VACATION DETAILS

Founded in 1251, Parnu was practically unknown until 1838, when a spa and mud-bath facility opened. Today, this small city only 70 mi/115 km south of Tallinn is Estonia's official summer (and party) capital and renowned for its warm weather. Try to visit in late August when it throws a big farewell party right on the beach.

Some of the port city's nicest features are the surrounding parks, the white-sand beaches and the richly decorated wooden houses. Parnu also has the Museum of New Art, and the Parnu Museum (local history and handicrafts), which includes a branch dedicated to the important Estonian poet, Lydia Koidula.

Take a look inside the Orthodox Ekaterina Church, which became the model for many churches in the Baltics and Belarus, and the Lutheran St. Elisabeth's Church. Although built during the same period, these two buildings reflect vastly different architectural styles and influences. Parnu also has Estonia's most modern concert house.

Kihnu, an island in the Gulf of Riga, is a nice excursion from Parnu. The island offers a secluded, quiet diversion. The island's women are known for making and wearing the traditional folk dress of their ancestors. Kihnu can be reached by ferry from Munalaid.

For more information about Parnu, visit http://www.parnu.ee.

Now reasserting its proud Baltic heritage after the return of Latvia's independence, this ancient Hanseatic river-port is the largest city of the Baltic States and a showcase for the restored Old Riga with its cobbled pedestrian streets, towers and spires of medieval churches and venerable facades of gabled 17th century German merchants' homes. It is surrounded by a moat and contains several medieval buildings, including a 13th-century cathedral and guild halls from the 14th century. Riga is still historically and architecturally fascinating.

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and one of the country's oldest cities. It stretches along both banks of the fast flowing Neris River, and is set among hills pine forests. Vilnius is very old city indeed. The honor for founding Vilnius is justly given to Gediminas (a Lithuanian Duke) in the year 1323. Having declared Vilnius his "royal town", Gediminas created the conditions for its subsequent growth as the political, economical and cultural center of Lithuania. The fortress on Castle Hill was used for defense purposes and was called the Upper Castle. Following the craftsmen in other European towns at the end of the 15th century, Vilnius craftsmen began to join together by professions into guilds. Many Catholic churches and monasteries appeared in the town. Stone buildings sprang up inside the Lower Castle. The new Cathedral was among them. Crafts and trade continued to develop in the 16th century. Many beautiful new buildings in the late Gothic and Renaissance style appeared in the town. The most significant event in the cultural life of 16th century Lithuania was the founding of the Vilnius Academy in 1579, which was endowed with the rights and privileges of a university. In 1795 Vilnius became the center of a new gubernia consisting of the lands annexed to the Russian Empire. A number of new Classical style buildings were built, including the Cathedral, which had been reconstructed at the end of the 18th century, a new town hall, and the Governor-Generals' Palace. In 1860, a railway, the first in Lithuania, crossed Vilnius and connected with St. Petersburg and Warsaw. During World War I Vilnius was occupied by the Kaiser's troops for three and a half years. On 16 February, 1918, Lithuanian Council in Vilnius proclaimed an independent Lithuanian Republic. In the autumn of 1920, Vilnius and the region to which it belonged were occupied by Poland. On October 10th, 1939, Lithuania and the Soviet Union signed a treaty on mutual aid, in accordance with which Vilnius and the Vilnius Region were returned to Lithuania. In 1940, Vilnius became the capital of Soviet Lithuania, which meant it was an administrative center of occupied Lithuania. On March 11th, 1990, the Supreme Council restored Lithuania's independence.