Värska Visitor Centre – Reek’s House

The church dedicated to St. Martin is located on the Estonian Pilgrim Route, which starts from Pirita Monastery and ends at the Vana-Vastseliina Episcopal Castle. There is also a prayer bench in the churchyard.Come and see one of the oldest parish churches in Estonia. You can also can go to the spire, which offers a unique view of the beautiful Lake Võrtsjärv and the surroundings.Good to know:• The Church participates in the Wayfarers Churches and the Night of Churches projects.• The night battle from the feature film Names on a Marble Slab (2002) was filmed in Rannu Church garden.You can visit the church on Sundays during the service or by prior arrangement.

Discover Setomaa's unique culture, traditions, and authentic local foods. On this Babelhouse day trip from Tartu to Setomaa, you will explore different places and learn about life in the region. During the tour, we visit the Värska Farm Museum, where you can get a glimpse of traditional Seto farm culture and experience how life was lived in the past. We try authentic Seto cuisine, where local flavors have deep meaning. If desired, the program can be supplemented with a Seto leelo workshop, dressing in Seto clothes, a cheese-making workshop, or a raft ride on Lake Värska. Babelhouse guided tours are flexible and tailored according to the group's wishes and time limits. During the tour, it is also possible to purchase souvenirs and local handicrafts. The Setomaa tour is perfect for business partners, conference guests, and foreign friends to get to know Estonia in a different yet authentic way. Book the trip and enjoy an unforgettable experience in Setomaa!

The Pilgrim House introduces visitors to everything related to medieval pilgrims and pilgrimages. Here you can get acquainted with various medieval holy places and pilgrimage destinations. One of them, the most famous in Northern Europe, was located right here in the Holy Cross Chapel of the Vastseliina Bishopric! Thanks to the interactive exhibit, visitors can experience firsthand what a medieval pilgrim felt, what he feared, and what he loved. You can play medieval board games, and with prior arrangements, we offer various experience packages, including period and themed meals prepared in the Pilgrim House oven to fill your stomach!

Avinurme Woodworking Centre is a tourism centre which is home to local craftsmen. It offers the widest selection of woodwork products in Estonia, including dozens of sauna and household items. You can even put your own skills to the test! The centre organises a variety of workshops, from basket-weaving and felting to bread-making, candle-making, painting and more. The cosy coffee shop offers home-made cakes and pastries, fresh bread and other treats. Arranged in advance, it can provide catering for groups of up to 80 people.

At the Metsavenna Farm located on the Estonian-Latvian border, you have a unique opportunity to search for forest brothers in hiding places during a forest brother hike, stay in a bunker, and listen to true stories.The experience continues at the Metsavenna eatery, where simple yet authentic food from the era is served: boiled potatoes with skins, butter, salt, and juice. The visit concludes with a musical experience – singing the song of the former Härmiku forest brothers' orchestra. Visiting Metsavenna Farm is an engaging and educational journey into the history of forest brotherhood.

In this workshop, you will make a simple notebook with recycled cardboard covers, printed and bound by yourself. We will provide you with all the materials you need to make the notebook. During the workshop, you will get a brief insight into the world of letterpress printing and bookbinding. You can print a picture of your choice on the front cover with linocut or metal blocks using a nearly 170-year-old printing press. We will hand-stitch the blank pages between the printed covers. You will end up with a simple but useful notebook that you can take home with you!

The Town Hall was built in 1865 and its high half-hipped roof, skylights and turrets make it one of the most outstanding examples of historicist architecture in Estonia. In the foyer of the Town Hall, there is a memorial tablet to Johannes Märtson, who was the local mayor from 1902 to 1917.

You will find this historicist red-brick church (architect Arved Eichorn), which is the first new church built in the Republic of Estonia, in the peaceful little town Elva. Tartu St John’s Congregation used to operate in Elva for some time. This is why some details of the Elva Church remind of Tartu St John’s Church – the rarely used plaster and brick imitation of a rose window on the western wall of the church refers to the medieval rose window that can be found in Tartu St John’s Church.