Sightseeing & attractions

Main Walking Streets

Essential P Rnu

Pärnu isn’t exactly a large city so it doesn’t take a huge amount of time to take it all in, but there are plenty of interesting sites and curiosities to behold if you just take the time to take it all in. And we suggest you do just that - the town is filled with historical sites, plenty of stories and some truly beautiful architecture.

With a 200-year history as a resort town it was a playground for the rich, artists, writers and even aristocrats as well as royalty. It was a place to get away from the faster pace of larger, more metropolitan cities, such as St. Petersburg and Berlin. Rüütli Street was Pärnu’s traditional main street during the town’s boom days, reaching its height during Estonia’s 1st Republic period from 1920-1939 - which was a very prosperous and cosmopolitan time for both Estonia and Pärnu. This is truly evident in the architecture and Pärnu’s cultural scene, which was just as vibrant as that of Vienna or Paris’albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

Historic downtown Pärnu is defined by its main pedestrian thoroughfare, Rüütli street (‘knight sreet’). A new square called Rüütli plats is at the Pärnu Hotell end of the street. The 400-metre stretch of the street between Ringi and Vee, and a few streets that branch off from here, are home to a hodge-podge of intriguing buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Peek into the courtyard of Rüütli 21, where you will find one of Pärnu’s oldest buildings, the Mohr Granary. At the other end of the street, you will see the Tallinn Gate.

Kuninga street, just parallel to Rüütli has plenty of eateries and terraces during the warmer months.

Over the past few years, Supeluse Street, which runs from the centre all the way to the beach, has seen a surge in popularity and some of the most hip and happening eateries and nightspots have set-up shop here. It’s a very popular spot for strolling and visiting various locales and it’s also been turned into a pedestrian street for the summer.

The beach itself has a nice long boardwalk which runs for kilometres and is speckled with sights and various locales, great for a romantic walk and people watching galore.