Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Tallinn, Estonia's capital, sits on the Gulf of Finland facing Helsinki across the water. Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best-preserved medieval centers in northern Europe, a legacy of its time as a prosperous Hanseatic trading city. Beyond the walls, Tallinn is a modern capital with a strong tech sector and creative districts.
The Lower Town centers on Town Hall Square, surrounded by merchant houses and home to a Gothic town hall. Pikk street leads past guild buildings to St. Olaf's Church, once among the tallest buildings in Europe, and on to the Fat Margaret tower, which houses part of the Estonian Maritime Museum. St. Nicholas Church now serves as a museum of medieval art. On the hill of Toompea, the onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral faces Toompea Castle, seat of the Estonian parliament, and St. Mary's Cathedral is the city's oldest church. The Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewing platforms give classic rooftop views. Kiek in de Kök, a cannon tower, gives access to tunnels beneath the bastions. East of the center, Kadriorg Palace and its park were built for Peter the Great, and the Kumu Art Museum showcases Estonian art.
Tallinn is compact and walkable, good for a short city break. Winter is cold, with festive markets in December.
WiserMap travel guideTallinn Estonia Medieval Lanes Toompea Views and KadriorgPlan a trip to Tallinn with this guide to the medieval Old Town, Toompea viewpoints, Kadriorg, Kalamaja, Estonian food, the best seasons and how to get around.Read the guide
The medieval market square at the center of Tallinn's Old Town, overlooked by the Gothic Town Hall, the best preserved in Northern Europe. In summer the tower can be climbed for views. The square holds a famous Christmas market in winter. On one corner, the Town Council Pharmacy has worked since the 1400s.
A Russian Orthodox cathedral with onion domes, built in 1900 on Toompea hill when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire. Across the square, the pink baroque facade of Toompea Castle houses Estonia's parliament, with the medieval Tall Hermann tower behind it. Dress modestly inside the cathedral, where photos are not allowed.
Tallinn's Dome Church on Toompea, the oldest church in mainland Estonia, first built in the 1200s. Its walls are covered with more than 100 carved coats of arms of Baltic German noble families, and many tombs lie in the floor. In summer you can climb the baroque bell tower for views over the Old Town.
St. Olaf's Church was once among the tallest buildings in the world, and its spire still dominates the Old Town skyline. From spring to autumn you can climb about 230 narrow steps to a viewing platform with views over the rooftops and harbor. Pikk street below is lined with merchant houses and guild halls.
Two lookout terraces on the edge of Toompea hill with postcard views over the red rooftops and church spires of the Lower Town toward the harbor. Kohtuotsa is busiest with tour groups, while Patkuli, reached by a long stairway from below, is quieter. Come early in the morning or at sunset for the best light.
A 15th-century artillery tower on the slope of Toompea, whose name means peek into the kitchen in Low German, since guards could see into houses below. It now holds a museum of the town's defenses. Guided tours lead into the bastion passages, tunnels dug in the 1600s and later used as shelters. Book the tunnel tour ahead.
Fat Margaret is a wide 16th-century cannon tower that guarded the Great Coast Gate at the northern edge of the Old Town. Inside is part of the Estonian Maritime Museum, with exhibits on ships, shipwrecks and navigation, and a rooftop terrace. A combined ticket also covers the Seaplane Harbour museum.
A medieval church in the Old Town, now a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia holding religious art, including a fragment of Bernt Notke's Danse Macabre painting and a richly carved high altar. Organ concerts are often held here, thanks to the fine acoustics. Plan about an hour for the collection.
The main building of the Art Museum of Estonia, a striking modern structure built into a limestone bank at the edge of Kadriorg Park, opened in 2006. It holds Estonian art from the 1700s to the present, including Soviet-era works, plus changing contemporary exhibitions. Combine it with a walk through Kadriorg Park.
A maritime museum in huge concrete seaplane hangars from 1917 with thin-shell domes. Inside are the submarine Lembit, which you can board, a replica seaplane, old boats and flight simulators. Outside, the steam icebreaker Suur Tõll is moored. It is great for families; allow two to three hours for a visit.
A baroque palace built for Catherine I by Peter the Great in the 1700s, now housing the Art Museum of Estonia's foreign art collection, set in a large park with formal gardens, a swan pond and the presidential palace. The park is free to stroll. Take tram 1 or 3 from the center, about 15 minutes.
Kalamaja is a former fishing district just west of the Old Town known for colorful wooden houses, cafes and the Balti Jaam Market. Next to it, Telliskivi Creative City fills an old factory complex with design shops, studios, restaurants and the Fotografiska museum. Visit at weekends for the flea market.
No reviews yet. Been to Tallinn? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Tallinn? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Ivar Leidus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Julie Anne Workman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Hendrik Mändla, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: HartOve, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Scotch Mist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Pierre André Leclercq, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: tero.keskivalkama, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Hiiumaa mudeliklubi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Relkmsaiia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: David Pursehouse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: China Crisis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Vamps, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Ren12, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Tibukonn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Pudelek (Marcin Szala), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Tim Adams, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Guillaume Speurt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Guillaume Speurt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Jaan Künnap, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Acediscovery, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Ethan Doyle White, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Ypsilon from Finland, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ad Meskens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: rene boulay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Axel Cotón Gutiérrez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Axel Cotón Gutiérrez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Marek Dziwior, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Mark Rigler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Steve Haslam, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ave Maria Mõistlik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: CGP Grey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Michał Derela, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: E.Kanash, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Andrei Stroe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: Acediscovery, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Suicasmo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Suicasmo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Andrei Stroe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
Photo: FrDr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: FrDr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Inga Tomane, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Inga Tomane, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Pk2000, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: JIP, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Andrew Kvalheim, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Islander61, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bengt Oberger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ben Bender, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Aulo Aasmaa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Adam Jones, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Liilia Moroz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Liilia Moroz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
