Tallinn

Estonia·Europe

Currency

EUR

Language

Estonian

Timezone

Tallinn

Continent

Europe

Our guide

Discover Tallinn

Tallinn keeps one of the best-preserved medieval old towns in Europe, and it stands on two levels. Above, Toompea: Toompea Castle, seat of parliament, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its Orthodox domes planted there by the Russian empire in 1900, and the Pikk Hermann tower where the flag is raised each morning. Below, the Hanseatic merchant town, with St. Nicholas Church now a museum, St Olaf's Church which was the tallest building in the world in the 16th century, and the Town Hall Pharmacy, open since 1422. East of it, Kadriorg Palace and the Kumu Art Museum occupy the park Peter the Great laid out.

When to go

June to August: twenty degrees, near-white nights, the town hall square terraces full. December turns the old town into a Christmas market, among the oldest in Europe, with snow most years. Winter drops to minus ten and the day lasts six hours. May and September are the best compromise: clear, cool, and without the cruise groups that land in summer.

Getting around

The old town is walked and nothing else moves in it; the cobbles are hard on wheeled luggage. Trams and buses cover the rest, free for residents and paid for visitors, by contactless card. Kadriorg is twenty minutes from the centre by tram. The Helsinki ferry crosses in two hours and many people do the return in a day.

Where to eat

Estonian cooking is northern: pork, potatoes, cabbage, herring, dark rye bread. Forest mushroom soup is seasonal. Tallinn's contemporary scene is more interesting than its reputation, and the Telliskivi quarter concentrates the young kitchens in old railway workshops. Vana Tallinn, a dark rum liqueur, is what people take home. No halal address is listed.

Good to know

The euro has been the currency since 2011. Estonia is the most digitised country in Europe: everything is paid by card, and public wifi is everywhere and free. Seven sites and museums are free. The old town's cobbles need real shoes. And the city is small — two days cover it; the third is spent at Lahemaa or in Tartu.

Smart Planning