Itineraries for Your Trip to Tallinn
2 Days in Tallinn for First Timers
It’s not easy to fall in love with a place when you’re met with dogged, unending rain. And yet, Tallinn won me over during my first visit as I stepped over its wet cobblestones and clung to my umbrella. I had known the city’s fairy-tale Old Town to appeal to me, but I couldn’t believe how somewhere so picture-perfect could be genuine.
My adoration for the city only grew when I returned for a longer stay. I quickly realized that the city’s star attraction, the Old Town, was just the tip of the iceberg. This itinerary will help you discover for yourself just how much there is to see and do in Tallinn.
Make sure to bring rain protection, even in summer, because persistent downpours are common.
If you only have time for one thing, make it a walk through both the lower and upper parts of the Old Town.
Since Tallinn Old Town is what the city is most famous for, it makes sense to start your trip there. Walking tours are the most effective way to see highlights such as Toompea Castle, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the Tallinn Town Hall, and they also teach you the basics about the town’s history—which will help you understand everything you see on your own afterwards.
As nice as it is inside Tallinn’s historical center, there’s also much more of the city to see beyond the Tallinn City Walls. Walk out through the Viru Gates, turn left, and you’ll soon reach the curious Rotermann shopping complex which was formed out of old warehouse buildings. Keep circling counterclockwise around the Old Town and you’ll also reach Tallinn’s Linnahall, an old concrete concert venue that’s fascinating to explore.
While you’ve already spent some time sightseeing around Tallinn Old Town, there are always ways to have deeper, richer cultural experiences in the area. Dining at the medieval-themed Olde Hansa restaurant off the main square is an entertaining way to explore Estonian food culture, while taking a more niche walking tour (like one focused on the city’s legends) can offer insights into other aspects of the city’s past.
The neighborhoods on Tallinn’s northside are an eclectic mix of old working-class areas, creative districts, and historical naval attractions. Set out with a bike tour to explore this side of the city and spend your morning visiting the stalls at Balti Jaam Market, admiring the artistic flair at Telliskivi Creative City, admiring the old tenements of Kalamaja, and absorbing some history at the Seaplane Harbour.
This afternoon, trade-in modern and counter-culture sights for high culture by taking a tram ride or a bicycle out to Kadriorg Park. This large green space in the city’s east is home to the baroque Kadriorg Palace and a cluster of museums that include the Peter the Great House Museum and the Kumu Art Museum.
Round out your final day in Tallinn with a bus ride out to the Tallinn TV Tower in the district of Pirita. Look out over the local parkland to a view of Estonia’s Baltic coastline and the outline of the city center in the distance. If you’re feeling brave, you can even test your nerve and step out onto the tower’s perilous edge.
