The city of Tallinn has stood at its current location on shores of the Baltic sea for over 800 years. During this time it has experienced multiple conquests and fended off would-be conquerors, been the target of a Crusade and a center of East-West commerce, survived over a dozen outbreaks of plague and centuries of tension between the upper and lower classes. At the crossroads between East and West, North and South, nestled between Germanic, Slavic and Baltic peoples, caught between religions and ideologies, this city has quite a few stories to tell.
Moreover:
Despite its small size, Tallinn offers plenty of attractions and activities to keep you coming back:
Moreover:
- You can always make do in English, though often the locals will also be able to communicate in either Russian, German or Finnish. Though Estonian is the official language and spoken by all local Estonian, most people speak at least one foreign language.
- Waiting staff speak English, menus are available in English, maps are available for free in multiple languages (including English).
- Most hotels are located are in or near the Old Town and city center. Same goes for hostels, AirB&Bs and guesthouses.
- Compared to West European cities, Tallinn is usually quite affordable.
- Thanks to its compact nature, the city center and Old Town are easy to access by foot, though Tallinn also has an expensive and easy to use public transport system as well.
Despite its small size, Tallinn offers plenty of attractions and activities to keep you coming back:
- You can explore the Old Town with its mix of Gothic, Renaissance, Art Deco and other forms of architecture while taking it its rich and varied history. Walk the city wall, climb the medieval towers, visit the oldest working pharmacy in Europe (it has been working at the same location since 1422!).
- Multiple cathedrals (e.g. Lutheran, Catholic and Russian Orthodox) offer you a chance to compare the multiple local religions.
- There are various museums offering classical art (both local and foreign). If those are not to your taste you can try the maritime museum in the Seaplane Hangars where you can board different vessels including a pre-WW2 British-made submarine of the Estonian navy. There are also multiple history museums, nature museums and even underground tunnels.
- Prefer fresh air? Try the Open Air Museum and find out how Estonians lived in the countryside centuries ago. Or maybe Tallinn's Zoo would be more to your liking. Either of these locations will offer you enough to see to take up half of you day, after which it is very easy to find a place either in or near these locales to find a place to sit down and enjoy a meal at a restaurant or cafe.
- Walk in Kadriorg Park, built by Peter the Great of Russia or along the seaside prominade of Pirita (both the park and the prominade are immediately next to each other and within easy reach of the city center)
- Go off the beaten path and discover Tallinn's hipster neighbourhood of Kalamaja with its old wooden houses, multiple summer events, street food festival, vintage stores and cozy cafes.
- Try the local cuisine! While Estonia has adopted a lot from Germanic, Slavic and Nordic cooking, we still maintain our own unique flavours and are more than happy to share them with you in any of the many traditional restaurants in Tallinn. Our tour guides are more than happy to point them out to you.
- Want something more familiar? Estonia has been plugged back into global society since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In terms of food we have it all - Indian, Sikh, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, French, Russian, German, Danish, Scottish, Georgian, Ukrainian, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, Texan and many more. The hardest part is deciding where to eat first.
- Tallinn's Old Town, city center and Kalamaja offer a wide variety of night life activities - clubs, pubs, bars, music, dancing, etc.
- Prefer something slightly more reserved? Why not spend the evening at one of our many theaters?
- Pirita beach is a pleasant sandy locale which attracts plenty of locals on sunny summer days. Enjoy the water, the cafes and the cocktails while there
- Or want to head out of Tallinn? We have you covered! Take a closer look at our excursions going out of the city here!
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