Everything you need to know about Tállin before your trip, from currency to language, local festivals, time zones & safety of the water. Plus great ideas about what to see, do and eat while there!
The Livonian place-name before the invasion; Lindanisse or Lindanäs, meant "Linda's nipple or bosom" and was linked to ancient Estonian legend of Linda, the wife of mythical hero Kalev & mother of Kalevipoegal, the central character in the Estonian epic "Kalevipoeg." The Danes renamed the town Reval (or Rafala, as it's referred to in the Icelandic Njál's saga) probably an adaptation of Revala or Rävala, the local name of an adjacent medieval county.*
The modern name was adopted after Estonia's 1st declaration of independence in 1918, amid the collapse of Russian imperial control, with both Tallinna & Tallinn, originally used.
* Some believe Revala is from the nearby town Räbala in turn derived either from räbal ~ ribal = rags, poor with riba having a 2nd meaning of land strip or maybe related to rebane + rebu = fox.
@ a glance essentials:
Language:
Estonian
_
-
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Most Locals can speak English.
Currency:
€ Euro
Local Transport
Bus, Trolleybus & Tram network is sufficient in the city. But getting out of town may require a car.
.
Capital and largest city🔍 in Estonia, Tallinn's been a major center of Baltic🔍 trade for centuries. Iron Age burials show inhabitation since at least ~500BC-50AD, which eventually developed into a strategic stronghold, known as Lindanisse for the pagan Estonian tribes of Harria, with a fortress built on the hill of Toompea ~1050 AD, (in what is now central Tallinn.)
The Pope & the Danes launched a crusade against the pagans in the north🔍 in 1219 culminating in the Battle of Lindanisse† the establishment of the settlement of Reval, and construction of a 2nd, now Danish, wooden fortress on Toompea, (for which Tallinn would later take it's name.)
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
MY FAVORITE SPOTS TO...
................... Tallinn is all about the Tech; birthplace of Skype 💻, and Bolt 🚗 e.g. it has one of the highest # of startups per capita in Europe. You can even become an e-resident of Estonia from anywhere in the world (and run a EU company without ever living there.)
FUN FACT:
Revel, with a fortiied upper town on Toompea (the royal rsidence) and a lower town/ trading hub at the harbor, soon became the northernmost member-city of the Hanseatic (trade) League in 1285. Then in 1346 Denmark sold northern Estonia, including Reval, (now arguably the most significant medieval port in the Gulf of Finland,) to the Livonian (Teutonic) Order, greatly increasing the Hanseatic influence in the city
In 1561 Reval became a dominion of Sweden, until the city was forced to integrate into the Russian Empire🔍 with Estonia and Livonia's capitulation in the Great Northern War in 1910, but it still managed to retain significant autonomy with its town council preserving the Hanseatic traditions, becoming Tallinn when Estonia declared independence in 1918.
It was overrun by the USSR the Nazi's, and then the Red Army again in WWII, Tallinn was not free again until Estonia regained independence from the Soviets in 1991.
* The battle during which the Danneborg, Danish flag is said to have dropped from the sky. Tallinn's lesser coat of arms depicts the Dannebrog cross.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Vana Tallinn - dark, sweet, rum-based herbal spirit; neat, on the rocks, or in coffee
Küüslauguleivad - strips of Rukki Leib (black rye bread) fried in butter
Sõir - soft caraway-flavored cottage cheese ∞ Verivorst - Estonian blood sausage
Vürtsikilu Suupiste / Spiced Sprats (small oily fish similar to sardines) cream cheese & garlic sandwich on rye
Seapraad Ja Hautatud Hapukapsad - roast pork w/ sauerkraut & carrot ∞ SültPork - savory jellied meat in broth
Hernesupp Suitsukoodiga -traditional soup of peas, onions & smoked pork bones
Mulgikapsad - stew w/ sauerkraut, barley & bacon ∞ Leivasupp - creamy, sweet bread / dense rye soup w/ raisins
Porridges like Kruubipuder† - of baked barley, Mulgipuder - of barley & potatoes, w/ bacon & onions
or Mannavaht - whipped/ frothy pink semolina & cranberry
Kaneelirull - cinnamon bun ∞ Kama - roasted grain + pea “dessert powder" stirred into yogurt or in chocolate bars
Kohupiimakook - cottage cheese cake ∞ Kringel - sweet braided bread
Kali - traditional lightly fermented malty rye drink
➿➰➿
† Dating to the Middle Ages
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Art Doll House - ~150 dolls from all over the world, in the oldest building in Tallinn; House of Mauritius
in the arched medieval alley between the Dominican Monastery & St Catherine's (one of the oldest churches
in the city c. 1246) in St. Catherine's passage 📸 (formerly known as Monk's Alley)
📍 Linnahall - crumbling concrete Soviet brutalist landmark by the sea, used for the 1980 Moscow Olympics,
(reminiscent of ancient Mayan pyramids and the old Swedish bastions)
📍 Raeapteek 📸 - oldest operating pharmacy in Europe, selling medicine & marzipan treats from the same
location since 1422
📍 Cromatico - 12 concrete chambers, a visualization of the chromatic musical 🎼 scale, (literally meaning
'well-tempered'), meant to represent the black & white keys of a piano, each resonates @ a different
note of an octaves (@ the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, Lauluväljak)
📍 Soviet Statue Graveyard - relics of the regime; figures such as Joseph Stalin and giant head of Lenin (outside
the Maarjamae Palace Estonian History Museum with nearby Maarjamäe Memorial Complex - a controversial
but striking Soviet memorial commemorated the Bolshevik victims of the 1918 Russian Civil War & the
Charles Leroux Memorial for American balloonist & parachutist Charles Leroux, who died in Tallinn Bay in 1889)
My Favorite Spots . . .
📍 Vanalinn (Medieval Old Town) 📸 - with Gothic Town Hall, oldest in the Baltics c.1404, with intricate wood
carvings, dragon drain spouts & spire topped by Old Thomas weather vane @ the site of the world's 1st public
Christmas 🎄 Tree in the Town Sq†, plus Masters’ Courtyard (Meistrite Hoov), an artisan courtyard with hand-
made jewelry & ceramics, Karjavärava Sqr with the 'Lucky Chimney Sweeper' statue; (rub his coat buttons for good
luck) & a Haunted Guest House where the Devil 👹 is said to have had his wedding†
📍 Telliskivi Creative City 📸 - street art, breweries, cool cafes & Fotografiska Museum with a flea market on
Saturdays, and cultural events like dance, music, and improv theater
📍 Kalamaja - medieval fishing village, one of the oldest districts in Tallinn, now a hip, bohemian industrial
center with well-preserved wooden houses, in a style called the ‘Tallinn house’.
📍 Noblessner & Rotermanni Quarter - trendy harbor areas with cool architecture, restaurants
📍 Balti Jaam Market — vibrant indoor market with local food & vibes.
† OLD THOMAS: a figure of a 16c crack-archer & Livonian War hero turned 'guardian' of the city. The original Old Thomas
was damaged in 1941 and is now on display in the Town Hall with a replica on the spire
CHRISTMAS TREE: 1441, Riga | Latvia also claims this honor, and it's possible the two Guild Trade Halls did so simultaneously
LUCKY CHIMNEY SWEEPER - trailing behind the sculpture is a series of bronze footsteps in remembrance of when Estonian
chimney sweeps had 'lucky' golden buttons on their uniform that people would try to steal)
HAUNTED GUEST HOUSE - The Landlord supposedly spied through the keyhole at the wedding and the next morning was
found pale and gray-haired.
... to Wander & Explore:
... to Visit:
📍 Ichthus Art Gallery @ Medieval St. Catherine’s Dominican Monastery 📸 c. 1246. (The cellar, called the
Claustrum, is now used as an artist studio)
📍 Historic Churches🔍 - like 13c St. Nicolas' 📸 with the Dance of Death 📸 Niguliste Museum and viewing platform
St. Olaf's Church 📸; largest medieval bldg in Tallinn with spire† @ 123m & 60m high viewing platform or the 17c
Cathedral of Saint Mary 📸 - covered in coats-of-arms epitaphs, used as headstones for nobles & knights
buried on the grounds, dating to the 13c, (including the 1st man to lead a Russian voyage around the world) &
69m belltower with views of the city
📍 Puppet Theater Museum - were visitors can play with the puppets. The theatre also stages everything from glove
puppet shows to musicals
📍 Vabamu Museum of Occupations & Freedom - Estonian history during Soviet & Nazi occupations
📍 Estonian Maritime Museum & Seaplane Harbor - with an original 1930's submarine, a century-old steam engine
icebreaker, and replica of the Short 184 seaplane e.g, interactive and kid-friendly
📍 Photography Museum - 100 years of Estonian photography, in a medieval prison building with ancient wooden and
iron photographic equipment
📍 Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum - life-sized rural village open-air museum recreating Estonia’s country life with farms, a
wooden chapel, a school, fire station, shop, and an inn from the 18c 19c. with horse-riding and workshops
📍 Glehn Castle & Park - 19c quirky neo-gothic castle ruins, half underground with a mosaic roof of glass panels,
surrounded by forest, with a small observatory and horned man scultpure of mythical folklore hero Kalevipoeg
† During the Soviet era, the spire was used as a radio transmission tower
... to Commune w/ 🌳 Nature:
📍 Tallinn Botanical Gardens - thousands of plants, everything from bananas to house plants,
on the banks of the Pirita River
📍 Kadriorg Park - gardens, swan pond, museums + the Russalka Memorial for the sinking of the
Russian warship, Rusalka, or "Mermaid," sunk in 1893
📍 Kakumäe Coastal Park - with scenic coastal views & walking paths
📍 Viru Gate Park (aka 'Kissing Hill') - built on a former fortress, earthwork and two earlier gate
towers incorporated into the Bremen Bastion One of the gate towers is now a kebab shop
and there's a bar beneath the hill, through a hole in the retaining wall
📍 Kanuti Garden - formally a 19c water filled moat, converted by the Kanut Guild into a charming summer garden
📍 Kuberneri Garden - "The Governor's Garden," aka Castle Garden, likely 1st designed in 1773, when the former
Toompea fortress was reconstructed into the seat of the Governorate of Estonia
📍 Lehmja Oak Forest (Lehmja Tammik) | ~Jüri - ancient moss covered rare old growth forest with creepy twisted
trees & "the Prophet" Oak over 375 years old (most tress average ~130 years.) Legend says a wedding party was
cursed and turned into trees as punishment for dancing on the grass
... when feeling 📚 Bookish:
📍 Banned Book 📕 Museum 📸 - a collect of banned, burned, and censored books from around the world
📍 Tallinna Keskraamatukogu / Central Library - (you can also borrow musical instruments & sports equipment)
📍 Rüütel & Matilda Bookshop - light, airy shop promoting Estonian authors & literary heritage of Estonia
📍 Bookshop at Balti Jaam Turg - small, very affordable, 2nd hand shop tucked at the end of the market
📍 National Library of Estonia est. 1918
📍 TalTech Library - a modern building inspired by Ajupuu (Braintree) were collections in the basement are the “roots”
allow knowledge to grow into the upstairs reading rooms form the “crown” of the tree
📍 Rahva Raamat - charming bookstore awarded the International Bookstore of the Year in 2022
... when feeling Adverturous:
📍 Teletorn CC TV Tower - @ 1,030f tall, built to broadcast the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Floor-to-ceiling windows,
a bird’s-eye views and "Walk on the Edge" experience on an exposed deck, highest in Northern Europe
(The tower also hosts events, like concerts and the annual Stair Run)
📍 Bog Walking & Forest Adventures, (Estonia is the “Land of Bogs,”) - unlike a typical hike, guided tours include walking
on floating bog shoes, allowing you to walk directly on the mossy, spongy terrain without sinking.
Kakerdaja Bog offers stunning views + Viru Bog is an easily accessible option with a boardwalk and observation tower
📍 Ice Swimming (Winter)- Nordic tradition practised @ ice-swimming clubs and lake/ sea saunas (usually a quick plunge
into the icy water, followed by a rush back to a warm sauna.)†
† Safety 1st: never submerge for more than a ~minute, it's best to go w/ experienced locals or an organized club; those w/ heart conditions shouldn't participate
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📍 Värav Coffee & Toast - adorable peaceful little coffee house, surrounded by plants
📍 The Brick Coffee Roastery - hip converted brick factory space & specialty coffee (they roast their own)
📍 Ristikheina Kohvik - bright welcoming colorful local favorite, homemade cakes, all-day breakfast
📍 Chado Tea Shop - high-quality loose-leaf teas, knowledgeable staff, offering tastings
📍 Fika - named for the Swedish “coffee break” ritual with Hygge🔍 vibes; tiny, cozy, with coffee + fresh pastries.
📍 Whisper Sister - classic (unmarked) basement speakeasy, behind a hidden entrance with theatrical creative cocktails
(call or message ahead)
📍 Botaanik Bar - cocktail bar utilizing unique ingredients like moss, herbs, flowers... in homemade cocktails
📍 Sigmund Freud Bar - fun, quirky psychoanalysis-themed cocktails with comic-book art
📍 Sessel Speakeasy - Vintage-cozy; velvet sofa, low-ceiling lounge with intimate balcony seats, craft cocktails &
colorful drinks (entered through a shop)
📍 Babylon Bar - vibrant, inventive whisky joint with a secret entrance hidden behind a bookshelf
📍 JunimperiumGin - steampunk-industrial artisan distillery & bar with copper stills
📍 Pudel - bottle shop / bar, cask beer, craft beer, wine & spirits, taps changing weekly
📍 Koht ("Place") - late-night, dog friendly craft beer & cocktails. [No-one really knows what it's called or when it's open;
it goes by Koht, Kuldne Lõvi (Golden Lion) & Moonshine Bar. often open until 3–4 or even 6am]
... when I'm Peckish:
📍 Restoran Pull - inside a 19c grain elevator, part of the restored pre-war industrial 'Rotermann Factories' with rustic
exposed stone walls and concrete pillars and known for great steaks
📍 III Draakon 📸 ("Three Dragons") - medieval tavern in the old courtroom of theTown Hall serving elk broth, meat pies,
grilled game sausages, wine and beer
📍 KuKu Club - est. 1935 in the basement of the Tallinn Art Hall, a gathering place for Estonia’s artists, intellectuals, and
activists; where the Singing Revolution was planed
📍 Barbarea (& natural wine bar) in the Põhjala Factory. Bakery by day, bistro by night, with family-style dining
📍 Parrot - rainforest themed, opulent & eccentric salon (ask about the hidden room if you're a regular)
📍 Olde Hansa - candlelit, Hanseatic & painted with medieval scenes; honey beer, wild game, elk soup & bear sausage
📍 F-Hoone - century-old industrial railway buildings turned restaurant, with family friendly casual dining
📍 Peatus (“Stop/ Station”) - unique casual dining spot inside two old Soviet railcars
📍 Maiasmokk (The Sweet Tooth) - Estonia’s oldest café c. 1864 with wooden interiors & classic Estonian pastries., famous
for handmade marzipan figures & sweets. (plus a tiny museum upstairs)
📍 Pierre Chocolaterie 📸 – cozy, bohemian and dimly with incredible hot chocolate + truffles
📍 Cinnamon roasted almonds from street vendors 📍 RØST - cinnamon & cardamom buns, baked on-site
📍 Gelato Ladies - handmade Italian gelato in a cozy shop 📍 La Muu - trendy artisan ice cream
📍 Karjase Sai - celebrated for its extraordinary pastries like rosemary & sea salt twist
... for something 🍨 Sweet:
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Most Known For:
♦️ Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 📸 - c. 1900 colorful mosaics, stained-glass, classic Russian
Revival onion-domes & home to Tallinn’s largest bell 🔔 (@ 15 tons)
🔸 Kadriorg Palace ("Catherine's valley") - 18c Baroque, built by Russian Tsar Peter the Great as
a summer residence, named for his wife Catherine I, with Wandering Lights Festival (Sept)
♦️ Medieval Fortifications & Towers - c.14 + 15c; 66 defensive towers† in the city walls plus
the Kiek in de Kök Museum with Bastion Passages, and the Carved Stone Museum,
🔸 Danish King's Garden 📸 - park with beautiful views of the city; according to legend, it's
where the Dannebrog 🇩🇰 descended from the sky during the Danish invasion, becoming
the flag of Denmark
♦️ Toompea Castle (on the hill of Toompea) - medieval limestone fortress castle, (roots dating to the 9c,)
currently used by Riigikogu, Estonia’s Parliament. The hill also has Kohtuotsa & Patkuli viewing platforms
🔸 Great Guild Hall - built for Hanseatic merchants, now the Estonian History Museum
♦️ KGB museum - top floor of stylish Hotel Viru, used by spies during the Soviet era; with cleverly disguised
listening / recording equipment, e.g. Few knew the rooms existed, they were only exposed in the
1990s when the KGB fled the city
† Including Helleman Tower, Maiden's Tower, Marstal Tower & Short Leg Gate Tower e.g.
📽️ NOTABLE FILMS SHOT IN TALLINN:
⭐ Tenet | 2020 (doubling for Kyiv) ⭐ The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1981 ⭐ The Agency (TV) | 2024
[Sherlock Holmes]
🍿
........................One of the most famous local legends is the Ülemiste Elder, a mythical figure who lives in Lake Ülemiste. He's said to ask city guards and visitors " Is Tallinn is ready?" and the correct answer is always "No, there is much to be done yet." (i.e. Tallinn is still growing...) If anyone ever answers "Yes" the old man will flood the city.
🌀 Old Town Days (June) - 5 days dedicated to cultural heritage & Medieval Days in Old Town (July) - full
medieval immersion: knight tournaments, archery, crafts workshops, folk music & dancing
🌀 Winter Festival (Feb) - Lights, markets, ice sculptures, concerts & winter activities
🌀 Tallinn Coffee ☕ Festival (May) Craft Beer 🍻 Weekend (summer) & Oyster 🦪 Festival (summer) - fresh
oysters, seafood & champagne by the sea.
🌀 Jaanipäev/ St John Day / Midsummer (June 24) - a once pagan country the St. John's Feast was combined /
absorbed ancient solstice traditions like bonfires, the sauna & folklore tradition of children staying up until
dawn while staying up until dawn while young lovers search the forest for the lucky fern flower
🌀 Song and Dance Celebration (July) - Tallinn singers & dancers celebrating traditional Estonian music
Close Enough to Visit:
🪧 Island of Saaremaa - with Kuressaare Castle (c. 14 - 16c.) & site of the Kaali meteorite crater field
🪧 Tartu - university (hipster) city with historic citadel, and ruins of a 13th c. cathedral
🪧 Pilot Cemetery🔍 | Ämari Air Force Base- Soviet graveyard with headstones made of airplane fins
🪧 Pärnu Bay & Resort - with seaside 1920’s era spa w/ the Võromaa smoke sauna tradition, Russian style
Transformation of Our Lord Church & 19th-century timber villas
🪧 Hara Submarine Base - decommissioned submarine base pier completely covered in graffiti art
🪧 Tuhala Witches Well | Kose Parish - a 'karst spring', underground but overflowing like a geyser, occasionally
for days, said to be witches lashing each other with branches underground (but actually caused by heavy rains.)
🪧 Lahemaa National Park- with raised bogs & Baroque Manor, Sagadi,
🪧 Underwater Soviet Prison | Rummu- limestone quarry lake where convicts were forced to work, (great for diving)
🪧 Helsinki | Finland - just a short ferry trip away
Going to visit
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Tállinn
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