The bike route from Pärnu to Tallinn offers an opportunity to evade the heavy traffic of the Tallinn-Pärnu highway.

First we travel alongside the picturesque Pärnu River and visit Tori Põrgu (Tori Hell). Between Jõesuu and Vihtra we treadle on small gravel roads. From Vändra to Türi the bike route cuts into forests along a big road.

After passing Paide, the centre point of mainland Estonia, we come to a place prominent in Estonian literary history – the lands of Tammsaare in Albu Parish.

From Jäneda, the journey continues on a bigger road. We traverse the extensive forests of Aegviidu. Nature enthusiasts may divert to the neighbouring scenic forest floors, lonely forest lakes and moory landscapes. Take warning, it is not easy to find one’s way there without a good map.

From the crossroads of Koogi there are 34 km left to Tallinn. The route takes you to the waterfalls of Jägala, the karst district of Kostivere and other places of interest but the bike ride is strained by the tense traffic conditions of Tallinn’s vicinity.

A segment of this cycling route, that between Valga and Tartu, is part of EuroVelo Route No. 11 extending from Athens to the North Cape. The more eye-catching areas are Karula National Park in the vicinity of Lüllemäe; Otepää Highlands, the main tourist magnet in South Estonia; and the summer vacationers’ town Elva. There are two gravel road sections between Lüllemäe and Otepää, totalling 17 km. It is worthwhile to take a longer stop in the region of Otepää to bike on the numerous routes (No. 261 – 265, currently not furnished with signposts). If you prefer gravel and forest paths to asphalt roads you can cycle from Otepää to Elva along the Tartu Bicycle Marathon track (Route 266, length 62 km).

The university city of Tartu also deserves a longer stay for sightseeing. Next we make for Lake Peipsi. A diversion to the lakeshore villages of Varnja and Kolkja involves 11 km of gravel roads, yet the peculiar milieu of these Russian Old Orthodox villagers makes it a memorable interlude. Scenes of village life can also be caught at the approach to Mustvee. After Mustvee the route turns away from the lake. The remaining distance to Rannapungerja offers pleasurable roads with little traffic, including 7 km of gravel cover.

Turning towards Peipsi again, we enter the cutest coastal areas of the lake. On beautiful summer days we can enjoy the pleasures of the beach and tender nights by the lakeside.

Next we pass through Iisaku; absolutely advisable is a diversion to Kuremäe Convent before we reach the landscape conservation area of Kurtna. The region is highly attractive yet the roads have suffered from poor maintenance at the hands of the local roadmasters. Here and there, noisy party-throwers may prove an annoyance.

Jõhvi has little to offer as a town; after reaching the northern coast the route coincides with Route 1 until Narva. The places of interest on this stretch are the park of Toila-Oru, the high limestone bluff, the Stalinist-style industrial town of Sillamäe, the former holiday resort Narva-Jõesuu and the border city of Narva.
Slightly uncomfortable for the cyclist is an approximately 5-km stretch of gravel and dirt roads from Voka to the Tallinn-Narva highway; as well, the highway has to be used for three shorter stretches.

Those heading for Tartu from Valga may choose this alternative route, which makes a longer roundabout to visit Paganamaa (the Devil’s Land), Haanja Highlands and Setumaa.
The first 45 km are covered on a fairly quiet asphalt-covered forest road. In Vastse-Roosa next to the Latvian border an entertaining sight is Metsavenna (Guerrilla’s) Farm with a recreation centre. Through Paganamaa we arrive at the banks of pretty lakes in the primeval valley of Rõuge, from which a meandering gravel road takes us to the foot of the highest peak in the Baltics – Suur Munamägi (Great Egg Mount). The roads of Haanja region, while mostly gravelled, present much variety.
The 85-km lap from Vastse-Roosa to Orava contains 47 km of gravel roads; then comes a relatively light-traffic asphalt road for virtually the whole length to Tartu. Those seeking closer contact with nature may turn to the signposted Route 281 to bike from Vahtseliina to Piusa along scenic forest roads on the banks of the Piusa River.

Departure from Tartu starts out on 12 km of gravel roads due to a delay in the scheduled road works. After reaching the scenic Lake Saadjärv and the undulating terrain of Vooremaa the cyclists have to pedal a further 8 km on gravel roads; from there on there are only asphalt roads right up to the northern seacoast. Vooremaa around Palamuse is another diverse cycling area. A closer acquaintance with the drumlin-shaped hills and the lakes in between can be made on the local bike routes No. 201-205, marked with signposts.

Cycling from Jõgeva towards Rakvere you have to put up with a slightly heavier traffic of the Piibe road for 20 km; as a reward, however, the road leads to the vicinity of Endla Bog and Emumäe Hill, the pearls of this section of the journey.

Before entering Lahemaa National Park it is worthwhile to take a tour of the historic town of Rakvere. In Lahemaa, our route overlaps with Route 1. The prime tourist attraction in North Estonia, Lahemaa deserves a closer look. It presents noble manor complexes, picturesque coastlines, pleasurable mossy forest floors and a number of exciting nature trails. At the approach to Loksa we come upon stretches of gravel road totalling about 20 km; however, the local sights are rewarding enough for such small inconveniences.

The lap from Lahemaa to Tallinn is fairly peaceful at first; the closer to Tallinn, however, the heavier the traffic. Accordingly, you must again become a careful and accurate cyclist.

This route crosses Estonia in the east-west direction. Starting our tour from the historically interesting Setu County, we soon enter a scenic area. True, the most picturesque places, such as Meenikunno Bog and the sandstone outcrops of the Võhandu and Ahja rivers are situated off the highway; nevertheless, they are worth visiting.

From Põlva we head towards Otepää, one of the best-known tourist districts in Estonia. We recommend a closer tour of Otepää Highlands taking advantage also of the local biking routes No. 261-265 (as yet not furnished with signposts). Following a visit to Sangaste Mansion we leave for Tõrva. From Tõrva to Karksi-Nuia we have to travel on the Valga-Pärnu road, yet the traffic is not much of a nuisance in this particular place. The landscape continues to be charming even after the turn towards Viljandi.

After some pleasurable leisure time on Viljandi castle hills we enter upon a quite different stage. The 60 km from Viljandi’s vicinity to Jõesuu are largely located on the territory of Soomaa National Park. For the first time on this route we come upon gravel roads, which exceed 50 km in length. At the same time, the surrounding nature has an entirely different look – there is a high mossy forest floor, there are swamps and bogs accessible by local signposted tracks. Sadly, the roads are often flooded in spring, and hardly passable on a bicycle even for quite some time after that, followed by the harassment of horseflies in the summer heat. Nevertheless, most of the experiences gleaned by bikers on this route have been very positive.

Between Jõesuu and Pärnu the route overlaps with Route 2. The last 30 km to Pärnu go smoothly on a good road.

The route crosses many small villages in West Estonia, running largely amid forests. The route foremost suits those cyclists who want the straightest ride from Central Estonia to islands. There are 15 km of gravel road between Martna and Kullamaa

This route allows you to elude highways en route from Central Estonia to Tallinn. The journey proceeds on asphalt roads lined alternatively with forests and fields, passing through a number of villages as well as the towns of Rapla, Kohila and Saku. Nearer to Tallinn both the population and the traffic grow denser.

The route primarily serves as a connection between Valga and Pärnu, running almost entirely on the highway. The intensity of the traffic, however, is not as high as to make cycling very uncomfortable. The high-quality asphalt on and, for the most part, scenic landscapes by the road make for enjoyable experiences even on this route.

This track joins routes No. 3 and 5, overlapping with one of the most preferred tourist direction in South Estonia. The chief attraction of this route is Võrtsjärv, the second largest lake in Estonia. Currently, the lakeside road is narrowish in some places and subjected to a fairly heavy burden of traffic. The plans for the coming years envisage the reconstruction of this stretch of road, which should also render it more agreeable with cyclists. The route runs entirely on asphalt roads.

This route connects Central Estonia with the country’s eastern regions and with Route 4. It passes through Central Estonian settlements, chances upon timeworn manorial buildings and leads to quite a few lovely lakes. Endla Bog is not far away either.
About 9 km of the route are under gravel cover.

The route serves as an alternative to Route 2 between Paide and Aegviidu. For the most part it runs on small gravel and forest roads, taking the travellers to the Tammsaare lands, which are well-known from literary history.

The Piusa track is a real gem for nature-lovers. Running mostly on forest roads parallel to the Piusa River, the track leads to a string of sandstone outcrops, lets you to listen to the babble of water and the singing of birds and offers overnight accommodation at purpose-built recreation facilities or tourist farms. From the end points of the route, the Vahtseliina stronghold and the Piusa caves, the traveller may turn to Route 4. The track mostly meanders on forest and gravel roads, with some short stretches being quite sandy.