Lake Võrtsjärv

Peipsi is bigger but shared with Russia; Võrtsjärv is Estonia's own. It is 270 square kilometres and averages under three metres deep, which makes it warm, murky, endlessly productive for fish - and almost invisible from the road, because a wide belt of reed hides the water for most of its circumference.

What you actually see

A big pale sheet of water once you get to a harbour or a viewing tower, with low shores and reed everywhere. The lake's identity is working rather than scenic: it has supported commercial fishing for centuries, and eel, pike-perch and bream from Võrtsjärv anchor the menus of the shoreline taverns.

The traditional boat is the kalepurjekas, a broad wooden sailing barge; restored examples take visitors out in summer from Valma and other harbours. The limnology centre on the eastern shore runs a small aquarium and exhibition on the lake's science.

When to go

• June to August - boat trips run, and the lakeside taverns are open for the eel.
• February - ice fishing is a serious local scene when the ice is safe.
• Spring and autumn - bird passage over the reed beds, and high water in spring.

Honest expectations

There is no beach culture here to speak of and few obvious sights - the lake rewards eating, boating and fishing rather than sightseeing. If you want a viewpoint and a swim, Peipsi's sandy north shore does that better.

The water is turbid by nature; it is not a defect of the day you came.

Nearby

Viljandi, with its castle hill and lake, is twenty minutes west. Tartu is under an hour east, and Soomaa National Park is within reach south.