Introducing Tallinn
Medieval Tallinn |
I (Sarah) had had the pretty Estonian capital of Tallinn on my wish list for a number of years after a former housemate had headed off to the Baltic state for a short break. I had looked at photos of the walled and turreted old town and my wanderlust was ignited!
St Catherine’s passage |
As the 2015 long Easter weekend approached, I was searching for cheap flights for a short break and Tallinn kept coming up. So now was the time!
About Estonia
Tallinn’s tourists
When the Finns first started coming in the 1970s, a new hotel was built to accommodate them. Soviet Estonia wanted to control where they stayed and also listen in on their conversations. The Viru hotel – a high rise just outside the city walls – had a secret top floor where the KGB had offices to listen in to the bugged rooms and restaurants. It has now been turned into a museum, which you can visit with a guide for 10 euros. It’s an interesting tour – the guide has some great quips and anecdotes about Soviet Estonia to share.
Inside the KGB museum |
In the recent years, the cheap alcohol has also attracted stag and hen parties. These groups combined with the Finns mean that its quite usual to see a drunken tourist stumbling around town at midday. Don’t let them put you off though! They are fairly easily avoided.
Tallinn’s weather
The warmest it gets is the mid-20s in July, while it can be as cold as -10C or even -20C in the winter. Whatever time of the year you visit, make sure you take warm clothes!
Tallinn’s old town
Town hall building |
And walking around the old town, admiring the medieval architecture is worth a good day or two of your time. We particularly enjoyed walking along the city’s walls, visiting the oldest pharmacy in Estonia (and Europe?) and viewing the town from up high on Toompea hill.
Gateway into the old town |
We’d particularly recommend taking the free walking tour around Tallinn that meets everyday at midday outside the tourist information office, near the Town Hall square. It helps you get your bearings, a good overview of Estonian history and makes sure you see the key landmarks!
Walking along the city walls – St Olaf’s church is in the distance |
Kalamaja
Colourful ‘fish houses’ |
We chose to stay in the Kalamaja area – known for its distinctive ‘fish house’ buildings (fish house is the direct translation of Kalamaja). We booked a lovely Air BnB loft apartment in the area, which was perfect for our long weekend getaway.
Set to work inside the minesweeper |
Outside the museum, in the harbour is an icebreaker ship, which is also interesting to explore.
Food and drink
Traditionally, Estonian meals were based around meat and potatoes, but this is no more! As a vegetarian I was pleasantly surprised by the good range of veggie options in Tallinn. You can read more here. For meat fans, there are a number of medieval themed restaurants in Tallinn for you to try elk and wild boar or even bear!
Schnapps and beer at a medieval restaurant |
We were also pleased to find a good range of craft beers, including local Estonian beers. There was a great bar in the Telliskivi complex, with a very wide selection. Nearby was a well stocked shop, selling beer and wine with a very knowledgeable staff member who helped advise us in which beers to take home as souvenirs. Try something from the Pohjala brewery, if only for the interesting labels!
A beer-ey souvenir |
While in Tallinn, you also need to try the local liquor Vana Tallinn. It’s a rum based liquor, infused with citrus, cinnamon and vanilla. It has a herby taste and is incredibly warming on a cold Estonian day.
Vana Tallinn |
Have you been to Tallinn? Did you see anymore of Estonia? What did you think?
Related Posts
Being Vegetarian in Tallinn
Drinking craft beer in Tallinn
KGB Museum – a short review
10 thoughts on “Introducing Tallinn”
Lovely overview – so great you enjoyed your stay in Tallinn. Allow me to just point out that it's Telliskivi complex (not Telliviski) you're talking about 🙂 It means basically stone brick in translation.
Eek – I thought I looked that up too. Will change it now!
so cute – funnily "Telli viski" means "order a whisky" 🙂
In the summer, the lovely beach of Pirita, bordered by a small pine forest, is just 10 minutes away, served by 3 bus lines (running each 10 minutes from the main bus station). There, you can walk on the white sand beach and swim in the (cool) Baltic sea, watching the old town skyline in the background.
The other Baltic capitals (Vilnius ant Riga) are a must. A drive around the 3 Baltic country can easily be done in 8 days, at a leisure pace.
Hey there! Interesting post! I'm planning to go to Tallinn this Summer! Looks amazing!
And welcome to my city – Riga!
Latvian <3
Ha! Maybe that was what I really wanted to say! And now I know some more Estonian! Aitäh
That sounds lovely! We'll have to go back in the summer and it will be warmer!
Love the idea of a Baltic road trip … I've heard great things about Riga and Vilnius too
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did – and check out the beach mentioned in comment above!
We went to Tallinn back in March, but only for two days – we would have loved to do the KGB Museum & Tallinn Legends but we just didn’t have enough time. We definitely want to go back & also explore Estonia's fabulously green countryside!
Well, there's always next time! We'd love to explore more of Estonia too and the Baltics more widely. Lovely bit of the world