Viljandi

Viljandi sits on the rim of a deep glacial valley with a long lake at the bottom, and the ruins of one of the Livonian Order's mightiest castles stand on the spur above it. It is also the folk music capital of the country: the culture academy trains the musicians, and the Viljandi Folk Music Festival in late July is the biggest annual music event in Estonia.

What you actually see

• The castle hills - fragments of massive brick and fieldstone wall framing views down the lake.
• The suspension bridge - a red span from 1879 that has become the town's emblem.
• The wooden old town - crooked streets sloping to the water, with the round water tower as the other landmark.
• The lake - a beach, rowing boats and a path around it, the full loop a solid walk.

When to go

Late July is the folk festival, four days when the castle hills become one big stage and the town multiplies several times over; beds go months ahead. May to September has the hills, lake and old town at their best without that crowd. Winter is quiet and steeply picturesque under snow, with everything running at small-town pace.

Honest expectations

Outside the festival Viljandi is a sleepy county town, and that is its charm - come for atmosphere and the view down the lake, not for a list of sights.

The climb back up from the lake is the steepest street walking in Estonia, such as that is.

Nearby

Soomaa National Park is half an hour west. Lake Võrtsjärv is twenty minutes east, and Tartu about an hour.