Tallinn Guide
 Tallinn was established in the 13th century, with the building of a castle by the knights of the Teutonic Order. It developed into a major centre of the Hanseatic League, and you can imagine its wealth when lokking at buildings that have survived.
Nowadays Tallinn is Estonia’s capital and also by far the largest city with a population of 400.000.
Tallinn Old Town
The major touristic spot in Estonia and also a must see for anyone traveling here. Surely one of most beautiful and best preserved old towns in the world.
Get the feeling of being several hundred  years back in time with its cobblestone streets and the city walls (almost 2 km of original wall and 20 towers) from the 15th to 16th century.
You will be able to see all major attractions in Tallinn Old Town in a matter of several hours, but you will also have fun even staying a week or longer.
The main part is around the Town Hall Market Square (Raekoja Plats) where lots of restaurants can now be found. In former times it was a traditional market place.
The Holy Spirit Church (Pühavaimu Kirik) is a must see. The largely Baroque style church is close to the Town Hall.
A short walk will you bring you up to the small Hill Toompea where you will see the Castle that now houses the Estonian Parliament. The most impressive building is the Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral which was bulit around 1900.
Tallinn Night Life
Tallinn is alive with a lot of great bars, clubs and  discos. The fact that the city is rather cheap compared to other places in Europe and is also easily accessible has made it a very popular place for stag parties (final partying before getting married). Especially on Friday and Saturday nights the whole city seems to be a big party, at the beginning of the week it can be rather quiet. Actually it is said that Tallinn is the party centre of northern Europe, with people mainly coming from Finland and UK throughout the year. Beer prices start at around 20 kroon (around 1.3 EUR) for 500 ml of beer and you can get a cup of coffee for 10 kroon (0.7 EUR) if you are lucky. That explains why many people from Finland like to take the short ferry trip (80 km from Helsinki) over to Tallinn. However you can expect that some expensive clubs and strip bars may charge you 4 times as much for a beer, so watch out. Of course if you are on a stag tour, it’s not a bad idea to visit a strip show, to see some of the prettiest girls of Europe perform.
Popular clubs in Tallinn
- Bon Bon (Mere pst 6e) - Tallinn’s favorite club for hanging out with younger upper-class.
- Club Hollywood (Vana-Posti 8) - A favorite for years. Guaranteed to satisfy, especially on Wednesday (Ladies Night) it is the place to be.
- Parlament (Tartu mnt 17) - Great place for the younger crowd with lots of locals.
Attractions close to Tallinn centre
 Pirita
Located 6 kms from city centre of Tallinn, Pirita is a popular place for spending free time peacefully. The botanical garden, St. Brigitte Abbey ruins situated on shores of Pirita river and the Singing Square (Lauluväljak) are some of the attractions that draw tourists to Pirita. Of course in summer time it is well known for being the largest and most popular beach in the region.
Jägala waterfall
Jägala waterfall is one of best and most beautiful natural sights of Estonia. It is just 25 km away from Tallinn and definitely worth the trip. The largest waterfall in Estonia has a height of up to 8,1 meters and is around 60 meters wide. In summer it is possible to cross the waterfall by walking on the cliff behind waterfall. The most impressive views are however in winter time when the river is frozen.
Helsinki
Although located in Finland it is only 80 km away and can be reached easily by ferries that cross the sea many times a day. So if you are staying in Tallinn for several days it is recommended to take an early ferry to Helsinki on one day and head back in the same evening after looking at the major sights there. The sights can be done by foot as the ferries stop exactly where the action is, right at the centre of Helsinki.
|
