A weekend in Pärnu
An Estonian seaside resort with a long sandy beach: a direct bus from Vilnius, but the journey takes about 7 hours.
Contents
Pärnu in brief
Pärnu is a seaside resort in Estonia. The town’s first bathhouse opened in 1838: in summer it offered warm sea baths, in winter a sauna. Now the spa centres are open all year, and in 2019 Pärnu was recognised as the best wellness tourism destination in Estonia (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
Direct FlixBus services run from Vilnius, but the journey takes about 7 hours. So choose a longer weekend: you will have a full day only on Saturday. In autumn it is a quiet town with museums, spas and long walks. Swimming is worth it in summer, when the lifeguards are on duty. You will find a weekend plan with prices in the weekend in Pärnu guide (in Lithuanian).
Rannapark
A seaside park and a walking path by Pärnu beach, about 1.5 km from the bus station.
How to get there
Times are from the FlixBus timetable for Friday, 6 November 2026 (FlixBus timetable, checked 2026-10-29). Estonia and Lithuania are on the same time. Check the ticket price in the FlixBus search.
| From | Daytime services | Journey time |
|---|---|---|
| Vilnius | 07:55 → 15:20, 11:40 → 18:37, 11:53 → 18:37 | 6 h 44 min–7 h 25 min |
| Kaunas | 06:15 → 15:20 | 9 h 5 min |
From Vilnius. The evening services leave at 20:23–23:20 and reach Pärnu at 03:35–06:12. On Sunday, 8 November 2026, from Pärnu to Vilnius the 12:25 service arrives at 19:15 (6 h 50 min), and the 16:30 one at 23:20.
From Kaunas. On Sunday the 16:30 service from Pärnu reaches Kaunas at 00:55 (8 h 25 min), and the 21:10 at 05:00. More destinations: trips from Kaunas (in Lithuanian).
FlixBus, Ecolines and Lux Express run on the Riga–Pärnu–Tallinn route. The bus station is in the town centre (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07). From Tallinn Lux Express takes about 2 hours. Other Baltic destinations: Tallinn, Riga and Tartu.
Getting around the city
The centre is small. On foot from the bus station by the OpenStreetMap route (checked 2026-10-07):
- to the Red Tower about 280 m (4 min);
- to the Pärnu Museum about 470 m (6 min);
- to Villa Ammende about 1.2 km (17 min);
- to Rannapark about 1.5 km (20 min);
- to the Koidula Museum about 1.8 km (24 min).
The bus station (Pikk 13) is open daily 6:30–21:00. It has toilets, showers and cafés, and left luggage costs €2–4 (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
The tourism page says the beach is within 15 min on foot of the centre (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
If you take a bus: a plastic card costs €2, an hour ticket for a visitor €1.50, a day ticket €6. A paper ticket from the driver in town costs €3 in cash (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07). The Bolt app works in Pärnu.
Where to stay
The centre is nearest the station and the museums, the Rannarajoon is by the beach and the spa hotels, and Ülejõe is on the other side of the river, where the Koidula Museum stands.
On the Hostel Lõuna website a double room with a private bathroom in the winter season (1 September–31 May) costs from €55 a night (hostellouna.eu, checked 2026-10-08). Check-in is 14:00–20:00 (hostellouna.eu, checked 2026-10-08).
What to see
The Pärnu Museum. Aida 3, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00, admission until half an hour before closing. An adult ticket costs €15, for pupils and pensioners €11, a family ticket €31 (museum, checked 2026-10-08).
Pärnu Museum
The town’s main museum in Aida Street: the history of Pärnu from the earliest times to the summer capital.
The Red Tower and the Koidula Museum. The tower (Hommiku 11) is open Wednesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00. The Koidula Museum (Jannseni 37) is open Wednesday to Saturday 10:00–18:00 (Pärnu museums, checked 2026-10-07). Until 30 April 2027 the exhibition “Hedvig and Anna” is on there (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
Red Tower
A round medieval tower in Hommiku Street, a branch of the Pärnu Museum.
The old town. The Red Tower is the oldest surviving structure of the old town, dating from the fifteenth century. Rüütli Street is pedestrian, and you cross it in about 5 min. On one side of it is Independence Square, where in 1918 the Estonian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
The mud baths and Rannahotell. The resort began with the mud baths built in 1838, and their building now houses a spa. Rannahotell opened in 1937 to a design by the town architect Olev Siinmaa, and a year later the similar Beach House with a mushroom-shaped balcony was finished. A nightclub now operates in that building (same page).
Churches. There are three churches in the town: the Lutheran St Elizabeth’s and two Orthodox ones. The tourism website warns that access is not always guaranteed, and that St Elizabeth’s is open most often (same page).
The beach. The shore is almost 2 km long, and lifeguards are on duty in the water from 1 June to 31 August (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07). In autumn it is a place for a walk, not for swimming.
What to do by season
In summer the lifeguards work, and the warm, shallow water attracts beginner surfers (Visit Pärnu). In autumn and winter choose spas, museums and trails: there are more than 70 km of walking and cycling paths in the town (Visit Pärnu). In all the town has nine spas, and it has the largest water park in Estonia (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
The temporary information point in the museum is open only from 20 June to 20 August. The rest of the time tourist information is given by email at [email protected] and by phone on 5330 4134 (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07).
What to eat
Nearest the beach are the Steffani Beach restaurant and the restaurants Akord and Raimond of the Hedon Spa and Hotel (Visit Pärnu, checked 2026-10-07). We did not check the prices of dishes.
In the centre, Koogivabrik (Lai 5) is open Monday to Saturday 11:00–21:00, Sunday 11:00–20:00 (koogivabrik.ee, checked 2026-10-29). Restaurant Edelweiss is open Sunday to Thursday 11:00–22:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00–23:00 (OpenStreetMap, checked 2026-10-25).
Practical information
- Accommodation charge. Section 5 of Estonia’s local taxes act lists the advertising, road and street closure, animal keeping, entertainment and parking taxes. There is no accommodation or tourist tax on the list (Riigi Teataja, checked 2026-10-07). How charges work elsewhere, read in the tourist tax article.
- Monday. The Pärnu Museum, the Red Tower and the Koidula Museum are closed on Monday.
Weekend plan
Friday. Take the 11:40 bus from Vilnius, and you are in Pärnu at 18:37. Dinner at Koogivabrik (Lai 5, until 21:00).
Saturday. In the morning the Pärnu Museum, lunch at Edelweiss (Saturday 11:00–23:00), in the afternoon the Red Tower or the Koidula Museum, in the evening a spa or a walk in Rannapark.
Sunday. A walk along the seaside, lunch at Koogivabrik (Sunday 11:00–20:00) and the 16:30 bus to Vilnius (23:20). You will find more weekend ideas in the list of trips from Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
FAQ
Is there a direct bus from Vilnius to Pärnu? Yes, the FlixBus services on 6 November 2026 take 6 h 44 min–7 h 25 min (checked 2026-10-29).
Is there an accommodation tax in Pärnu? It is not on the list in the local taxes act (checked 2026-10-07).
Are the Pärnu museums open on Monday? No. The Pärnu Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, the Red Tower Wednesday to Sunday, the Koidula Museum Wednesday to Saturday.
Things to see and do in Pärnu
By car: distance, time, fuel
By car
- From Vilnius: 465 km, 5 h 43 min one way. Fuel there and back: €117.94 per car, €58.97 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 465 km = 930 km; 930 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 60.45 l; 60.45 l × 1.951 €/l = €117.94.
- From Kaunas: 435 km, 5 h 50 min one way. Fuel there and back: €110.33 per car, €55.17 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 435 km = 870 km; 870 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 56.55 l; 56.55 l × 1.951 €/l = €110.33.
- From Klaipėda: 486 km, 6 h 5 min one way. Fuel there and back: €123.27 per car, €61.64 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 486 km = 972 km; 972 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 63.18 l; 63.18 l × 1.951 €/l = €123.27.
From Šiauliai, Panevėžys is not calculated yet: we do not have map data for this route.
This is an approximate calculation, not a price. Travel time without traffic or border queues. Fuel price: Lithuanian average, Euro-super 95 with taxes, 2026-10-19, the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin (CC BY 4.0); consumption 6.5 l/100 km. Routes: MOTIS, car profile, no traffic conditions, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extracts, calculated 2026-10-29. There are no road tolls for passenger cars in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; for Poland, see here (in Lithuanian).