Tallinn, Estonia seems to be a new darling in the travel world, and I felt compelled to add it to our itinerary when visiting St Petersburg, Russia this month. Like another popular walled city, Dubrovnik, the Old Town of Tallinn has something of a Disney-esque, fairy-tale quality at first glance. In spite of a few kitschy, historically-garbed locals and an overabundance of souvenir shops with near-identical merchandise, Tallinn lives up to its accolades.
There are hundreds of perfect little shops, charming cobblestone streets, and dozens of appealing restaurant and lodging options, all concentrated in a small, very walkable area. And luckily, there is also some interesting history behind this picture-perfect façade. On the shores of the Baltic Sea, the Old Town started as a medieval trading city (then called Reval) in the 13th century and developed as a center of the Hanseatic League, a group of European trading cities.
Today, the stone walls and buildings are remarkably well preserved, and Tallinn’s Old Town is deservedly a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An upper town, called Toompea, sits above the Old Town on a limestone hill; now as in the past, this part of the city houses the administrative center of the city and country. The capital city’s current Parliament building is part of the original town castle here, and the impressive Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, among other structures, graces the hill overlooking the Old Town.
We were glad we jumped on a bus to see some other parts of Estonia’s capital. We passed first through City Center, which was not particularly noteworthy but offered a view of more modern-day Tallinn. A sizable chunk of the city’s inhabitants lives east of the city in a bedroom community called Lasnamäe; here there are very large, bland apartment blocks, many built in the ‘70s to the ‘90s, all anchored in a grim, multi-layered limestone shelf.
Circling back to town, we passed through Kadriorg, a beautiful old neighborhood of colorful wood villas dating back to the 19th century. Kadriorg Palace is yet another palace built for Catherine I of Russia by her husband Peter the Great; this one served as a summer retreat for the royal family and with its natural parkland and many museums, the Kadriorg area remains one of the wealthiest and most picturesque parts of Tallinn today. The Kalamaja neighborhood likewise features quaint painted wood buildings, but here in this gentrifying former fisherman’s area, the overall feel is shabby-chic, fun, and artsy. Home to many students, this part of town contains a number of hipster cafes and bars and is also an easy getaway from the throngs in Old Town.
Tallinn offers a tantalizing array of narrow, twisting streets, medieval towers and walls from which to view the city’s colorful rooftops, details like heavy wood doors and iron adornments, a vibrant Christmas market in the main town square, lively coffee shops and bars, a sparkling ice skating rink near the center of town, and dining options from upscale to simple local eateries.
Two days is plenty to take in all the city has to offer, but it definitely merits more than the day-tour stopover many people make it from Helsinki. If your travels take you to either St Petersburg or Helsinki, consider hopping a train or bus (6-7 hours from St Petersburg) or a ferry (2 hours from Helsinki) to this appealing old-world city.
abitofculture said:
Excellent photos. I’d have loved to see some snow, but when I went one November it was too early. I stayed three nights so did the city to death, but would love to return one day for more hot chocolate and culture!
LikeLiked by 1 person
lexklein said:
Thanks! I remember your post about Tallinn!
LikeLike
thirdeyemom said:
Beautiful! I would love to see this part of the world!
LikeLike
lexklein said:
Thanks! I seem to be on a global extremes kick recently – way south to the tip of southern Chile and then way north to Iceland and far northern Europe. I’m sure you would love seeing Russia and the Nordic countries, especially in contrast to your South American trip!
LikeLike
thirdeyemom said:
Oh I have to get there. I loved Iceland and southern Chile. Where is your next trip?
LikeLike
lexklein said:
Well, of course, I’m all over that question right now! Considering a trek in the Ladakh area of northern India this summer, or maybe Mongolia, or maybe a roam around SE Asia with my daughter, or … haha, my summer is a bit up in the air, but I’m sure there will be some off-the-beaten-path place in my near future! Meanwhile, I’m headed to Utah next weekend and Texas in both February and March …
LikeLike
Alison and Don said:
Oh it’s gorgeous! And so are your photos. Thank you. Now I wanna go there!
Alison
LikeLike
lexklein said:
Haha – you guys do that to me all the time! I’ve been on somewhat of a polar extremes kick lately, from the tip of southern Chile up to Iceland and now Russia and the Nordic countries … it’s time to work my way into the middle latitudes for a while next! And you can be sure I’ll be looking back at your posts to get ideas!
LikeLiked by 1 person
darwinontherocks said:
When I think about Tallinn, I can’t help but think about beautiful women and strip clubs. I’ve heard many stories of my male friends about that, but I would never had imagined it was such a cute and beautiful town.
LikeLike
lexklein said:
That is definitely its old reputation, from what I’ve read. I think summer weekends are still noisy and there’s lots of bachelor revelry, in part because it’s only a 50-mile ferry ride from Finland and things are much less expensive there. But during the week in the winter, it was perfectly tame! (And I think its still very charming in the summer!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
darwinontherocks said:
It’s good to know,. It looks really lovely and I would like to visit 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Laura said:
Glad to see you enjoyed my home town 🙂 Summer is indeed very busy with tourists, but it´s worth to visit countryside, the nature is lovely.
LikeLike
lexklein said:
Yes, I was kind of glad to be in Helsinki at a non-peak time, but I must get back and see the outdoors in better weather someday!
LikeLike
lexklein said:
Oops, I meant Tallinn! But really I was glad to see both cities in the off-season; everything was very cozy and peaceful.
LikeLike