Tallinn, Estonia | Travel Guide

WHERE TO EAT, SHOP & EXPLORE

Tallinn, Estonia is a magical winter wonderland and it’s by no surprise that the country is packed with many UNESCO treasures. With its cobblestone Old Town and gothic architecture, it becomes the perfect trip for exploring the snowy Capital.

Estonia is situated in northern Europe and both of us were invited to visit by VisitEstonia. Neither of us knew much at all about the country or in fact even where it was located on a map. But we were excited about this winter adventure and the unknown of a new country!

We visited for 5 days which seemed like the perfect amount of time and although freeeezing temperatures and snowing conditions it really made the trip one of our favourites ever.

Tallinn Old Town is one of the best-preserved Hanseatic town centres in the world and unlike any other European town we’ve ever visited before.

Below is a few recommendations for your up and coming trip to this historic destination.

Where to Eat

We mainly ate Estonian cuisine to really get the feel of the place and we found some amazing restaurants in the middle of the Old Town.

Olde Hansa / A visit to this restaurant provides you with, not only a great meal but also an incredible experience. With period-garbed staff offering gamed meats in only a candle-lit environment, this medieval-themed eatery offers historically authentic meals. On the menu, they were served bore, elk, and bear.
A visit to this restaurant was one of the best highlights of our trip by far!
Liisu Juures / A family-run restaurant in the heart of Tallinn Hall Square serving Estonian national food.
Maiasmokk cafe / The oldest cafe in Estonia selling delicious cakes and pastries.
Reval cafe – This is a great affordable cafe for brunch and is in the heart of the Creative City in Kalamaja.

Where to Drink

Chicago / They have different live music every night of the week.

What to do

Drive over ice roads / This was the most amazing (yet frightening experience!) There are 7 official ice roads in Estonia when there’s been a very cold winter. The recommended speed is 25 km/h or 40-70 km/h because when you drive at a speed of 25-40 km/h your car might cause a resonance wave that can break the ice! Scary! But totally worth it!
Free Walking Tour / With over 20,000 people joining the tour in 2019 this has become the most popular tour in Tallinn. Join the local guides who take you on a tour showing you the most important sight of the Old Town.

Where to go

Botanical Gardens / This is about a 20-minute ride from the town center. Check out their Floral Calendar and events that are coming up in the year ahead. We went when it was the ‘Orchid Days’ exhibition and it was definitely worth a trip.
Iced Jägala waterfall / One of our highlights was seeing this frozen waterfall. You can walk behind the ice inside the waterfall which is definitely something we’ve never had the chance to do before.
Tallinn Hall Square / The architecture in this town is amazing and you can’t miss this ridiculously photogenic square.
The Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform / This location at the top of the town provides a great view of the snow-topped buildings.
Kalamaja / Often called the “hipsterville” of Tallinn, this graffiti-filled town is home to the Creative City and is known for its multi-colored wooden houses.

Where to shop

In many cities, you can get bored of all the tourist style shops selling the same things but Tallinn didn’t seem to have that thankfully. There were some really unique shopping areas full of inventive brands.

Telliskivi Creative city in Kalamaja- The revamped complex of 11 old industrial buildings is crammed full of alternative brands and interesting designs you won’t find in Tallinn Old Town.
Balti Jaga Turg – This cool market has over 300 stalls from vintage antiques, cute souvenirs and fresh fruit and veg.
Masters courtyard – A cobbled 13th-century courtyard including a cosy chocolate cafe with artisan stores and workshops. All full of jewellery, ceramics and knitwear.

TIPS

We found restaurants near the town square were quite expensive, but the most affordable food we found was in Kilamaja.
We would definitely recommend visiting Estonia during the wintertime as our top highlights were only things we could have done during this season, (The ice roads and the frozen waterfalls!) Winter in Estonia lasts from late November until late March.
From Estonia you can do a day trip to the capital of Finland, Helsinki! Read our Finland articles here.