Go East – Private 1 Day Trip to Russian Border
Description
Being a private tour, it’s built around your interests. You will also get a video clip of your day as a thanks for visiting Estonia. You’ll have the freedom to decide on every part of your journey or just relax and enjoy one of the attractions along the way. We are going to explore north-eastern parts of Estonia during this day-trip. The main draws for north-eastern Estonia are the towns of Narva and Narva-Jõesuu on the border to Russia and industrial landscapes mixed with the newest national park in Estonia. There are many interesting sites to stop along the route between Tallinn and Narva. Like the towns of Rakvere and Sillamäe, one of the more idyllic beach settings - Narva-Jõesuu beach. Narva itself is a melting pot of Estonian and Russian cultures and a great place to stop and relax. Narva these days presents examples of classical Soviet-era architecture with some exciting contemporary developments.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The fifth largest town in Estonia, Rakvere draws in visitors with its impressive 13th century castle ruins, contemporary town square and spa culture. Located close to the scenic coast and picturesque Lahemaa national park, Rakvere is the perfect holiday destination if you’re looking for urban comforts in a rural setting.
Valaste Waterfall, located on the Ontika limestone cliff, is more than 30 m high, making it the highest waterfall in Estonia. The waterfall can be admired from the side as well, which offers a lovely view of the layers formed in 400,000 million years. The waterfall is most exciting in spring and during floods. Valaste is most spectacular in winter, when northern winds blow from the sea, creating ice sculptures on the trees on the limestone cliffs with water splashes.
The industrial town of Sillamäe was 'created' in 1946. Due to its top secret industry industry, the city was closed off for a long time. Today, you have the possibility to examine the buildings from the post-war period of Stalin, classical style avenues, and a beautiful beach promenade.
The cathedral was built in 1881–1884 for the Lutheran workers of Krenholm Manufacturing Company. The installation Heaven above Narva is exhibited in the church hall. Images are displayed on the church vaults and guests can watch the colourful history of Narva come alive from special chairs. The light installation in the church is the largest permanent projection area in the whole of Eastern Europe, 520 m2 in total.
Walk around, admire the view across the river bordering Russia. Estonia’s easternmost town Narva boasts the best preserved castle (Hermann Fortress) overlooking a large, winding river acting as a border between Estonia and Russia.
Overview of the history of Narva, visiting the bastion catacombs. The newly renovated river promenade around the castle and exploring the bastions inside and out is a must.
Walk around, visit the longest beach. Narva-Jõesuu beach – by a small resort town off the Gulf of Finland, at the mouth of the Narva River – is one of the more idyllic beach settings in Estonia. With a legacy that dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, Narva-Jõesuu was a popular summer holiday destination for the St. Petersburg nobility of the time, who called it ‘The Pearl of the Baltic Sea’.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Agreed pick-up location
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(23)
All sounded great on website. Private driver picking up and returning us to our hotel in Talinn. Promises of a local driver who could share insights into Narva and the area. All in a comfortable air conditioned vehicle. What we got was a tiny toyota aris which was a bolt taxi. Spent the 2.5 hr ride each way with my knees crushed against the back of the drivers seat. The driver was very professional and amenable so for me the driver being comfortable is more important. Unfortunately the driver had never been to Narva so was guided by google and was not able to impart any interesting facts about the city. In fact he had only been in Estonia for 2.5 years. What we learnt afterwards going to the airport in a normal taxi is that that driver would have charged the same price and also waited for us. His taxi was way more comfortable and was from the area. My advice..... forget this personal trip and look for a normal taxi...chances are the driver will at know a little more about Narva.
WARNING! We never use (Bolt) taxis and/or foreign born (taxi) drivers for our private tours. Don't trust anyone, who is just showing our tour listings, claims to be a tour guide and asks to pay in cash or with card directly to them! Always use TripAdvisor/Viator online booking for secure payment. In that way the scammers/identity thieves don't have access to the actual tour booking, your card information and the money. We only use large comfortable SUVs or minivans and our professional guides are born and raised in Estonia. Thank you, denise r (deesmeekes), for the review (even that you have never done any booking with us) and showing what could happen when you get scammed. We are sorry that you had this unfortunate experience and hope that you come back to try again one day.
The North Estonia tour was lots of fun, very informative, and a unique once in lifetime opportunity. Totally worth it and 5/5 stars!
Thank you very much! It was our pleasure to host you.
Had the most amazing time. I took a friend as an early birthday present and she too absolutely loved it. Juhan was our guide and full of knowledge. Couldn't of asked for a better day.
Thank you and welcome back!
Juhan was our guide and driver on a day trip from Tallinn to Narva and back. he was punctual in picking us up from our hotel and diligent in ensuring we experienced all we could of the part of Estonia that we covered. His knowledge of history and the area was comprehensive, and was provided with a most pleasant demeanor throughout. We certainly felt that we experienced all that we could on the trip, thanks to Juhan’s excellent knowledge and insights.
Thank you for a nice day!
My wife and I took this tour with Juhan today. The weather was bitterly cold but Juhan’s effort and energy made it a trip for the ages. We saw things on this one day trip you would never be able to see yourself in three days. Juhan managed to cover all of my special requests. I cannot recommend this trip enough.
Thank you. We can't control the weather, but we can always adjust the private tour accordingly.
A perfect trip. Juhan is very knowledgeable and explained about all the places we visited. It was a bitterly cold day so we didn’t do much walking, but we saw all the sights we wanted to see. We have visited Estonia a few times but never left Tallinn, so it was great to see what the country looks like outside the capital. I had wanted to see the Russian border for a while, and Juhan not only took us there, but also to other places with a fascinating history. I would thoroughly recommend booking Juhan for a tour, he knows his history and will tailor his tour to what you want to see. A brilliant day that I will remember for a long time
Thank you. You are always welcome back to explore some more.
The trip to Narva was wonderful. We wanted to visit a small village, Vasknarva, and Ruhan arranged the day so we could do everything we wished. Ruhan’s car was comfortable and clean and we felt well cared for as he drove safely and had umbrellas for rain, bottled water and even a phone charger when I forgot mine. Ruhan’s knowledge of this part of Estonia made him our perfect guide and his knowledge of everything from the history to the economics of the area meant he could answer all of our questions and include interesting insights.
It was a special day out in the eastern side of Estonia. This is what private tours are good for.
We wanted to see more of Estonia after a brilliant first day in Tallinn: wonderful Old Town, very cool Tellisviki, peaceful Kadriorg palace and fascinating Lennusadam maritime museum, all highly recommended. We were fortunate to have Johun as our driver and guide: he was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Now we know why -- strictly linguistically — Estonian has no sex and no future. And why from an Estonian perspective the Baltic (that Swedes and Finns call the Eastern Sea) is actually the Western Sea. It was great to see Narva, where Europe begins, and to play with the virtual reality headsets in the reconstructed Town Hall. Unforgettable to look across to Ivangorod. Long may the horizontal white, black and blue tricolour fly from the Hermann fortress on (our) Estonian side.
Thank you for paying attention and enjoying the tour to the eastern side of Estonia
I decided to do the "Go East" trip solo, and I must say Juhan is a terrific guide! He picked me up from my Airbnb, right on time! Actually, Juhan told me that every tour is a little different and after speaking with him I understood why. He picked up on my interests and suggested a bit of an alternate route that might have more interesting things for me to photograph... and I am glad he did! He knew exactly what I was looking for. Besides being good company, he gave a very good history lesson and knew exactly where to go in both Sillamae and Narva. Even though his restaurant choices were closed on Easter weekend, he surprised me with an excellent meal.... from a petrol station! I'll never forget that :) Thanks, Juhan! I'll share the photos once I get them developed!
Thank you. That is the beauty of private tours, because it's always possible to adjust these according to your interests.
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour: we learned a lot about the history of Estonia while driving through the beautiful countryside to the Russian border. Would highly recommend.
Thank you for visiting Estonia in February and taking time to see more of Estonia.
