Tartu - The city of good thoughts

This leafy town of students, intellectuals, and creatives brings back sweet, youthful memories to many who have once toured the city on a bicycle during their student days.

Tartu is the second-largest city in Estonia with 100 000 inhabitants and more than 20 000 students. Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural centre of Estonia, embodied in the leading research and training institution, the University of Tartu, and the strong concentration of students (more than 50% of the city’s population is under 30).

Spearheading the country’s reputation in research and the provision of higher education, the University of Tartu (founded 1632) is ranked in the top 3% of the world’s universities. In addition to this, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research is situated in Tartu, as well as the University of Applied Sciences and other institutions. Tartu also has a strong cultural scene that encourages the traditions of the theatre, folk music, and craftsmanship, while at the same time the city hosts many IT companies and generates numerous start-up companies.

Museums

You can find an excellent selection of Tartu's wonderful museums here.

Hotels

All participants of the Congress will need to book their own accommodation. Booking is not included in the registration form. You can find the list of hotels the Secretariat has pre-booked for you here.

There are many hotels in the city, where there is a wide range of accommodation facilities for all categories and types. Apart from hotels and hostels, there are also some student hostels available. For more information go to Visit Tartu, Visit Estonia or Hotelhunter.

Dining out

Tartu boasts over 200 places to eat: 25 restaurants, 90 cafés, and more than 50 bars, including a surprising number of ethnic restaurants, such as Japanese, Chinese, Indian, as well as American and Italian. It is important to note that in Tartu you can get full meals in most cafés and pubs. The most famous places are Püssirohukelder (Gunpowder Cellar), Eduar Vilde Restaurant & Café, Crepp, Restaurant Antonius, Café Truffe, and of course, the ultimate meeting spot is Werner Café & Lounge which has been in operation since 1895. Some of the places have won Hõbelusikas (Silver Spoon) awards.

Shopping

Tartu is a good place to spend money on specialty items, such as handicrafts and items specific to Tartu’s artistic culture. The three biggest shopping centres are Tasku Centre, Tartu Kaubamaja and Kvartal. Kvartal is the newest and biggest shopping, eating, and entertainment complex in the heart of Tartu.

There is also a very high-quality souvenir shop in the Estonian National Museum. You can visit their online shop here and have a look at what they are offering.

Recreation

Tartu is a green city, with many parks where you can walk, or just sit and enjoy fresh air and sunshine.

You can find more information about Tartu by clicking here or here. There is also a tourism info centre in the Townhall. There you can find Tartu's map and people there will kindly suggest many opportunities of what to do in your free time.