SteveA Short Introduction
Ever been to Tallinn? Ever heard of it? No? Not surprising really. Tallinn is one of those places that’s not very well advertised but is a real gem. Like a lot of European cities, Tallinn has an old town, and an impressive one at that. It’s not as easy as it once was to get there, but you should definitely add it to your bucket list. So here’s what to expect from the old town in Tallinn, as that’s where most of the action is!
Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. Estonia, like the other Baltic countries (Latvia/Lithuania) lies on the Baltic sea and up until relatively recently were part of Russia. Now they have their own independence, although a large proportion of the population is still Russian. Estonia adopted the Euro at the start of 2011, replacing the Kroon. This makes life a little easier.
Getting there
Here’s a more detailed post about how we travelled to Tallinn on our last visit. BA has now removed Tallinn from its schedule, so from the UK at least it is going to be Easyjet, Wizzair or Ryanair. Tallinn airport is international, but I’ve never seen any flights depart or arrive from across the pond. It seems to be exclusively used for European destinations, so you may well need to fly into London/Amsterdam/Helsinki/Stockholm and jump on a connecting flight if travelling from stateside. If you happen to be in Helsinki, there is a choice of excellent ferry services to Tallinn that take around 2 hours. A return ferry trip between Helsinki and Tallinn will cost between 50-100EUR depending on sailing time and which of the three operators you choose. Being in easy reach of Helsinki, this makes an excellent option for a twin-centre city break!
Tallinn’s old town
Tallinn is a beautiful city, and its history is its best attraction by a long way. Tallinn’s old town (Vanalinn, in Estonian) was constructed in the 13th century, and a large part of it is still standing. This medieval area is blessed with narrow cobbled streets, gothic-looking towers and buildings everywhere. The old town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, in order to promote and preserve the history.
What to see in the old town of Tallinn
The old town itself is quite small and does not really take too long to walk around, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to see! There’s some really cool stuff to discover. My advice? Try to visit in the winter. Yes, it’s cold, but there is something magical about exploring this medieval town when there is a chill in the air and a dusting of snow on the ground.
Explore on foot
Tallinn’s old town won’t take too long to explore on foot. It’s only about 280 acres in size which isn’t that much when you think about it. A couple of days should cover it if you want to really dig down into its nooks and crannies. Mind you, it can be hacked around in a day if time is short – or if you are on a shore visit from a cruise.
The old town has some large streets leading to the central point that is the town hall square. From there, it is a spider web of narrow alleys, tunnels and steps leading outwards to the town’s ancient walls. It can be surprisingly easy to get lost.
Handily there are plenty of signs in English and Estonian to help get you un-lost. The signs point out directions to the main attractions in the old town, and nothing is too far to walk from a central point. If you pass the perimeter walls you will be surrounded by grey concrete Soviet-era buildings that are not as pretty. Just turn around and head back.
The best part of exploring the old town on foot is finding your way around the small alleyways and finding where they lead to. Especially at night – it’s pretty spooky! Just be careful where you are walking. The streets are cobbled and can be slippy under frost and ice. Heels are not recommended either ladies!
One place worth seeking out is St Catherine’s passage. You will find this on Vene Street, and the passage cuts through to Müürivahe Tänav. It is filled with small craft stores and is the epitome of a medieval alleyway.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
This Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in Tallinn. The church can be found on Toompea Hill at the top of the old town. The tourist signs will direct you from the centre of the old town, but frankly, it’s hard to miss! It was built in 1900 when Estonia was part of the Russian empire and named after Alexander Nevsky. Alexander was the Prince of Novgorod, and famously fought in the battles against German crusaders in the 13th century.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is just a 10-minute walk from the town hall square in the old town and is free to enter. In addition to the onion-shaped domes on the outside, the interior is also beautifully designed and filled with ornate decoration.
Old town walls and towers
In my view, the main attraction of the old town is the walls and towers that surround it. Parts of these were built during the 13th century and are still standing to this day. Some of these walls and towers are available to visit for a fee.
We climbed Hellemann Tower for the princely sum of 4EUR each and got to walk along part of the old walls as well. Also worth a visit is Kiek in de Kök artillery tower (12EUR per adult) and the Bastion passages (8EUR per adult) that run underneath. If you’re still hankering for a bit more medieval history, you can check out Maiden’s tower! (10EUR per adult). The museums really give a feel for how life was several hundred years ago, and are definitely recommended.
Now is a good time to mention that you can buy a Tallinn Card that will offer reduced or free entrance to many of the attractions in and around the old town. We didn’t bother on our trip, and it wasn’t until we were halfway through our 3-day visit we realised it would have saved us some money!
Danish King’s Garden
The Danish King’s Garden is right by St. Nicholas church by Toompea Hill. Apparently, this is where the Danish flag fell from the sky in the 13th century and inspired the Danes to defeat the Estonians in battle.
The park itself is quite small, and right next to the old town walls. The most interesting feature of the garden is there are three monk statues dotted around the garden. The faceless monks look very creepy and are well over 2m in height.
The statues are made of bronze and are actually only a few years old. The statues represent the praying monk, the waiting monk and the observing monk.
Shopping!
Like many popular tourist areas, the old town of Tallinn has plenty of shops to while away the time in. Aside from the usual souvenir shops, there are also some quirky things you can buy here. One thing that amazed me was the amount shops selling jewellery made of Amber! Amber tends to come from neighbouring areas like Lithuania, but it doesn’t matter really. One other thing that stood out was some fabulous cake shops. Cake isn’t really my thing, but they looked pretty in the display cabinets and there were lots of happy faces inside the shops!
The other things you will see everywhere are the matryoshka dolls, given the Russian history in Tallinn. Aside from that, there are some apparel shops selling most of what you would expect. Lots of cold weather gear mainly! A quick word of warning, and that is you will see real fur items for sale here. A lot of people don’t agree with the fur trade (myself included) but it is popular in the Baltic countries. There is a large shopping centre just outside the old town that has plenty of shops (although not many brands I’d heard of before!).
KGB Headquarters
The old KGB Headquarters and prison cells are to be found on the corner of Pikk and Pagari streets in the old town in Tallinn. It’s now a dark museum given the theme of the past Soviet oppression. Enemies of the state were interrogated here and it wasn’t pretty! You can only imagine what went on inside years ago.
There is a memorial plaque outside the building (pictured below) that reads “Here was the headquarters of the repressive body of the Soviet occupation power. This is where the path of the suffering of thousands of Estonians began” (thanks Google Translate!).
If you fancy checking it out the entrance fee is 5EUR for adults, and is an interesting hour of your time. It’s great to learn about the history of countries as it really helps you to understand their cultures.
Viewing platforms
The old town is blessed with some brilliant spots for viewing the old town from a height! From there you can get a real feel for the size and shape of the town, not to mention the amazing orangy-red coloured buildings.
Two of the best viewing spots are Kohtuosa and Patkuli viewing platforms. You can definitely get some Instagram worthy shots here. Both of these viewing platforms are free, but you may have to wait your turn to get that perfect shot!
Another good viewing spot is to climb the tower at St. Olaf’s Church. Tickets for this experience cost 5EUR, but unfortunately, the tower is closed during the winter months.
Christmas market
Where do I start! Amy and I have been to many Christmas markets in Europe and the one in Tallinn is by far the best!
The Christmas market is located in the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) which is the central point of the old town in Tallinn. It’s not the biggest market we’ve been to, but it seemed to have the best atmosphere and felt very authentic. We did not see much tourist tat here, rather local craft items, clothes and plenty of food and drink stalls!
The market is open from 26th November to 2nd January 2022, from 12pm to 7pm every day. It really does have a genuine Christmassy feel, and I can’t begin to tell you how good the smell of food and Glögg in the air is! (more on that later). This was a real highlight of our last visit to the old town in Tallinn.
Bars and Restaurants
I said earlier that the old town is relatively small, but there are still plenty of bars and restaurants to be found. There is a great mix of tourist places as well as more ‘authentic’ ones. I would say that even the tourist places don’t feel that touristy.
Restaurants
One of the most popular restaurants is Olde Hansa, right by the town hall square. There always seems to be some kind of fire outside of the restaurant, and someone in medieval dress offering menus to passers-by. It boasts a renowned authentic medieval experience, and our difficulty in getting a reservation seemed to confirm this. Another popular option opposite is Peppersack. Both offer traditional Estonian food from medieval times. Most of the pubs and bars in Tallinn serve a mix of traditional and international food. There are also the staple British options of Pizza, Chinese and Indian restaurants to be found.
And Bars!
There are lots of pubs and bars in the old town in Tallinn. Some of these are spotted easily and others are in darkened alleyways or even underground in a cave! We didn’t have time to visit them all (and we’re not alchies either!) but we can certainly recommend a few. Hell Hunt is a pub that’s to be found on a street called Pikk. It’s a lively and boisterous place, with great music, lots of beers, and pretty much every spirit you can think of. They even have their own light and dark beer. Prices are keen and they serve food into the small hours as well.
If you’re into New Wave or Electro Rock music (or are of a certain age!) then you will have certainly heard of Depeche Mode. The DM Baar on Voorimehe in the old town is famous the world over to Mode fans, and exclusively plays Depeche Mode tracks all night inside. Members of the band have frequented the bar, as have other celebrities. Amy wasn’t that keen on the band before Tallinn, but after plying her with Enjoy the Silence cocktails for an evening she finally ‘got it’. She’s now a true fan! The bar is partially underground in what appears to be a hollowed-out cave and has plenty of space to cater for the masses who flock there. An excellent night out!
I could write for hours about all of the cool places to eat and drink in the old town, but I’ll make this the last one! III Draakon is to be found right in the middle of the old town square, in a small part of the town hall itself. It is a medieval tavern, selling snacks and drinks from times of old. There are no reservations here, and usually, a queue to get in. They offer the basics like wine and beer, and you can also choose a schnapps if you’re feeling brave. Dimly lit by candlelight, it’s a really quirky place but lots of fun. Perfect for the end of a night!
Glögg
Mostly during the festive season, you can find small stalls dotted around the old town selling something called Glögg. Don’t be afraid, it basically mulled wine which is popular in European cities at this time of year.
I may have already mentioned that Tallinn is a cold city in the wintertime, so sipping some Glögg as you wander the streets helps keep the cold at bay! Not to mention that it is delicious, as well as being quite cheap!
Lots of European cities have their version of mulled wine for sale around Christmas time. One thing I’ve noticed is that the stuff in Tallinn seems to be about half the price of other places I’ve visited in Europe!
Wrapping up
So how long do you think you need to explore the old town in Tallinn? Forgetting pub crawls, a couple of days should do it. There’s loads to see and do in the old town of Tallinn. Everything is easily walkable and you would be surprised how much you can fit into a day’s wandering! That said, in the winter it starts getting dark at around 3pm so plan your time carefully. Let me know if there’s anything I missed in the comments.
Don’t forget to read my other posts about Tallinn whilst you’re here!
