23/05/2026
🚲 Urban bicycle tour for Visit Tartu and Visit South Estonia team 🚲
Springtime in Tartu offers countless wonderful opportunities to spend time outdoors. One of the best ways to discover the city is by bicycle. We rented Tartu’s city bikes and set off with cycling enthusiast and landscape architect Aljona Galazan to explore the city’s urban space and architecture.
On this sunny spring day, we headed out to experience Tartu from a different perspective. Our guide was passionate cycling enthusiast Aljona Galazan. Before starting the tour, we discussed what makes a considerate and exemplary cyclist in Tartu and what to keep in mind when moving around the city. Along the way, we encountered biodiversity-rich parks, vibrant neighbourhoods with fascinating architecture, riverside avenues along the Emajõgi, people, design, public urban space, and Tartu’s bicycle-friendly environment.
We first made our way through the city centre toward Karlova. There, we enjoyed the atmosphere of the charming old wooden district, its street art, and Karlova’s distinctive bohemian vibe. We heard many fascinating stories about the neighbourhood, the artists behind the street art, and the architecture of the houses.
From Karlova, we continued through Central Park, where we briefly stopped to talk about Siuru. From there, we headed toward the biodiverse parks along the Emajõgi River, where Aljona Galazan shared insights into the world of landscape architecture. We discussed the possibilities of coexistence between nature and the city and heard examples of how conscious urban planning has increased biodiversity in Tartu’s parks — birds and insects return when their habitats are restored.
On our way back toward the city centre, we passed the University of Tartu Delta Centre and learned about the story behind the building. Aljona Galazan pointed out that buildings and the urban spaces surrounding them are often not created as a unified whole or through close collaboration, but rather through separate processes. The Delta Centre, however, is a beautiful example of what can emerge through cooperation. The result is a people-friendly and value-creating environment that connects with the surrounding nature and adds an extra dimension to the building itself.
Afterwards, the group continued to the area between the Emajõgi riverside promenade and Kaarsild Bridge, where there were still many engaging topics to explore. At the end of the tour, each participant received a small surprise, and although the stories could have continued much longer, it was time to return the bicycles.
Aljona Galazan’s urban bicycle tour is not an ordinary excursion. It is a way of moving in rhythm with the city and experiencing it as a whole. The themes and routes of the tours can be tailored according to participants’ interests. Group sizes range from 2 to 14 people. Tours last 2.5–3 hours, with a moderate and enjoyable pace that allows participants to truly breathe with the city. Depending on the group, the route covers approximately 8–12 km. Participants can join using Tartu city bikes, their own bicycles, or other light vehicles. Tours are available in Estonian, English, and Russian, and are suitable both for locals and visitors to the city.
Getting to know entrepreneurs from Tartumaa and South Estonia and the services they offer helps create new opportunities for collaboration that support the region’s visibility and attractiveness.
Kevadine Tartu pakub rohkelt imelisi võimalusi väljas liikumiseks. Eriti mõnus on Tartut avastada jalgrattal.
