What do you think of Tallinn? It’s possible that you currently know little about this compact city, the capital of Estonia — but that would be your loss.
In fact, if you do drop by Tallinn, you could be pleasantly surprised by the cosmopolitan range of attractions you see there. Want to sample some history? Sport? Culture?
It’s all there in Tallinn. Here is a rundown of various things you need to know about this overlooked gem before you visit it.
You can Cover a Lot of Ground in a Short Space of Time
One major advantage of vacationing in a city as small as Tallinn is that it doesn’t have to take you too long to sample a lot of what the city has to offer.
Mike Clegg of the Travel and Destinations website enthuses: “Within 24-48 hours you can easily see historic buildings and architecture, museums, viewpoints and more.”
You can speed up the process even more if you invest in a Tallinn Card, which will provide you with free admission to many attractions in the city.
Some of the Best-Loved Attractions in Tallinn
Where should you start exploring Tallinn? Clegg recommends the city’s Old Town Square, where you can walk along old cobbled streets on your way to the sumptuous building of Tallinn Town Hall and, during the festive season, market stalls and rides.
Several remnants of the Old Tallinn Wall remain around the Old Town, while Tallinn City Museum is also revelatory about the city’s history. Culture Trip outlines other must-see Tallinn attractions, including Kadriorg Park and Tallinn Zoo.
Where Should you Replenish Yourself in Tallinn?
You are unlikely to find yourself struggling in your attempt to find a Tallinn restaurant that serves delicious food in a wonderful atmosphere.
That atmosphere will be purposefully medieval if you have breakfast at Piperack Restaurant, where the décor and staff attire are in the style of this historical period.
Meanwhile, the dishes available at Rataskaevu 16 include pumpkin soup, grilled pork tenderloin and potato cake. If you are more of a coffee-and-cake person, then head over to Maiasmokk Kohvik, the city’s oldest café.
Where Should you Stay in Tallinn?
Reassuringly, Tallinn has hotel options that cover a wide range of price brackets. For example, if you are on a budget, you could book a room at United Backpackers Hostel, which is just a short walk away from the Old Town.
Also within walking distance of the Old Town is Radisson Blu Sky Hotel, which is at the luxury end of the scale.
How Should you Make your Way to Tallinn?
You could travel to Tallinn by air by landing into Tallinn Airport before using a bus to get closer to where you intend to begin properly sampling the Estonian capital’s delights.
Alternatively, you could book one of the P&O cruises that go to Tallinn. Imagine how much enjoyment you could get out of travelling on a cruise ship that would stop at not only Tallinn but also a number of other European settlements.
