When I was exploring the Baltics, Tallinn made sense to be added in after Riga and Vilnius. It meant I could tick off all of the Baltics in one trip so I was seeing a lot of places for not a lot of money, and avoiding flying as much as possible too. I ended up getting a night bus from Vilnius through to Tallinn via Riga, and when I booked it I felt like a genius, avoiding paying for a hotel for the night. I’ve written about my night bus experience if you want to hear more about that-definitely read the post if you’re thinking about doing it! *This post has actually been written two years after my trip, but the information within it is accurate as of the day this was posted*
Estonia, like the rest of the Baltics, was somewhere I knew next to nothing about, so I did a bit of research to make sure I could see as much as possible during my time in the Tallinn. Spending a day in Tallinn (well, more like two, but with the amount of rests I take, a healthy person could do the same in a day) did give me enough time to get a good feel for the city and I don’t feel a burning desire to go back, at this point. I did, however, learn that my method of doing a bit of research and then winging it meant I miss really cool photo opportunities, as you’ll find out!
Start up high
Tallinn has a few different spots to see the city from above it’s rooftops, and I messed up slightly when choosing mine. There’s two that are well known for Instagram shots because they’ve got a bit of street art to add to the shot, and I managed to miss both. Kohtuotsa, or ‘The Times We Had’ wall, I didn’t even know about until I’d left the city, and I’m gutted-the wording on the wall would make for a really nice photo. The Danish Kings Garden is another with graffiti wording, this time ‘breathe baby’ and, you guessed it, I missed this too. Perhaps I should write my posts before I actually visit the cities, in future? The two viewpoints I did visit were lovely though and the views from up there were gorgeous-lots of red rooftops and pretty buildings, although it was VERY windy-I’m glad my camera was around my neck or I would’ve lost it for sure.
Wander the Old Town
Every city’s old town is my favourite part, and Tallinn’s was a big highlight of the city for me. Medieval 14th and 15th centure architecture, gorgeous stone buildings and those famous red roofs are beautiful. I actually stayed in the Old Town, near Viru Gate, which is the famous entrance to the old town, so I spent a lot of time just milling around exploring the old streets. There’s a lot of souvenir shops and places to eat here, and I find the Old Town is usually the prettiest part of any city. I’d recommend sitting in a pretty square with a coffee, watching the world go by.
Visit a museum or two
Tallinn isn’t short of museums and depending on what you’re into, you’re bound to find something of interest in the city. Kumu Art Museum is full of Estonian national art as well as some 18th and 19th century pieces, and from the website looks fantastic if you’re an art fan. If you prefer your art more modern, the Pop and Contemporary Art Museum, PoCo, looks great-way more my style.
I think it’s important to find out a bit more about the history of a place when I visit and if you do too, Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom and KGB Museum will be dark, but very important, places to learn what happened to Tallinn during the Soviet Occupation.
Tallinn has plenty more museums on offer too, so if none of the ones I’ve mentioned sound like your thing, have a look online for more options.
Consider onward travel
If you’re trying to add Tallinn onto a bigger trip, you’ve got a couple of easy options. A two and a half hour ferry will get you to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and this is by far the easiest way to get there. I’ve written about spending 48 hours in Helsinki so do head over to that post if you’re tempted by Finland. I booked my ferry via Direct Ferries and prices start from £20 per person depending on the time of your crossing. There were enough places to sit down, and I even got offered a beer from a very drunk Finnish man-I declined, as it was 11am!
Another onward travel option from Tallinn is Riga, the capital of Latvia. I absolutely loved Riga and I’ve written about spending a day in Riga too, if you want to find out more. I’d actually recommend three days to make the most of the city, including a trip to nearby seaside town Jurmala, which I’ve not yet managed to get to.
Have you ever been to Tallinn? Do you fancy visiting Estonia? Let me know in the comments
I like historical, old towns too and Tallin seems to have a lot of that. I find places like this are great for wandering around and seeming what you find I hope you get to go back to see the wall art as that does sound fun!