Sightseeing in Tallinn

Great tourist’s attractions & holiday hotspots all reviewed

All the major landmarks are within close proximity to each other, without the need for taxis and public transport. Tallinn is the most delightful and well preserved medieval city one could hope to visit and explore on a city breaks holiday. The capital has more historical sites and surprises than anywhere else in the Baltic States and will be a great choice for a short break holidays in Eastern Europe.
 

Sightseeing Guide to Tallinn: Close to Toompea castle is the inspiring Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a grand Orthodox church built in 1900. This is Tallinn’s largest cathedral and was designed by Mikhail Preobrazhenski from St. Petersburg. The cathedral is richly decorated and has some fine mosaics on the front. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the most visited tourist landmarks in Estonia and surely can’t be missed whilst site seeing. All our city tours include a visit to the cathedral, join one of our groups or book your own private guide.

City breaks to Tallinn have so much to offer: All around the Old Town and Toompea are defence fortifications of towers and walls. In fact by the 16th century, Tallinn’s defence system was one of the most powerful in Northern Europe. Today, the defensive wall ringing the old city is the town’s most striking feature and while Riga and Vilnius’s walls were destroyed, 80 percent of the original 2.35km long wall around the Estonian capital is still intact. These picturesque constructions are the framework of the Old Town and offer a great walking route for keen Tallinn sightseeing explorers.

Tallinn day trips also include: The Nation’s oldest church is St Mary’s built 1223 in the Toompea area. More commonly known as the Dome Church, this grand architectural structure was the burial site of Swedish and German noblemen. The Dome Church (Toomkirik) is located on Kiriku square and was the religious centre for Baltic German communities. It’s still the main Lutheran church and services can be attended. It’s a beautiful Gothic building, certainly worth viewing during your Baltic holidays and especially worth seeing is the Dome Church organ. The church organ is the largest and the most powerful organ in Estonia and is a marvelous tourist attraction to find in Tallinn. It was built in 1878 by an organ builder from Germany and is a mixture of Classicism and late Romanticism.

City tours of Tallinn must include: One of the best-kept secrets is to be found in the very centre of the city. It is a medieval Dominican monastery, with the largest collection of carved stones in Estonia. Culture lovers will benefit from this ancient place to reveal more fascinating dimension of the city's history. Close by is Katariina Kaik, a little alley way, where one can buy reasonably priced souvenirs – a great ‘off the beaten track’ travel tip.

On the northern side of the Old Town city wall are two more impressive historical structures, the Great Coastal Gate and Fat Margaret's Tower. The fat cannon tower was built between 1510-1529 to defend the harbour and to impress seaward visitors and through the years it has served as a storehouse for gunpowder, weapons and as a prison. Today, it hosts the Estonian Maritime Museum and has one of the best viewing platforms on top of its roof. The Fat Margaret's Tower is a fascinating holiday hot spot and should be seen on your explorations.

The Great Guild Hall has played a significant role in the cities life throughout the past centuries. This building was the gathering place for the rich merchants of the town, to discuss and direct economic and political agendas. When St Olav’s Church perished in the fire of 1820, the divine services were held in the guild hall and when the theatre perished in the 1855 fire, performances were given in the hall aswell. Today the Great Guild Hall houses the Estonian History Museum and has many attractive exhibitions for citybreak travellers to enjoy.

Like all medieval towns, this capital has its fair share of haunted buildings and paranormal activity. It’s hard not to let your imagination wander when walking along Tallinn’s cold cobblestoned roads in the still of the night. If you’re not frightened of creepy stories and haunted houses, there are plenty of haunted hotspots to find. Most of the fortified towers have regular ghost sightings, like the Lühike Jalg gate tower and the stable tower that used to be a prison. Tallinn’s Old Town even has a street named Vaimu, which translates as ghost. There is a 15th century house along Rataskaevu street with one of its top windows bricked up, we suggest to our Tallinn weekend break explorers to discover the Devil’s Wedding. Also along this 700 year old street is Cats Well, where a demoned was ment to have lived. The local residents used to throw cats down the well to feed and please the evil spirit, hence its name. Discover the cities darker side and design your holiday break in Tallinn along a haunted trail, of spooks and ghosts.

The only sacred building to have preserved its original form, is the Holy Ghost Church and its alter is one of the four most precious Medieval works of art in Estonia. The Holy Ghost church is popular place to see and is definitely a must-see for holiday explorers that have a keen interest in religious monuments & Baltic history.

A fabulously preserved Renaissance building is The House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. This old association was formed by the unmarried and foreign merchants that couldn’t gain membership to the Great Guild Hall. The building is an architectural delight and hosts wonderful musical concerts throughout the year. The House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is a historical landmark and is a great place to visit day or night on your Baltic adventures.

On the slope of Toompea Hill is the most powerful defense tower in the Baltic region, called Kiek in de Kök (peek in the kitchen). This large round cannon tower is 38m high, 17m in diameter and has 4m thick walls. The tower has a fascinating exhibition set on 3 floors. Baltic States City break enthusiasts really enjoy this exhibition and it’s a great place to understand the cities development throughout the years.

Your Estonia holiday should also include: Adjacent to Toompea is the much larger Old Town, which is one of Europe's best preserved ancient cities. The old town is a network of cobbled streets, quiet alleyways and hosts a treasure of medieval architecture. The BBC described it as ‘a pocket sized Prague’, just as beautiful and historical as Prague, yet Estonia’s is more intimate and welcoming. International media agree that it is one of the most romantic break destinations to experience. The old town is simply filled with amazing sightseeing attractions. We organise bus tours, English speaking guides and offer free informational packs to our clients. Discover this Baltic State gem with Vamos Travel, we guarantee the most unforgettable weekend city breaks in Tallinn. Whatever your travelling life style, we’ll make a short break package to suit your budget.

St Nicholas Church is home to the museum of medieval art and inside hangs the painting ‘Dance of Death’ by Berndt Notke. St Nicholas, is architecturally one of the most integral and harmonious medieval churches in Estonia. Its history goes back to the 13th century, founded around 1230 by German merchants. Visit St Nicholas church and enjoy some great exhibitions and medieval architecture.

The Tallinn Old Town is full of churches and one of the most important is St Olav's church, which was the tallest church in Medieval Europe, dating from the early 13th century. St Olav's church is the most striking feature to the city skyline, recognizable for its large 123.7m copper spire that pierces the sky.

Toompea Castle which is home to the Estonia parliament is a national landmark and a popular ‘what to see’ attraction. The castle complex is made up of several parts: the west wall and the Tall Hermann tower belong to the medieval fortress of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword, the Government Administration building represents the Czarist era and is classic in style, and the building of the Riigikogu, in the castle courtyard, was built in the beginning of the 1920s. Toompea Castle offers visitors an afternoon of interesting sites, art, history and culture. We highly recommend this holiday hot spot.

The Oldest part of the city is Toompea Hill, where the Danes decided to build their fort in the 13th century. Today, the Toompea area is more commonly known as ‘upper old town’ and has some of the most wonderful viewing platforms.

From the Viru Gate, we suggest you head west towards the Town Hall square. The square is the centre piece of Tallinn’s Old Town and has a long and fascinating history. Once a place for public executions (72 in one day in 1806), it's now where Finnish day-trippers and Tallinn city breaks explorers come to enjoy fine restaurants and a relaxing drink. In summer, the entire length and breadth of town hall square buzzes with open-air cafes and bars and all around the squares peripheries exciting places can be discovered along the endless cobblestoned pavements. Central to the square is the Town Hall, built in the early 1200s and is a major focal point of the city and a must-see short breaks tourist attractions in Tallinn. It’s the only late gothic building still intact in Estonia and both its interiors and exteriors are very impressive. There are exhibitions to be found in the basement level of the town hall and the attic. Occasionally, holiday visitors can gain access to the top of the spire, which is great place to take some wonderful panoramic photographs of the old town. In the northeast corner of the Town hall square is one of the world’s oldest functioning drug stores, the Town Council Pharmacy, which opened in 1422.

Another major holiday hotspot in the upper old town are the viewing platforms; Kohtuotsa and Patkuli. From these superb viewing spots, you can enjoy panoramic views of this enchanting medieval Estonian capital.

Along these ancient and mighty walls, you’ll find many gates that pierce the wall structures; one such gate is a Estonia city break landmark, called the Viru gate (famous for being the main portal between the new and old parts of Tallin).

For more info on holidays to Estonia contact: 01926 330 223

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