Offering Tallinn Advice

Hello,

My husband and I live in Tallinn, we're ex-pats (he's British, I'm American) but have been here a couple of years and absolutely love it. I just wanted to offer if anyone wants advice about Tallinn, I'd be more than happy to help. We also know some other cities in the region pretty well such as Stockholm, Helsinki, and St Petersburg if you'd like any tips. We've never cruised this region (other than the ferries that take you between cities!), but see our city filled with cruise ship passengers almost every day in the summer (usually either being directed on a tour or standing and looking at a map with a confused expression) and can offer some city advice for those of you coming to our beautiful part of the world!

Hello,

 

My husband and I live in Tallinn, we're ex-pats (he's British, I'm American) but have been here a couple of years and absolutely love it. I just wanted to offer if anyone wants advice about Tallinn, I'd be more than happy to help. We also know some other cities in the region pretty well such as Stockholm, Helsinki, and St Petersburg if you'd like any tips. We've never cruised this region (other than the ferries that take you between cities!), but see our city filled with cruise ship passengers almost every day in the summer (usually either being directed on a tour or standing and looking at a map with a confused expression) and can offer some city advice for those of you coming to our beautiful part of the world!

Thanks so much for the offer. Tallinn has a fabulous reputation and we can't wait to visit. However, I think our time in port is very short (6 hours). What would you say are the "don't miss" sights and places in Tallinn??

Thanks - I'm sure you will be a great resource.

We are looking for a place to have lunch - although we've seen some interesting reviews of Old Hansa, we'd like sometging a little less "touristy". Can you comment on Hell Hunt or Porgu? Any other suggestions?

I'd also be curious as to what you think of this article ("36 hours in Tallinn") that appeared in the NY Times in March 2012 and the places it recommends.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/travel/tallinn-estonia-36-hours.html

Great thread! Thanks so much for starting it:D I asked you regarding stores for Amber on the amber thread already:o

We too would be interested in recommendations for places to stop and have a drink and/or lunch that are non touristy:):)

Thanks so much for starting this and for your help:)

Great thread! Thanks so much for starting it:D I asked you regarding stores for Amber on the amber thread already:o

 

We too would be interested in recommendations for places to stop and have a drink and/or lunch that are non touristy:):)

 

Thanks so much for starting this and for your help:)

What about Sfaar? Looks really interesting and somewhat reasonably priced.

Amyellabella-

Thank you for starting this thread. I too am interested in the above questions. Have you seen the now famous Tallin walking tour posted on CC (tricky to get to now-a-days) ? Just curious if we went backwards on the tour directions would we avoid the crowds?

What in your opinion is a must see for Stockholm and Helsinki?

What about Sfaar? Looks really interesting and somewhat reasonably priced.

Where did you hear about it? I could not find any reviews on Tripadvisor.

Thanks so much for the offer. Tallinn has a fabulous reputation and we can't wait to visit. However, I think our time in port is very short (6 hours). What would you say are the "don't miss" sights and places in Tallinn??

You can definitely see the Old Town in 6 hours, we're just a small city and you can see most things within the old walls in just a couple of hours if you are able to walk for a bit. There are only a few places where you can actually go up on the old medieval walls, but if you try to get to most of them around the perimeter of the city you'll see a lot just that way including a lot of the old big fortifications like Fat Margaret and Kiek in de Kök as well as some really lovely bits of wall and towers that are less crowded. Definitely go up Toompea, the hill in the middle of Old Town to see the viewing platforms (there are signs pointing to them and you can probably just follow the tour groups) and the churches (including an impressive Russian Orthodox cathedral, go inside, it's worth a look) and castle. Castle is probably a generous term as it now houses the parliament and only looks like a castle from one side but nevertheless, it's called Toompea Loss (Loss means castle) and you can see a great view of a large tower called Pikk Hermann (Tall Herman) from the park beside the castle. It would be best to have a guidebook to explain some of the history of what you're seeing, Estonia's history is fascinating!

Take a stroll down Pikk street from Toompea and go into the Town Hall square, it's lovely, but with a couple of exceptions, don't eat there. From there you can do some shopping down either Viru St or St Katherine's passage (one of the most photographed streets in Tallinn and full of artisan workshops).

Tallinn really does have a lot to offer, but it's small so you can see a lot of the highlights in just a few hours. Hope that's helpful!

Where did you hear about it? I could not find any reviews on Tripadvisor.

It's probably a good thing that there are no reviews on tripadvisor! (I treat those reviews with a grain of salt as some of the #1 restaurants that are recommended are dreadful.)

It was in the NY Times article I posted on this thread, and then I checked their website...and it looked great.

Dear Amyellabella

I have read that there are bicycle taxis that are allowed to ride through the old town. If this is correct I would love to hire one for a couple of hours since it would be easier for my husband to go through the old part of the city.

Are there such vehicles? Where does a tourist find one and can you make arrangements ahead of time?

Thank you for any information that you can provide.

Hello:

We will be visiting Tallinn July 11. It sounds as if we can walk from the port to the city. Is that correct? We are very excited to visit your beautiful city.

Sincerely,

Rodney and Angie

Hello,

 

My husband and I live in Tallinn, we're ex-pats (he's British, I'm American) but have been here a couple of years and absolutely love it. I just wanted to offer if anyone wants advice about Tallinn, I'd be more than happy to help. We also know some other cities in the region pretty well such as Stockholm, Helsinki, and St Petersburg if you'd like any tips. We've never cruised this region (other than the ferries that take you between cities!), but see our city filled with cruise ship passengers almost every day in the summer (usually either being directed on a tour or standing and looking at a map with a confused expression) and can offer some city advice for those of you coming to our beautiful part of the world!

Dear Amyellabella

 

I have read that there are bicycle taxis that are allowed to ride through the old town. If this is correct I would love to hire one for a couple of hours since it would be easier for my husband to go through the old part of the city.

 

Are there such vehicles? Where does a tourist find one and can you make arrangements ahead of time?

 

Thank you for any information that you can provide.

Hi, I'm afraid I've never used the bicycle taxis so I can't offer much help on them, but they are definitely here and they park at a lot of the major tourist spots so they are easy to find. I don't know if you can make arrangements ahead of time, but I bet you could find one fairly easily. They are always parked at both the top and bottom of Viru St and in the Town Hall Square, and I bet you could hire one for the day rather than just to get to one destination, but you would have to agree it with them (and agree a price) before you set off.

The Tallinn Tourism site has some good information about taxis in general and mentions the bicycle taxis as well, http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/travelplanning/transportation/taxi. They say "Velotaxis (bicycle taxis) provide a fun and enviroment-friendly way of getting around the centre of Tallinn. They operate from March to October. Prices in city centre: 2,23 EUR for adult; 0,96 EUR for child. To order a velotaxi: ph. +37255510095"

Hello:

 

We will be visiting Tallinn July 11. It sounds as if we can walk from the port to the city. Is that correct? We are very excited to visit your beautiful city.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rodney and Angie

Hello Rodney and Angie,

You can definitely walk from the port to the city centre, it won't take you long at all. From your ship to Fat Margaret, one of the towers on the city wall and one of the gates into Old Town, will take you about 10 minutes. Or from your ship to the bottom of Viru St, the main tourist street here and also one of the gates into the Old Town, will take you about 15 minutes. To get to either of those places from your ship is very straightforward, it's really easy. And from there the best way to explore the Old Town is on foot, get yourself a free map from tourist information (or from your ship) and you'll be all set.

 

The section of the city wall they suggest you go up is one of the least visited and, in my opinion, one of the best. They mention visiting Nevksy Cathedral and the Danish Kings Garden (both well worth a visit), but leave out several things that are easily accessible from there that you should try to see. Kiek in de Kok is very close to Nevsky Cathedral and interesting to see and while you're on Toompea it would be criminal not to get to at least two of the most well positioned viewing platforms. They are further up the hill than Nevsky Cathedral, but totally worth it.

 

Is Kiek in de Kok a viewing point? Are the lookout points clearly marked or can you be more specific as to how we might find the best viewing points?

Thank you again!

Amyellabella

Thanks for starting this thread. Could you tell me the best places in Tallinn to purchase amber. I've read that Tallinn is the best place to get amber.

Is Kohvik Moon open for lunch? If not do you have recommendations for lunch time? Thanks

Is Kiek in de Kok a viewing point? Are the lookout points clearly marked or can you be more specific as to how we might find the best viewing points?

 

Thank you again!

Hi Sippican,

Kiek in de Kök is one of the towers along the old town wall, it's one of the biggest and it's name means "Peek in the Kitchen" because they said that from the top you could see into the kitchens of the rest of the city. It's in between Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) and Nevsky Cathedral. Now it houses a museum and you can go up the tower or down below it into some of the old tunnels under the city.

The viewing platforms on top of Toompea (the hill in the middle of the Old Town) are signposted from a signpost in front of St Mary's church, which is the one you'll see as soon as you reach the top of the hill. If you're walking up from Nevsky, you'll see the church and then several small streets running off in different directions, I think the easiest way would be to just look at the sign post and follow the direction it is pointing to get to the different platforms. I'm not 100% sure, but I think on the signpost the two best ones will be listed as "kohtuotsa vaateplats" and "Patkuli vaateplats". A lot of tour groups go there, so you could also always follow the crowds or ask someone if you get stuck. Toompea is really not very big so if you wander down the side streets you are bound to find them!

Amyellabella

Thanks for starting this thread. Could you tell me the best places in Tallinn to purchase amber. I've read that Tallinn is the best place to get amber.

Hi Anubi,

Tallinn has loads and loads of amber shops. I have to tell you that Baltic Amber is actually more from Lithuania than Estonia so it's not actually an Estonian souvenir, but if you don't mind that then there are loads of places here to buy it. I haven't bought any myself, but a lot of our visitors have gone to either one of the two amber shops on the corners of Pikk and Rataskaevu. There are also two a lot of people have used on the corners of Vene and Viru St. They all say Baltic Amber in the window and Suveniir so you know it's a souvenir shop selling Amber! There are lots and lots of shops, though.

It's all probably common sense, but just shop around, see what you like and price things at several different locations. Also, ask the sales people a lot of questions, they should be knowledgeable about the amber (some of them can tell you some really interesting things!) and should be able to to prove it's real. Real amber is pricey, but it's lovely, and if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

If you want a very Estonian souvenir as well, there are some great shops selling handmade pieces. Estonian souvenirs are usually wood or linen, but there are some excellent pottery and glass pieces as well. There are two shops of the same name on Viru St, one is at the bottom across from the flower markets on the corner of Viru and Aia and one is further up the street, just down a little from Olde Hansa. For the life of me I can't remember their name (I'll have to go look later), but in the window it will say things like "Estonian Artisan Handcrafts". They are both lovely shops selling traditional Estonian goods, still made in local workshops by Estonians. They also have a lot of traditional foods and drinks for sale (and out for sampling, yum!).

The other great place to do some shopping is Katariina Käik, or St Catherine's Passage. It is lined with workshops of people painting, blowing glass, throwing pots and more and it is also just a really lovely street, one of the most photographed in Tallinn.

How much should I pay for amber? What is considered expensive?

How much should I pay for amber? What is considered expensive?

It depends what kind of piece you want to buy. You could easily pay several hundred euros for a long necklace or intricately set stone or you could pay €30-40 for a small pair of earrings or ring. I haven't seen much that is cheaper than that. Amber isn't cheap, though it's less expensive here than in a lot of places. If you find an amazing deal where they are selling something for €10 that is €100 in other shops, ask the vendor if they can prove it is real amber.

Thanks for the feedback Amyellabella...BTW, love your screen name, almost Victorian, like a name Jane Austin would give a character!! ;)

I'll get busy doing some research and hopefully bring home some lovely souvenirs.

How difficult is it to walk up the hill to Toompea, or would a taxi take us up, and we just walk down?

I LOVE hot chocolate so Anneli Viik sounds very nice (I looked at their website). Would you say it is best to just go in for a drink, and then somewhere else for the food, or do both in the cafe? I would like to try true Estonian food.

We are in port from 9:30-5:00...is that enough time to enjoy Toompea, town square, and KGB museum, or should we axe one of the places? We definately do not want to rush from place to place.

Never paid too much attn to Estonia until we booked this cruise. I can't wait to visit now. Pictures remind me of Rothenberg ob der Tauber in Germany (another walled Medieval town). I went there last year and fell in love with the city.

How difficult is it to walk up the hill to Toompea, or would a taxi take us up, and we just walk down?

 

I LOVE hot chocolate so Anneli Viik sounds very nice (I looked at their website). Would you say it is best to just go in for a drink, and then somewhere else for the food, or do both in the cafe? I would like to try true Estonian food.

 

We are in port from 9:30-5:00...is that enough time to enjoy Toompea, town square, and KGB museum, or should we axe one of the places? We definately do not want to rush from place to place.

 

Never paid too much attn to Estonia until we booked this cruise. I can't wait to visit now. Pictures remind me of Rothenberg ob der Tauber in Germany (another walled Medieval town). I went there last year and fell in love with the city.

Hello

I would say it's very easy to walk up to Toompea - the incline is fairly gentle and not that long. From my day I made this

As you are in total control of your time because the walk from the town square to the ship is less than 10 minutes you'll have plenty of time to do all you want in this lovely city without any rushing.

All the best, Tony

The KGB museum sounds fun- how do we book the tour? I am very much enjoying your posts. We will be there on July 21 and am interested in a tour with a guide- what do you recommend?

Thanks,

kathy