Tallinn is a rewarding detour for those who want to spice up their Scandinavian travels with a Baltic twist. Among Nordic medieval cities, there’s none nearly as well-preserved as Tallinn. Its mostly intact city wall includes 26 watchtowers, each topped by a pointy red roof. Baroque and choral music ring out from its old Lutheran churches. I’d guess that Tallinn (with 400,000 people) has more restaurants, cafés, and surprises per capita and square inch than any city in this book—and the fun is comparatively cheap. Yes, Tallinn’s Nordic Lutheran culture and language connect it with Scandinavia, but two centuries of czarist Russian rule and 45 years as part of the Soviet Union have blended in a distinctly Russian flavor. Overlying all of that, however, is the vibrancy of a free nation that’s just a generation old. Estonian pride is in the air...and it’s catching.
As a member of the Hanseatic League, the city of Tallinn was a medieval stronghold of the Baltic trading world. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Tallinn industrialized and expanded beyond its walls. Architects encircled the Old Town, putting up broad streets of public buildings, low Scandinavian-style apartment buildings, and single-family wooden houses. Estonia’s brief period of independence ended in World War II, and after 1945, Soviet planners ringed the city with stands of now-crumbling concrete high-rises where many of Tallinn’s Russian immigrants settled. The city still struggles to more effectively incorporate its large Russian minority.
The post-communist chapter has been a success story. Since independence in 1991, Tallinn has westernized at an astounding rate. The Old Town has been scrubbed into a pristine Old World theme park—a fascinating package of pleasing towers, ramparts, facades, striptiis bars, churches, shops, and people-watching. Meanwhile, the outlying districts (such as the Rotermann Quarter) are a Petri dish of architectural experimentation. Cruise ships have discovered Tallinn, and cruisers mob its cobbles at midday. Given its compact scale, Tallinn can be easily appreciated as a side-trip (from Helsinki, or from a cruise ship). But the city rewards those who spend the night. More time gives you the chance to explore some of the more colorful slices of life outside the Old Town walls.
On a three-week tour of Scandinavia, Tallinn is certainly worth a day. Most people find it works best as a full-day side-trip from Helsinki. Or take overnights in both Helsinki and Tallinn—either as a triangular detour from Stockholm, or on the way between Stockholm and St. Petersburg. And, of course, many come to Tallinn on a cruise ship.
Day-Trippers or Cruisers: Hit the ground running by following my self-guided walk right from the port. Enjoy a nice restaurant in the Old Town for lunch. Then spend the afternoon shopping and browsing (or choose one of the outlying sights: Seaplane Harbor for boats and planes, Rotermann Quarter for cutting-edge architecture, Estonian Open-Air Museum for folk culture, or Kumu Art Museum for Estonian art and a walk in nearby Kadriorg Park). Remember to bring a jacket—Tallinn can be chilly even on sunny summer days. And, given that locals call their cobbled streets “a free foot massage,” sturdy shoes are smart, too.
With More Time: Start off with the self-guided walk, but slow things down a bit. Because Tallinn can be inundated midday with cruise passengers and day-trippers, it makes sense to tour the Old Town early or late, then get out of town when it’s crowded to hit some outlying sights. Check concert schedules if you’ll be around for the evening.
Tallinn’s walled Old Town is an easy 15-minute walk from the ferry and cruise terminals, where most visitors land (see “Arrival in Tallinn,” later). The Old Town is divided into two parts (historically, two separate towns): the upper town (Toompea) and the lower town (with Town Hall Square). A remarkably intact medieval wall surrounds the two towns, which are themselves separated by another wall.
Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats) marks the heart of the medieval lower town. The main TI is nearby, as are many sights and eateries. Pickpockets are a problem in the more touristy parts of the Old Town, so keep valuables carefully stowed. The area around the Viru Keskus mall and Hotel Viru, just east of the Old Town, is useful for everyday shopping (bookstores and supermarkets), practical services (laundry), and public transport.
The hardworking TI has maps, concert listings, and free brochures (May-Aug Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00—until 20:00 mid-June-Aug, Sat-Sun 9:00-17:00—until 18:00 mid-June-Aug; Sept-April Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-15:00; a block off Town Hall Square at Kullassepa 4, tel. 645-7777, www.tourism.tallinn.ee, visit@tallinn.ee). Look for the helpful Tallinn in Your Pocket, a booklet with restaurant, hotel, and sight listings (€2.50 at the TI and elsewhere around town, but you may find free copies at your hotel, and you can download it for free at www.inyourpocket.com).
Tallinn Card: This card—sold at the TIs, airport, train station, travel agencies, ferry ports, and big hotels—gives you free use of public transport and entry to more than 40 museums and major sights (€24/24 hours, €32/48 hours, €40/72 hours, comes with good info booklet, www.tallinncard.ee). It includes one tour of your choice (orientation walk or one of two hop-on, hop-off bus routes), plus a 50 percent discount on any others (see “Tours in Tallinn,” later, for specifics). If you’re planning to take one of these tours and to visit several sights, this card will likely save you money—do the math.
For advice on taking taxis, and more details on the public transportation and ticket options mentioned below, see “Getting Around Tallinn,” later.
By Boat or Cruise Ship: Tallinn has four terminals lettered A through D, a fifth one called Linnahall (used only by the fast Linda Line boat), and a dedicated cruise terminal. A-Terminal, B-Terminal, and C-Terminal are clustered together; the cruise terminal is just to the north; D-Terminal is a 10-minute walk to the east (and the farthest from Old Town); the Linnahall terminal is a 10-minute walk to the west (just over the large stairway). Each terminal offers baggage storage. Be sure to confirm which terminal your return boat will use. The main cruise pier can accommodate two large ships; when more are in town, they may use one of the other terminals.
If you have no luggage, you can walk 15 minutes to reach the center of town—just follow signs to the city center and set your sights on the tallest spire in the distance (or follow my self-guided walk, later). (If you’d rather first visit the Seaplane Harbor, look for a red-gravel path—straight ahead as you leave the cruise port, marked Kultuurikilomeeter—which takes you there on a long, scenic, mostly seaside stroll.)
If you have bags, it’s best to grab a taxi—otherwise your rolling suitcase will take a pounding on the Old Town’s cobbled streets and gutter-ridden sidewalks. While the legitimate taxi fare to anywhere in or near the Old Town should be less than €5, unscrupulous cabbies may try to charge double or triple.
To get into town by bus, you have several options: Public bus #2 goes from A-Terminal and D-Terminal directly to the A. Laikmaa stop—behind Hotel Viru and the Viru Keskus mall, just south of the Old Town—then continues to the airport (2/hour, buy Ühiskaart smartcard from R-Kiosk shops in terminals, or pay €1.60 for a ticket on board). Cruise lines sometimes offer a shuttle bus into town (to the Russian Cultural Center, near Hotel Viru), but—since it’s so easy to just stroll from the port into town—this isn’t worth paying for.
By Plane: The convenient Tallinn airport (Tallinna Lennujaam), just three miles southeast of downtown, has a small info desk (airport code: TLL, www.tallinn-airport.ee, tel. 605-8888). A taxi to the Old Town should cost €8-10. Public bus #2 runs every 20-30 minutes from the lower entrance (floor 0) into town; the seventh stop, A. Laikmaa, is behind the Viru Keskus mall, a short walk from the Old Town (buy Ühiskaart smartcard from R-Kiosk store in terminal—or pay €1.60 for a single ticket on board; to reach the bus stop, follow bus signs down the escalator, go outside, and look left).
By Train and Bus: While Tallinn has a sleepy and cute little train station (called Balti Jaam), few tourists will need to use it. The station, a five-minute walk across a busy road from the Old Town (use the pedestrian underpass), is adjacent to the big, cheap Hotel Shnelli and the colorful Balti Jaam Market. Tallinn’s long-distance bus station (autobussijaam) is midway between downtown and the airport, and served by bus #2 and trams #2 and #4.
Money: Estonia uses the euro. You’ll find ATMs (sometimes marked Otto) at locations around Tallinn.
Time: Estonia is one hour ahead of continental Europe, which means it’s generally seven/ten hours ahead of the East/West Coasts of the US.
Telephones: In case of a medical emergency, dial 112. For police, dial 110. Most Estonian phone numbers are seven to eight digits with no area codes. Tallinn numbers begin with 6, and mobile phones (more expensive to call) begin with 5. (From outside Estonia, you’ll first dial the country code: 372.)
Internet Access: Every hotel I list offers free Wi-Fi, and some have a computer for guests to use. Public Wi-Fi is easy to find around Tallinn; look for the free “Tallinn WiFi” network. The main TI has one terminal where you can briefly check your email for free.
Laundry: The Viru Keskus mall has a handy Top Clean laundry drop-off service downstairs (Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; underground facing bus stalls 1 and 2, tel. 610-1405, www.puhastuskeskus.ee).
Otherwise, Pesumaja Sol is just beyond the Viru Keskus mall and Kaubamaja department store (just walkable from the Old Town, or take tram #2 or #4 to the Paberi stop, a few blocks away). Choose between self-serve (€6/load, ask staff to interpret Estonian-only instructions) or full-service (€16/load, Mon-Fri 7:00-20:00, Sat 8:00-16:00, closed Sun, Maakri 23, tel. 677-1551).
Travel Agency: Estravel, at the corner of Suur-Karja and Müürivähe, is handy and sells boat tickets for no extra fee (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, closed Sat-Sun, Suur-Karja 15, tel. 626-6233).
Bike Rental: Head for City Bike, at the north end of the Old Town near the ferry terminals (€10/6 hours, €13/24 hours; electric bikes—€5/hour, €20/6 hours, €25/24 hours; daily May-Sept 9:00-19:00, Oct-April 9:00-17:00, Uus 33, mobile 511-1819, www.citybike.ee). They also do bike tours (see “Tours in Tallinn,” later).
Parking: The Port of Tallinn has a cheap lot by D-Terminal (€5/day, www.portoftallinn.com). Old Town parking is very expensive; try parking in the lot underneath Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak), at the southern tip of the Old Town, a short walk from the TI and Town Hall Square (€3/hour).
By Public Transportation: The Old Town and surrounding areas can be explored on foot, but use public transit to reach outlying sights (such as Kadriorg Park, Kumu Art Museum, or the Estonian Open-Air Museum). Tallinn has buses, trams, and trolley buses (buses connected to overhead wires)—avoid mistakes by noting that they reuse the same numbers (bus #2, tram #2, and trolley bus #2 are totally different lines). Maps and schedules are posted at stops, or visit http://soiduplaan.tallinn.ee. As you approach a station, you’ll hear the name of the impeding stop, followed by the name of the next stop—don’t get confused and hop off one stop too early.
You can buy a single ticket from the driver for €1.60 (exact change appreciated). If you’ll be taking more than three rides in a day, invest in an Ühiskaart smartcard. You can buy one for €2 at any yellow-and-blue R-Kiosk convenience store (found all over town), and then load it up with credit, which is deducted as you travel (€1.10 for any ride up to 1 hour, €3/24 hours, €5/72 hours, €6/120 hours). The card is shareable by multiple people for single rides, but you’ll need separate cards for the multiride options.
Bus #2 (Moigu-Reisisadam) is helpful on arrival and departure, running every 20-30 minutes between the ferry port’s A-Terminal and the airport. En route it stops at D-Terminal; at A. Laikmaa, next to the Viru Keskus mall (a short walk south of the Old Town); and at the long-distance bus station.
By Taxi: Taxis in Tallinn are handy, but it’s easy to get ripped off. The safest way to catch a cab is to order one by phone (or ask a trusted local to call for you)—this is what Estonians usually do.
Tulika is the largest company, with predictable, fair prices (€3.35 drop charge plus €0.69/kilometer, €0.80/kilometer from 23:00-6:00, tel. 612-0001 or 1200, check latest prices at www.tulika.ee). Tallink Takso is another reputable option with similar fares (tel. 640-8921 or 1921). Cabbies are required to use the meter and give you a meter-printed receipt. If you don’t get a receipt, it’s safe to assume you’re being ripped off and legally don’t need to pay. Longer rides around the city (e.g., from the airport to the Old Town) should run around €8-10.
If you must catch a taxi off the street, go to a busy taxi stand where lots of cabs are lined up. Before you get in, take a close look at the yellow price list on the rear passenger-side door; the base fare should be €3-4 and the per-kilometer charge under €1. If it’s not, keep looking. Glance inside—a photo ID license should be attached to the middle of the dashboard. Don’t negotiate or ask for a price estimate; let the driver use the meter. Rates must be posted by law, but are not capped or regulated, so the most common scam—unfortunately widespread and legal—is to list an inflated price on the yellow price sticker (as much as €3/kilometer), and simply wait for a tourist to hop in without noticing. Singleton cabs lurking in tourist areas are usually fishing for suckers, as are cabbies who flag you down (“Taxi?”)—give them a miss. It’s fun to play spot-the-scam as you walk around town.
This enjoyable, narrated 2.5-hour tour of Tallinn comes in two parts: first by bus for an overview of sights outside the Old Town, such as the Song Festival Grounds and Kadriorg Park, then on foot to sights within the Old Town (€20, pay driver, covered by Tallinn Card, in English; daily morning and early afternoon departures from A-Terminal, D-Terminal, and major hotels in city center; tel. 610-8616, www.traveltoestonia.com).
Mati Rumessen is a top-notch guide, especially for car tours inside or outside town (€35/hour driving or walking tours, price may vary with group size, mobile 509-4661, www.tourservice.ee, matirumessen@gmail.com). Other fine guides are Antonio Villacis (mobile 5662-9306, antonio.villacis@gmail.com) and Miina Puusepp (€20/hour, mobile 551-7028, miinap@hot.ee).
These student-run tours show you the real city without the political and corporate correctness of official tourist agencies. Check www.traveller.ee to confirm details for their ever-changing lineup, and to reserve (or call mobile 5837-4800). The City Introductory Walking Tour is free, but tips are encouraged (around €5/person if you enjoy yourself, daily at 12:00, 2 hours). They also typically offer a two-hour Old Town Walking Tour (€15, daily at 10:00, similar to the free tour but generally a much smaller group), a ghost walk (€15, 2/week at 20:00), and a pub crawl (€20, 1/week at 20:00), and can also arrange private tours. They have a variety of bike tours, including a 2.5-hour “Welcome to Tallinn” overview (€16, daily at 11:00). And they offer minibus excursions that get you into the Estonian countryside, including one to the Coastal Cliffs and the Soviet military town of Paldiski (€45, daily in summer at 10:00, 3/week off-season, 7 hours), and one to Lahemaa National Park (€49, daily at 10:00, 9 hours). If you’re heading to Rīga, Latvia, consider the excellent value they provide: a 12-hour sightseeing shuttle trip between Tallinn and Rīga, with several stops on route to experience the Estonian and Latvian countrysides (€49). These excursions go year-round, but require at least two people to run. You can also book any one of these tours—or others, all well-described on their website—for your own small group for the same per-person price (4-person minimum). All tours start from in front of the main TI.
Tallinn City Tour offers three different one-hour bus tours—you can take all three (on the same day) for one price. Aside from a stop near Toompea Castle, the routes are entirely outside the Old Town, and the frequency is low (just 6-8/day, May-Sept only—so you’ll need to coordinate your sightseeing to the infrequent departures). But if you want to rest your feet and listen to a fairly good recorded commentary, the tours do get you to outlying sights such as Kadriorg Park and the towering Russalka Monument. You can catch the bus at the port terminals and near the Viru Turg clothing market (€19/24 hours, free with Tallinn Card, tel. 627-9080, www.citytour.ee). CitySightseeing Tallinn also runs three similar routes, with a similarly sparse frequency (€18 for all three lines, €15 for just one line, www.citysightseeing.ee).
City Bike offers a two-hour, nine-mile Welcome to Tallinn bike tour that takes you outside the city walls to Tallinn’s more distant sights: Kadriorg Park, Song Festival Grounds, the beach at Pirita, and more (€16, 50 percent discount with Tallinn Card, daily at 11:00 year-round, departs from their office at Uus 33 in the Old Town). They can also arrange multiday, self-guided bike tours around Estonia (mobile 511-1819, www.citybike.ee).
This self-guided walk, worth ▲▲▲, explores the “two towns” of Tallinn. The city once consisted of two feuding medieval towns separated by a wall. The upper town—on the hill, called Toompea—was the seat of government for Estonia. The lower town was an autonomous Hanseatic trading center filled with German, Danish, and Swedish merchants who hired Estonians to do their menial labor. Many of the Old Town’s buildings are truly old, dating from the boom times of the 15th and 16th centuries. Decrepit before the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, the Old Town has been slowly revitalized, though there’s still plenty of work to be done.
Two steep, narrow streets—the “Long Leg” and the “Short Leg”—connect the upper town (Toompea) and the lower town. This two-part walk—“Part 1” focusing on the lower town, and “Part 2” climbing up to the upper town—goes up the short leg and down the long leg. Allow about two hours for the entire walk (not counting time to enter museums along the way).
• The walk starts at the port—where cruise ships and ferries from Helsinki arrive. If you’re coming from elsewhere in Tallinn, take tram #1 or #2 to the Linnahall stop, or just walk out to the Fat Margaret Tower from anywhere in the Old Town.
To Fat Margaret Tower and Start of WalkFrom the port, hike toward the tall tapering spire, go through a small park, and enter the Old Town through the archway by the squat Fat Margaret Tower.
Just outside the tower, on a bluff overlooking the harbor, is half of a black arch. (The other half of the arch sits in the park just below the hill.) This is a memorial to 852 people who perished in September of 1994 when the Estonia passenger-and-car ferry sank in stormy conditions during its Tallinn-Stockholm run. The ship’s bow visor came off, and water flooded into the car deck, throwing the boat off-balance. Only 137 people survived. The crew’s maneuvering of the ship after it began taking on water is thought to have caused its fatal list and capsizing.
Fat Margaret Tower (Paks Margareeta, so called for its thick walls) guarded the entry gate of the town in medieval times (the sea once came much closer to this point than it does today). The relief above the gate dates from the 16th century, during Hanseatic times, when Sweden took Estonia from Germany. The Estonian Maritime Museum in the tower is paltry—skip it.
• Once through the gate, head up Tallinn’s main drag...
Pikk StreetLiterally “Long Street,” the medieval merchants’ main drag—leading from the harbor up into town—is lined with interesting buildings. Many were warehouses, complete with cranes on the gables. Strolling here, you’ll feel the economic power of those early German trading days.
One short block up the street on the right, the buildings nicknamed “Three Sisters” (now a hotel) are textbook examples of a merchant home/warehouse/office from the 15th-century Hanseatic Golden Age. The charmingly carved door near the corner evokes the wealth of Tallinn’s merchant class.
After another, longer block, you’ll pass St. Olav’s Church (Oleviste Kirik, a Baptist church today), notable for what was once the tallest spire in the land. If the name didn’t tip you off that this was once a Lutheran church, then the stark, whitewashed interior guarantees it. Climbing 234 stairs up the tower rewards you with a great view. You can enter both the church and the tower around the back side (church—free entry, daily 10:00-18:00, July-Aug until 20:00; tower—€2, open April-Oct only; www.oleviste.ee).
While tourists see only a peaceful scene today, locals strolling this street are reminded of dark times under Moscow’s rule. The KGB used the tower at St. Olav’s Church to block Finnish TV signals. The once-handsome building at Pikk #59 (the second house after the church, on the right) was, before 1991, the sinister local headquarters of the KGB. “Creative interrogation methods” were used here. Locals well knew that the road of suffering started here, as Tallinn’s troublemakers were sent to Siberian gulags. The ministry building was called the “tallest” building in town (because “when you’re in the basement, you can already see Siberia”). Notice the bricked-up windows at foot level and the commemorative plaque (in Estonian only).
• A few short blocks farther up Pikk (after the small park), on the left at #26, is the extremely ornate doorway of the...
Brotherhood of the Black HeadsBuilt in 1440, this house was used as a German merchants’ club for nearly 500 years (until Hitler invited Estonian Germans back to their historical fatherland in the 1930s). Before the 19th century, many Estonians lived as serfs on the rural estates of the German nobles who dominated the economy. In Tallinn, the German big shots were part of the Great Guild (which we’ll see farther up the street), while the German little shots had to make do with the Brotherhood of the Black Heads. This guild, or business fraternity, was limited to single German men. In Hanseatic towns, when a fire or battle had to be fought, single men were deployed first, because they had no family. Because single men were considered unattached to the community, they had no opportunity for power in the Hanseatic social structure. When a Black Head member married a local woman, he automatically gained a vested interest in the town’s economy and well-being. He could then join the more prestigious Great Guild, and with that status, a promising economic and political future often opened up.
Today the hall is a concert venue (and, while you can pay to tour its interior, I’d skip it—it’s basically an empty shell). Its namesake “black head” is that of St. Maurice, an early Christian soldier-martyr, beheaded in the third century A.D. for his refusal to honor the Roman gods. Reliefs decorating the building recall Tallinn’s Hanseatic glory days.
Keep going along Pikk street. Architecture fans enjoy several fanciful facades along here, including the boldly Art Nouveau #18 (on the left, reminiscent of the architectural bounty of fellow Baltic capital Rīga; appropriately enough, today this building houses one of Tallinn’s leading cutting-edge architecture firms) and the colorful, eclectic building across the street (with the pointy gable).
On the left, at #16 (look for Kalev awnings), the famous and recommended Maiasmokk (“Sweet Tooth”) coffee shop, in business since 1864, remains a fine spot for a cheap coffee-and-pastry break.
• Just ahead, pause at the big yellow building on the right (at #17).
Great Guild Hall (Suurgildi Hoone)With its wide (and therefore highly taxed) front, the Great Guild Hall was the epitome of wealth. Remember, this was the home of the most prestigious of Tallinn’s Hanseatic-era guilds. Today it houses the worthwhile Museum of Estonian History, offering a concise, engaging, well-presented survey of this country’s story (for details, see “Sights in Tallinn,” later).
• Across Pikk street from the Great Guild Hall is the...
Church of the Holy Ghost (Pühavaimu Kirik)Sporting an outdoor clock from 1633, this pretty medieval church is worth a visit. (The plaque on the wall just behind the ticket desk is in Estonian and Russian, but not English; this dates from before 1991, when things were designed for “inner tourism”—within the USSR.) The church retains its 14th-century design. Flying from the back pillar, the old flag of Tallinn—the same as today’s red-and-white Danish flag—recalls 13th-century Danish rule. (The name “Tallinn” means “Danish Town.”) The Danes sold Tallinn to the German Teutonic Knights, who lost it to the Swedes, who lost it to the Russians. The windows are mostly from the 1990s (€1, Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, closes earlier in winter, closed most of Sun to non-worshippers, Pühavaimu 2, tel. 646-4430, www.eelk.ee). The church hosts English-language Lutheran services Sundays at 15:00 (maybe earlier in summer).
• If you were to go down the street to the left as you face the church, it’s a three-minute walk to the Tallinn City Museum (described later, under “Sights in Tallinn”).
Leading alongside the church, tiny Saiakang lane (meaning “White Bread”—bread, cakes, and pies have been sold here since medieval times) takes you to...
Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats)A marketplace through the centuries, with a cancan of fine old buildings, this is the focal point of the Old Town. The square was the center of the autonomous lower town, a merchant city of Hanseatic traders. Once, it held criminals chained to pillories for public humiliation and knights showing off in chivalrous tournaments; today it’s full of Scandinavians and Russians savoring cheap beer, children singing on the bandstand, and cruise-ship groups following the numbered paddles carried high by their well-scrubbed local guides.
The 15th-century Town Hall (Raekoda) dominates the square; it’s now a museum, and climbing its tower earns you a commanding view.
On the opposite side of the square, across from #12 in the corner, the pharmacy (Raeapteek) dates from 1422 and claims—as do many—to be Europe’s oldest. With decor that goes back to medieval times, the still-operating pharmacy welcomes visitors with painted ceiling beams, English descriptions, and long-expired aspirin. Past the functioning counter is a room of display cases with historical exhibits (free entry, Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, closed Sun-Mon).
Town Hall Square is ringed by inviting but touristy eateries, a few of which are still affordable, such as Troika and the Kehrwieder cafés. The TI is a block away (behind Town Hall).
• Facing the Town Hall, head right up Dunkri street—lined with several more eateries—one long block to the 
wheel well, named for the “high-tech” wheel, a marvel that made fetching water easier.
Turn left on Rataskaevu street (which soon becomes Rüütli) and walk two short blocks to...
St. Nicholas Church (Niguliste Kirik)This 13th-century Gothic church-turned-art-museum served the German merchants and knights who lived in this neighborhood 500 years ago. On March 9, 1944, while Tallinn was in German hands, Soviet forces bombed the city, and the church and surrounding area—once a charming district, dense with medieval buildings—were burned out; only the church was rebuilt.
The church’s interior houses a fine collection of mostly Gothic-era ecclesiastical art (€3.50, Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, closed Mon-Tue; organ concerts Sat and Sun at 16:00 included in admission).
You’ll enter the church through the modern cellar, where you can see photos of the WWII destruction of the building (with its toppled steeple). Then make your way into the vast, open church interior. Front and center is the collection’s highlight: a retable (framed altarpiece) from 1481, by Herman Rode—an exquisite example of the northern Germanic late-Gothic style. Along with scenes from the life of St. Nicholas and an array of other saints, the altarpiece shows the skyline of Lübeck, Germany (Rode’s hometown, and—like Tallinn—a Hanseatic trading city). The intricate symbolism is explained by a nearby touchscreen. Also look for another work by a Lübeck master, Bernt Notke’s Danse Macabre (“Dance of Death”). Once nearly 100 feet long, the surviving fragment shows sinister skeletons approaching people from all walks of life. This common medieval theme reminds the viewer that life is fleeting, and no matter who we are, we’ll all wind up in the same place.
• As you face the church, if you were to turn left and walk downhill on Rüütli street, you’d soon pass near Freedom Square—for a taste of modern Tallinn.
But for now, let’s continue our walk into the upper town.
• At the corner opposite the church, climb uphill along the steep, cobbled, Lühike Jalg (“Short Leg Lane”), home to a few quality craft shops. At the top of the lane, pause at the giant stone tower, noticing the original oak door—one of two gates through the wall separating the two cities. This passage is still the ritual meeting point of the mayor and prime minister whenever there is an important agreement between town and country.
Facing that tower and door, turn left and go through the café courtyard to its far end. You’ll emerge into a beautiful view terrace in front of the...
City Walls and GardensThe imposing city wall once had 46 towers, of which 26 still stand. The gravel-and-grass strip that runs in front of the wall offers a fun stroll and fine views. If you have interest and energy, you can also climb some of the towers and ramparts. (While the views from the towers are nice, keep in mind that we’ll be reaching some even more dramatic viewpoints—overlooking different parts of town—later on this walk.)
The easiest option is to simply scramble up the extremely steep and tight steps of the Dannebrog restaurant tower; you can buy a drink or a cheap meal here (€5 soups, €7 pastas), but they generally don’t charge those who just want a quick look at the view.
To reach a higher vantage point—or if Dannebrog is charging admission—you can pay €3 to enter the nearby Maiden Tower (Neitsitorn). It has a few skippable exhibits, an overpriced café, and great views—particularly from the top floor, where a full glass wall reveals panoramic town views (tower and café open daily 10:30-22:00, exhibits open until 19:00, shorter hours Oct-April).
With more time, add a visit to the Kiek in de Kök—the stout, round tower that sits farther along the wall (with extremely tight, twisty, steep stone staircases inside). While fun to say, the name is Low German for “Peek in the Kitchen”—so called because it’s situated to allow guards to literally peek into townspeople’s homes. This tower is bigger than the Maiden Tower, with more impressive exhibits—not a lot of real artifacts, but plenty of cannons, mannequins, model ships, movies, and models of the castle to give you a taste of Tallinn’s medieval heyday. The €7 combo-ticket with the Maiden Tower lets you walk along the scenic rampart between the two towers (find the door marked Väljapääs on the second floor of the Maiden Tower, and open it with your wristband ticket; also possible to enter just Kiek in de Kök with €4.50 ticket; extra for tour of tunnels below the tower).
• When you’re finished with the towers and ramparts, go through the hole in the wall, and head uphill into the upper town.
Circle around the left side of the big, onion-domed church; as you stroll, on your left is the so-called “Danish King’s Garden.” Tallinn is famous among Danes as the birthplace of their flag. According to legend, the Danes were losing a battle here. Suddenly, a white cross fell from heaven and landed in a pool of blood. The Danes were inspired and went on to win. To this day, their flag is a white cross on a red background.
• Complete your circle around to the far side of the church (facing the pink palace) to enjoy a great view of the cathedral, and to find the entrance.
Russian Orthodox CathedralThe Alexander Nevsky Cathedral—worth ▲▲—is a gorgeous building. But ever since the day it was built (in 1900), it has been a jab in the eye for Estonians. The church went up near the end of the two centuries when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire. And, as throughout Europe in the late 19th century, Tallinn’s oppressed ethnic groups—the Estonians and the Germans—were caught up in national revival movements, celebrating their own culture, language, and history rather than their Russian overlords’. So the Russians flexed their cultural muscle by building this church in this location, facing the traditional Estonian seat of power, and over the supposed grave of a legendary Estonian hero, Kalevipoeg. They also tore down a statue of Martin Luther to make room.
The church has been exquisitely renovated inside and out. Step inside for a sample of Russian Orthodoxy (church free and open daily 8:00-19:00, icon art in gift shop). It’s OK to visit discreetly during services (daily at 9:00 and 18:00), when you’ll hear priests singing the liturgy in a side chapel. Typical of Russian Orthodox churches, it has glittering icons (the highest concentration fills the big screen—called an iconostasis—that shields the altar from the congregation), no pews (worshippers stand through the service), and air that’s heavy with incense. All of these features combine to create a mystical, otherworldly worship experience. Notice the many candles, each representing a prayer; if there’s a request or a thank-you in your heart, you’re welcome to buy one at the desk by the door. Exploring this space, keep in mind that about 40 percent of Tallinn’s population is ethnic Russian.
• Across the street is the...
Toompea Castle (Toompea Loss)The pink palace is an 18th-century Russian addition onto the medieval Toompea Castle. Today, it’s the Estonian Parliament (Riigigoku) building, flying the Estonian flag—the flag of both the first (1918-1940) and second (1991-present) Estonian republics. Notice the Estonian seal: three lions for three great battles in Estonian history, and oak leaves for strength and stubbornness. Ancient pagan Estonians, who believed spirits lived in oak trees, would walk through forests of oak to toughen up. (To this day, Estonian cemeteries are in forests. Keeping some of their pagan sensibilities, they believe the spirits of the departed live on in the trees.)
• Facing the palace, go left through the gate into the park to see the...
Tall Hermann Tower (Pikk Hermann)This tallest tower of the castle wall is a powerful symbol here. For 50 years, while Estonian flags were hidden in cellars, the Soviet flag flew from Tall Hermann. As the USSR was unraveling, Estonians proudly and defiantly replaced the red Soviet flag here with their own black, white, and blue flag.
• Backtrack and go uphill, passing the Russian church on your right. Climb Toom-Kooli street to the...
Dome Church (Toomkirik)Estonia is ostensibly Lutheran, but few Tallinners go to church. A recent Gallup Poll showed Estonia to be the least religious country in the European Union—only 14 percent of respondents identified religion as an important part of their daily lives. Most churches double as concert venues or museums, but this one is still used for worship. Officially St. Mary’s Church—but popularly called the Dome Church—it’s a perfect example of simple Northern European Gothic, built in the 13th century during Danish rule, then rebuilt after a 1684 fire. Once the church of Tallinn’s wealthy German-speaking aristocracy, it’s littered with more than a hundred coats of arms, carved by local masters as memorials to the deceased and inscribed with German tributes. The earliest dates from the 1600s, the latest from around 1900. For €5, you can climb 140 steps up the tower to enjoy the view (church entry free, daily 9:00-18:00, www.eelk.ee/tallinna.toom).
• Leaving the church, turn left and hook around the back of the building. You’ll pass a slanted tree, then the big, green, former noblemen’s clubhouse on your right (at #1, vacated when many Germans left Estonia in the 1930s). Head down cobbled Rahukohtu lane (to the right of the yellow, pyramid-shaped house). Strolling the street, notice the embassy signs: Government offices and embassies have moved into these buildings and spruced up the neighborhood. Continue straight under the arch and belly up to the grand...
Patkuli ViewpointSurvey the scene. On the far left, the Neoclassical facade of the executive branch of Estonia’s government enjoys the view. Below you, a bit of the old moat remains. The Group sign marks Tallinn’s tiny train station, and the clutter of stalls behind that is the rustic market. Out on the water, ferries shuttle to and from Helsinki (just 50 miles away). Beyond the lower town’s medieval wall and towers stands the green spire of St. Olav’s Church, once 98 feet taller and, locals claim, the world’s tallest tower in 1492. Far in the distance is the 1,000-foot-tall TV tower, the site of a standoff between Soviet paratroopers and Estonian patriots in 1991.
During Soviet domination, Finnish TV was even more important, as it gave Estonians their only look at Western lifestyles. Imagine: In the 1980s, many locals had never seen a banana or a pineapple—except on TV. People still talk of the day that Finland broadcast the soft-porn movie Emmanuelle. A historic migration of Estonians purportedly flocked from the countryside to Tallinn to get within rabbit-ear’s distance of Helsinki and see all that flesh onscreen. The TV tower was recently refurbished and opened to visitors.
• Go back through the arch, turn immediately left down the narrow lane, turn right (onto Toom-Rüütli), take the first left, and pass through the trees to the...
Kohtuotsa ViewpointScan the view from left to right. On the far left is St. Olav’s Church, then the busy cruise port and the skinny white spire of the Church of the Holy Ghost. The narrow gray spire farther to the right is the 16th-century Town Hall tower. On the far right is the tower of St. Nicholas Church. Below you, visually trace Pikk street, Tallinn’s historic main drag, which winds through the Old Town, leading from Toompea Castle down the hill (from right to left), through the gate tower, past the Church of the Holy Ghost, behind St. Olav’s, and out to the harbor. Less picturesque is the clutter of Soviet-era apartment blocks on the distant horizon. The nearest skyscraper (white) is Hotel Viru, in Soviet times the biggest hotel in the Baltics, and infamous as a clunky, dingy slumbermill. Locals joke that Hotel Viru was built from a new Soviet wonder material called “micro-concrete” (60 percent concrete, 40 percent microphones). Underneath the hotel is the modern Viru Keskus, a huge shopping mall and local transit center, where this walk will end. To the left of Hotel Viru, between it and the ferry terminals, is the Rotermann Quarter, where old industrial buildings are being revamped into a new commercial zone.
• From the viewpoint, descend to the lower town. Go out and left down Kohtu, past the Finnish Embassy (on your left). Back at the Dome Church, the slanted tree points the way, left down Piiskopi (“Bishop’s Street”). At the onion domes, turn left again and follow the old wall down Pikk Jalg (“Long Leg Lane”) into the lower town. Go under the tower, then straight on Pikk street, and after two doors turn right on Voorimehe, which leads into Town Hall Square.
Through Viru GateCross through the square (left of the Town Hall’s tower) and go downhill (passing the kitschy medieval Olde Hansa Restaurant, with its bonneted waitresses and merry men). Continue straight down Viru street toward Hotel Viru, the blocky white skyscraper in the distance. Viru street is old Tallinn’s busiest and kitschiest shopping street. Just past the strange and modern wood/glass/stone mall, Müürivahe street leads left along the old wall, called the “Sweater Wall.” This is a colorful and tempting gauntlet of women selling knitwear (anything with images and bright colors is likely machine-made). Katariina Käik, a lane with glassblowing shops, leads left, beyond the sweaters. Back on Viru street, pass the golden arches and walk through the medieval arches—Viru Gate—that mark the end of old Tallinn. Outside the gates, opposite Viru 23, above the flower stalls, is a small park on a piece of old bastion known as the Kissing Hill (come up here after dark and you’ll find out why).
• Use the crosswalk to your right to reach the...
Viru Keskus MallHere, behind Hotel Viru, at the end of this walk, you’ll find the real world: basement supermarket, ticket service, bookstore, and many bus and tram stops. If you still have energy, you can cross the busy street by the complex and explore the nearby Rotermann Quarter.
Central Tallinn has dozens of small museums, most suitable only for specialized tastes. The following sights are the ones I’d visit first.
The Great Guild Hall on Pikk street (described on my self-guided walk, earlier) houses this modern, well-presented-in-English exhibit. The museum’s “Estonia 101” approach—combining lots of actual artifacts (from prehistory to today) and high-tech interactive exhibits—is geared toward educating first-time visitors about this obscure but endearing little country.
Cost and Hours: €5, May-Aug daily 10:00-18:00, same hours off-season except closed Wed, tel. 696-8690, www.ajaloomuuseum.ee.
Visiting the Museum: As you enter, download the free smartphone audioguide to navigate the collection. Pondering the question of what it means to be an Estonian, you’ll view a coin collection of past currencies (including the Soviet ruble and the pre-euro krooni), then head into the whitewashed vaulted hall to see the “Spirit of Survival” exhibit, which traces 11,000 years of Estonian history. Steep steps lead down into the cellar, with an armory, ethnographic collection, items owned by historical figures, an exhibit about the Great Guild Hall itself, and a fun “time capsule” that lets you insert your face into videos illustrating episodes in local history.
This museum facing Town Hall Square is open to the general public only in the summer. It has exhibits on the town’s administration and history, along with an interesting bit on the story of limestone. The tower, the place to see all of Tallinn, rewards those who climb its 155 steps with a wonderful city view.
Cost and Hours: Museum—€5, entrance through cellar, July-Aug Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, closed Sun and Sept-June; audioguide-€4.75; tower—€3, May-mid-Sept daily 11:00-18:00, closed rest of year; tel. 645-7900, www.tallinn.ee/raekoda.
This humble museum, filling a 14th-century townhouse, features Tallinn history from 1200 to the 1950s. It displays everyday items through history. Even though there are basic English explanations, it’s not enough; the museum is a loose collection of artifacts that offers a few intimate peeks at local lifestyles.
Cost and Hours: €3.20, March-Oct Wed-Mon 10:30-18:00, Nov-Feb Wed-Mon 10:00-17:30, closed Tue year-round, last entry 30 minutes before closing, Vene 17, at corner of Pühavaimu, tel. 615-5183, www.linnamuuseum.ee.
Visiting the Museum: You’ll begin on the ground floor, at a model of circa-1825 Tallinn—looking much like it does today. Then you’ll head up through three more floors, exploring exhibits on the port (with model ships), guilds (tools and products), advertising in the 1920s and 30s (chronicling the rise of modern local industries in pre-Soviet times), Tallinn’s Estonian identity (with recreated rooms from the early 20th century), and the Soviet period (displaying propaganda, including children’s art that celebrated the regime).
Once a USSR-era parking lot at the southern tip of the Old Town, this fine public zone was recently revamped: The cars were moved underground, and now a glassy new plaza invites locals (and very few tourists) to linger. The recommended Wabadus café, with tables out on the square, is a popular hangout. The space, designed to host special events, feels a bit stern and at odds with the cutesy cobbles just a few steps away. But it’s an easy opportunity to glimpse a contrast to the tourists’ Tallinn.
The towering cross monument facing the square (marked Eesti Vabadussõda 1918-1920) honors the Estonian War of Independence. Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution set a new course for Russia, the Estonians took advantage of the post-WWI reshuffling of Europe to rise up and create—for the first time ever—an independent Estonian state. The “cross of liberty” on top of the pillar represents a military decoration from that war (and every war since). The hill behind the cross has more monuments, and fragments of past fortifications.
Across the busy street from the square, the hulking, red-brick building houses the office of Tallinn’s mayor. Edgar Savisaar, a former prime minister, has been mayor of this city twice (most recently since 2007). Criticized by some for his authoritarian approach and his coziness with Russia, Savisaar is adored by others for his aggressive legislation. For example, in 2013, he made all public transit completely free to anyone living within the city limits—a move designed to cut commuting costs (and carbon emissions) and to lure suburbanites to move into the town center. Younger locals grumble about what they jokingly term “Homo soveticus”—a different species of Estonian who was raised in Soviet times and is accustomed to a system where everything is free. To this day, governmental giveaways are the easiest way to boost approval ratings.
If you’re interested in Estonia’s 20th- and 21st-century history, it’s an easy five-minute walk from this square to the next sight.
Locals insist that Estonia didn’t formally lose its independence from 1939 to 1991, but was just “occupied”—first by the Soviets (for one year), then by the Nazis (for three years), and then again by the USSR (for nearly 50 years). Built with funding from a wealthy Estonian-American, this compact museum tells the history of Estonia during its occupations.
Cost and Hours: €5, June-Aug Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Sept-May Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed Mon year-round, skip the amateurish €4 audioguide, Toompea 8, at corner of Kaarli Puiestee, tel. 668-0250, www.okupatsioon.ee.
Visiting the Museum: Entering, you’ll walk past a poignant monument made of giant suitcases—a reminder of people who fled the country. After buying your ticket, pick up the English descriptions and explore. (The ticket desk also sells a well-chosen range of English-language books on the occupation years.)
The exhibit is organized around seven TV monitors screening 30-minute documentary films (with dry commentary, archival footage, and interviews)—each focusing on a different time period. At each screen, use the mouse to select English. Surrounding each monitor is a display case crammed with artifacts of the era. The footage of the Singing Revolution is particularly stirring.
Before settling into the film loop, take a quick clockwise spin from the ticket desk to see the larger exhibits, which illustrate how the Soviets kept the Estonians in line. First you’ll see a rustic boat that a desperate defector actually rowed across the Baltic Sea to the Swedish island of Gotland. Look for the unsettling surveillance peephole, which will make you want to carefully examine your hotel room tonight. Surrounded by a lot more of those symbolic suitcases, the large monument with a swastika and a red star is a reminder that Estonia was occupied by not one, but two different regimes in the 20th century. You’ll also see vintage cars, phone boxes, and radios that give a flavor of that era. Near the center of the exhibit, somber prison doors evoke the countless lives lost to detention and deportation.
Near those prison doors, take the red-velvet staircase down to the basement. There, near the WCs, is a collection of Soviet-era statues of communist leaders—once they lorded over the people, now they’re in the cellar guarding the toilets.
Nearby: One of Tallinn’s most famous recent sights can’t be seen in its original location, in front of the National Library (just south of the Museum of Occupations). Called simply The Bronze Soldier, this six-foot-tall statue of a Soviet solider marked the graves of Russians who died fighting to liberate Tallinn in 1944. In 2007, the Estonian government exhumed those graves and moved them—along with the statue—from this very central location to the Tallinn Military Cemetery, on the city’s southern outskirts. Estonia’s sizeable Russian minority balked at this move, and—through a series of protests and clashes—grabbed the world’s attention. The Kremlin took note, furious protestors surrounded the Estonian embassy in Moscow for a week (essentially laying siege to the building), and mysterious “cyberattacks” from Russian IP addresses crippled Estonian governmental websites. When the dust settled, The Bronze Soldier stayed in its new home—but Estonians of all stripes were confronted with a bitter reminder that even a generation after independence, tensions between ethnic Russians and ethnic Estonians have not been entirely resolved.
Sprawling between Hotel Viru and the port, just east of the Old Town, this 19th-century industrial zone is being redeveloped into shopping, office, and living space. Characteristic old brick shells are being topped with visually striking glass-and-steel additions. For those interested in the gentrification of an aging city—and even for those who aren’t—it’s worth a quick stroll to see the cutting edge of old-meets-new Nordic architecture. While construction is ongoing, and the area still feels a bit soulless (only a few shops and restaurants are open), developers are setting the stage for the creation of a vital new downtown district. I’ve recommended two good restaurants that give you an excuse to walk five minutes across the street from the Old Town to take a look around; see “Eating in Tallinn,” later. To see the first completed section, start at Hotel Viru, cross busy Narva Maantee and walk down Roseni street. At #7 you’ll find the hard-to-resist Kalev chocolate shop, selling Estonia’s best-known sweets (Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-18:00).
This expansive seaside park, home to a summer royal residence and the Kumu Art Museum, is just a five-minute tram ride or a 25-minute walk from Hotel Viru. After Russia took over Tallinn in 1710, Peter the Great built the cute, pint-sized Kadriorg Palace for Czarina Catherine (the palace’s name means “Catherine’s Valley”). Stately, peaceful, and crisscrossed by leafy paths, the park has a rose garden, duck-filled pond, playground and benches, and old czarist guardhouses harkening back to the days of Russian rule. It’s a delightful place for a stroll or a picnic. If it’s rainy, duck into one of the cafés in the park’s art museums (described below).
Getting There: Reach the park on tram #1 or #3 (direction: Kadriorg; catch at any tram stop around the Old Town). Get off at the Kadriorg stop (the end of the line, where trams turn and head back into town), and walk 200 yards straight ahead and up Weizenbergi, the park’s main avenue. Peter’s summer palace is on the left; behind it, visit the formal garden (free). At the end of the avenue is the Kumu Art Museum, the park’s most important sight. A taxi from Hotel Viru to this area should cost €5 or less. If you’re returning from here directly to the port to catch your cruise ship or boat to Helsinki, use tram #1—it stops at the Linnahall stop near the main cruise port and Terminals A, B, and C (a bit father from Terminal D).
Visiting Kadriorg Park: The palace’s manicured gardens (free to enter) are a pure delight; on weekends, you’ll likely see a steady parade of brides and grooms here, posing for wedding pictures. The summer palace itself is home to the Kadriorg Art Museum (Kadrioru Kunstimuuseum), with very modest Russian and Western European galleries (€4.80; May-Sept Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, Wed until 20:00, closed Mon; same hours off-season except closed Mon-Tue; Weizenbergi 37, tel. 606-6400, www.kadriorumuuseum.ee).
The fenced-off yard directly behind the garden is where you’ll spot the local “White House” (although it’s pink)—home of Estonia’s president. Walk around to the far side to find its main entrance, with the seal of Estonia above the door, flagpoles flying both the Estonian and the EU flags, and stone-faced guards.
A five-minute walk beyond the presidential palace takes you to the Kumu Art Museum, described next. For a longer walk from here, the rugged park rolls down toward the sea.
This main branch of the Art Museum of Estonia brings the nation’s best art together in a striking modern building designed by an international (well, at least Finnish) architect, Pekka Vapaavuori. The entire collection is accessible, well-presented, and engaging, with a particularly thought-provoking section on art from the Soviet period. The museum is well worth the trip for art lovers, or for anyone intrigued by the unique spirit of this tiny nation—particularly when combined with a stroll through the nearby palace gardens (described earlier) on a sunny day.
Cost and Hours: €5.50, or €4.20 for just the permanent collection; May-Sept Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, Wed until 20:00, closed Mon; same hours off-season except closed Mon-Tue; audioguide-€3.20; trendy café, tel. 602-6000, www.kumu.ee.
Getting There: To reach the museum, follow the instructions for Kadriorg Park, explained earlier; Kumu is at the far end of the park. To get from the Old Town to Kumu directly without walking through the park, take bus #67 or #68 (each runs every 10-15 minutes, #68 does not run on Sun); both leave from Teatri Väljak, on the far side of the pastel yellow theater, across from the Solaris shopping mall. Get off at the Kumu stop, then walk up the stairs and across the bridge.
Visiting the Museum: Just off the ticket lobby (on the second floor), the great hall has temporary exhibits; however, the permanent collection on the third and fourth floors is Kumu’s main draw. While you can rent an audioguide, I found the free laminated sheets in most rooms enough to enjoy the collection. The maze-like layout on each floor presents the art chronologically.
The third floor displays a concise “Treasury of Estonian Art” through the mid-20th century. It starts with 18th-century portraits of local aristocrats, then moves through 19th-century Romanticism (including some nice views of Tallinn, scenes of Estonian nature, and idealized images of Estonian peasant women in folk costumes). Eduard von Gebhardt’s engaging Sermon on the Mount (1904) includes a wide variety of Estonian portraits—some attentive, others distracted—listening to Jesus’ most famous address. You’ll see the Estonian version of several Modernist styles: Pointillism (linger over the lyrical landscapes of Konrad Mägi and the recently rediscovered works of Herbert Lukk), Cubism, and Expressionism. In the 1930s, the Pallas School provided a more traditional, back-to-nature response to the wild artistic trends of the time. By the dawn of World War II, you can see the art growing even more conservative, and the final canvases, from the war years, convey an unmistakable melancholy. In the corner, one very high-ceilinged room has a wall lined with dozens of expressive busts by sculptor Villu Jaanisoo.
The fourth-floor exhibit, called “Difficult Choices,” is a fascinating survey of Estonian art from the end of World War II until “re-independence” in 1991. Some of the works are mainstream (read: Soviet-style), while others are by dissident artists.
Estonian art parted ways with Western Europe with the Soviet takeover in 1945. The Soviets insisted that artworks actively promote the communist struggle, and to that end, Estonian artists were forced to adopt the Stalinist formula, making paintings that were done in the traditional national style but that were socialist in content—in the style now called Socialist Realism.
Socialist Realism had its roots in the early 20th-century Realist movement, whose artists wanted to depict the actual conditions of life rather than just glamour and wealth—in America, think of John Steinbeck’s novels or Walker Evans’ photographs of the rural poor. In the Soviet Union, this artistic curiosity about the working class was perverted into an ideology: Art was supposed to glorify labor and the state’s role in distributing its fruits. In a system where there was ultimately little incentive to work hard, art was seen as a tool to motivate the masses, and to support the Communist Party’s hold on power.
In the collection’s first room, called “A Tale of Happiness,” you’ll see syrupy images of what Soviet leadership imagined to be the ideal of communist Estonia. In Agitator Amongst the Voters (1952), a stern portrait of Stalin in the hazy background keeps an eye on a young hotshot articulating some questionable ideas; his listeners’ reactions range from shudders of horror to smirks of superiority. The Young Aviators (1951) shows an eager youngster wearing a bright-red neckerchief (indicating his membership in the Pioneers, the propaganda-laden communist version of Scouts) telling his enraptured schoolmates stories about a model airplane.
The next room shows canvases of miners, protesters, speechifiers, metalworkers, tractor drivers, and more all doing their utmost for the communist society. You’ll also see paintings of industrial achievements (like bridges) and party meetings. Because mining was integral to the Estonian economy, miners were portrayed as local heroes, marching like soldiers to their glorious labor. Women were depicted toiling side by side with men, as equal partners. (Though they’re not always on display here, posters were a natural fit, with slogans exhorting laborers to work hard on behalf of the regime.)
While supposedly a reflection of “real” life, Socialist Realism art was formulaic and showed little creative spirit. Though some Estonian artists flirted with social commentary and the avant-garde, a few ended up in Siberia as a result. Stroll through a few more rooms, noticing a handful of artists who attempted some bolder compositions. Also keep an eye out for a sly portrait of the “great leader”—Stalin.
Later, in the Brezhnev years, Estonian artists managed to slip Surrealist, Pop, and Photorealist themes into their work (for example, Rein Tammik’s large painting 1945-1975, which juxtaposes an old tractor with the flower children of the Swingin’ Sixties). Estonia was the only part of the USSR that recognized Pop Art. As the Soviets would eventually learn, change was unstoppable.
The rest of the museum is devoted to temporary exhibits, with contemporary art always on the fifth floor (where there’s a nice view back to the Old Town from the far gallery). It’s also worth admiring the mostly successful architecture—the building is partly dug into the limestone hill, and the facade is limestone, too (for the big picture, look for the model of the building, just inside the main doors).
One of Tallinn’s newest and most ambitious sights, this nautical, aviation, and military museum fills a gigantic old hangar along the waterfront north of downtown. It has loads of hands-on activities for kids, and thrills anyone interested in transportation, while others find it off-puttingly militaristic. (The many Russian tourists who enjoy posing with its machine-gun simulators don’t help matters.)
Cost and Hours: €10; May-Sept daily 10:00-19:00; same hours off-season except closed Mon; last entry one hour before closing, Vesilennuki 6, tel. 620-0550, www.seaplaneharbour.com.
Getting There: It’s along the waterfront, about a mile north of the Old Town. It’s a long but doable walk, made more enjoyable if you follow the red-gravel “Culture Kilometer” (Kultuurikilomeeter) seaside path from near the cruise terminals. While there’s no handy tram or bus to the museum, a one-way taxi from the town center shouldn’t cost much more than €5. The hop-on, hop-off buses also stop here.
Visiting the Museum: When you buy your ticket, you’ll be issued an electronic card, which you can use at terminals posted throughout the exhibit to email yourself articles on topics that interest you. The entire collection is enlivened by lots of interactive screens, giant movies, and simulators (such as huge-scale shoot-‘em-up video games with life-sized artillery). Touchscreens explain everything in three languages: Estonian, Russian, and English...in that order.
The cavernous old seaplane hangar cleverly displays exhibits on three levels: the ground floor features items from below the sea (such as a salvaged 16th-century shipwreck, plus a cinema that shows films subtitled in English); catwalks halfway up connect exhibits dealing with the sea surface (the impressive boat collection—from buoys to sailboats to the massive Lembit sub); and airplanes are suspended overhead. Touchscreens provide more information in English; just take your time exploring the collection. The star of the show is the 195-foot-long Lembit submarine from 1937: Estonian-commissioned and British-built, this vessel saw fighting in World War II and later spent several decades in the service of the USSR’s Red Fleet. You can climb down below decks to see how the sailors lived, peek through the periscope, and even stare down the torpedo tubes. A cool café on the top level (above the entrance) overlooks the entire space, which feels endless.
Outside, filling the old harbor, is the maritime museum’s collection of historic ships, from old-fashioned tall ships to modern-day military boats. The highlight is the steam-powered icebreaker Suur Tõll, from 1914. Sometimes you can pay to go out on a brief trip on one of the sailboats (ask at the ticket desk when you enter).
On the opposite side of the building, facing the main entrance, is a collection of military vehicles.
At this open-air theater, built in 1959 and resembling an oversized Hollywood Bowl, the Estonian nation gathers to sing. Every five years, these grounds host a huge national song festival with 25,000 singers and 100,000 spectators. During the festival, the singers rehearse from Monday through Thursday, and then, on Friday morning, dress up in their traditional outfits and march out to the Song Festival Grounds from Freedom Square. While it hosts big pop-music acts, too, it’s a national monument for the compelling role it played in Estonia’s fight for independence.
Since 1988, when locals sang patriotic songs here in defiance of Soviet rule, these grounds have taken on a symbolic importance to the nation. Locals vividly recall putting on folk costumes knitted by their grandmothers (some of whom later died in Siberia) and coming here with masses of Estonians to sing. Overlooking the grounds from the cheap seats is a statue of Gustav Ernesaks, who directed the Estonian National Male Choir for 50 years through the darkest times of Soviet rule. He was a power in the drive for independence, and lived to see it happen.
When you are a humble nation of just a million people lodged between Russia and Germany (and tyrants such as Stalin and Hitler), simply surviving is a challenge. Estonia was free from 1920 to 1939. The country then had a 50-year Nazi/Soviet nightmare. Estonians say, “We were so few in numbers that we had to emphasize that we exist. We had no weapons. Being together and singing together was our power.” Singing has long been a national form of expression in this country; the first Estonian Song Festival occurred in 1869, and has been held every five years since then.
Estonian culture was under siege during the Soviet era. Moscow wouldn’t allow locals to wave their flag or sing patriotic songs. Russians and Ukrainians were moved in, and Estonians were shipped out in an attempt to dilute the country’s identity. But as cracks began to appear in the USSR, the Estonians mobilized—by singing.
In 1988, 300,000 Estonians—imagine...a third of the population—gathered at the Song Festival Grounds outside Tallinn to sing patriotic songs. On August 23, 1989—the 50th anniversary of a notorious pact between Hitler and Stalin—the people of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia held hands to make “the Baltic Chain,” a human chain that stretched 360 miles from Tallinn to Vilnius in Lithuania. Some feared a Tiananmen Square-type bloodbath, but Estonians kept singing.
In February of 1990, the first free parliamentary elections took place in all three Baltic states, and pro-independence candidates won majorities. In 1991, hardline communists staged a coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and Estonians feared a violent crackdown. The makeshift Estonian Parliament declared independence. Then, the coup in Moscow failed. Suddenly, the USSR was gone, and Estonia was free.
Watch the documentary film The Singing Revolution before your visit (www.singingrevolution.com) to tune into this stirring bit of modern history and to draw inspiration from Estonia’s valiant struggle for freedom.
Cost and Hours: Free, open long hours, bus #1A, #5, #8, #34A, or #38 to Lauluväljak stop.
Several gently fascinating sights cluster in the Pirita neighborhood, just a few miles northeast of the Song Festival Grounds. If you have a car (or a local guide with a car), or have the time to lace things together with public transportation, this can be a fun way to escape the city and see some different facets of Estonia.
Getting There: It’s easy to lace these sights together: You’ll take the waterfront Pirita Tee highway north (passing behind the Song Festival Grounds, described earlier) to Pirita, then turn right to cut through the forest to the TV Tower. Buses #34A and #38 follow exactly this same route—departing from the underground bus platforms at Viru Keskus mall—and conveniently link all of the places listed here.
Sights in Pirita: Coming from central Tallinn on Pirita Tee, you’ll pass two starkly different memorials. First, as you skirt behind Kadriorg Park, watch on the left for the Russalka Monument (Russalka Mälestusmärk). An angel on a pedestal commemorates the 1893 sinking of the Russian warship Russalka (“Mermaid”). Farther along—after passing the Song Festival Grounds—look on the right for the towering World War II Memorial (Maarjamäe Memoriaal)—a 115-foot-tall obelisk erected to honor those who died defending the Soviet Union, and now the centerpiece of Estonia’s war memorial.
Just after crossing the Pirita River and the little marina (with the yachting center built for the 1980 Olympics), watch on the right for the ruins of St. Bridget’s Convent (Pirita Klooster; bus stop: Pirita). This early 15th-century convent, which housed both monks and nuns (in separate quarters, of course), was destroyed in 1577 by Ivan the Terrible. Its stones were quarried to build Baltic manor houses, but today you can pay a small fee to tour the evocative Gothic ruins (www.piritaklooster.ee).
Down along the water from here, Pirita Beach is one of the most popular in Tallinn. On a sunny summer day, Estonians are out enjoying sand, sun, and the Baltic Sea.
At the first traffic light after the convent ruins, turn right on Kloostrimetsa Tee, which cuts through a forest—and through the Forest Cemetery (Metsakalmistu), offering a poignant look at unique Estonian burial customs (bus stop: Metsakalmistu, then continue about 200 yards down the road, following Teletorn signs to the gate). Traditionally, Estonians bury the departed not in fields or parks, but in forests—thanks to a deeply rooted belief that their spirit will live on in the trees. This particular cemetery is one of Estonia’s best-known, and is the eternal resting place both of commoners and of VIPs—athletes, chess champions, musicians, writers, and politicians. Exploring here, find the “Hill of Celebrities” (Kuulsuste Küngas). Among the illustrious Estonians buried here is Konstantin Päts (1847-1956), the first president of independent Estonia, who later died in a Siberian mental institution. After freedom, his remains were located and moved here to be re-interred. Lydia Koidula (1843-1886, marked by a red stone) was Estonia’s premier 19th-century poet and wrote the first play in Estonian.
Just past the Forest Cemetery, the TV tower (Teletorn)—with its antenna copping 1,000 feet tall—was built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics (the sailing regatta took place in Tallinn). You can ride up to the 550-foot-high observation deck for sweeping views over Estonia (and, on a clear day, all the way to Finland) and the endearing “Estonian Hall of Fame,” celebrating Estonian contributions to the world (www.teletorn.ee).
In front of the tower, you’ll see a monument to the brave Estonians who faced off against a potential Soviet counterattack. On August 19, 1991, a coup by generals in Moscow created confusion and panic across the USSR. The next day, on August 20—still celebrated today as Estonia’s national holiday—the Declaration of Independence was signed. On August 21, Russian military forces moved to take this national broadcast tower and cut off Estonian communications. But two policemen and some radio operators cleverly prevented them from entering the tower’s control station, by jamming the door and threatening to engage the fire-exhaust system. Eventually a ragtag gang of Estonian civilians showed up to defend the tower and stare down the troops. By late afternoon, it became clear that Boris Yeltsin had gained control in Moscow, and the Russian troops were told to stand down. Estonia had its tower—and a few weeks later, Russia recognized this little country’s right to exist.
In its attempt to bring Estonia into the Soviet fold, Moscow moved tens of thousands of Russian workers into Tallinn, using the promise of new apartments as an incentive. Today, two generations later, Tallinn has a huge Russian minority (about 40 percent of the city’s population) and three huge, charmless suburbs of ugly, Soviet-built apartments: Mustamäe, Õismäe, and Lasnamäe.
Sights in Lasnamäe: Today, about one of every two Tallinners lives in one of these Brezhnev-era suburbs of massive, cookie-cutter apartment blocks (many now privatized). About eighty percent of the residents who live in Lasnamäe are Russian-speaking. Some parts are poor, rough, and edgy (not comfortable after dark), with blue lights in the public toilets so that junkies can’t see their veins. Other sections are nicer, and by day, you can visit here without fear. Some zones are finally being upgraded with a spare-no-expense local pride; a new Russian Orthodox cathedral opened here in 2013 (built with the support of Tallinn’s mayor to curry favor with ethnic-Russian voters). Some “social apartment” buildings—owned by the city—were also recently built in this area.
Forging Russians and Estonians into a single society, with the Estonian language dominant, was an optimistic goal in the early 1990s. Ethnic Russians grumbled, but knew they probably had a brighter economic future in Estonia than in Russia. Now, with a new generation of children learning both languages in school and most enjoying reasonable prosperity, peaceful ethnic coexistence (like between Swedes and Finns in Helsinki) may be achievable.
Getting There: For a quick look at Lasnamäe, hop on bus #67 or #68 (each runs every 10-15 minutes); both leave from Teatri Väljak, on the far side of the pastel yellow theater from the Old Town, across from the Solaris shopping mall. You’ll see carefully dressed young women, track-suited men, grass that needs mowing, cracked paving stones, grandmothers pushing strollers, and lots of new, boxy shops. Ride to the last stop (about 25 minutes), then return to town.
Influenced by their ties with Nordic countries, Estonians are enthusiastic advocates of open-air museums. For this one, they salvaged farm buildings, windmills, and an old church from rural areas and transported them to a park-like setting just outside town (4 miles west of the Old Town). The goal: to both save and share their heritage. Attendants are posted in many houses, but to really visualize life in the old houses, rent the audioguide (€7/3 hours). The park’s Kolu Tavern serves traditional dishes. You can rent a bike (€3/hour) for a breezy roll to quiet, faraway spaces in the park.
Cost and Hours: Late April-Sept: €7, park open daily 10:00-20:00, historic buildings until 18:00; Oct-late April: €5, park open daily 10:00-17:00 but many buildings closed; tel. 654-9100, www.evm.ee.
Getting There: Take bus #21 or #21B from the train station to the Rocca al Mare stop. Because buses back to Tallinn run infrequently, check the departure schedule as soon as you arrive, or ask staff how to find the Zoo stop, with more frequent service, a 15-minute walk away.
This vast, flat, forested coastal preserve on the Gulf of Finland is only a one-hour drive east of Tallinn. While it is a popular tour destination and the nature is pristine, the park’s charms are modest. I had a great guide, and it was a fascinating day out. But with an average guide, it could be a snore. Highlights include the thick forest (including cemeteries, because Estonians bury their dead in the woods), bog walks, rich berry and mushroom picking, rebuilt manor homes, and peaceful fishing villages surrounded by the evocative ruins of Soviet occupation. Tallinn Traveller Tours organizes day trips to the national park. For hiking and cycling trail descriptions, check online (www.keskkonnaamet.ee) or stop at the park’s visitor center when you arrive (open daily in summer, Mon-Fri off-season, tel. 329-5555).
With so many cruise-ship tourists inundating Tallinn, the Old Town is full of trinkets, but it is possible to find good-quality stuff. Wooden goods, like butter knives and juniper-wood trivets, are a good value. Marvel at the variety of booze on sale in Tallinn’s liquor stores, popular with visiting Scandinavians. Tucked into the Old Town are many craft and artisan shops where prices are lower than in Nordic countries.
The “Sweater Wall” is a fun place to browse sweaters and woolens, though few are hand-knitted by grandmothers these days. Find the stalls under the wall on Müürivahe street (daily 10:00-17:00, near the corner of Viru street). From there, explore Katariina Käik, a small alley between Müürivahe and Vene streets, which has several handicraft stores and workshops selling pieces that make nice souvenirs.
The cheery Navitrolla Gallerii is filled with work by the well-known Estonian artist who goes just by the name Navitrolla. His whimsical, animal-themed prints are vaguely reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are (Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, Sulevimägi 1, tel. 631-3716, www.navitrolla.ee).
The Rahva Raamat bookstore in the Viru Keskus mall (floors 3-4, high up in the glass atrium) has English-language literature on the main floor, and a huge wall of travel books upstairs (daily 9:00-21:00).
Balti Jaam Market, Tallinn’s bustling traditional market, is behind the train station and has little of touristic interest besides wonderful photo ops. That’s why I like it. It’s a great time-warp scene, fragrant with dill, berries, onions, and mushrooms. You’ll hear lots of Russian. The indoor sections sell meat, clothing, and gadgets. You could also assemble a very rustic picnic here. To find the market from the train station, just walk across the head of the train platforms (following Jaama Turg signs) and keep going (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 8:00-17:00, better early).
For something tamer, the Viru Turg outdoor market, a block outside the Old Town’s Viru Gate, has a lively, tourist-oriented collection of stalls selling mostly clothing, textiles, and flowers (daily May-Sept 9:00-17:00, Oct-April 10:00-16:00, north of Viru street at Mere Puiestee 1).
Tallinn has a dense schedule of classical music performances, especially during the annual Old Town Days, generally at the beginning of June (www.vanalinnapaevad.ee). Choral singing became a symbol of the struggle for Estonian independence after the first Estonian Song Festival in 1869 (still held every five years—next one in 2019).
Even outside of festival times, you’ll find many performances in Tallinn’s churches and concert halls, advertised on posters around town or at the TI. Tickets are usually available at the door or through the Piletilevi booth in the Viru Keskus mall (daily 9:00-21:00, www.piletilevi.ee). Watch for performances by Hortus Musicus, one of Estonia’s finest classical ensembles, or concerts featuring the work of Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, or Erkki-Sven Tüür, who are among Estonia’s best modern choral composers and arrangers. Estonian groups have put out a lot of good CDs; you’ll find a good music shop on the top floor (A5) of the Kaubamaja department store (daily 9:00-21:00, behind Viru Keskus mall).
The indoor water park and 50-meter pool at the Kalev Spa is lots of fun. Many Finns come here on fitness travel packages. It’s centrally located, between the Old Town and the modern shopping zone (€11.90/2.5 hours, €9.90/1.5 hours, cheaper on weekday mornings; open Mon-Fri 6:45-21:30, Sat-Sun 8:00-21:30; swimsuit rental available, Aia 18, tel. 649-3370, www.kalevspa.ee).
In general, real hotel options are surprisingly sparse and expensive, particularly in the Old Town; many people prefer rental apartments found online (such as at Booking.com or Airbnb.com). While I’ve focused my listings on places in or near the Old Town, you’ll have more options and pay less if you’re willing to stay a short walk or bus ride away.
As in Scandinavia, it’s important to start your search on hotel websites. Room prices vary with current demand. Many hotels, especially the bigger ones, list their best price on the website and offer walk-in individuals only the inflated rack rates—the bulk of their business comes from agencies anyway.
Summer is high season (Tallinn has more tourists than business travelers), and prices almost always drop from October to April, except around Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve listed high-season, summer prices here. When I give a range, expect the higher rate during busy times (typically Friday and Saturday nights) and the lower price on slow days. All of my listings offer free Wi-Fi.
Use a taxi to get to your hotel when you arrive, and then figure out public transportation later.
$$$ Baltic Hotel Imperial is a fine four-star hotel set in a lovely park-like spot under the Old Town wall. Its 32 rooms are modern and small, while the public spaces have a spacious, professional ambience. Though it feels like a chain (and is), when it’s discounted, it’s the best Old Town, top-end value I’ve found (inflated official rates—Sb-€140, Db-€180; deals are often cheaper—website shows best rates; elevator, air-con, pay sauna, kids’ playroom, Nunne 14, tel. 627-4800, www.imperial.ee, imperial@baltichotelgroup.com).
$$$ My City Hotel fills a handsome 1950s building on the south edge of the Old Town with 68 rooms and a spacious, classy lobby lounge. Along with the Sõprus cinema across the street, it’s done in the Stalinist Classical style—Soviet stars and sheaves of wheat still adorn the facade (typically Db-€90 on weekdays—a great deal—or €140 on weekends, more for larger “superior” room, extra bed-€25, children 12 and under free in parents’ room, elevator, air-con, guest computer, sauna-€20-30/hour, Vana-Posti 11/13, tel. 622-0900, www.mycityhotel.ee, booking@mycityhotel.ee).
$$$ Hotel Bern, tucked at the edge of the Old Town, is an endearing place with 50 businesslike rooms in a new brick building (Db-€98, but can be less in slow times, air-con, elevator, Aia 10, tel. 680-6630, www.tallinnhotels.ee, bern@tallinnhotels.ee).
$$ Villa Hortensia rents six simple, creaky-floored rooms with kitchenettes above a sophisticated little café in a courtyard close to Town Hall Square. The three twin-bed rooms and one single-bed room are furnished sparsely, with beds in a sleeping loft. The “deluxe” room comes with a double bed and a small balcony. The suite is on two floors, with a double bed upstairs and a foldout sofa bed in the living room. Named after the home of a group of down-and-outs in a famous Estonian novel, the hotel is creatively run by jewelry designer Jaan Pärn. It’s a decent, inexpensive choice if you don’t mind the ramshackle feeling and the fact that the rooms aren’t serviced every day. Jaan’s jewelry shop, across the courtyard, serves as the reception (Sb-€45, Db-€65, deluxe Db-€90, suite Db-€120 or Tb-€140, no breakfast, no elevator, 50 yards from the corner of Vene and Viru streets at Vene 6, look for Masters’ Courtyard sign, mobile 504-6113, www.hoov.ee, jaan.parn@gmail.com).
$$ St. Barbara Hotel, a stylish and affordable choice, fills a former hospital from 1904 just beyond the ring road from Tallinn’s Freedom Square (at the edge of the Old Town)—about a 10-minute walk from Town Hall Square. This old building is filled with 53 modern, fairly simple rooms and an atmospheric beer cellar that gives the place a Germanic vibe (Db-€79 on weekdays or €87 on weekends—but prices are flexible, elevator, free parking, Roosikrantsi 2A—just take the pedestrian underpass from Freedom Square under the busy road, tel. 640-0040, www.stbarbara.ee, reservations@stbarbara.ee).
$$ Meriton Old Town Hotel sits grandly (for a hotel in its category) at the tip of the Old Town, near Fat Margaret Tower and not far from the ferry terminals. Its 41 small, slightly dated rooms are mostly doubles with twin beds and showers, and—as it faces a busy street—some could be noisy if you sleep with the window open. But the price is right and the location convenient. Don’t let them move you to the nearby, similarly named, more expensive Meriton Old Town Garden Hotel (very fluid rates, Db-€85-110 depending on demand, much less off-season, can be cheaper if you skip breakfast, elevator, guest computer, Lai 49, tel. 614-1300, www.meritonhotels.com, reservations@meritonhotels.com).
$$ Old Town Maestro’s is a simple budget choice with 23 modern rooms tucked in the heart of the Old Town. While the prices are right, it comes with a catch: It sits along one of Tallinn’s rowdiest nightlife streets, so try requesting a quieter courtyard room (Sb-€55, Db-€65, elevator, Suur-Karja 10, tel. 626-2000, www.maestrohotel.ee, maestro@maestrohotel.ee).
$ Old House Guesthouse and Hostel is your small-and-snug, cheap-and-basic option, split between two buildings halfway between Town Hall Square and the ferry terminals. There’s street noise in many rooms, so bring earplugs (bed in 6-person dorm-€15, S-€30, twin D-€44, D with one big bed-€48, T-€63, Q-€84, see their website for deals, includes sheets and towel, breakfast-€4, no lockout, shared shower and WC, kitchen facilities, unsecured free parking—reserve ahead, Uus 26, tel. 641-1464, www.oldhouse.ee, info@oldhouse.ee). They also rent apartments around the Old Town.
Near the Train Station: $$ Hotel Shnelli, a big, high-rise “efficiency hotel” adjacent to the sleepy little train station (a 5-minute walk from the Old Town in a neighborhood that feels a bit seedy at night), rents 137 Ikea-mod rooms. It fronts a noisy street, so request a quiet room in the back—these overlook the tracks, but no trains run at night (Db-€60-65, sometimes €10-20 more on weekends, connecting family rooms, apartment-€130, you can save a few euros if you skip breakfast, elevator, Toompuiestee 37, tel. 631-0100, www.gohotels.ee, reservations@gohotels.ee).
Near the Port: Given how compact Tallinn is (and how inexpensive honest taxis are), there’s little reason to sleep near the ferry terminals—other than low prices. But if you’re in a pinch, $$ Tallink Express Hotel is a few steps from the A, B, and C ferry terminals, close to Linnahall terminal, and a short walk from the Old Town. It’s a modern, cheery Motel 6-type place with excellent prices and 163 comfortable, colorful, cookie-cutter rooms. The rooms can be stuffy in hot weather, as windows don’t open very far and there’s no air-conditioning. Walk-in rates are much higher than the website prices I give here (Sb/Db-€70-80 but can vary dramatically—less in winter and more on busy weekends, extra bed-€25, children under 17 sleep free on sofa beds in family rooms, elevator, free guest computer, free parking, Sadama 9, tel. 630-0808, www.hotels.tallink.com, hotelbooking@tallink.ee).
In Lilleküla, Outside the Center: Lilleküla is a quiet, green, and peaceful residential area of single-family houses, small Soviet-era apartment blocks, and barking dogs. For a clearer understanding of Estonian life, stay here. You’ll save money without sacrificing comfort. The downside: It’s a 15-minute, €1.10 bus ride into the center.
$ Valge Villa (“White Villa”), a homey guesthouse set in a great garden run by Anne and Andres Vahtra and their family, does everything right. It’s worth the commute for its competitive prices and 10 spacious, wood-paneled, well-furnished rooms. They like you to book and pay a 10 percent advance deposit on their website (Sb-€39, Db-€45, small suite-€60, larger suite-€70, suite-apartments-€80, extra bed-€16, every fifth night free, guest computer, free parking, bikes-€15/day, sauna-€20, laundry-€12/load; take bus #17 to Räägu stop, or trolley bus #2, #3, or #4 to Tedre stop; Kännu 26/2, between Rästa and Räägu streets—tel. 654-2302, www.white-villa.com, villa@white-villa.com). I’d take a taxi here to check in (about €15 from the ferry port), and figure out the public-transit options later.
Tallinn’s Old Town has a wide selection of largely interchangeable, mostly tourist-oriented eateries. Don’t expect bargains here—you’ll pay near-Scandinavian prices (average main dishes can cost €15-20). For a better value, roam at least a block or two off the main drags, where you can find great food at what seems like fire-sale prices. At most of my listings, you can assemble a three-course meal for around €20. Some restaurants have good-value lunch specials on weekdays (look for the words päeva praad). As a mark of quality, watch for restaurants with an Astu Sisse! label in the window; this Estonian equivalent of a Michelin star is awarded to just 50 restaurants each year. Tipping is not required, but if you like the service, round your bill up by 5-10 percent when paying. Reserving ahead for dinner is a smart idea.
A few years ago it was hard to find authentic local cuisine, but now Estonian food is trendy—a hearty Northern mixture of meat, potatoes, root vegetables, mushrooms, dill, garlic, bread, and soup. Pea soup is a local specialty. You usually get a few slices of bread as a free, automatic side dish. A typical pub snack is Estonian garlic bread (küüslauguleivad)—deep-fried strips of dark rye bread smothered in garlic and served with a dipping sauce. Estonia’s Saku beer is good, cheap, and on tap at most eateries. Try the nutty, full-bodied Tume variety.
Restorant Aed is an elegant, almost gourmet, health-food eatery calling itself “the embassy of pure food.” While not vegetarian, it is passionate about serving organic, seasonal, modern Estonian cuisine in a woody, romantic setting. Take your pick from four dining options: under old beams, in the cellar, out front on the sidewalk, or out back on the garden terrace (€10-15 main dishes, daily 12:00-23:00, Rataskaevu 8, tel. 626-9088, www.vonkrahl.ee/aed).
Vanaema Juures (“Grandma’s Place”), an eight-table cellar restaurant, serves homey, traditional Estonian meals, such as pork roast with sauerkraut and horseradish. This is a fine bet for local cuisine, and dinner reservations are strongly advised. No tacky medieval stuff here—just good food at fair prices in a pleasant ambience, where you expect your waitress to show up with her hair in a bun and wearing granny glasses (€8-17 main dishes, daily 12:00-22:00, Rataskaevu 10/12, tel. 626-9080, www.vonkrahl.ee/vanaemajuures).
At Leib (“Back Bread”), just outside the walls at the seaside end of the Old Town, you enter up steps into a fun garden under the medieval ramparts, and can sit indoors or out. Peruse the classy and engaging menu, which changes with the seasons—their food has Estonian roots, but with international influences (€10-16 main courses, daily 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-23:00, Uus 31, tel. 611-9026, www.leibresto.ee/en).
Mekk is a small, fresh, upscale place whose name stands for “modern Estonian cuisine.” While their à la carte prices are a bit higher than at my other listings, they offer artful weekday lunch specials for just €7 (not available July-Aug), and a €35 four-course fixed-price meal for serious eaters. Young, elegant locals take their lunch breaks here (€12-25 main dishes, Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, closed Sun, Suur-Karja 17/19, tel. 680-6688, www.mekk.ee).
Modern Cuisine on Freedom Square: Wabadus, facing the vast and modern square, turns its back on old Tallinn. This sleek, urbane café/restaurant—which has been the town meeting place since 1937—serves coffee, cocktails, and international fare. To escape the cobbles and crowds of the Old Town, walk a few minutes to enjoy a moment of peace—ideally at one of the terrace tables on the square, if the weather’s good (€5 weekday lunch specials, €7-10 salads, €7-18 main courses, Mon-Tue 11:00-19:00, Wed-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-24:00, closed Sun, Vabaduse Väljak 10, tel. 601-6461, www.wabadus.ee).
Tallinn’s central square is a whirlpool of tacky tourism, where aggressive restaurant touts (some dressed as medieval wenches or giant matryoshka dolls) accost passersby to lure them in for a drink or meal. While a bit off-putting, some of these restaurants have surprisingly good (if expensive) food. Of the many options ringing the square and surrounding streets, these are the ones most worth considering.
“Medieval” Estonian Cuisine: Two well-run restaurants just below Town Hall Square specialize in re-creating medieval food (from the days before the arrival of the potato and tomato from the New World). They are each grotesquely touristy, complete with gift shops where you can buy your souvenir goblet. Both have street seating, but you’ll get all the tourists and none of the atmosphere.
Olde Hansa, filling three creaky old floors and outdoor tables with tourists, candle wax, and scurrying medieval waitresses, can be quite expensive. And yet, the local consensus is that the food here is far better than it has any right to be (€14-30 main dishes, daily 10:00-24:00, musicians circulate Tue-Sun after 18:00, a belch below Town Hall Square at Vana Turg 1, reserve in advance, tel. 627-9020, www.oldehansa.ee).
Peppersack, across the street, tries to compete in the same price range, and feels marginally less circus-like (Vana Turg 6, tel. 646-6800).
Russian Food: As more than a third of the local population is enthusiastically Russian, there are plenty of places serving Russian cuisine (see also “Budget Eateries,” described later). Troika is my choice for Russian food. Right on Town Hall Square, with a folkloric-costumed waitstaff, they serve €7-11 bliny (pancakes) and pelmeni (dumplings), and €11-20 main dishes. Sit out on the square (reserve for dinner); in the more casual, Russian-village-themed tavern; or under a fine vault in the trendy, atmospheric cellar (which has slightly cheaper prices). A balalaika player usually strums and strolls after 19:00 (open daily 10:00-23:00, Raekoja Plats 15, tel. 627-6245, www.troika.ee).
Young Estonians eat well and affordably at pubs. In some pubs, you go to the bar to look at the menu, order, and pay. Then find a table, and they’ll bring your food out when it’s ready.
Hell Hunt Pub (“The Gentle Wolf”) was the first Western-style pub to open after 1991, and it’s still going strong, attracting a mixed expat and local crowd with its tasty food. Five of their own microbrews are on tap. Consider making a meal from the great pub snacks (€3-6) plus a salad (€5-6). Choose a table in its convivial, rustic-industrial interior or on the garden terrace across the street (€6 pastas, €10 main dishes, daily 12:00-24:00, Pikk 39, tel. 681-8333).
Von Krahli Baar serves cheap, substantial Estonian grub—such as potato pancakes (torud) stuffed with mushrooms or shrimp—in a big, dark space that doubles as a center for Estonia’s alternative theater scene; there’s also seating in the tiny courtyard where you enter. It started as the bar of the theater upstairs, then expanded to become a restaurant, so it has a young, avant-garde vibe. You’ll feel like you’re eating backstage with the stagehands (€6-7 main dishes, Mon-Sat 12:00-24:00, Sun 12:00-15:00, Rataskaevu 10/12, a block uphill from Town Hall Square, near Wheel Well, tel. 626-9090).
Põrgu is particularly serious about its beer, with a wide variety of international and Estonian brews on tap—including some microbrews. Its simple, uncluttered cellar feels like less of a tourist trap than the others listed here (€3-7 bar snacks and salads, €8-13 main dishes, Mon-Sat 12:00-24:00, closed Sun, Rüütli 4, tel. 644-0232).
Kompressor, a big, open-feeling beer hall, is in all the guidebooks for its cheap, huge, and filling €5 pancakes—savory or sweet (daily 11:00-24:00, Rataskaevu 3, tel. 646-4210).
This modern, up-and-coming district, just across the busy road from Tallinn’s Old Town, is well worth exploring for a jolt of cutting-edge architecture and hipster edginess. It’s an antidote to the central area’s ye-olde aura. As more and more buildings in this zone are being renovated, this is a fast-changing scene. But these two choices, in a long brick building facing the Old Town, are well-established and a good starting point.
Sfäär (Sphere), which combines an unpretentious bistro with a design shop, is a killing-two-birds look at the Rotermann Quarter. In this lively, cheery place, tables are tucked between locally designed clothes and home decor. The menu is bold but accessible and affordable, featuring Estonian and international fare with a hint of molecular flair (€6-10 starters and pastas, €12-16 main dishes, Mon-Wed 8:00-22:00, Thu-Fri 8:00-24:00, Sat 10:00-24:00, Sun 10:00-22:00, shop open daily 12:00-21:00, Mere Puiestee 6E, mobile 5699-2200, www.sfaar.ee).
Retoran Ö (Swedish for “Island”), just a few doors down in the same building, is your Rotermann Quarter splurge. The dressy, trendy, retrofitted-warehouse interior feels a sophisticated world away from the Old Town’s tourist traps. The cuisine tries to highlight an Estonian approach to “New Nordic” cooking—small dishes carefully constructed with seasonal, local ingredients. Reservations are smart (€19-24 main courses, €70 tasting menu, Mon-Sat 18:00-23:00, closed Sun, Mere Puiestee 6E—enter from the parking lot around back, tel. 661-6150, www.restoran-o.ee).
Road Food, tucked on a tiny lane immediately behind the Town Hall Tower, has some of the best cheap eats in the city. A branch of the Olde Hansa food empire, this sandwich shop serves up an excellent, quick taste of Estonia, stuffing its €4-5 sandwiches with local meats and sauces. It’s attached to a well-stocked beer and wine shop, making it easy to browse for the perfect drink to wash things down (daily 11:00-24:00, shorter hours off-season, Vanaturo kael 8).
Eat, a laid-back, cellar-level student hangout with a big foosball table and a book exchange, serves the best-value lunch in town. Its menu is very simple: three varieties of pelmeenid (dumplings), plus sauces, beet salad, and pickles. You dish up what you like and pay by weight (€2-3/big bowl). Ask for an education in the various dumplings and sauces and then go for the complete experience. Enjoy with abandon—you can’t spend much money here, and you’ll feel good stoking their business (Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00, closed Sun, Sauna 2, tel. 644-0029).
At the Outdoor Market: Balti Jaama Kohvik, at the end of the train station near the Balti Jaam Market, is an unimpressive-looking 24-hour diner with no real sign (look for a faded red awning and Kohvik avatud 24 tundi—“café open 24 hours”—on the door; it’s actually built into the train-station building). The bustling stainless-steel kitchen cranks out traditional Russian/Estonian dishes—the cheapest hot food in town. While you won’t see or hear a word of English here, the glass case displays the various offerings and prices (€3 meals, €1.60 soups, dirt-cheap-yet-wonderful savory pancakes for less than €1, and tasty beljaš—a kind of pierogi). Unfortunately, the area feels sketchy after dark.
Supermarkets: For picnic supplies, try the Rimi supermarket just outside the Old Town at Aia 7, near the Viru Gate (daily 8:00-22:00). A larger, more upscale supermarket in the basement of the Viru Keskus mall (directly behind Hotel Viru) has convenient, inexpensive takeaway meals (daily 9:00-21:00). The handy little Kolmjag “Everything” grocery is a block off Town Hall Square (daily 24 hours, Pikk 11, tel. 631-1511).
The Maiasmokk (“Sweet Tooth”) café and pastry shop, founded in 1864, is the grande dame of Tallinn cafés—ideal for dessert or breakfast. Even through the Soviet days, this was the place for a good pastry or a glass of herby Tallinn schnapps (“Vana Tallinn”). Point to what you want from the selection of classic local pastries at the counter, and sit down for breakfast (€3 omelets) or coffee on the other side of the shop. Everything’s reasonable (Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat 9:00-21:00, Sun 9:00-20:00, Pikk 16, across from church with old clock, tel. 646-4079). They also have a marzipan shop (separate entrance).
Pierre Chocolaterie at Vene 6 has scrumptious fresh pralines, sandwiches, and coffee in a courtyard filled with craft shops (also €5-8 light meals, daily 8:30-late, tel. 641-8061).
The bus is usually the best way to travel by land from Tallinn (for domestic bus schedules, see www.tpilet.ee). The largest operator, with the most departures, is Lux Express (tel. 680-0909, www.luxexpress.ee); there’s also Ecolines (tel. 614-3600 or mobile 5637-7997, www.ecolines.net) and the spiffy Hansabuss (with onboard Wi-Fi, tel. 627-9080, www.hansabuss.ee). The bus station (autobussijaam) is at Lastekodu 46, a short taxi ride from the Old Town, or a few stops on trams #2 or #4 to the Autobussijaam stop (direction: Ülemiste). Not much English is spoken at the station; reserving online is recommended.
From Tallinn to: Rīga (12 buses/day, 4.5 hours, no train option; consider Tallinn Traveller Tours’ “sightseeing shuttle” between these cities, a full-day, 12-hour journey with sightseeing stops en route—see “Tours in Tallinn,” earlier), Vilnius (3 buses/day departing in the morning, plus 3/day overnight, 10 hours), St. Petersburg (buses nearly hourly, 6.5-8 hours; also possible by overnight cruise—about 1/week, 14.5 hours, www.stpeterline.com), Moscow (take the overnight train—daily at 17:20, 16-hour trip, www.gorail.ee—or fly). Americans and Canadians must obtain a visa to travel to Russia and need to plan long in advance (www.russianembassy.org or www.rusembassy.ca).
For the latest bus and train schedules, see the helpful binders at the TI or consult Tallinn in Your Pocket.
You have two basic options: A slow overnight boat ride from Stockholm, or a fast daytime boat from Helsinki.
Tallink Silja’s overnight cruise ships leave Stockholm at 17:30 or 17:45 every evening and arrive in Tallinn at 10:00 or 10:45 the next morning. Return trips leave Tallinn at 18:00 and arrive in Stockholm at 10:00 or 10:15. All times are local (Tallinn is an hour ahead of Stockholm). As with hotels, these cruises use “dynamic pricing” that flexes with demand. Fares vary by the day and season. The highest rates are typically for Friday and Saturday nights, and for the peak of summer (July-mid-Aug); outside of peak season, Sunday through Thursday nights tend to be cheaper. A one-way berth in a four-person, sex-segregated cabin with a private bath costs around €50; couples can travel in a private cabin for about €150-200. The smörgåsbord dinner and buffet breakfast cost extra (prebook these meals and reserve a table when buying your ticket). Book online (www.tallinksilja.com); booking by phone or in person may come with an extra charge, but they can answer questions for free (Swedish tel. 08/222-140, Estonian tel. 640-9808). Note that travelers below age 20 are not allowed on this cruise without a parent or guardian (for details, see the website).
Terminals: In Stockholm, Tallink Silja ships leave from the Värtahamnen harbor. To get there from downtown Stockholm, take the Tallink Silja shuttle bus from the train station (50 kr, departs according to boat schedule), or take the T-bana (subway) to the Gärdet station, then walk 10 minutes to the harbor. On Mondays through Saturdays, public bus #76 (direction: Ropsten) takes you directly to the terminal (leaves from several downtown locations, including Kungsträdgården; get off at Färjeterminalen stop). For Stockholm public transit information, see www.sl.se. In Tallinn, Tallink Silja ships dock at D-Terminal (see “Arrival in Tallinn,” earlier).
Four different companies—shown in the table on the next page—offer ferry trips between Helsinki and Tallinn. Fares run €20-55 one-way (evening departures from Helsinki and morning departures from Tallinn tend to be cheaper; student and senior discounts available). Their websites have all the latest information and prices. Advance reservations aren’t essential, but usually save a little money, ensure your choice of departure, and provide peace of mind. If you travel round-trip on the same day, your ticket will cost barely more than a one-way fare, but you’ll have just a few hours on shore. Prices differ only slightly from company to company—base your choice on the most convenient departure times and ferry terminal locations. Make sure you know which terminal your boat leaves from and how to get to it (for descriptions of Tallinn’s terminals, see “Arrival in Tallinn,” earlier).
Unless you’re bringing a car, the Linda and Viking lines are usually the most convenient, as their docks in Helsinki and Tallinn are easy to reach by foot or public transport. Linda Line uses 400-passenger, Australian-made catamarans that zip across the Gulf of Finland in just 1.5 hours (6-7/day March-Oct, 3-5/day Nov-Feb). Boats leave from the Makasiini terminal in Helsinki’s South Harbor (Eteläsatama), just five minutes’ walk from Market Square, and arrive in Tallinn at the Linnahall terminal. Catamarans lack the spacious party atmosphere of larger boats, and are slightly more expensive. Cancellations, which can occur in stormy conditions, rarely happen in summer; still, if you have a plane to catch, play it safe and take a regular ferry. Viking Line leaves from the other side of Helsinki’s South Harbor (Katajanokan terminal), and arrives at Tallinn’s A/B-Terminal. Viking offers a more traditional experience on a big ferry with restaurants and shops (2/day, 2.5-hour crossing, generally a few euros less than Linda Line).
Tallink Silja and Eckerö Line leave from the relatively inconvenient Länsi terminal at Helsinki’s West Harbor (Länsistama), which you can reach on tram #9 (catch it at Kamppi mall in downtown Helsinki; the terminal is the end of the line). At the other end of the journey, Tallink Silja uses Tallinn’s D-Terminal—the farthest from the Old Town, making it a bit less convenient but still walkable. On the other hand, Tallink Silja’s ferries are frequent and fast (6-7/day, 2-hour crossing). Eckerö Line has just two slow, inexpensive sailings per day (3.5-hour crossing).
Slower boats—all except Linda Line—have smörgåsbord buffets. The slower the boat, the more likely it is to be filled with “four-legged Finns” crazy about cheap booze, slot machines, and karaoke.