Stepping off in Tallinn, Estonia, a short ferry ride from Helsinki (an overnight boat trip from Stockholm or an easy flight from anywhere in Europe), you’ll feel like you’ve come quite a long way culturally from Scandinavia. Located roughly halfway between Stockholm and St. Petersburg, Tallinn’s mix of Nordic and Russian influences offers a glimpse into a proud, unique and resilient country.
After World War I, when both Estonia and neighboring Finland gained independence from Sweden and then Russia, Estonians were as wealthy and progressive as Finns, but they were unable to maintain their independence against Soviet expansion during World War II and then fell into almost 50 years of communist stagnation.
But Estonia’s post-communist era has been a success story, and since 1991 the capital has Westernised with remarkable speed while still holding fast to its old-world charm.
Tallinn’s largely intact city walls are topped by 26 watchtowers, each topped by a peaked red roof, Baroque and choral music rings out from old Lutheran churches, and beneath the spires and towers the Old Town is packed with charming shops and restaurants, while the suburbs are breeding grounds for architectural experimentation.
Given its compact size, Tallinn can easily be enjoyed as a side trip from Helsinki or a cruise ship, and if you only have time for a day, start with a short walk from the harbor to the lower edge of the Old Town.
Tallinn was once made up of two rival medieval towns. The lower of the two, Old Town, was an independent city and the centre of Hanseatic trade, where German, Danish and Swedish merchants employed Estonians to do odd jobs. The streets leading up to the central square are lined with medieval merchants’ houses, warehouses and offices, creating a beautiful atmosphere of the golden age of the Hanseatic League.
Town Hall Square, the heart of the Old Town, has been a marketplace for centuries and is still lined with fine old buildings. Once home to criminals chained to the pillory for public humiliation and knights showing off in chivalrous tournaments, today it’s filled with Scandinavians and Russians sipping cheap beer, children singing on the bandstand, and cruise ship tourists chasing numbered paddles held up by local guides.
The square’s 15th-century Town Hall now houses the Tallinn City Museum, a fascinating look at Tallinn’s days as a maritime centre, and offers great views from the top of the Town Hall tower.
Like other tourist destinations, Tallinn is a commercial chokepoint filled with medieval-themed restaurants and vendors eager to peddle classic fare, but just a few blocks away lies Tallinn’s true charm for me, where, nestled in its still-dilapidated courtyards, are charming cafés and bistros that combine chic old and new.
Up the hill from Town Hall Square you’ll find Toompea, an old rival of Lower Town and long the seat of Estonia’s governing government. As you climb the steps from the Old Town, you’ll notice that the architecture tells a story. For example, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built by the Russians in 1900, faces the pink palace known as Toompea Castle, which now houses the Estonian Parliament. The cathedral is beautiful, but most Estonians dislike it, as it was clearly designed to show off Russian cultural power during Estonia’s national revival.
Near the cathedral, Tallinn’s Vabam Museum of Occupation and Freedom tells the story of Estonia under Soviet, Nazi and back-to-Soviet occupation. Exhibits show how the Russians controlled Estonians and focus on the inhumane living conditions in an occupied society, the stories of Estonians in exile and, ultimately, independence and freedom.
An efficient day tripper could see all this whilst enjoying lunch in the Old Town, then spend the afternoon browsing the shops or heading off to one of the city’s worthy suburban attractions: Seaplane Harbour, the ambitious maritime, aviation and military museum; the cutting-edge architecture of the Rottermann Quarter; the Estonian Open Air Museum for folk culture; Kumu Art Museum for Estonian art; or a stroll through nearby Kadriorg Park.
However, night-seekers have the option of touring the Old Town in the early morning or late evening, when the crowds are much less, and midday is the best time to explore the sights and more colorful life outside the Old Town walls.
Visiting here is logistically easy, without the infrastructure hassle you’d expect in a former Soviet city. And nowadays, most Estonians speak English. Of course, no one expects visitors to master Estonian (a language similar to Finnish and just as difficult); only a million people worldwide speak Estonian. But even for a short visit, it’s worth learning at least two words: tanan (TAH-nahn), which means thank you, and terviseks (TEHR-vee-sehks), which means cheers.
Rick Steves is a European guidebook author and travel host for public television and radio. He can be reached at rick@ricksteves.com. His column appears in the Travel section every other week.
