Tallinn - The Baltic Treasure

Tallinn Old Town

One of Europe’s lesser-known treasures, the 13th century city of Tallinn contains quite simply one of the most spectacular historical old towns in Europe. Flanking the Baltic Sea makes the Estonian capital a major draw for cruises and for ferry-riding visitors from Finland. And no wonder. This is a deeply impressive place. Its unique blend of Nordic and Soviet architecture and history is beguiling.

Some of its beautiful buildings include the Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, with its gorgeous red and white walls and dark domes. There are also the stunning gardens of the Kadriorg Art Museum. The pastel coloured buildings either side of its cobbled streets make this Old Town one of the most picturesque places to be. These are highly visible in the main Raekoja Plats, with its pretty cafes. 

Towers Square is one of the most distinctive sights of this city, with its green, leafy park and grey, circular towers. The views from Toomkirk are also quite striking. 

However, the best views of this simply stunning place are from St Olaf’s Tower, which has 360 degree views of the entire place.

This is a small, eminently walkable city, which is a brilliant port to visit on a cruise and a relaxing, lower budget Baltic state to visit, rarely crowded outside of the Old Town.

It might not be on your bucket list yet but we absolutely recommend it.

How to get there

Kadriorg Art Museum

It’s very easy to get to Tallinn. As well as its well-connected airport, there is also a cruise port and a train station with connections to Lithuania and Latvia. It’s also possible to take a train from Poland and change in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, before taking the onward connection to Tallinn.

As well as the cruise port, Tallink Ferries has a ferry/mini-cruise from Helsinki and Stockholm which is pretty good value.

Tower in Tallinn Old Town

How we did it

We flew into Tallinn from Helsinki on a small propeller Finnair flight. That was quite a noisy, nerve-wracking flight, even if it was less than an hour long. We took the Tallink ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm in Sweden to visit three countries in one holiday.

Our Top Tips

Raekoja Plats

• While Tallinn is a superb destination for cruises, the one issue is that the Old Town is small and becomes very crowded when larger cruise ships are in town. Staying here for a few days and going into the Old Town, in particular up to the top of St Olaf’s Tower, before the cruise ships arrive provides the best experience and pictures.

• Tallinn is not expensive when compared to the Scandinavian cities, but isn’t the cheapest place. The Old Town in particular is more expensive than the rest of the city. It’s sometimes cheaper simply to leave the Old Town and cross the road.

• There is a lot more to see in Estonia than just Tallinn, and throughout the other Baltic states too. Don’t restrict yourself to just this city. There is a lot more to see.