Parnu

Parnu is Estonia’s summer capital, and the best of it is free: the long sandy beach, the leafy seaside promenade, and the wooden old town all cost nothing to wander, so you can fill a full day on foot without opening your wallet. Track down the Tallinn Gate, a 17th-century survivor and the only one of its kind left in the Baltics, which sits right in the walkable center. The town’s spa heritage runs back to 1838, so even if a full mud-cure sits outside a tight budget, you can still soak in the shallow, warm Gulf of Riga water for nothing. It works well as a cheap overnight break on the run between Tallinn and Riga, roughly 128 kilometers down the coast from the capital, and prices ease noticeably once the July and August peak passes.