When I visited Tallinn in Estonia I thought I had stepped into a fairytale or the set of Frozen or Shek!
We stopped in Tallinn on the cruise of the Baltic region in Northern Europe. I had one day there and it was my first time and I could not believe how beautiful it was.
This is another place for the bucket list if you have not been. The old town centre is full of fairy tale turrets and church spires. It is like going back to medieval times.
The day we were there it was glorious, the sun was out and a lovely temperature of 20*C. A perfect temperature for sight-seeing, as it is not too hot and you can wear comfortable clothes.
This was at the beginning of July last year and I was very happy as in Klaipeda and St.Petersburg we had rain and it was a little cold.
We walked from the cruise ship terminal into the old town, it didn’t take long to get to the main square. It is called Town Hall Square as the town hall is in the square. We were taking lots of photos so we stopped a lot!
It is a very picturesque city with cobbled streets and turrets. There was a photo shot from every angle. So bring your camera!
Old Town
The town hall square is surrounded by bars and restaurants. In the centre of the square is a big market selling all sorts of scarves, clothes, amber jewellery, food, souvenirs, etc.
From the town hall square, you can walk up to Toompea Hill for views of the old town. We walked up the city walls for the view of the Virgin Tower.
The city wall around Tallinn is very old and sections of it were built-in the 13th century. More than a half of the wall has been preserved and rest has been restored.
We walked through Catherine’s Alley, which is really like going back to the medieval era, as the doors are tiny!
On the way up to the viewing point, we passed the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It is Russian Orthodox church and was completed in 1900 when Estonia was part of the Czarist Empire.
It is very easy to walk around Tallinn to see most of the sights. All the sights I saw were free!
My packing tips for Tallinn are to bring comfortable walking shoes, as there is a lot of walking around cobblestones and it is uphill.
Bring layers, so if the weather turns, you have something warm or if it gets too warm you can take something off. This weather is great for jeans and T-shirts, but also shorts and dresses.
Essential Info:
- Weather: Summer months between 15*C – 20*C
- Language: Estonian (most people speak English)
- Currency: Euro
- Here are my recommendations for a day in Tallinn; walking shoes, sunscreen, camera, backpack and a water bottle
Latvia | Lithuania | St.Petersburg
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Have you been to Tallinn? What would you recommend doing?
Happy Travels
Love Lucy x
This is definitely a fairy tale. Some really beautiful places and you really caught it well. Love it!
Author
Thank you Farah 😀
It reminds me of Prague! I’ve never even considered visiting Estonia before but it looks beautiful.
Author
It blew me away how pretty it was!
Estonia is really beautiful. Not only the old buildings but also the nature. Your picture captures the city really well. I never been to Estonia much even though it’s really close to Sweden shere Im from, but last summer i biked through the Baltics and I loved it!
Author
I love Sweden too! The Baltic region is gorgeous ❤️
I’ve heard a lot of positive things about Estonia and this blog post really makes me want to go there! Thanks!
Author
Thank you! It is beautiful ❤️
What a picture perfect little town. I always find the places I’ve never thought of visiting are the best ones – looks like this fits the bill.
Author
To be honest I had never heard of this city until I went there on the cruise!
I am pleasantly surprised that more and more attention is drawn on countries in North & Eastern Europe. And I have to say I am also more and more interested in countries like Estonia. Your post and photos are proof why. Beautiful city indeed.
Author
There are so many lovely places in Europe to visit 😀
Wow what a beautiful town! So lucky with the weather making it all the more magical. Great to know a lot of the sights are free, always a bonus but with views like that I’d probably be happy paying too!
Author
I couldn’t believe how much was free! I was lucky that day with the weatherman!
Looks life a Fairy place! What a wonderful city. I envy you for being there haha but thank you for this post, feels like I have been there too 🙂
Author
Thank you so much 😊
Beautiful pics and the architecture is beautiful! How was the food there too? Anything notable for recommendation?
Author
Thank you Hanna! It is on the Russian side, I had herrings they were ok! But the restaurant I went to was not my choice, so you could get better!
It looks like such a beautiful town. The views from the city walls look awesome. I love places where it’s easy to walk around everywhere. And the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral looks interesting. It’s definitely on the bucket list!
Author
I really recommend going to Tallinn as I was so surprised how beautiful the town was & it is very easy to walk around.
Oh Tallinn looks just beautiful. I keep seeing wonderful pictures like yours and it has made me move it way up our must travel list. The old town looks like somewhere you could really get wonderfully lost for hours and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is just stunning. What a great stop on your cruise. It looks like you saw so much during the day.
Author
We walked a lot, but it was worth it!
oh wow! this place looks absolutely stunning! thanks for sharing! i love it! i am in love with old towns like this! <3
Author
Thank you Stella 😊
Love hearing about new destinations, especially those old historic towns. Tallinn loks quite the picture with beautiful buildings and castle, as you say “quite the fairytale.”
Author
Thank you! It really was like stepping into a fairytale!
Wow! It looks amazing! Tallinn is the last capital city from the Baltic states I’ve never been to And Now I know where to look for info about it!
Handy! 🙂
Author
You must go, it is one of the most beautiful places I have visited.
We have family in Estonia and I have yet to go there. These photos are beautiful.
Author
You need to go then!
This definitely seems like a fairytale! I can’t wait to visit Estonia, seems like they preserved the ultimate beauties of the medieval ways :’)
Author
They have, you will not be disappointed!
I wish we had more castles here in the US. I’m such a sucker for beautiful castles like the one here in Estonia! I’d love to stroll down those cobblestone streets and explore this place myself.
Author
Tallinn is the place for then!
I love the castles against the blue skies! 🙂 It’s quite amazing that summer temperatures reach only until the 20s. That’s already winter where I’m from!
Author
That is hot for them!
Tallin is absolutely on my list of places to get too. The Old Town is the part that speaks to me the most. Many years ago I met someone from Tallinn and her stories made me love it even more. Castles, Europe, old city squares….what’s not to love.
Author
It is beautiful! Thank you Kerri 😀
Lucy, your pictures of Tallinn are beautiful! I’ve been hearing more and more about Estonia lately, and all good things. Like you said, there seem to be endless good angles of the city and I would just love to wander around with my camera, especially in the old town. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Author
Thank you very much Jennifer 😀
Tallinn really looks like straight outta fairy tales. Love those medieval structures with colorful roofs. Almost feels like a period film set. Summer seems to be pleasant by I would like to see this places buried in snow.
Author
I saw a photo of Tallinn in winter it looks so pretty!
I love that you added some travel essentials to your information. There’s nothing worse than packing for a trip and not having a clue what you should pack. I had no idea Estonia was so beautiful and fairytale-like! This would be a wonderful spot to wander around and enjoy an afternoon or a full day. Old Town is very charming! The Medieval architecture is definitely a something I would enjoy.
Author
Thank you so much Mia, lovely to hear your feedback 😃
I’ve been hearing a lot of incredible things about Estonia, with Tallin obviously at the top of the list. It really does look like you’ve stepped back into Medieval times! I have a feeling that tourism here is really going to start to boom once the secret gets out and people find out how authentic it is – glad you had brilliant weather!
Author
Thank you so much! The weather made this day!
Beautifully captured images and loved the post. 🙂
Author
Thank you very much Pooja!