One Day in Tallinn- What to Do

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Lili, your co-editor. Today we travel to a very cute town in the Northern part of Europe- Estonia’s capital Tallinn. It was one of those destinations which we did not have much time for. We spend there just one day. It was part of a weekend trip to Helsinki and Tallinn. What you will find below are our recommendations for things you can see in one day in Tallinn.

Reval- one of Tallinn’s first names 

Before proceeding with the things to see in Tallinn, I would like to tell you one of the myths of the first names of Tallinn- Reval. The story is linked to the name of the Danish King Valdemar. Shortly after the King and his army conquered North Estonia, the king was taking a stroll in his new grounds. In the upper quarters of the town he spied a tiny deer. Instead of killing the animal, he decided to keep it as a pet. 

The king’s people had difficulty capturing the deer, but eventually cornered it on the edge of a limestone cliff. Rather than giving in to the men, the deer jumped off to his death. No need to say that the king was devastated. Eventually, he decided to name that particular spot in honour of the deer- Reval, which translates literally as ‘Deer-Fall’. Nowadays you can spot this small deer under one of the viewpoint platforms in the Old Town of Tallinn.

Lili’s Top 5 good-to-know tips when travelling to Tallinn:

• Tallinn is relatively small compared to other European capitals- a bit less than 0.5 mln people live there. This makes it easy to do sightseeing on foot.
• The local currency in Tallinn is Euro (since 2011). In many places you can pay by card, but be prepared with some cash just in case.
• In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city, during the last two decades Tallinn has been shifting to a host of many tech companies. The New York Times has once characterized Estonia as “a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea”.
• Prices in Tallinn are just a fraction of those in Helsinki. Don’t be confused by the geographical closeness of the two (like I was). After a day in Helsinki where everything was quite expensive, I was extremely surprised to find out how affordable Tallinn seemed. It is understandable why Finnish people take the ferry to Tallinn in order to do their weekend shopping. 
• If you have more than a day in Tallinn, you can visit St Petersburg without the need to obtain visa (in case such is required for your nationality). St Petersburg introduced a 72-hour visa-free access for tourists coming via Tallinn or Helsinki.

What to do in one day in Tallinn?

One day is not much, but as the Estonian capital is not big, it is enough to get a feeling of it. We arrived on Saturday evening by ferry from Helsinki and departed on Monday early in the morning. So, we had one full day for sightseeing in Tallinn. There is a lot of mystery and legends about the town, we found. Do not miss one of the most interesting legends, which you can read at the end of this article.

For our stay we chose a small accommodation on a walking distance from the city center- Helax Guesthouse. It was ideal for a two-nights stay.

Here are our top things to see in one day in Tallinn:

• Start with a visit in the Old Town of Tallinn

This will consume around half of your day. The main point of interest in the Old Town of Tallinn are:

• Town Hall Square

This square was a marketplace in the past and since the 13th century has become the center of the Lower Town. Nowadays, the Town Hall Square hosts many events during the whole year. If you need a break, you can sit and relax in one of the many cafes around the square. Just have in mind that most of the restaurants and cafes in the old town can be quite pricey.

• Town Hall Pharmacy (The Raeapteek)

One of the oldest still running pharmacies in Europe is located at house number 11 just opposite the Town Hall. Although the pharmacy was closed on a Sunday, we could still have a look through the window. It was like travelling back in time. The pharmacy started its operation as early as the beginning of the 15th century. 

Town Hall Pharmacy

• Holy Spirit Church

This is a medieval Lutheran church in the old town district of Tallinn, Estonia. It is located behind Raekoja plats, and lies opposite to Maiasmokk, Tallinn’s oldest cafe. What you see at first sight is that the church is not facing East. The East orientation of the churches has several explanations behind. It is coming mainly from the first Christians who turned east when praying. In a tradition well established by the time of Christ, Jews in the diaspora would pray facing Jerusalem, which in most of the Roman Empire would have been to the east. Another explanation is that Christ’s Second Coming would be on the clouds coming from the East. Most probably the reason for the Holy Spirit Church not facing east was the fact that it had to fit the already established buildings around. 

• Masters’ Courtyard

This is a peaceful yard in one of the streets of Old Tallinn. People say that it looks exactly like in the past. Back then when people appreciated the work of craftsmen, who put their heart and soul into everything they made. You can immediately recognize the medieval architecture. Make sure you know the address as it is quite easy to miss it- hidden in between the buildings and accessed through a tiny arch.

Master’s Courtyard

• St  Catherine’s Passage (Katariina Käik)

One of the most picturesque walkways in the Old Town of Tallinn is St Catherine’s Passage (or Monk’s Alley as it is also popular). It is a small street with Medieval architecture where besides a couple of cafes you can find craftsmen shops. You can as well watch artists create different hand-made products like hats, fur-products, hand-painted silk, ceramics, glass, etc. 

St Catherine’s Passage

• Hellemann Tower and Town Wall Walkway

At one end of the St Catherine’s Passage you will get to the Hellemann Tower. The entrance is €4 and you need to climb three storeys in order to get to the walkway at the top. The view is nice, but do not expect something spectacular (the views from the viewing platforms we describe below are more exciting). 

Hellemann Tower and Town Wall Walkway

• Viru Gate

These are ivy-covered towers at the entrance to Viru Street and also a place where many tourists start their walk in the Old Town. These towers were also part of the fortification of Tallinn to which the next towers also belong.

• Nunna, Sauna and Kuldjala towers

An interesting fact is that the towers surrounding the Old Town of Tallinn were 26 in number. Through the 16th Century, Tallinn was the most fortified city in the entire world. The wall stretched four kilometers around old Tallinn. These three towers are special today because they are among the few that are still open to the general public. To be honest, you should either visit either the Hellemann Tower or these three – the experience is similar.

• St Mary’s Cathedral

It also has the name Dome Church and it is the oldest church in Tallinn and mainland Estonia. The Danes built St Mary’s Cathedral in the 13th century. Of course, the way it looks nowadays is very different from its original one.

• Alexander Nevski Cathedral

This was my favorite cathedral in Tallinn. It is an orthodox one and you can easily recognize this by the different look from the other catholic churches in town. It is also relatively new, built in typical Russian Revival style at the end of the 19th century. After you pass by Alexander Nevski Church, you can visit each of the three viewing points which offer a great view to the whole town.

• Kohtuotsa viewing platform

Old Tallinn Traditions

• Patkuli viewing platform

• Piiskopi viewing platform

• St Olaf’s church

The church which originates in the 12th century has interesting stories around its origin. Here are two of the legends which I find especially interesting:

“Construction of Saint Olaf’s church cost the city a lot of trouble. For the whole century it was devastating the city’s treasury; merchants had to give up all of their materials, half of the city’s population were working at the site. All for the sake of building the highest church tower in the entire world. Seven brilliant foremen one after another fell off the tall walls of the tower and only one, a young worker with the name Olev, managed to finish the work of his ancestors. He died a few days later, while a lightning repeatedly struck Saint Olaf’s church. Rumor has it, the tower had a curse.”

“A legend tells that the builder of the church, named Olaf, upon its completion, fell to his death from atop the tower. When his body hit the ground, a snake and a toad crawled out of his mouth. There is a wall-carving depicting this event in the adjoining Chapel of Our Lady.”

• Balti Jaama Turg Market

After you finish the walk in the Old Town, you still have half of your one day in Tallinn. It is time to explore the real Tallinn (as one of the sightseeing tour guides said). What you see in the Old Town is basically what the town used to be in the past. The modern Tallinn is as charming as the old one. We headed to the central station because close to it is Balti Jaama Turg Market. It is a universal market where you find everything from fruits and vegetables to craftsman goods. What I really enjoyed were the restaurants which I would classify as very hipster one. Especially Peatus which are two railway cars turned into a restaurant.

• Telliskivi Creative City 

Some hundred meters away from the Peatus you will get to Telliviskivi Creative City. It is a former industrial complex which is now a creative center of Tallinn. This is the largest creative center in Estonia, consisting of studios, creative companies, and offices of NGOs. You can find there bars and restaurants, as well as several small designer stores and studios, photo galleries, and a lot of street art.

Telliskivi Creative City

• Kalamja District 

On our way to the last stop this one day in Tallinn- the seaplane museum- we explored a part of the Kalamaja district. On one of the Tallinn tourist websites- visittallinn.ee you can read the following description about this area in the Estonian capital: “Kalamaja, along with Telliskivi and Noblessner, is a lovely neighborhood in Tallinn, just next to the Old Town and the Balti Jaam railway station. Loved for its relaxed atmosphere, colorful wooden buildings, and its lively culture and nightlife, the area draws in locals and visitors from around the city. 

Kalamja District

Once a working-class district, Kalamaja has now become the residence of choice for young, creative types making the most out of its industrial legacy: entire factory complexes have been transformed into museums, cultural venues, shops, restaurants and bars. The area’s former wooden living quarters has charming bakeries and cafés.“

• Seaplane Harbour Lennusadam

The Seaplane harbor is a relatively new museum, opened in 2012. The museum is at Tallinn’s aeroplane harbor in a building which originally was a hangar for seaplanes. The good thing about it is that you can enter the main building and get to the second floor where you can check the museum on the inside and decide whether you want to enter. There is also a free area around with a couple of ships/ boats on which you can “board”. You could  spend some time to explore them 🙂

Well, this was our one day in Tallinn. A lot of impressions for one day. And if you want to reward yourself with some delicacies from the typical Estonian cuisine, try The Golden Piglet Inn. Yes, it is touristy, but you are a tourist and you have only one day in Tallinn- no time to lose :). 

Unfortunately we did not have time (and enough stomach capacity:-) to try everything from the local dishes. I have to admit that it is surprising how rich it was. As I had anyway researched about the Estonian cuisine, I wanted to share my highlight dishes with you. 

Lennusadam

Estonian dishes you should try (at least these sounded very interesting to me):

• Mulgipuder– a mixture of potato and barley, the Estonian porridge 
• Verivorst– it is a blood sausage. This one is available in the Golden Piglet Inn and it was delicious (I do not usually eat meat, but from time to time it happens). We even went further and tried the pig ears. Are you courageous enough to taste them?

• Aspic– jelly-like dish with meat

• Marinated Angerjas– a marinated eel and they serve cold. It sounds gross but it is a favorite dish for Estonians.
• Kiluvoileib– a kind of fish sandwich
• Kali– this is the local (kind-of) beer. In fact it is a drink made from slightly fermented bread. It’s like a mix between a beer and cola, with a sour-sweet taste, a natural fizz, and very low alcohol content.

• Kama– a typical Estonian desert, a mixture of roasted barley, rye, oat and pea flour 
• Kohuke– a local packaged desert (you can buy this even at the airport). I brought these as souvenirs to my colleagues. Certainly, there was one for me as well- I wish I brought more :).

If you are looking for other Weekend Escape trips in Europe, visit our special section. 

The Legend about The Devil’s Wedding (the story is taken from hiddentallinn.com):

“This is arguably the most famous of all Tallinn Old Town legends. Different versions of the tale have been passed down through generations to such an extent that no two tellings of the story are the same. Here is the first version of the story that I was told…Centuries ago, on a cold winter’s night, a bankrupt hotel owner in Rataskaevu Street decided to take his own life. He had grown increasingly destitute with the sheer lack of custom and had nowhere else to turn.

Just before the fatal moment, as if by fate, there came a loud knock on the door. A man entered and asked the poor owner if it was possible to rent one of the rooms on the top floor until dawn to have a party. The stranger would pay the landlord handsomely but only on the condition that no-one eavesdropped on the banquet.

Later that evening, coaches began to pull up and guests flooded into the hotel. The celebrations were thunderous; the music, fabulous; the singing and dancing, loud enough to shake the foundations of the building itself. Remembering the words of the stranger he was very reluctant to investigate himself but, eventually, curiosity overruled his apprehensions and he went upstairs and peered through the keyhole, recoiling in shock at what he witnessed.

The surprise

Legend has it that what the hotel owner saw as he pressed his cheek against the door and squinted through the keyhole was the Devil’s Wedding.

Some versions of this story suggest that the owner entered the room the morning after to see a goat-skin bag full of gold and upon touching it, the bag turned to horse dung and the man fell to the floor, dead. Others tell of countless hoof and claw prints all over the floor. Regardless of the details, word that the Devil had appeared in Tallinn spread to the Town Hall and they ordered that the room was to be walled up and the window filled-in so no soul could ever enter again.

Today, in the Old Town, at number 16 Rataskaevu Street, there is a house with a painted image of a window covering the room that supposedly housed the Devil’s Wedding.”