Tallinn is the small, yet incredibly charming capital of Estonia. Set right on the Baltic Sea, it has an Old Town that rivals any in Europe. Taste the local beer, get lost in the winding streets, and with additional time explore museums and a beautiful park.
Length: 1-2 days
Best Guide Book: Rick Steves
Currency: Euro
Day 1
- Explore old town Tallinn
- Optional free walking tour (every day at 12 pm, lasts 2 hours)
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats)
- Danish King’s Garden
- Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin
- Saint Olaf’s Church
- St. Nicholas’s Church
- Dinner – Rataskaevu 16, Lee Restoran, Rado, Von Krahl Aed
- Drinks – Koht, Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room, Hell Hunt, or Uus Laine (live music)
- Lodging – Rija Old Town Hotel, Hestia Hotel Barons, St Olav Hotel (night 1/2)
Day 2
- Kadriorg Park
- Afternoon options:
- Vabaõhumuuseum cultural museum
- Telliskivi neighborhood
- Dinner – Rataskaevu 16, Lee Restoran, Rado, Von Krahl Aed
- Drinks – Koht, Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room, Hell Hunt, or Uus Laine (live music)
In-Depth Itinerary
Day 1
Tallinn is a great city-escape, typically explored on a longer trip of Scandinavia. This Baltic nation has been independent since 1991 and its preserved Old Town is fairytale perfect. Full of towers, facades, ramparts, churches, quaint shops, and good restaurants, you’ll happily while away a day. It’s also a pretty cheap place to visit (often a nice relief after the rest of the nordic states). From Helsinki, it’s an easy 2 hour ferry ride to Tallinn.
Spend the day walking through Tallinn’s beautiful old town and exploring the shops, bakeries, and churches, including Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Holy Spirit Church (Püha Vaimu kogudus), Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin, Saint Olaf’s Church, St. Nicholas’s Church, Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats), and the Danish King’s Garden. Be sure to walk up to the Patkuli Viewing Platform for a picturesque overlook of Tallinn. Tallinn is known for its amber, so you may also want to visit some of the many local artisans selling amber wares.
Get dinner at Rataskaevu 16, Lee Restoran, Rado, or Von Krahl Aed. You might be tempted by Olde Hansa right in the old town square. This place has a medieval atmosphere (period clothing, dining by candlelight, and offering up “a decent bowl of elk soup” – yes, that’s the sign we saw outside), and while the food and drinks are good, it’s extremely touristy. After dinner, stroll back up to Patkuli for awesome views of the city at night. Finish your evening with a stop at Koht, Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room, or Hell Hunt for Estonian beer and or head further out to or Uus Laine for live music. The Baltics are well-known for their craft beer scene and you can’t leave without trying one.
Day 2
One day in Tallinn is enough to see the highlight: the Old Town, however with more time before your ferry, or with another day on a weekend trip, you can explore outside of that area.
Start your day with a visit to Kadriorg Park. 2 km east of Old Town, this lovely park is pleasant and wooded with excellent paths for strolling. A highlight of the park is the Baroque Kadriorg Palace built for the Russian tsar, Peter the Great after his conquest of Estonia in the Great Northern War. The park also houses the Kumu Art Museum which is the country’s largest collection of Estonian art.
You have some options for the afternoon, and while these are spaced out around the city, you could opt for one or multiple.
The Vabaõhumuuseum is Estonia’s large, open air cultural museum. It is filled with buildings from all over Estonia, placed together to create a reconstructed 18th-20th century rural fishing village and you can wander among a church, tavern, school, mills, and farmyards. The 14 farms demonstrate the life of different Estonians living throughout the centuries. If you visit in the winter, you can even explore it by horse and carriage.
The Telliskivi neighborhood is a very lively area in Tallinn. It started as a Soviet manufacturing base, however the factory buildings have been re-purposed into shops, restaurants, and work spaces for artists. Visit the Balti Jaama Turg farmer’s market, Telliskivi Creative City (former warehouses full of galleries, shops, and murals), grab lunch at F-hoone or Päästke Willy, and try local brews at St. Vitus Brewing.
Another option in the afternoon includes visiting the Seaplane Harbor . Seaplane Harbor is a maritime museum which was originally constructed for seaplanes for Peter the Great’s Naval fleet. Here you’ll find an interactive exhibition including a submarine called Lembit, a century-old icebreaker Suur Tõll, a seaplane called Short 184, and remains of the oldest ship found in Estonia.
If you have time for dinner, try a different place from the night before.
