Wide sands
A long stretch of pale sand.
Kristian Pikner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · larsjuh — CC BY 2.0 · PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pille Priks — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anukadri — CC0
Pärnu Beach is the best-known beach in Estonia, stretching along Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga on the Baltic Sea. The city is a popular summer resort among Estonians, with hotels, restaurants and large beaches, and this strip of sand is the main reason for its fame. The city's roots go back to about 1251, when the local bishop founded Old Pärnu, and another town later grew under the Teutonic Order. The university that began in Tartu moved here from 1699 to 1710, and after the Great Northern War the place passed to Russian rule. Over time, sea and sand became its biggest draw. You find wide pale sand, red lifeguard towers and seasonal shelters, with the white Rannahotell and a long beach park behind. At one end a boardwalk runs towards the mole, a favourite place to watch sunset over the bay. In winter the shore sometimes freezes, and the scene changes completely. The beach lies about 119.3 km from Tallinn in a straight line and 30.8 km from Soomaa National Park. The Baltic is colder than many expect, and midsummer is the best time for a swim. Heed lifeguard signals when waves are up, and book early for July, when the city fills up.
A long stretch of pale sand.
A wooden walk for sunset over the bay.
Red towers that mark the shore.
Ranna puiestee, Pärnu, Estonia
Yes in midsummer, though the Baltic is colder than many expect, so follow the lifeguards' signals.
Usually July, so book your stay early if you come then.
