Tallinn Guide | Estonia Travel

Tallinn, Estonia’s compact, buzzing capital, with its enchanting heart surrounded by medieval walls, has been shaped by nearly a millennium of outside influence. However, once the staple crumbling backdrop for Soviet fairytale films, Tallinn has now reinvented itself as an inexpensive weekend getaway for Europeans, and these days its buzzing cafés, pubs and clubs can offer a variety of hedonistic pursuits on a night out.

The heart of Tallinn is the Old Town, still largely enclosed by the city’s medieval walls. At its centre is the Raekoja plats, the historic marketplace, above which looms Toompea, the hilltop stronghold of the German knights who controlled the city during the Middle Ages. East of the city centre there are several places worth a visit such as Kadriorg Park, a peaceful wooded area with a cluster of historic buildings and a view of the sea; the forested island of Aegna and the Lauluväljak amphitheatre.

Saunas

Saunas

The first thing to do when you go to an Estonian sauna is get completely naked, though in mixed saunas wrapping a towel around you is at your own discretion. Once you get used to the heat, scoop some water onto the hot stones; it evaporates instantaneously, raising the temperature. Once everyone is sweating profusely, some might gently swat themselves or their friends with birch branches; this increases circulation and rids the body of toxins. Don’t overdo it – ten minutes should be long enough, but get out immediately if you start to feel dizzy. Locals normally follow up with a plunge into a cold lake, although a cold shower will suffice. A good place to start is Kalma at Vana-Kalamaja 9a – Tallinn’s oldest public bath (built in 1928), containing private saunas for rent as well as men’s and women’s general baths (complete with swimming pool).
Estonia’s Song Festival

Estonia’s Song Festival

The Lauluväljak at Narva mnt. 95 (wwww.lauluvaljak.ee), just to the northeast of Kadriorg Park, is a vast amphitheatre which is the venue for Estonia’s Song Festivals. These gatherings, featuring a choir 25-thousand-strong, are held every five years, and have been an important form of national expression since the first all-Estonia Song Festival held in Tartu in 1869. The grounds were filled to their 45,000-person capacity for the 1988 festival when people joined their voices in song as a significant public expression of longing for independence from Soviet rule, in what became known as the “Singing Revolution”. The next Song Festival is in July 2014.

Accommodation

Accommodation

Tallinn has plenty of modern, high-standard accommodation, with a lot of establishments that would fit into the international luxury bracket – especially in the Old Town. Several central hostels have also sprung up recently, the majority of them pretty good, and there’s also a handful of homely B&Bs, mostly in outer residential districts.

Private rooms are another good option if you want somewhere cheap and close to the heart of things, although conditions vary widely: in most cases you’ll be sleeping in a small, minimally furnished room and sharing your host’s bathroom.

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Eating and drinking

Eating and drinking

Many of Tallinn’s ever-expanding array of restaurants serve high-quality food. International cuisines are increasingly popular, though many establishments feature the solid meat-and-potatoes common to many north European countries. In the modest places, however, the pork chops still rules the roost. Most of young Tallinn locals are enthusiastic, sociable drinkers, ensuring the Old Town remains lively most nights. The bars fill up with holidaying Finns and city-break tourists during the weekend, all drawn by the comparatively cheap prices. The Old Town could have been made for drinking, its narrow streets lending themselves perfectly to all manners of smoky dens, stylish lounge bars and laid-back pubs. You’ll find a motley collection of alternative musicians, middle-of-the-road rockers and cover bands or DJs playing in the clubs and most of them offer meals as well.
Nightlife and entertainment

Nightlife and entertainment

Tallinn, partly due to its increasing popularity as a city-break destination, has a burgeoning club scene, offering hedonistic menu of entertainment every night of the week, apart from Monday, when everybody takes time off to recharge their batteries. The upsurge of DJ culture in the clubs ensures that you’ll find most genres of dance music most nights of the week.

Both the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and National Opera have solid reputations and attract their fair share of big-name conductors and soloists from abroad. There’s also an impressive choice of chamber music on offer, much of it in the medieval churches and halls around town.

There’s a great deal of top-quality theatre in Tallinn, but with most of it is performed in Estonian, your best bet is to stick to major productions and concentrate on the stage-craft.

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Saunas

Estonia’s Song Festival

Accommodation

Eating and drinking

Nightlife and entertainment