Narva

Narva is the easternmost city in Estonia, at the Russian border.

Understand
Most of the about 70,000 inhabitants are ethnic Russians. Narva-Jõesuu is a nearby seaside resort at the Gulf of Finland.

The city of Narva was founded by Denmark in the Middle Ages. Narva became part of the Swedish Empire, and during the Great Northern War, Swedish king Charles XII led 10,000 men to victory against more than 30,000 Russian soldiers here.

Due to the heavy damage of the Second World War, Narva had to be almost completely rebuilt. This is why the city is dominated by Soviet architecture today, mostly Krushchevka-type buildings, the quintessential "commie blocks" from the 1960s. Narva's "modern" Town Hall, for example, is a prime example of typical Soviet architecture.

Over 90% of the current population are Russian-speakers, mostly either Soviet-era immigrants from parts of the former Soviet Union and their descendants.

There’s plenty to do in Narva, concerts, annual festivals and open-air shows that take place both in the inner yard of the Narva Castle and elsewhere in the town, such as in the newly-built ice skating stadium.



Talk
Russian is spoken and understood by virtually everyone. If you are able to speak the Russian language, you will be fine. Estonian is spoken as the second language mainly by the younger generation (as learning Estonian at schools became compulsory after Estonia declared independence in 1991). Older people are likely to have zero knowledge of Estonian. English is spoken (or at least understood) by younger people, but the degree of proficiency may vary greatly, so make sure that you can take advantage of locals who understand and speak English as much as possible. Street signs are Estonian-only or in Estonian and English.

Get in
Bus and train schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia.

By train
Elron runs several trains per day from Tallinn taking between 2 and 3 hours costing around €11-14.

Before the COVID pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, the daily over-night train between Moscow and Tallinn operated by GoRail made a stop-over here, journey time from Moscow was 11½ hours. Departure time from Moskva Leningradsky station was 22:15 with arrival in Narva at 09:30. From Tallinn the train departed at 16:00 and arrives in Narva at 18:30. As of 2023, this international service does not operate. At this point, the only way to get to Narva from Russia by train is to take a once-a-day commuter train from St Petersburg to Ivangorod, and cross the river to Narva on foot. Be aware that there are no shopping options at the train station.



By bus
A trip from Tallinn or Tartu to Narva takes three hours and costs around €10. The bus station is just in front of the train station. Bus companies are Lux Express, Ecolines and Baltic Shuttle.

Get around
Narva can be explored on foot.

By bus
You can find timetables from pilet.ee and buy bus tickets using the mobile app.

By taxi
Read more under Estonia.

Do

 * Football: JK Narva Trans play soccer in Meistriliiga, the top tier. Their home ground Narva Kreenholmi Staadion (capacity 1000) is 1 km southwest of the railway station. The playing season is March-Nov.

Buy


There are a few shopping centres along Tallinn street.



Eat


For more expensive dining options, consider the restaurants in the hotels in the sleep section. Do not expect same level and availability of services like in the other Estonian cities, especially if you arrived from Tartu or Tallin.

Drink
You should probably consider a more cosmopolitan city like Tallinn or Tartu for nightlife.

Stay safe
While Estonia is generally very safe, Narva systematically ranks as the country's most dangerous place. Most murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and car thefts in Estonia occur here.

As in any other Russian majority town, take extreme care if you're dark-skinned. Avoid non-touristic places and stay clear of bars and pubs at all costs, especially at night as skin-heads are known to be active here.

Go next

 * Narva-Jõesuu – A small resort town at the mouth of the river Narva, 14 km northwest.
 * Sillamäe – A beautiful coastal town in the east and formerly closed city with the best ensemble of Stalinist architecture in the entire Baltics. Built after the war with an uranium processing plant, successfully redesigned after Estonia's independence.
 * Rakvere – Estonia's fifth largest city, west-wards, famous for its Punk and Rock festivals and spirit.
 * Kuremäe – Contains the famous Pukhitsa convent/nunnery, the only Orthodox monastery in the whole of Estonia.
 * Mustvee – More than halfway to Tartu is this small and relaxing fishing village.
 * Tartu – Museum-rich and Hanseatic city on the banks of the Emajõgi River. Also, Estonia's second-largest and oldest city, intellectual hub famous for its universities, and a lively student city.
 * Lahemaa National Park – On the coast within an hour east (50 km) of Tallinn. Given its size it is the largest park in Estonia and one of Europe's biggest national parks, with 1000 km2 of bogs, trails, and forests.
 * Tallinn – The financial and cosmopolitan centre of Estonia. Beautiful and expensive.
 * Ivangorod – On the Russian side of the river, and Saint Petersburg.