The old town is bordered by the Walls of Tallinn which themselves represent a Medieval fortress that is also fully intact. Since 1997, the area has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Remarkably, the Old Town represents an exceptionally intact 13th century city plan even though it took some bombing in the War which destroyed about 10% of the old buildings - you would never know this now looking at it of course. The Old Town of Tallinn has managed to wholly preserve its structure of medieval and Hanseatic City origin. The majority of the Old Town's structures were built during the 13th–16th centuries and a visit really is a step back in time. and my next visit will take me out of the city walls and to the beautiful Nature Reserves Estonia has to offer. Though some of my favourite parts have been the off the beaten track, 'fallen over by accident' little gems in the backstreets and side roads if you take the time to just meander. The Flower market is simply stunning and the Christmas market is wonderfully festive with an Ice Rink and lots of traditional food stalls as well as the infamous Baltic Amber and other local giftware to peruse. The Museum at the Town Hall is super informative and the Scheeli Restauran transports you back to a bygone era with it's 1920's theme. Spring, summer, autumn or winter, it always offers something new and I fall in love with it a little more each time.īe sure to try a traditional Village Pellminid at Troika restaurant, climb the tallest spire of St Olaf's, peruse the traditional shops around old town and enjoy the various view points the city has to offer. I always return to the UK singing its praises and encourage fellow City lovers to give it a try. I have visited Tallinn 4 times and every time have had a different fantastic experience. I would definitely like to return and spend more time exploring in more depth. Overall, the town was not overrun with tourists, but that may be due to the late season. As to be expected, the restaurants and cafes on the square are more expensive and touristy. Lots of sidewalk restaurants throughout the town and a large central square adjacent to the Old Town Hall. For a day trip, the sights were great and I was able to see just about the entire town in about 5-hours or so. Some streets are cobblestone, but others are simply various shaped stones set in cement.Īs for the town, I recommend at least two days if you want to tour the churches, hit the shops and explore in more detail. Sidewalks are narrow, but there are pedestrian only streets and traffic is light on the other narrow roads. Most of the buildings, structures and churches are in remarkably good shape, although several of the churches were undergoing restoration projects at the time. The Old Town is a short walk from the ferry terminal and is itself easily walkable. I was there for a day trip from Helsinki on a Friday in late September. While many visitors come by cruise ship for a day experience, we highly recommend staying at least one night and preferably two. We even had time of beer in the central square before having dinner al fresco at one of the many restaurants. Much of the city still has intact medieval walls unlike many other historic cities. After we arrived early afternoon, we quickly launched into seeing the Old City and covered quite a bit during that day, including a very good exhibit in the old city hall on medieval activities, wandering the cobbled streets, and walking up towers and on ramparts. We stayed in the Old Town (highly recommended) as it was easy during our short less than two-day adventure to cover many of the coveted sites. The Old Town was quaint and bustling with tourists and a modest number of locals. We have never been to the Baltic countries before and used this capital as a launching point for an East to West Scandinavian trip (highly recommended).
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