Otepää

Otepää is a small town with 2,000 inhabitants set in the hills of south Estonia, approximately 50 km south from Tartu.

Understand
Otepää is one of the oldest settlements in Estonia, first mentioned in the Russian chronicles in 1116. Its name was derived from the shape of the Town Hill (Linnamägi), resampling a bear head, meaning Oti pää in Estonian. It's also where in 1224, Bishop Hermann started building the first known brick castle in Estonia, The Stone Fort.

Otepää is the best known winter sports centre in the Baltics and the Winter Capital of Estonia.

For more information see: http://www.otepaa.eu



By bus
You can travel to Otepää from Tartu, Valga, Võru and several other nearby places by bus.

The is the same building as the tourist information.

Bus schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia.

By car
From Tallinn or Tartu take the national road M2 to the south and then the national B46 about 16 km south of Tartu.

From Latvia take the national M3 to the north via Valga, then the national B72 to Sangaste to join the national B46 to Otepää.

From the east or west join the national road B71 which crosses the city.

Get around
Walking is the best option in the centre. To get to the lake or ski area, you better take the bus.

In the centre




Do

 * If you don't like crowds and sports then it's always possible to go on hiking trips through the surrounding the picturesque landscapes, and you could try an Estonian hot smoke sauna and bathing in an icy lake afterwards.

Summer
During summertime you can see the landscape of rolling hills and lakes, romantic winding village roads and small rivers. You can also take part in different sports or simply have a good time at lake Pühajärve, which is a jewel among Estonian lakes.


 * Saku Suverull – A summer competition for the world's best skiers.
 * Saku Suverull – A summer competition for the world's best skiers.
 * Saku Suverull – A summer competition for the world's best skiers.

Winter
In wintertime, Otepää is a winter sports paradise for skiers, snowmobile riders and for anyone who enjoys the snow: there are slalom slopes equipped with elevators and lots of cross-country tracks.


 * Alpine skiing – Munakas Sport Resort ; slopes in Kuutsemäe Holiday Center (Kuutsemäe Puhkekeskus ])
 * Cross-country skiing – Otepää is the capital of cross-country skiing in Estonia. All the trails leave from the stadium of the city. A circuit of 2.5 km of track around the stadium is sometimes maintained with snow stored when melted elsewhere. The map of the tracks around the city is available at the tourist office. The biggest track is the Otepää-Tartu marathon, which runs 63 km between the two cities and is open to the public except during the marathon. Another related event is the FIS World Cup Otepää Competition.
 * An ice-fishing competition, called "Golden Fish", draws the crowds.

Go next

 * Sangaste and the nearby Sangaste Castle, just a few kilometres south.
 * 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.
 * Valga – A town on the border with Latvia, where it literally grows into the Latvian town of Valka.
 * Viljandi – A beautiful, ancient and hilly city, known for its annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival, beautiful old town and overwhelming and picturesque park around the old castle.
 * Võru – A picturesque town not far from the highest hill in the Baltic states, Suur Munamägi. The birthplace of the writer Kreutzwald and the dialect of the Estonian language.