This tiny country has been pulled to and fro throughout the ages. Sweden ceded control to Russia in the 18th century, and following a window of independence beginning in 1918, Estonia was usurped by the Soviet Union after World War II. Today, Estonia is a member of the European Union. Tallinn, on the Gulf of Finland, is the capital and commercial center, with a splendid walled medieval city at its heart. It is a popular stop on Baltic cruises. In the southeast, Tartu, the second-largest city, is an academic center, with student-filled cafés, markets, bistros, a wealth of museums and magnificently restored churches. It is an easy and pleasant two-hour drive south from Tallinn to the port of Virtsu, where you board the ferry for the hourlong crossing to the tiny island of Muhu. Along the way, the road meanders through pine forests and pastures dotted with wildflowers. In winter, Muhu is connected to the mainland by an ice road. About 1,500 islands lie off the country’s craggy coast. Muhu is among the most picturesque: a mossy, wooded refuge centered on a charming 16th-century village.