Parnu (Estonia)

Parnu is a Baltic Sea port and Estonia's 4th-largest city. The city is among the country's most popular summer holiday resort destinations, featuring long beaches and numerous hotels and restaurants. The city covers a total area of approx 32 km2 (12 mi2) and has a population of around 40,000.

Port Parnu serves most of South Estonia's exports. The port is located at the mouth of the Parnu River, which flows directly through the city and drains into the Baltic Sea. In recent years, the cargo port was developed into a major harbour waterway serving the country's southwestern and southern regions.

The city is popular as a leisure and holiday resort destination since the mid 19th century, with the first public bath opened in 1838. Today, Parnu is famous for its spas and rehab centres, premium hotels, golf courses, and tennis courts, as well as its many bars, taverns, and pubs. Along with the Estonians, the city is visited by thousands of tourists from Scandinavian countries, mainly from Finland, Sweden, and Russia. This is why the city is also known as Estonia's Summer Capital.

Since 2015, the city hosts an annual dance music festival (Weekend Festival) ranked as Scandinavia's largest carnival event, gathering some of the region's most famous DJs and musical bands. The city's airport is located approx 4,5 km (3 ml) to the northwest. However, the airport is used mainly for charter flights, serving small aircraft from Finland and Sweden.

Port Parnu inaugurated its new cruise ship facility in 2017. The same year, the new cruise port was visited by MS Serenissima (July 17) and MS Island Sky (August 23, September 5).