.
• The cable bicycle - a ride along a wire several metres above the floor, the exhibit everyone remembers.
• The planetarium - films and live sky sessions under the dome.
• The science theatre - scheduled demonstrations through the day, of which the liquid nitrogen and electricity shows are the ones people talk about.

When to go

Any season, since it is fully indoors. Weekday afternoons in term time are calmest, because school groups tend to leave by mid-afternoon. Check the show schedule on arrival: the theatre and planetarium slots are the part you cannot improvise around.

Honest expectations

It is loud and busy, and on a rainy weekend it is very busy. Adults travelling without children still get plenty out of it, but this is unmistakably a family attraction rather than a museum.

Planetarium sessions and workshops fill up; booking ahead in school holidays is worth it.

Nearby

Tartu old town is a five-minute walk. The Estonian National Museum is fifteen minutes out at Raadi.