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Estonia has something for everyone: a buzzing modern capital, stunning old towns and a rural winter wonderland.
It was perhaps winning the Eurovision Song contest in 2001 that first brought the republic of Estonia to the attention of the outside world.
Before then, and certainly during the Soviet annexation which lasted until 1989, the country had been largely overlooked, save for the more adventurous tourists who wanted to holiday somewhere on the 'wrong side' of the old Iron Curtain and Finnish youngsters in search of cheap alcohol.
Eurovision allowed the Estonians to showcase their beautiful country, complete with picturesque medieval towns and cities, ruggedly stunning Baltic beaches and unspoilt wilderness to the rest of the world.
While the rest of the world duly took note and began visiting the tiny state in numbers, for the most part, Estonia remains refreshingly free from mass tourism, something that is reflected in the local prices.
The vast majority of visitors to Estonia will arrive, and no doubt remain, in the country's capital and largest city, Tallinn.
Being constantly referred to as 'The New Prague' does a distinct disservice to Tallinn.
It's historic old town is on a par with anywhere else in the world, full of an eclectic mix of architectural styles that reflect its Swedish, Russian and German past.
The winding medieval streets, overlooked by the spire of St Olav's Church, once the tallest in the world and still the tallest building in Tallinn, boast hundreds of traditional shops, selling local specialities including blood sausage as well as locally-produced handicrafts.
In addition to the old-world charm, Tallinn is very much a modern capital, home to chic bars and restaurants as well as contemporary hotels and shops which reinforce to the visitor how near to Scandinavia Estonia really is - though the Soviet military instillations now open to tourists then highlight its separateness once again.
Given that most people only visit Estonia for a weekend - with stag and hen parties all too evident around the city centre on a Friday or Saturday night - few venture out into the surrounding countryside of to the coast, which is a big shame.
Just less than an hour outside of Tallinn, tourists can walk through unspoilt forest, without seeing a soul, while the many lakes are perfect for fishing in and camping by.
While many places suffer from a lack of sun, rural Estonia comes into its own during the winter months, with snow almost guaranteed and many of the natives heading out of the city to indulge in some ice fishing for the weekend.
Though the temperatures may plummet well below freezing soon after Autumn has come to an end, like their Scandinavian neighbours, the Estonians overcome this by heading to the sauna and whipping themselves with birch branches, both a memorable and bizarrely enjoyable experience, though jumping into an ice pool afterwards is best left to the locals.
One other solution to the cold, of course, is to go out to the many bars and drink the night away.
With Estonia's latitude meaning that in winter the days are short and nights long, this can often mean that the bars are full much earlier than anywhere else in the world, making it all the more tempting to take advantage of the low prices.
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