Stepping off the boat at 8am, I had a long day ahead in which I hoped to see as much of Tallinn, Estonia’s charming capital city, as possible. A lot of people do visit Tallinn as a day trip on the ferry from Helsinki, but I had done it with a twist – I’d spent the night on the boat, which meant starting the day promptly, and I’d be spending the night in Tallinn, so my day could end whenever I wished.
Although I wished my flight home the next day wasn’t quite so early in the morning, I knew a day in Tallinn was very doable, which made me feel better about it. It also meant that I didn’t set myself a rigid itinerary like I had in Helsinki, where I also only spent a day in a much bigger city.
Tallinn’s city centre is compact, despite being split into two sections, making it very easy to explore. A little too easy, as I found out after over 26,000 steps. I won’t pretend that I was organised about this at all – I re-traced my steps a lot, and walked to the same viewpoints multiple times (partly for different lighting; partly because I forgot to take a photo of my travel mascot Gulliver!).
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In fact, I almost called this post “How To See Tallinn In 26,000 Steps” but it sounds ridiculous because you can see it in far less than that!
So I don’t have “the perfect itinerary”, but you can be sure that Tallinn is VERY easy to do in a day! In fact, I was pretty knackered by the end of it, so I even got an early night.
I did manage to do everything that I planned to do, including any extras, so here’s my list of all the best things to do in Tallinn.
Wander the Old Town
As you may have gathered, I did a LOT of wandering!
Tallinn’s Old Town is gorgeous. The jury’s out on whether I prefer Riga, but it really is just as charming. It’s also worth noting that Tallinn’s city centre is on two levels: the “regular” Old Town on ground level, and Toompea overlooking it. I didn’t know how best to get between the two, although I think I ended up doing virtually every route, including the “long leg” and “short leg” alleys. Yes, they are really called that. Anyway, it’s steep but short.
There are a handful of main “things to see” in the Old Town, but to be honest I really enjoyed just wandering around as it’s lovely, so here are a couple more photos.
And a few highlights of the Old Town itself:
The Old Town Square
The Old Town square is a beautiful central spot to get your bearings after wandering the side streets. The fact there are eight streets and alleys leading off the square tells you how easy it is to just keep exploring.
It’s also home to Europe’s oldest pharmacy, which was first in records in 1422. This is opposite what was the first ever café in Tallinn back in 1702, which is the narrow grey building here. The pharmacy is to the left, peeking out from the alleyway.
The town square is a great place to just sit and relax. While I was there, it was set up with lots of wooden structures that made seating, and I spent a lot of time just people-watching.
Katariina Kaik (St Catherine’s Passage)
One of the highlights of the old town is this simple but distinctive passageway. I stumbled across it early in the morning, meaning I managed to get a few photos without anyone in. When I passed it a couple of times throughout the day, it was much busier with people trying to get photos.
There are a couple of brilliant bars and restaurants along here too, so make sure to come back in the evening!
Viru Gate
I was less lucky with Viru Gate, one of the entrances to the old town. When I first got there, a huge walking tour was meeting underneath one of the towers, so it was impossible to get a photo. Later on was actually more successful.
Fat Margaret
I find it hilarious that one of the main attractions of Tallinn is called Fat Margaret, but there’s no messing around with this beast – this fortified tower is home to the Maritime Museum, and it is a fat tower. While I didn’t go into the museum, it’s the first thing I really saw when I got to Tallinn and it’s where I entered the Old Town.
Master’s Courtyard
I stumbled across this courtyard off one of the streets, and it’s super pretty. There are a few indie craft shops in here, as well as a chocolate café.
I didn’t actually spend any time here, but it was worth popping in while passing.
Bonus: Banned Books Museum
For some reason I have zero photos from the Banned Books Museum, but I did have a little look around and it was really interesting! As well as preservation and information about where the books are banned and why, the museum was set up to instigate conversations about free speech and censorship.
I’m mostly putting this as a bonus item because it’s only open Thursday, Friday & Saturday! I was lucky to be there on one of those days.
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Breakfast at the Must Puudel
A friend had very highly (passionately, in fact) recommended pancakes in Tallinn, and I even saw a stall ready to set up selling mini pancakes as I wandered in the early morning. I ended up sitting in at Must Puudel, which translates to Black Poodle, and my parents have owned black poodles for the best part of 30 years! I got a sticker too. Despite going for the name, this was a great little café and after seeing pancakes on the menu, I knew I had to have those.
I’d been recommended Kompressor, a pancake café, which looks brilliant but didn’t open until 11am. What I wish I’d done was had an omelette at Most Puudel and then gone to Kompressor for lunch!
P.S. I realised I was sitting right opposite a Scottish flag – maybe a subconscious choice! This was a Scottish pub, which I’ve found are becoming a lot more common recently, particularly in Eastern Europe? I’d love to know why! Whisky?
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The cathedral was my most highly anticipated attraction to see in Tallinn. I have a huge soft spot for Russian style churches, and this is a very pretty example of one.
After a short walk up a steep alleyway, I made it to the upper level of Tallinn, Toompea.
The striking cathedral sits at the top of most of the routes up, and I spent some time taking a million photos of it from various angles.
In terms of churches, it’s not very old – it was completed in 1900, and now forms part of Tallinn’s Russian history, which as you can imagine is controversial. In fact, there have been plans in the past to demolish it, and those plans have come up in discussion again more recently. I don’t blame them at all, as I can see why it casts a shadow.
I then got distracted by lots of noise, cheering and music, and looked over a wall to see a marathon going on! I seem to have a habit of stumbling across marathons.
Two viewpoints from Toompea: Kohtuotsa and Patkuli
While up at the cathedral, there are two viewpoints nearby from Toompea over the Old Town. They are only a five minute walk from each other, so obviously I had to go to both.
Kohtuotsa:
Patkuli:
I think I preferred Patkuli, but because they’re so close together, it’s not worth recommending one over the other. Just do both! They’re both lovely.
Toompea is nice, but there isn’t a whole lot up there to be honest, so I moved on to my next stop with plenty of time to spare to go in.
Kiek in de Kok & the Bastion Passages
One of the best paid attractions in Tallinn is the brilliantly named Kiek in de Kok, which as you can imagine, has become a meme.
In fact, I was disappointed that Ash wasn’t here with me to recreate this photo.
Kiek in de Kok translates to “peek into the kitchen”, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but apparently it’s named so because the people in the towers could see into the kitchens of the surrounding houses. I’m sure they could have seen into other rooms too?
The museum is spread across a series of four towers connected by fortified walls which form a passageway. These are different to the city walls which you can pay to go up separately, but I chose to do this instead.
The museum is great, although quite an eclectic mix of themes, including an exhibition on Estonia’s cafés in times gone by, a room set up how it was when artistic squatters lived in the place, and then a military museum (which is what I expected from a fortress!). It’s a great way to learn about some of the history of the city as well as the specific themes of the museums.
Oh and yes, you can put on things like helmets and chain mail armour! It was super heavy – that is weighing down my head! I didn’t even attempt the chain mail.
However, the highlight by far was the walk through the tunnels, which takes you 300m along back to the edge of the Old Town where you can exit the museum!
The tunnels have had various uses and occupants over the years, from being a haven for homeless people, a meeting place for punks, a bomb shelter, and a place to store communist propaganda.
One of my favourite stories is of Loka, the leader of the punk gang.
“He had got his nickname because of his large ears (likened to “lokaatorid” or radio “locators”). He was often embroiled in fights, but stood up reliably for his own. A girlfriend named Tall Tiina moderated his fiery temperament, keeping Loka from getting involved in dicier situations.”
It’s a really cool walk, literally! The passages are really interesting. Be careful though as the floor is really smooth so it can be quite slippery. I felt my feet slip at the bottom of the steps! They do at least have this mad warning at the top with all the “characters” you’ll find underground.
Before going into the museum (because it’s at the top, outside the towers), it’s worth a quick look in the Danish King’s Garden outside too, if just for these creepy statues!
See how many you can spot while you’re enjoying the peace and quiet.
I say peace and quiet, but there was also a really funny busker out there going mental to his own unique version of The Final Countdown. That obviously cannot be guaranteed though!
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Lunch at Balti Jaam Market
Next to the train station, just outside the old town, is a great fresh food market which also has a bunch of eateries serving traditional Estonian food. It feels very local rather than touristy, which makes a change. It sort of reminded me of the Central Market in Riga, which is also just outside the old town next to the train station.
I, however, wanted to go to Depoo, a quirky, artsy market behind the Balti Jaam where you can even have lunch from a train carriage! This was a funky area with quite a few stalls serving everything from Japanese food to Greek, but if I’m totally honest I think I would rather have had lunch in Balti Jaam itself. I did have some delicious kaarage (Japanese fried chicken) though!
I also didn’t have the best experience as I went to have a drink by the train carriage, and was told to pick any free table outside. Someone came over to take my order and when I just ordered a drink, he told me I needed to go in and order at the bar. As I was on my own and had got the last table, I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of losing it.
So to be honest, this was not a must-do, especially as it’s a short walk from the old town (I also had to carefully cross the marathon route to get there and back!). With just one day in the city, I think I’d rather stick to the old town and eat there, or go to Balti Jaam.
But if you like something a bit different and quirky, you might want to check it out – and perhaps I should have wandered further into the Telliskivi Creative City area, as that looks really cool. ESPECIALLY as I’ve found out since that it has a Bordalo II mural! (You may remember his art from my Madeira post.)
Dinner at Munga Kelder
My only wish for staying longer in Tallinn is that there are quite a few cool places to eat! I chose Munga Kelder, which was an absolute winner.
There’s also Kaerajaan, which was recommended by so many guides I read, serving traditional Estonian food right on the Old Town square. I was quite surprised to read this as I normally avoid places like that. This was definitely my back-up plan!
And finally, you can’t miss Olde Hansa, a huge building just off the square along from Viru Gate. I passed it so many times on my trip! They provide a very cool medieval experience, and you can even try bear. It doesn’t come cheap, but the setting I think would be worth it as it’s about much more than just the food, and you can order ale in traditional containers. This is somewhere I did kind of want to go just for a drink, but would rather have gone with someone else!
(Again, it reminded me of the medieval place I passed in Riga – there are SO many similarities between Riga and Tallinn!)
Anyway, Munga Kelder was excellent, and because I was on my own and eating fairly early, it was really easy to get a table. The restaurant soon filled up, especially as it was a Saturday night, and groups were being turned away.
The only thing is I really wanted to try their traditional Estonian pork roast, but they’d run out! I had the Munga roast instead, which sounded similar but served differently. (I did ask what the difference was, and I think one was a more traditional roast, whereas the Munga one is almost like a meat rolled up like a sausage.) Whatever I had was delicious, anyway!
Also got this bread served on a thick bed of seeds!? I tried to eat some but I was perplexed by the sheer volume of them.
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After dinner, I needed to go back up to Toompea to get photos of Gulliver as I’d forgotten him earlier. Like I say, lots of going back on myself! Do not follow this as an itinerary, haha.
That said, it’s nice to go up for sunset – and I got some of my favourite lighting for photos of the cathedral.
Who does it better?
I’d kind of exhausted everything I wanted to do at this point – and myself. I could go for a drink, but I was tired and needed to be up at 4am, so I did the sensible and boring thing: went to bed. That’s right, I skipped a Depeche Mode-themed bar. Because apparently that’s a thing.
However I must leave you with some of the quirky things I saw around Tallinn, as seems to be tradition after Riga and Helsinki.
This haunted teddy. It’s seen some things.
This sign – !!!
Estonians not mincing their words! There were also a lot of protest banners along one street, with a similar sentiment.
These postcards. Because who doesn’t need a hench garlic in their life?
Tried some free elk samples.
This building on top of a metal “tree”.
And finally, a ridiculous dragon gutter pipe. These were a thing in Gdansk – I was thinking it was Riga, so I thought it was yet another similarity, but it wasn’t!
As to whether I prefer Tallinn or Riga? When it comes to the Old Town, I reckon they’re on par. But outside of the Old Town, I preferred Riga, with the art nouveau architecture and the amazing KGB museum. There are loads of similarities between the two, though, which was to be expected but I found it interesting nonetheless:
- both have a compact and very beautiful Old Town
- both Old Towns have a distinctive passageway that’s popular for photos (I preferred Tallinn’s)
- both have big markets just outside the Old Town, next to their respective railway stations
- both have popular medieval-themed restaurants
- both have one of my favourite cathedrals (and they’re both Russian style, too – but very different!)
- both have a KGB museum (I didn’t go into Tallinn’s but from what I gather it’s not as good as Riga’s)
- weirdly, the restaurants I went to in both places served interesting homemade bread with the meal – the bread I had in Riga was better, but they were both great!
Overall, I really enjoyed my short stay in Tallinn!
It’s a beautiful city with enough to see and do without being rushed, even in a day, which makes it a great relaxing city break (unless you’re like me). I’m kidding, I did actually manage to relax as well, believe it or not!
So don’t worry about not having a lot of time there. You’ll have a great time anyway.
Want to read more about Northern Europe? I’ve got a few posts you might be interested in!
⭐ Churches, Parks & Saunas: What To Do In Helsinki If You Only Have One Day
⭐ What’s It Like Taking The Overnight Ferry From Helsinki To Tallinn?
⭐ How To Spend A Festive Winter Weekend In Riga, Latvia
⭐ Photo Friday: Weird & Quirky Sights Around Riga
⭐ Christmas In Kaunas: Feeling Festive In Lithuania
⭐ Discovering The Incredible Metro Station Art In Stockholm
⭐ The Perfect One Week Norway Itinerary For First-Timers
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Ah, I’m glad you visited Tallinn! I was there years ago and only had a half-day to explore as part of a Baltic cruise through the neighboring Scandinavian countries. I saw Fat Margaret and climbed to the top, as well as explored the Old Town with the Three Sisters Houses (historic, now a boutique hotel). As for the anti-Putin sign, I remember my tour guide, being Estonian, was very vocal about hating Russians for having annexed them in the past– I don’t blame them for their dislike of the big country! Thanks for sharing your short, but packed day in Tallinn, Clazz; now, I need to return to the Baltics to see more!
Ooh yes, there’s a colourful history between them. I imagine you could see a lot even in a half day but that does sound quite rushed haha. Hopefully you’ll get to return, it’s a great region and really easy to get around and see a few places in one trip!
Enjoyable read. The Baltics are on my list!
Thanks! I definitely recommend it, Riga and Tallinn are beautiful. I enjoyed Lithuania too although didn’t get to Vilnius. And it’s so easy to get between them all (as well as Helsinki!).
Thanks for the tour of Tallinn! I think I’d especially enjoy the museum and trying on the chain mail. It just sounds like a fun experience I’d never get to have anywhere else. The food looks delicious too!
Haha, it’s a great museum, especially the tunnels. And to think I mostly went for the name. 🤣
Tallinn is such a beautiful city. It is nice to see it with the sun. We went for 3 days in winter and it was full of snow and snowed more so we had short days walking around the town and finishing in the swimming pool and spa of the hotel 🤣. The olde hanse restaurant was lovely with some interesting toilets 😉.
One of my favourite cities without a doubt, the Baltic capitals are all truly beautiful
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Commenting as an estonian. Cant blame a foreigner for not understanding the context of everything but putting Alexander Nevsky cathedral as a first photo describing Tallinn honestly makes me want to puke. The sole reason for these kind of buildings (same for example with palace of culure in Warsaw) was to find a location and form that shows the dominance of russia over the country. For estonians this church has never had any significance. It is a disgrace and seeing tourists taking photos of it makes me genuinely sad.
Hi Madis, I really appreciate your comment. I totally understand why it’s seen that way by people in Estonia and I’ve heard there have been discussions to demolish the cathedral as well which I can understand. That said, the architecture itself is beautiful so it’s hard not to mention it or indeed take photos (I’ve even seen guide books with it on the cover…) – but I’ve swapped the featured photo out. Thanks for bringing it up!