Tartu University Botanical Gardens


Founded in 1803, these lush, mature gardens nurture 6500 species, including a large collection of palms and other exotics in the greenhouse. In summer it's often full of local families wandering paths lined with 20th-century sculptures, or grabbing some grass by the ornamental lake.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum

0.12 MILES

Chronicling more than just Estonian Olympic excellence (although the glittering medal display serves that purpose admirably), this offbeat museum has a…

2. St John's Lutheran Church

0.13 MILES

Dating to at least 1323, this imposing red-brick church is unique for the rare terracotta sculptures placed in niches around its exterior and interior …

3. Citizen’s Home Museum

0.13 MILES

This handsome wooden house, dating to the 1740s and nestled in one of the oldest surviving sections of the city, is furnished to show how a bourgeois…

4. Tartu Toy Museum

0.19 MILES

A big hit with the under-eight crowd (and you won’t see too many adults anxious to leave), this is a great place to while away a few rainy hours. Set in…

5. Tartu University

0.22 MILES

Fronted by six Doric columns, the impressive main building of Tartu University was built between 1803 and 1809. The university itself was founded in 1632…

6. Tartu University Art Museum

0.25 MILES

Within the main university building, this collection comprises mainly 19th-century plaster copies of ancient Greek sculptures, plus some mummies and other…

7. Tartu Art Museum

0.25 MILES

If you've been socialising in Tartu's pubs and can't really see straight, don’t use this building to anchor your eye. Subsidence caused by the nearby…

8. Town Hall Square

0.27 MILES

Tartu’s main square is lined with grand buildings and echoes with the chink of glasses and plates in summer. The centrepiece is the town hall itself,…