Valga

Sten153

• Tourist Information Centre

  phone: +372 766 16 99
  address: Kesk 11

History

• 
  Bus and train schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia#Get around.
  

  By train

  • There are 3 trains per day from/to Tallinn (3½-4 hr, from Tartu 1 hr 15 min).
  • In addition, there are 3 trains from/to Riga (Latvia) via Sigulda, Cēsis, Valmiera, and Strenči directly into Valga (not Valka). 3 hr 15 min, €5-6.
  
  

  By bus

  • There several buses a day from/to Tallinn (4 hr).
  • Almost hourly (6-8 per day) from/to Tartu (1½-2 hr) and Viljandi (1½ hr).
  • In addition, direct buses from/to Narva, Pärnu, and even Kuressaare exist. However, it might be easier and faster to transfer half way, going there – see Peatus.ee for connecting journeys.
  • Buses from/into Latvia go via the Valka bus station, except for the Riga-Saint Petersburg route, which used the Valga station.
  
  

  By car

  • From Tartu (85 km) highway #3, from Viljandi (80 km) and Pärnu (141 km) highway #6 lead into Valga. From Tallinn it is 235 km (via Viljandi).
  • Take the Latvian A3 from Riga (160 km).
  
  

  By foot

  From Valka you can simply walk across the border.
  

By foot

By bus

By bicycle

Flying Saucer

Hann90

Jarmo K

• St. John's Church

  address: Kesk väljak
  An oval-shaped church dating from 1816. It took 30 years to build from 1787. The building exhibits the features of classicism as well as baroque. Also, the oval shape of the church is unusual, as is the location of the bell tower, which is not at the end, but on the side of the building. From the distance, the church might easily be mistaken for a concert hall or a theatre. On the northern wall of the church, there is a memorial plate in memory of the Finnish who volunteered in the battle for the Paju Manor. Guides proudly point out that there is no comparable church in Estonia, which is true.

• Catholic Chapel

  address: Riia 16
  This small building next to the parking of the supermarket Rimi was a Catholic chapel and is the oldest building in Valga. Although, there has not been any dome or cross on it for a long time. Also, the shutters on the windows are very much like a village shop. The building is especially remembered for its four-slope roof.

• Orthodox Church

  address: Pargi 2
  Equally beautiful as St. John's Church, featuring towers of a similar shape as the Saint Basil's Cathedral at the Red Square in Moscow. It was built between 1897-98. From an architectural point of view, it is decidedly uninteresting, although the interior is pretty and quite spacious. The church has two altars consecrated in honour of the Mother of God and Isidore of Yuryevsky, a priest from St. George's (Tartu), who was killed for refusing to convert to Catholicism.

• The Church of the Holy Spirit

  address: Maleva 8
  A beautiful neo-Gothic church from 1907, built of large stones with layers of brick. This technique was common to the entire Baltic region, but generally not for churches. It was built by the local Catholics, including Poles and Lithuanians that worked on the railway. Rumour has it that the church does not have a bell tower due to a ban of the tsarist government back then.

• Old Town Hall

  address: Kesk 11
  Built in 1865, the Town Hall is the oldest wooden building in Valga. It is interesting, but not very beautiful. It is an example of early Estonian architecture – from a period when no one thought of national style.

• Library and pond

  address: Aia 12
  The building of the library was constructed in 1902 as a manor house. Therefore it also includes a park and a small pond. The style of the building is difficult to determine: it is quite an original.

• Valga museum

  phone: +372 7668863
  address: Vabaduse 8
  An ordinary local history museum, starting with archaeology and ending with the proclamation of independence. The exhibition of Valga's life at the beginning of the 20th century is interesting – Valga is proud of the fact that here was the first mayor of a city which was Estonian, and not German. In addition, there is an exhibition devoted to the railway.

• German cemetery and memorialFrom 1941 to 1944 there was a German concentration camp (Stalag 351) on the northern outskirts, which, after the liberation of Estonia, became a camp for German war prisoners. In the late 1940s the Soviet NKVD began using it for punishment purposes. A sad place, located, as it often happens in the Baltic states, in the middle of the purest pine forest. There is a laconic Soviet memorial with the figure of a weeping woman and the inscription "People, be vigilant!" (in Estonian and Russian). And one hundred meters further, a beautiful German cemetery.

• Train Monument

• The urban development of Valga is mostly mediocre. Unusual are the ceremonial stone buildings, built on the central streets in the early 20th century, during the bloom of the city. Take notice of the (Kesk 12) from 1912 – also the present board of the county of Valgamaa – the (Vabaduse 6-8) from 1911 with the sparse signs of Art Nouveau, and the much more charming (Vabaduse 13) – also in Art Nouveau style. The probably most interesting construction of the Valga is hidden in Kuperjanovi street, an (Kuperjanovi 12) and reference example of Riga modern style, accidentally found in this remote Estonian province. With the exception of a few houses around the old town hall, the wooden architecture of Valga is uninteresting, and actually the five-story concrete building blocks are more numerous than wooden houses here. In the eastern part of the city you can find a rather interesting building, the (Kungla 34) in Art Deco style and, close-by, several pre-revolutionary factory buildings (Maleva 5).

• Pedele river recreation zoneIn summer you can even have a nice swim in the Pedele river.

• Beercan Boards

  phone: +372 5520649
  address: Vabaduse 32
  Rent a long board and explore the town, and even the Latvian Valka.

• Military Theme Park

  phone: +372 7671127
  address: Pikk 16
  They offer a museum, live-action, but also a guest house and regular restaurant. Check out the website (not in English), in case you are up for such things. The military museum has two foundations – military and patriotism. The military is represented by a collection of weapons and uniforms, and the patriotism by the work of Estonian fire-fighters and the police on the example of the "Bronze Night" events in Tallinn. Somewhere between these two extremes is an extensive exhibition dedicated to the Estonian army of the times of the first republic and especially to the war for independence. There is a lot of information on outfits, insignia, biographies of heroes – immortalized in the names of Estonian streets – and numerous photographs. The texts are only in Estonian, so history lovers will have to pre-book an excursion in Russian, English or German (€9.60). However, it is even interesting without an excursion, at least from ethnographic considerations, since the museum is created on pure enthusiasm, which is the curious thing about it already. Also there are monuments of modern history: a wooden cannon, created by Estonian volunteers in 1989 due to lack of a normal weapons (looks like a 17th century object); a hut, which was used by Estonian border guards in the early years of independence; a T-34 tank installed in Soviet times in the bloom of Valga and exploded in 1990 by Estonian nationalists. The hut and the tank are part of the outdoor exposition, which can be partially seen from behind the fence, without going to the museum. Finally, have a look in the museum/souvenir store, where helmets, jars and other war items are sold.

Budget

• Korean bar Horan

  phone: +372 7641655
  address: Kesk 16
  In case you are looking for something different. But they also feature Latvian dishes.

• Hesburger

  address: Riia 18
  Finnish fast food chain.

Mid-range

• Conspirator Baar

  phone: +372 7679715
  address: Vabaduse 29
  More like a restaurant, not a bar. No special alcoholic drinks or cocktails can be expected here, but the list of hot dishes occupies two pages in small print. Cozy and inexpensive.

• Voorimehi Pubi

  phone: +372 7679627
  address: Kuperjanovi 57
  The choice of hot dishes leaves much to be desired, but late in the evening this pub becomes one of the few places where you can eat. Discotheque on the weekends. FB .

Splurge

• Metsis

  phone: +372 7666050, +372 56230110
  address: Kuperjanovi 63
  The restaurant at the hotel of the same name, decorated for a hunting castle, hides and reindeer horns are hung on the walls. The food is cooked in French style, so here is the only opportunity in Valga to eat elegantly.

• Yes!

  phone: +372 5235515
  address: Tolli 1
  The nightclub adjoins the Tolli Hostel.

Budget

• Helge Guest House

  phone: +372 55599994
  A friendly place with 4 beautifully furnished guest rooms. Also features a sauna for colder days – ask ahead if it's available.

• Maria Hostel

  phone: +372 5042392
  address: Mesipuu 1
  Hostel with rooms for 1-4 people. Shared bathroom and toilet. Nevertheless, the hostel is rarely filled, so not that bad. There is a kitchen. They also prepare breakfast for €3. The front door is usually closed, so call ahead.

• Külalistemaja Säde

  phone: +372 7641650
  address: Jaama pst 1

Mid-range

• Hotel Metsis

  phone: +372 7666050
  address: Kuperjaanovi 63

• Karula National Park – The hilly landscapes of Southern Estonia. Estonian’s smallest national park on the way to/from Võru.
• Võru – A picturesque town not far from the highest hill in the Baltic states, Suur Munamägi. The birthplace of the writer Kreutzwald and the dialect of the Estonian language.
• Sangaste and the nearby Sangaste Castle, just 30 km north.
• Otepää – A small town set in the hills of south Estonia and best known winter sports centre in the Baltics, and the Winter Capital of Estonia. Surrounded by lakes, hills and ski jump towers.
• Tartu – 85 km northeast from Valga. Museum-rich and hanseatic city on the banks of the Emajõgi River. Also, Estonia's second-largest and oldest city, intellectual hub famous for its universities, and a lively student city.
• Viljandi – A beautiful, ancient and hilly city, known for its annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival, beautiful old town and overwhelming and picturesque park around the old castle.
• Tõrva – The second largest city of Valga County after Valga. Popular for its caves, the ruins of a medieval castle, several interesting manors, and the fully authentic mausoleum of Barclay de Tolly.

• Valga is the gateway to Latvia with its beautiful capital Riga, the Baltic sea resorts Jūrmala and Ventspils, as well as the Vidzeme region next to Valga with the picturesque Sigulda (Latvian Switzerland) and Cēsis, and Valmiera with the only professional theatre in this region of Latvia, castle ruins, a medieval church, a famous brewery and the start of the Gauja National Park. Valmiera and Cēsis even allow for day trips from Valga.