Tallinn is a beautiful city in eastern Europe on the Northern coast of Estonia. With its walled town, immersive culture, great food and accommodating people it’s a wonder why this location isn’t more popular. Here are 5 reasons to Travel to Tallinn, Estonia:
1. It’s Stunning!
Tallinn is a beautiful city with much sightseeing to offer. Its Walled Old Town is a must see for any traveller looking to immerse themselves in a medieval-style get away. From its ancient walls to its lofty defence towers there is much to see and do in Tallinn’s famed Old Town. Cosy cafes and restaurants line the cobbled streets, all built in stone and wood. If it’s food and beer you’re looking for in an old characterful setting, then the Old Town is the place to be.
Tallinn has several viewing platforms where you can really take in the stunning architecture of the City. There are some stunning views of the walls and towers of the Old Town alone and others of the city as a whole, it’s interesting to see the contrast between old and new from an elevated viewpoint. Finding the viewpoints is relatively easy with the help of google maps or a visit to the tourist information centre and your journey finding them will have you exploring parts of the city you would otherwise miss.
Viewpoints to look out for:
- Kohtuotsa
- Piiskopi
- Patkuli
- St Olaf’s Church Tower
- Hellemann Tower
- Tallinn TV Tower
2. It has a Distinctive Style and Culture.
Tallinn has its own unique style and culture. With medieval streets, a modern city centre, restaurants inside disused train carriages and an incredible food market it’s hard not to get involved in Tallinn’s unique style and culture. Estonia also has a Soviet background; the Country was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1940 and regained its independence in 1991. There is a KGB museum in Tallinn exhibiting artefacts from the Soviet Occupation, it’s worth a visit if you’re interested in learning about that era of Estonia’s history.
The Old Town is rife with medieval-style bars, cafes and restaurants for you to immerse yourself in, one of my favourites being ‘The Beer House’. Located on Dunkri in the centre of the Old Town, The Beer House provides a medieval environment in the style of an Austrian beer hall. This location was a personal favourite of mine as it has a great variety of un-filtered, non-pasteurised light and dark beers that are brewed in the same building. While you sit back to enjoy a beverage and a meal (the food is great by the way) you can hear the typical sounds of Polka style music and watch the brewers come and go as they adjust and monitor the large kettle that sits centrally in the restaurant.
Another favourite spot of mine was the ‘Tallinn Central Market’. This covered market (located on Keldrimäe) sells fresh produce, street food and baked goods on 2 floors. What I liked most about this location was the diversity in cuisine you get there. There was everything from Sushi, Indian, Estonian and Chinese cuisines as well as great places to get beer and soft drinks, including a fantastic smoothie bar. All the stores and stalls seem to be mostly small independent businesses, so the place has a very personal and friendly vibe to it. My personal favourites at the market were a Chinese stall serving Szechuan street food and a stall serving pulled rabbit, wild boar and elk.
The modern side of the city offers multiple malls full of shops and restaurants for you to explore. The city’s T1 Mall is the biggest, hosting 150 stores and 30 restaurants and cafes. I spent little time at the mall but if shopping is your thing, I have heard it has a great range of facilities all under one roof.
Although personally I travelled to Tallinn for the medieval cobbled streets and cosy charismatic restaurants and bars, one part of the Modern city I did enjoy was the Hilton Tallinn Park. I went to the Hilton to dine at ‘The Able Butcher’ a signature steakhouse with a clear passion for exceptionally good food and 5-star service. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very polite check clerk who took my coat and then introduced me to my waitress for the evening. All evening I received outstanding service and food, with every course introduced to me with a defined description of the dish, along with this I was served some excellent wine to match the cuisine I was dining on. The overall experience at this place was perfect and I would recommend dining here to anyone.
3. It’s an Out of The Ordinary Destination
It’s safe to say that Tallinn isn’t one of your everyday travel destinations but that doesn’t mean it’s not a place worth visiting. The mixture of both modern and old makes the city a delight to visit and combining that with the fact that it’s not yet swamped with tourists makes this place a must-see before it becomes too commercial.
4. It’s Very Affordable!
Tallinn is currently a very affordable destination to travel to. With basic flights from the UK starting around £60.00 and 4-Star hotels in the city centre starting from just £30.00 per night for two people it’s safe to say that travelling to Tallinn won’t break your bank. It’s not just flights and accommodation that’s cheap either, food, alcohol and experiences are far from expensive too. It really is easy to live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget in Estonia and I highly recommend trying the best cuisine Tallinn has to offer.
5. It’s Safe, Friendly and Accommodating.
As soon as I arrived in Tallinn, I was greeted by a friendly taxi driver that gave me a short ride into the city from the airport. He was very friendly and keen to give me a verbal tour of the city to which he informed me of some points of interest and some of the best places to eat and drink. Once in the city, everywhere I went people seemed to want to go the extra mile to accommodate me and the service I received in most places was outstanding.
The streets always felt safe both during the daytime and after dark. I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe in Tallinn and everyone was very welcoming. Overall, the city is very relaxed, friendly and accommodating. I felt very at home there and hope to go back soon.
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