What to do and see in Varska, Polva County: The Best Things to do

This is a circular trail and provides information about the activities of the Northern Camp (Petseri Northern Camp, established in 1926, was a camp of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Estonia). The trail can be accessed at the log houses of Luige and Varska.

The Seto Farm Museum enables the visitors to learn about the farm architecture, old tools and rich collection of handicraft items dating from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The exposition comprises a half-enclosed yard, a dwelling, storehouses for clothes, grain and food, a bam with a hay shed, a workshop, other sheds, a smoke sauna, a pottery, a smithy, a barn and kiln house and a tea house. The majority of the buildings are original and originate from Nothern Setumaa. The museum also organises temporary special exhibitions. Visitors can participate in various events, such as winter holidays, Seto lace days, Folk tales’ nights and celebrations of folk calendar holidays.

St George’s Church in Varska is a neo-Historical Orthodox church with a crossing cupola; the building displays a beautiful contrast between stones and brick cornices. The images of the iconostasis date from the time when the church was built. Interesting to know: • The famous Seto folk singer Anne Vabarna and the captain of the steamship Aurora Ivan Fjodorov have been buried in the churchyard.

Varska Water Park's jacuzzis are filled with pure mineral water.The Water Park has:mineral water constrast baths (17 °C and 34 °C), swimming pool (three 25-metre lanes, depth 1.2–1.8 m), pool for children and babies, upstream swimming, various water massage treatments, water bar, light therapy pool, Finnish saunas (90 °C and 75 °C), steam sauna, infrared sauna, gravel pathway. Also a café, chilren's playroom, beauty salon, fitness centre, sunbed, hotel and local mineral water brands for tasting.

Saatse Seto Museum was opened in the former schoolhouse on 1 July 1974. The renovated museum is small and cosy and it displays the most extensive collection of historical objects in Setomaa. It also includes a large wooden figure of Peko, the god of fertility, created by local artist Renaldo Veeber. The museum possesses a beautiful park spreading over several hectares with a study trail, only a few hundred metres from Russia.

St Paraskeva’s ('Friday’ in Greek) Orthodox Church in Saatse is one of the oldest Orthodox country churches in Estonia (est. 1801). There are nationally protected artistic monuments: a wooden icon Story of Paraskeva Paatnits, a gospel and a communion bread plate. There is also a steel- framed stone cross dating from the 15th century which is deemed to be miracle-working. Interesting to know:• in 1839 a clock tower was built for the church; • in 1884 the church building was extended.