Optional programme
Optional programme - Friday night and Saturday
For those who don't have to leave immediately after we finish with the official programme on Friday afternoon, we would like to offer an additional opportunity to explore Estonian traditions and above all, our nature. Most of the additional programme will be for a small extra fee which you can select and pay for already during the registration.
Friday afternoon
14.00 - 16.00 - City tour - for free
17.00 - 22.00 - Sauna night - 25 EUR
We will go to a traditional smoke sauna and there will also be a barrell sauna (like a hot tub). Estonian smoke sauna tradition is on the UNESCO world heritage list, so it's definitely worth trying. The sauna is a building or room heated by a stove covered with stones and with an elevated platform for sitting or lying. It has no chimney, and the smoke from burning wood circulates in the room.
Included in the price: transportation from Tartu to the sauna and back (it's just outside Tartu), sauna and snacks.
What to bring: swimsuit, towel (note that the smoke sauna might make your towel dirty) and drinks.
We also really recommend watching the documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. It is an Estonian documentary where women get together to go to sauna and share very intimate and powerful stories about their lives. It won the best documentary feature award at the European Film Awards in 2023.
Saturday
9.00 - 16.00 - trip to Estonian wetlands - 30 EUR
Hike and lunch and finish the trip in Tallinn from where everyone can travel home. The bus will also come back to Tartu after dropping people off in Tallinn, so if you prefer that, you can also come back to Tartu. Note that we might be able to make the day a bit shorter as well if many people need to catch a slightly earlier flight or boat in the afternoon. We will ask for this information after the registration deadline. But if you have any specific questions, please contact us at karoli.koiv@emu.ee .
We will visit the Endla nature reserve and bog. The hike will be about 8 km and will take around 2 hours.
Included in the price: transportation from Tartu - Endla nature reserve - Tallinn (and who wants, can also come back to Tartu) and lunch.
What to bring: comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothes (layers are the key, something rainproof just in case), snacks, swimsuit if you'd like to go for a swim.