Signposted off the main Kallaste–Tartu road, Alatskivi Castle channels the Scottish Highlands into a particularly verdant slice of Estonia – its white turrets and stepped baronial-style roofline inspired by the British queen’s favourite abode, Balmoral Castle. Upstairs, five rooms are devoted to the life of Eduard Tubin (1905–82), an important Estonian composer and conductor; all signs are in Estonian. The surrounding estate encompasses 130 hectares of publicly accessible parkland filled with oaks, ashes, maples, alders and a linden-lined lane.
There’s been a manor here for centuries, but the current neo-Gothic centrepiece dates from 1885. After nationalisation in 1919, the building was used as a school, a cavalry barracks, a state farm, council offices, a cinema and a library, but it’s now been restored to its former grandeur based on old photos provided by descendents of the original aristocratic occupants.
As well as the Tubin museum, the house contains a restaurant and a set of four guest suites (€80 per night, including breakfast).
