Peter the Great Home Museum

Kings don't usually live in cottages - they tend to favour vast palaces dripping gold and crystal and possessed of more bathrooms than any one person could ever humanly use. And so it was with Peter I of Russia, Peter the Great, who had several such homes across the Russian empire. Yet, when he came to 'expand' his borders and take possession of Estonia in the 18th century, he had to start somewhere. So it was here in a cottage in Tallinn's Kadrioru Park that he stayed while the modern palace was being built. The historic cottage was almost lost, as it was neglected for many years after Peter's death. Thankfully, it has now been restored and serves as a museum to a turbulent time in Estonian history. It's also the only surviving example of a 17th-century Estonian summer cottage.