ABOUT TARTU
Tartu is the only city in the world to have its name in the word sTARTUp. This gives us the right and obligation to organize the coolest startup-minded festival in the world!
sTARTUp Day takes place in South Estonia in a town called Tartu. It is a green city full of students, intellectuals, and creatives. Home to one of Northern Europe’s oldest universities, Tartu offers a wide variety of landmarks and places to visit including museums, cultural objects, resorts, and bars both in winter and summer.
It’s always easier to find your destination when you know what you’re looking for. To make it easier, we made a simple classification of possibilities, which might interest you.
Tartu is the European Capital of Culture 2024. Read about Estonia HERE.
Landmarks
Upside Down House is a dazzling adventure for everybody, both children and adults. The house is literally turned upside down – upstairs is downstairs and vice versa. Every element, including furniture, decorations, and plants are upside down. Don't worry, you don’t have to climb on the ceiling, the ceiling is just the floor (etc). Positioned right next to ERM, Upside Down House is a fun stop while visiting Tartu and looking for a bit of wonder.
Tartu Festival Arena is a smaller counterpart of our main Festival Arena in Tallinn. Although smaller, our venue also provides spectacular views and is a great place for enjoying open-air concerts or having a walk with your loved one. Many parks, leisure tracks, and the vicinity of the Emajõgi river make Tartu Festival Arena a great place for a stroll or a photography session. In winter, you can also rent ice skates and have a blast in the skating rink.
Toomemägi Park offers fantastic views of the Old Town of Tartu and holds the heart of Tartu’s history. On those hills stood the fortress of Toomemäe, which was first mentioned in 1030 AD and therefore became the founding date of our lovely city. Through the times, many bastions have been dug and conquered here, leaving only a hint of its vivid history visible today. You can still see the occasional remnants of the stone wall, also with the beautiful ruins of Dome Cathedral.
The Botanical Garden of the University of Tartu is a must-see landmark for photographers and lovebirds. This beautiful venue has been here since 1803 and hasn’t changed very much since. The beautiful park with a pond and hills offers magnificent colors in every season and has been the favorite spot for students to have a picnic.
Museums
Estonian National Museum (ERM) is a new and spacious museum with lots of topics to cover. Here you can see exhibitions ranging from 8000 BC to this day, different cultural segments and objects from every aspect of life today and before. ERM is a great place to spend hours with family and friends to get insight into what defines us as Estonians. The very first sTARTUp Day event also took place there in 2016.
Nightlife
Rüütli street is located in the heart of Tartu, connecting the town square and the Botanical Garden of the University of Tartu. Of course, there are many cozy bars on the way! Kivi, Trepp, and Vein ja Vine are only a few of the many venues you may discover from Rüütli street. Near them, on Magasini street you can also find Möku - a bar that’s always filled with all sorts of interesting people, also a regular place for many international students. You can be sure that you’ll never get bored there, make sure to also try their famous dumplings!
A little further from the old town of Tartu, two yet different worlds exist. In a bunker under the Toomemägi, there is an old gunpowder cellar with bricks more than 300 years old. Today, this fragment of history – Püssirohukelder, serves as a unique beer restaurant with the highest pub ceiling in the world.
Read more about Tartu from the Visit Tartu webpage!