Nordic Adventures Part 2: Ten Hours in Tallinn

Over the summer of 2024 I took a trip through Finland, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark - 4 countries in 12 days. Using plane, boat, car and train to move around, I had a great time exploring places that I hadn't been to before. This is the second blog of 4, each focussed on one of the places I visited. Following Finland, we have Tallinn, Estonia!

The above map covers most the spots I visited during my trip, to give you an idea of where everything is located relative to one another.

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, located on the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki. The settlement which has existed there has been under rule from the Danes, Swedish, Russians, Estonians, Germans and finally Estonians again once it declared independence in 1991. Present day Tallinn uses the Euro as it's currency, and paying by card is widely accepted making it easy to travel in. Note that if you are arriving in Tallinn from a different country, make sure to have the relevant documentation with you.

I'm sure you can spend a few days in Tallinn if you were to visit, however we managed to plan a day trip to the city from Helsinki. There are plenty of ferries crossing the water between the two capitals, so with some planning we organised a day of activities in Tallinn. The ferry takes 2 hours, and by taking a slightly earlier option we were in Tallinn by 09:30. Our ride back was at 19:30, giving us exactly 10 hours to see what this city had to offer!

Things to do in Tallinn

Walking Tour

As I mentioned in part 1 of the Nordic Adventure series, if you're short on time a walking tour is always the way to go to see most the city. Our morning in Tallinn was exactly that, using the GuruWalk app to see what was on offer the day were there. Tallinn old town is very walkable, and is a well-preserved example of an European medieval city. Some of the trivia and facts I learnt along the way included:

• Tallinn is one of the most well preserved medieval towns in the world.
• The city of Tallinn was originally called 'Reval'.
• 'Reval' translates to the fall of a deer. This relates to a story involving the Kin who was hunting a deer that jumped headfirst off a cliff.
• Merchants used to use Tallinn for access to the silk route from the east to Turkey.
• The height and width of a house indicates wealth, as the area of the frontage was taxed.
• St Olaf's Church, at one point was the tallest building in the world for ~45 years. It was built as a sign of wealth to attract merchants into Tallinn.

Tallinn Upper Old Town

Tallinn Old Town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1997. The network of buildings and narrow cobbled streets date mostly from the 13th-16th century when Tallinn was developing as part of the Hanseatic League. The Upper Old Town is a great spot to admire the rest of the city from, and has multiple viewpoints and attractions of it's own:

• Cathedral of St Mary and the Church Tower
• St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• Toompea Castle and Tall Hermann

St Olaf's Church

The Church is the largest medieval building in Tallinn. It is free to enter, however for a small fee I recommend you get a ticket to go up to it's 60m high viewing platform. From there you can get views across the whole of Old Town Tallinn.

Fun fact: Lightning is known to have struct the tower of the church many times, 3 of which led to fires and repairs, in 1625, 1820 and 1931.

Balti Jaam Market

Our last stop in Estonia took us from old to new - at Balti Jaam Market. It is a marketplace spread over 3 floors, with nearly 300 traders covering food, coffee, bars, groceries, clothes and more. Worth having a wander around if you've got a few hours to kill. The 3 floors are all covered, so come rain or shine you can enjoy the market.

Plant Based in Tallinn

Vegan Restaurant V

Seeing as we were in Tallinn for only 10 hours, we didn't explore many of the food spots, however lunch was spot on! Vegan Restaurant V, located in Old Town, is Estonia's first full-vegan restaurant. Serving international cuisine, there is plenty to choose from on the menu. We were also given complimentary traditional Estonian bread to try.

And that wraps up our 10 hours in Tallinn! Arriving back in Helsinki at 21:30, it felt like a long but very fun day. The ferry between Tallinn and Helsinki was very comfortable, with plenty of seating and food outlets. Prior to setting out on my Nordic trip, visiting Tallinn wasn't even on the radar. However, if you ever find yourself nearby (including in Helsinki), then I highly recommend visiting!

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