Things to do in Pärnu

Best time to visit Pärnu

• a note or something on   ✦ an occasion worth the trip

• June to August

  The season; beach, festivals, everything open, book ahead

• May and September

  Quieter, still pleasant; the shoulder sweet spot

• October to April

  Beach town sleeps; spas open for cheap wellness trips

What's on

• Pärnu Film Festival July

  Cultural peak; book beds early

Best things to do in Pärnu

• Pärnu Beach

  Free

  Kilometres of shallow sand with promenade and cafés; go early in July.

• Hedon Spa

  $$

  Historic mud-bath spa; book a treatment even as a non-guest.

• Pärnu Old Town

  Free

  Wooden houses, Tallinn Gate and churches; an hour on foot.

• Pärnu Museum

  $

  Town history from Stone Age to resort era; best rainy hour.

• Pärnu Jetty

  Free

  2 km stone jetty; the classic sunset walk.

• Rannapark

  Free

  Landscaped park linking old town and beach.

• Aloha Surf

  $$

  SUP and surf lessons in the forgiving shallow bay.

• Pärnu Film Festival

  $

  Summer film festival; the town's cultural peak in July.

Best restaurants in Pärnu

• Raimond

  $$$

  Fine dining in the Hedon spa hotel; the town's smartest room.

• Villa Ammende

  $$$

  Art Nouveau villa restaurant; the romantic dinner.

• Mahedik

  $$

  Modern Estonian cooking; book weekends.

• Kohvik-Restoran Hea Maa

  $$

  Reliable café-restaurant for Estonian and international lunch.

• Restoran Edelweiss

  $$

  German-Austrian hearty food and beer.

• Gastronoom

  $$

  Wine bar with lighter European plates.

• Villa Wesset

  $$

  Beachside dining with sea air.

Best bars in Pärnu

• Aleksandri Pub

  $

  Old-town pub; cheap beer and a local crowd.

Best coffee in Pärnu

• Supelsaksad

  $$

  Beloved café for high tea, cakes and brunch.

• Soorikubaar

  $

  Beach kiosk for warm donuts on the promenade.

Outdoor things to do in Pärnu

• Soomaa National Park

  $

  Bog wilderness an hour east; canoe the fifth-season floods.

• Lottemaa

  $$

  Lotte cartoon theme park; the under-10s' favorite day.

• Kabli

  Free

  South-coast bird station and empty beaches toward Latvia.

• Tori põrgu

  Free

  Sandstone caves and springs 25 minutes inland.

• White Beach Golf

  $$$

  Seaside links-style course; book tee times in summer.

Best hotels in Pärnu

• Hedon Spa & Hotel

  $$$

  1927 mud-bath building plus modern spa on the beach; the splurge.

• Rannahotell

  $$

  Solid beachfront mid-range with spa and sea-view terraces.

• Estonia Resort Hotel & Spa

  $$

  Big spa complex; good for families.

• Frost Boutique Hotel

  $$

  Stylish small hotel in the old town.

• Wasa Resort

  $$

  Comfortable base with spa between town and beach.

• Villa Ammende

  $$$

  Art Nouveau villa hotel; the romantic pick.

Is Pärnu expensive? What a day costs

A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room

What to book ahead

• Hedon Spa: a few days ahead
• Aloha Surf: a few days ahead
• Pärnu Film Festival: weeks ahead
• Soomaa National Park: weeks ahead
• White Beach Golf: a few days ahead
• Raimond: weeks ahead
• Villa Ammende: weeks ahead
• Mahedik: a few days ahead

• July spa hotels: 1-2 months ahead
• Raimond and Mahedik weekends in summer
• Spa treatments: day before, especially weekends

Is Pärnu safe?

• Safe resort town. Watch belongings on the sand in July. Emergency: 112.

Pärnu travel tips: tourist traps to skip

• Beachfront July restaurants sell the view; eat other meals in old town
• Mud packages at non-spa hotels can be one mask at spa prices
• Shallow calm beach delights kids, bores swimmers

Getting around Pärnu: public transport and more

• Old town, Rannapark and beach are walkable or a short bus ride
• Buses to Tallinn (2h) and Riga
• Bikes rent on the promenade in summer
• Soomaa and the south coast need a car

Who Pärnu suits

More in Estonia

Every Estonia guide