That is my vision of what you can see in Tallinn if you visit for a few days. I’d say that the minimum amount of nights in Tallinn must be 2-3 nights. It is pretty good for tourism: vibrant, controversial in some parts, historical, and has some entertainment to offer. Most of the things you must see are very compactly placed. I lived in Tallinn for 32 years before moving to Finland. I guided my guests in Tallinn for about 10 years. This guide is written for my friends coming to Tallinn from Finland, but for 98% of information that suits everyone.
If you will like my guide, buy me a coffee!
Let’s start by comparing all three ferry companies and choose your carrier from Tallink Silja Line (link), Eckerö Line (link), and Viking Line (link). Always use their websites directly and never international aggregator websites. Register as a client for the desired option to have a client price and collect bonuses. Finnish S-kortti might give some bonuses for Viking Line and Eckerö. To compare timetables, you may use Laevapiletid website, but always buy directly from the company and log in as a user.
Tallinn city center for the next 2-3 years is a road construction nightmare, so avoid driving there in all possible ways. You will come to A or D terminals and might spend some time in a traffic jam. When you return to Finland, don’t be late for your ferry. Fortunately, there is nothing special to see in the construction zone. All tickets contain information about arrival to the harbor and deadlines for check-in and departure. Always have all the travel documents you need, especially if you are not an EU citizen. Taxis are useless, too: Old Town is a 10-minute walk from there. But Bolt (link), Uber (link), and Forus (link) applications are the way to go if you want to use a taxi.
I always started my tours with guests from the Victims of Communism Memorial (Pirita tee 78, Tallinn, link). The way to go to understand the effect of Soviet occupation, which caused traumas, still carried until today and will affect people for subsequent generations. Free parking, scenic view of the Tallinn skyline and sea. Walk in between the walls, and then, in the end, turn to the right and observe the monument from the open side.
The Pirita promenade (link) is close to that place and goes to the city center. Remember to see Kadriorg (link) at the presidential palace, which feels surprisingly tiny for most visitors.
Estonian Open Air Museum (Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum, link) is a place to go. Expect to spend a few hours in the museum where they collected original buildings from the entire country and rebuilt them as one city. Located in the western part of Tallinn, it has a restaurant inside. I suggest going in good weather. Rocca al Mare promenade lies there as well (link).
On the other side of Tallinn, in the Eastern part, is the TV tower (link), another part of history. If the weather is good, you can get up and see Finland from there if you are already homesick. The museum is there as well. The botanic garden is a few steps away.
Let’s go to the city center and particularly Old Town. To understand parking, use parkimine.ee, but I can suggest some places to leave your car. Paadi 4 & 6a zone YT12 is good if you, Tuukri 1a zone YT4 is close to that. Still, I’m not sure they are accessible due to road construction. Pärnu maantee 22 parking houses might be pricey, but they are also very well located and always have free space. If you are living in a hotel with parking, you will cover your parking problems. We stayed in Tallinn at the Hotel L’Ermitage (Toompuiestee 19) and can suggest it if staying in hotels will not endanger your trip budget. To save money, here is the network of good hostels: https://16eur.ee/. Be ready that “Tallinn is cheap” is an outdated meme. I ate cheaper in Helsinki restaurants than in Tallinn.
In the Old Town, you can walk for an entire day, especially if you have a good guide. It consists of two parts, lower and upper town. I suggest starting from Freedom Square with the Independence War Monument held in 1918-1920. It finished with the Treaty of Tartu (02.02.1920) and sealed Estonian independence. Entering Old Town by Harju Street on the left side, you will see memorial plaques about the brutal bombing of Tallinn in World War II, which happened in March of 1944 and destroyed 30% of housing. The Soviet side never recognized that act of “liberating” Estonia from German troops. During the same period, the historical part of Narva vanished utterly.
Proceed to the same street, and shortly, you will get to the Old Town Square with Tallinn Town Hall. You can find an authentic and constantly affordable place worth visiting, Three Dragons (in the Town Hall cellar). Be sure that you will discover Raeapteek (Pharmacy). It has worked since 1422 and has had a free exhibition. Avoid other bars and restaurants at Old Town’s central square: crazy prices and low quality.
Proceed to the upper town, using the street Pikk jalg, and you will come to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in front of the Estonian Parliament. The cathedral was built in 1900 during the Russification and was disliked by many Estonians as a symbol of oppression. The Parliament is part of the Toompea Fortress, created by order of the Sword Brothers in 1229 on the southwestern slope of the Toompea cliff range, and from 1238, the Danes continued to make these defensive structures.
Proceed to the Bishop’s Garden viewing platform. If St Mary’s Cathedral (Toomkirik) is open, visit it to see beautiful wooden coats of arms of the noble families of the past. Afterward, go to the Patkuli and Kohtuotsa viewing platforms, respectively. When you are back in the lower part of town, visit Oleviste church, where you can see a viewing platform from April until the end of November. That was the tallest building in the World in the XVI century.
Additionally, I recommend visiting the Estonian War Museum in Viimsi (link) and Lennusadam with possible museum add-ons (link).
To see variable styles of architecture, here is a short guide to districts. The city center (Kesklinn) mixes everything from middle-age, like Old Town, to neo-architecture, like Rotermanni quarter. Mustamäe is 60-70-s Soviet constructivism with well-planned wide streets and parks. Lasnamäe is a late ’80s panel nightmare from depressive films. However, it has Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (Narva maantee 95) that is closer to the central part of Tallinn, the place of the Estonian singing revolution. Pirita is a private sector that widened through the coastline, slightly changing to Viimsi, a separate municipality. On the other side of the city, Nõmme might be discovered, once an independent town but eaten by Tallinn 50 years ago. At the end of the XIX century, the landowner Nikolai von Glehn built the magnificent Glehn Castle on a hillside with a beautiful view. Later, he added a lovely park. Many trees and shrubs were planted in the garden, and alleys and roads were built. Haabersti, including a round-shaped Väike-Õismäe, is a good example of a late-Soviet panel district planning.
Food, drinks, etc.:
- Ramens and Japanese kitchen with wines in Kagerou, Uus 33 (link)
- Grenka: simple, honest, and healthy food that tastes like home, Pärnu maantee 76 (link), is just a few tram stops from the Old Town
- The best pizzeria in the country is Kaja Pizza, Õle 33 (link)
- Pierre Chocolaterie, Vene 6, gives you magnificent sweets and a great atmosphere (link).
- High-quality cigars and whiskeys, The Oak Lounge, Dunkri 2 (link)
- The fastest and best wraps are in Shaurma Kebab Telliskivi, Telliskivi 60.
- Røst is the best coffee in the city, Rotermanni 14 (link).
- Good beer and shisha in Hookahplace Tallinn, Gonsiori 12 (FB, IG, Tripadvisor).
- Dagestanian kitchen in family restaurant Kurze, Kopli 23 (link). It’s almost always packed, but it’s still working fast. Looking from the outside, you can’t even understand that there is something so good, as it does not look fancy.
- People always love Olde Hansa, Vana Turg 1 (https://www.oldehansa.ee), an expensive medieval restaurant.
Food ordering: Wolt (register here and claim your bonus) and Bolt applications.
You are preparing to load your leisured (or exhausted?) bodies to the ship. Shops at Mere puiestee 6 and Lootsi 8 (link) are the last places to visit if you are interested in particular products. If you still have power, Liviko Distillery at Lastekodu 45 can offer you a distillery tour (link), and they have their shop too.
Of course, you can always stock your alcohol at the ship directly if interested. Remember the maximum amounts of alcohol permitted between EU countries.
The guide’s last update: 29.07.2024
