With all of the travel guides and blogs out there, it can be hard to really gauge what cities are “must-sees” and which are “maybes.” Every city speaks to someone in some fashion and they will tell you how the city has something that is one of a kind, or they’ve never seen before. I know people have said those things about Tallinn, Estonia, but I am not going to be one of them.
To be clear, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Tallinn. The city is charming and quaint, the people are nice, the streets are clean and the architecture is, European. If we had days to spend in the city, I am sure I could become an expert on all things Tallinn by going from one museum to the other but we only had one short day there. I just didn’t find anything that awed or excited me the way I have in several other cities, although the fact that they are top 10 in the world for free-wifi throughout the city is pretty impressive—and convenient!
I’m not going to talk you out of Tallinn, just share the easy itinerary we had to simply relax and take our time in Tallinn!
One of my favorite things to do in every city is to find the spots with the best views. For Tallinn, they don’t get much better than St Olav’s Spire. Once the tallest structure in the world (a long time ago, like the 16-1700s), the spire has been re-built a few times after being struck by lightning 8 times and burning down 3 times. Luckily we were there on a clear day so no chance of a #9. The church itself is simple so we just paid the $3 and went straight to the top. This is definitely one of the best ways to see the Old Town and the red roofs of the city.
Tip: Try and get there at 10:00, right when it opens to beat the line. We were the third ones up but by the time we were leaving, a line was starting to form and I can only imagine how difficult and slow the journey is when you have people packed going up and down on stairs that are built for a single person.
On a non-stop cruise of day trips and different countries, Tallinn was a chance to catch our breath and just relax. We had no real places we were dying to visit there so we really just took our time and wandered around the Medieval City. We chose to just make the 15 min walk to the city from the cruise port and wander from there, but, if you are looking to pack in the sights with a short amount of time, the Hop-On Hop-Off bus is a great option. They also have easy public transportation that you can get the Tallinn Card for that also offers you discounts on the top attractions!
The Old Town in Tallinn is the quaintest area of the city, and where you will probably spend most of your time. The streets are narrow but lined with shops and the city is framed with the old “gates” of its past that really give you the sense of walking back in time. The Town Hall Square is at the center of the Old Town and is packed with cafes to grab lunch or a drink. They regularly hold markets in the square and we lucked out that there was one our day so we could shop some local products. Amber is really big in the Baltic states so we found some nice pieces of jewelry and even found some trivets made of delicious smelling juniper wood (also a product of Estonia) with amber in the center.
As with every European city, there is always a cathedral (or two) listed as a top tourist attraction. For Tallinn, after the views from St Olav’s it was the views of St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox church. If you had shown me a photo and told me it was in Russia, I would totally believe you. Interesting fact about Russian Orthodox churches is that they don’t have pews in them! Apparently, they stand for the entire mass!
Directly across from the cathedral is Toompea Castle, aka the current parliament building. The “castle” has different façades, ranging from Medieval to Baroque, and two towers with some serious significance! Tradition dictates that whichever nation flies its flag over one of the towers (called Pikk Hermann) also rules Estonia. Each day at sunrise the Estonian flag is raised above the tower to the tune of the national anthem. Love it!
The city is filled with small gems and surprises if you have time to wander. St Catherine’s passage (or Katariina Kaik) is one of them. A small narrow street where artists and craftsmen have had shops since the 15th century. The walls also happen to be lined with old gravestones!
Travel Tip
If you are sticking around or making a longer trip, visit Tallinn in conjunction with other cities and countries. You can take a 4 hour bus to Riga, Latvia or 2 hour ferry to Helsinki, Finland easily from the city.
Thanks for reading! Post your questions in the comments below!
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Kali