Old Town Tallinn Estonia originally dates back some eight centuries. This part of town is surrounded by a number of towering stone walls that were originally built to protect the city. The old town is a mix of cobblestone streets, plazas, restaurants, hotels and plenty of small shops. One can easily walk from one side to the other in about 25 minutes but one doesn’t just want to rush through this part of the city. Rather, take one’s time and move slowly – duck into cafe’s for a hot drink, pop into one of a number of Estonian handicraft shops or visit any of a number of small museums located here.
Several prominent churches are also worth visiting including St. Olaf’s Church – the highest by elevation church in Estonia. For several years in the 1500’s it was the tallest building in the world. Also worth visiting is the largest church in old town – the St. Nicholas Church. Lastly, St. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral is quite impressive – both from the outside and inside – this was built in 1900.
Did you know the first ever Christmas tree stood in Raekoja square in 1441? Also of note in old town is Europe’s oldest continuously operating pharmacy – the Town Hall Pharmacy first showed up in city records in 1422!
The information center is located in the center of town at 2343242334 and is worth visiting to find out the latest on attractions, events, hotels and other tourist related information. For more information visit: www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng
“Tallinn Days” offering up free live music and creative performances
One of impressive buildings in the old town
Overview of old town Tallinn
Excellent article, Dave. Fantastic pics. Wish we were able to spend more time in Old Town Tallinn. It’s a small and beautiful city. We were there on cruise from Southampton to St. Petersburg – years ago. One day wasn’t enough to really enjoy the flavor of the city.
M&G
NYC
Thanks Michael – we spent several days here and that wasn’t even enough. Also plenty of options for activities outside of the city. Definitely one of my favorite capital cities in this part of Europe 🙂
First established in the early medieval era, today’s Tallinn is an exciting mix of old and new. Here’s the good news: with Tallinn being such a compact, green capital, you can cover a lot in just a weekend and enjoy short scenic strolls while at it. Tallinn Old Town is one of the best preserved Hanseatic town centres in the world.
I remember the intriguing mix of old and new – much of the core center of town is definitely conducive for walking.