Estonia (Bradt Travel Guides) [Paperback]

One has a sense of being with the man, with his wry and witty comments on all things Estonian. 'Pleasantly opinionated' is how one of the book cover comments describes the book, and that really hits the mark. It is precisely because Taylor gives opinions that the book is such a good read, and gets beyond the usual bland guidebook routine.

This is a country with a fabulously complicated history, and the fact that Taylor manages to unravel that in manageable terms is much his credit. That he even succeeds in lots of details glossed over by other guidebooks is remarkable. There really are several strands of Orthodox belief in Estonia: the Old Believers, the mainstream Russian Orthodox and the Estonian Orthodox. Taylor (with a talented team of guest contributors) probes these details, and generally gets them right.

The book is at its best in its coverage of rural areas of Estonia - and, in my view, entirely eclipses the English language competition once you get outside the capital. But it's good on Tallinn too, and I'd certainly highly recommend it for city break visitors just jetting into Tallinn for the weekend, as well as for those bent on more serious explorations of this most engaging of countries.

Of course the book deals well with the brick and mortar of modern Estonia, but I also found it excellent in its handling of the intangibles: issues of social mood, cultural identity and popular belief. He neatly identifies the change in cultural realm as you walk up those half dozen steps that lead into Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. This is now suddenly Russia. And the sometimes very candid descriptions (eg. 'Paldiska is now the largest Soviet blot on the Estonian landscape'), served only as encouragement to jump on the next train to see if the place really was quite as bad as Neil Taylor suggests. It was! So all in all, an author who brings affection to his prose, whether it be in his accounts of down-at-heel unsung spots or in his evocations of all that typically Estonian: a picture perfect country of neatly mowed lawns, picket fences, lakes, fens and forests.

A first rate guide!

This is very much a book for the discerning traveller. The 40-odd pages about the general history, economy, geography and culture of Estonia are excellent. No other guide covers these subjects so extensively. The practical information is always up to date (important in a country where so much is changing so fast) as Neil Taylor visits regularly and has good networks `on site'. The travel information is scattered with interesting texts and quotes from such Estonian luminaries as Ants Oras and Lennart Meri, the Welsh/Estonian MP Lembit Opik (who gives an apt 1-page guide to Dos and Don'ts) and British travellers of the 1930's. In addition I can recommend the well planned suggested tours.

This is the only guidebook in English that concentrates on Estonia without lumping it together with the other two Baltic States. This is very much to Bradts credit as the States are far from homogenous and deserve a volume all to themselves. Bradt's Latvia and Lithuania are also recommended.

Bradt's is always growing and changing so, if you're heading for Estonia and want reliable information about the country's natural beauty, turbulent history, what to see, what to do and how much it will cost, don't go without it!

Hilary Bird, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia