Biathlon World Cup opens the doors of Tartu’s museums

From 12–15 March 2026, Otepää will host the BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup. For many visitors, Tartu is an important stop, as a large share of spectators will be staying overnight there and special shuttle buses to the competition venue will depart from the Vanemuine car park. A World Cup ticket also allows visitors to enjoy discounted entry to selected museums in Tartu.

As most Biathlon World Cup visitors will be staying in Tartu, it is well worth making the most of the time spent in the city. “The Biathlon World Cup lasts four days, which is long enough to look beyond the competition centre and visit Tartu’s museums while you are here. In one week, you can experience both the excitement of top-level sport and calmer cultural highlights,” said Aivar Nigol, Chair of the World Cup Organising Committee. The initiative is being carried out in cooperation with the Estonian National Museum (ENM), the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, and the Tartu City Museum.

At the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, visitors can explore the history of Estonian sport—from heroic achievements to doping scandals. Located in central Tartu, the museum is the largest sport museum in the Baltics, offering hands-on ways to discover Estonia’s sporting story. Visitors can enjoy more than 15 interactive attractions as well as the Estonian Sports Hall of Fame. The museum also features the exhibition “The Warming Finish Line: Sport in a Changing Environment”, focusing on sport and environmental themes, and until the end of March, a winter Olympics-themed exhibition, “In Top Form for the Winter Olympics!”

The Estonian National Museum helps visitors understand how Estonian identity, everyday life, and culture have developed over time. Estonian National Museum is Estonia’s largest museum, with approximately 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, and it hosts around 500 events each year. The exhibition “Coastal Swedes” introduces the traditional material and spiritual culture of the Coastal Swedes and traces the story of Estonian-Swedish culture from the 20th century to the present day. The exhibition “The Colours of Our Clothing: Local and Distant” tells the story of natural textile dyes in Estonia from ancient times to today.

The Tartu City Museum adds a city dimension to your sports trip. It helps visitors understand how Tartu has developed, what sustains the city, and how people have lived there in different periods. The permanent exhibition “Our Tartu” introduces the city’s districts and tells stories about Tartuians and their everyday habits. The museum also offers guided museum and city tours—an excellent option for those who want to see “real life” in Tartu alongside the competition atmosphere and hear local stories.

The discount applies to all World Cup visitors. More detailed information about the discount and visiting conditions is available HERE.