What should I do there?
Party through the white nights of a Tallinn summer, then go deep into uninhabited forest and swim in a crystal-clear lake.

What should I avoid?
February. Dark and cold. Darker and colder than you can handle.

Where should I stay?
An addition to the Design Hotels group (00800 3746 8357; www.designhotels.com), the Three Sisters Hotel in Tallinn is a beautifully renovated series of three fourteenth-century townhouses. Ceiling frescos hidden for years have been restored and combined with sleek modern furniture and granite bathrooms to stunning effect. Rooms from £166-£395.

What should I eat?
Doesn't matter, you're probably in a super-cool minimalist restaurant designed by a hot new Scandinavian architect, being served by supermodels.

What should I drink?
Beer or vodka. You'll be told that Vanna Tallinna, a viscous liqueur, is the national drink. It's not, no one really likes it. It is foul.

Where's best for nightlife?
Nightman (Vineeri 4; www.nightman.ee) in Tallinn is a clubbing staple all year round. This is nominally a gay club, but there are so many straight people that you'd be forgiven for not realising. Rarely are dour Balts so uninhibited. In the summer, hop on a bus heading south to Parnu, playground resort for Tallinn-ites.

To make friends say:
'This place has a Nordic vibe, but with more edge.'

To make enemies say:
'Didn't this used to be part of Russia?'

How do I get there?
Return flights from £161 Gatwick to Tallinn with Estonian Air (020 7333 0196; www.estonian-air.ee).