A Quiet Anniversary: Three Days for Two by the Baltic Sea

An anniversary does not need a full programme. It needs slow mornings, long meals and a view you have not seen before. Here are three calm days in Haapsalu, planned for two people.

Why Haapsalu

Most romantic city lists name Paris, Venice or the Amalfi Coast. Those places are built for crowds. Haapsalu is the opposite. It is a 740-year-old coastal town with one promenade, one castle and one spa tradition. Outside July it is almost empty. Very few couples have heard of it. That is exactly the point.

Day one. Arrive and stop.

Check in during the afternoon. Unpack slowly. Give the first hour to the west balcony. It is 15 m², it faces the sunset, and there is a chair for each of you. Have dinner at the old Kuursaal restaurant by the water. Ask for the corner table. Walk back along the empty promenade. In summer it stays light until almost midnight.

Day two. Spa and quiet.

Start in the sea-view shower. Have coffee on the balcony. Then walk four minutes to Hestia Spa for a mud treatment for two. Haapsalu has used curative mud since 1825, earlier than most spa towns in Europe. Have lunch at Wiigi Kohvik. In the afternoon, visit the castle and the Tchaikovsky bench. The composer spent the summer here in 1867. In the evening, cook at home, open the wine cooler and watch the sun go down from the balcony. It takes about two hours.

Day three. A morning until 13:00.

Most rentals ask you to leave at 11:00. Here check-out is at 13:00 and it costs nothing extra. That gives you the best hours of the trip. A slow breakfast, one more walk to the water, and the sunrise from the bedroom balcony without a packed suitcase in the way.

Small things that help on an anniversary

• Bring flowers or order them in advance. There is a vase in the flat. Tell us and we will put them in water before you arrive.
• The wine cooler is set for red wine. Ask us if you prefer white.
• The home cinema has surround sound. It is made for one good film, not for a long series.
• The bedroom blinds block the light fully. You can sleep late.

More about the town: why couples love Haapsalu.