15 things to do in Tallinn’s old town

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This post has been updated in Summer 2022 following my second visit to the city on our Baltic Road Trip, following on from a short weekend visit which this post previously covered in 2017.

Today my travels are taking us to the final stop of our road trip – Tallinn. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, a country which was under German and then Soviet rule from 1940-1991. It gained its independence in my life time, and was ‘behind the iron curtain’ for a long time. Tallinn definitely captured my heart – from the magical old town to the stories of such strength during its dark modern history, this country and its story are amazing.

If you’re visiting Tallinn just for the day (Tallinn is a common day trip from Helsinki), then spend your time in the Old Town covering the top sites listed below. If you’re visiting Estonia for a bit longer, then please also check out my post on what to do outside of the old town (POST HERE).


When visiting Tallinn, one of the best things to do is ‘walk the walls’. You can do a large section of the walls at Kiek in de Kok (see below), or you could just do a short section at Hellemann Tower. Tallinn’s walls were originally founded for defensive purposes in the 1200s, and almost 2km is still in tact making it one of the best preserved medieval walls in Europe.

View over Tallinn from the walls

This site has been in use as a fortress since at least the 9th century, and today is home to the Parliament of Estonia. Legend has it that the entirety of Toompea Hill was made by a lady called Linda who built it boulder-by-boulder with her own hands.

Nowadays you can’t enter the castle, but there is a beautiful garden called the Governor’s Garden to enjoy, and to see Tall Hermann (another of the towers in the city).

In the Governor’s Garden with the castle on the right and Tall Hermann in front

This cathedral was built in traditional Russian style, while Estonia was part of the Russian Empire. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus (part of present day Estonia). Given the cathedral was built during a period of ‘Russification’, it was seen for a long time as a symbol of oppression by the Estonians. However, whilst demolition was scheduled, it never happened – and instead the cathedral has been painstakingly restored and remains one of the main attractions in Tallinn. You can’t take photos inside though.

The Cathedral entrance

There are two lovely viewing platforms quite close together – Patkuli and Kohtuotsa. It’s a little bit of a climb up to them but well worth it for the beautiful views.

Kohtuotsa Platform View
Patkuli view

This beautiful building is a reminder of Estonia’s dark past. For almost half a century, this house was the HQ of the KGB in Estonia, and its cellars were utilised for a long period as prison cells, torture chambers and interrogation rooms. The exhibition inside tells the story of the people interrogated and murdered there, and shows the shocking conditions in which prisoners were kept, and the even more shocking brutality with which they were treated. A very sobering experience, but a worthwhile one none the less.

Entering the KGB Prison Cells

This square is the heart of the old town, and is flanked by the Town Hall on one side, and restaurants and bars galore. If you’re visiting in winter, it’s also the site of the Christmas markets. It’s a lovely place to sit and enjoy a drink and watch the world go by.

Town Hall

Before Tallinn was independent, before it was occupied by Russia or Germany – it was also conquered by Denmark and Norway. St. Olaf’s Church is named after King Olaf II of Norway, and was built in the 12th century as a centre for old Tallinn’s Scandinavian community before Denmark took over in 1219. I think this is what I found so striking about this city – it’s absolute mixing pot of history. As a bonus, you can also climb the church tower for lovely views out over the city.

View to St Olaf’s Church

We absolutely loved exploring Tallinn’s amazing underground passages. Over the year they have been used as everything from defense, to bomb shelter, to 1970s/80s punk meeting place, to homes for the homeless. Today the museum tells all of their stories through almost 400m of passageways with lots of information board and videos. We easily spent an hour here.

Tallinn had some really delicious restaurants. We had our first meal at The Farm – a totally lavish place where where a stuffed boar and wolf greet you in the window – and where we found ourselves eating raspberry jelly and rabbit parfait. All washed down with vodka. What a start to the holiday!

We also loved Vanaema Juures (Grandma’s Place). Here the food is hearty, traditional, and very generously portioned. Estonia isn’t known for its wine production, but there are now a few growers across the country. To support local, we also tried ‘Fest’ – an Estonian sparkling wine. It was delicious and perfect with our meal.

Other restaurants we really liked included Elevant, Contravento, Stenhus, Om.House, Parrot Minibar (shout out for the decor), Rataskaevu16 and Estonian Burger Factory. We were really surprised at the choice and variety of food in Tallinn, and it’s definitely worth experiencing. Yes I eat a lot!

Excited by the food in Elevant

Freedom Square is a plaza where military parades and celebrations take place. The Victory Column commemorates the Estonian War of Independence in 1918-1920.

View of Freedom Square in 2017
And with some added benches, blossom and rain in 2022

If you want to learn a bit more about the city, The City Museum is a great introduction. The cellars of the medieval merchant house store objects depicting the city’s history – from porcelain to metalwork. The top floors host exhibitions on the history of the city.

Olde Hansa is a restaurant in the old town which if you want a unique experience can’t be missed. The menu includes everything from elk to bear (!), wine is served in goblets, beer by the litre and the entire place is decorated (and dark) like it would have been in the 1500s.

Tallinn has a long history of guilds in the city. The old guild hall is now the Estonian history museum – telling the story of both the building and more about Estonia and its role in various wars and its ownership over the centuries. It was an interesting way to spend an hour.

In the main hall

Danish King’s Garden is a park in Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. The park is the place where the flag of Denmark, Dannebrog, according to tradition, is said to have floated down during battle to conquer Tallinn. Every year on 15 June, Dannebrog or the Day of the Danish Flag is celebrated in the garden.

Kiek in de Kok is a museum located in one of the old towers. Here you can walk a large segment of the Tallinn city walls, as well as explore up in the tower – the exhibits include one on Tallinn’s wars and weapons, one on the history of Estonia and various other temporary exhibits. We also loved the view from the top.


Thank you for reading! I hope you found this post helpful if you’re planning a visit to Tallinn. And if you have longer in the city you may also want to check out my posts on:

Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

35 responses to “15 things to do in Tallinn’s old town”

  1. Can’t wait to visit Estonia and try all of these! Thanks for sharing. Greetings from London.

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    1. It’s an awesome place, really hope lock down ends soon so you can visit. Hope you’re staying safe and well 😊

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  2. […] visiting on a day trip this is definitely the area to focus on. You can find my blog post on it here. You can easily spend 2 days in the old town, but Tallinn as a city really does warrant a bit more […]

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  3. […] and the second language on signs was German. We also saw and heard many more Russians in Latvia. In Tallinn (Estonia), it seemed largely English and felt much more Western European – firmly on the […]

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  4. […] 2 week Baltic road trip itinerary. Tartu also makes a great day trip from Estonia’s capital Tallinn, as the train journey is only 2hrs direct between the two cities. Here are 10 great things to do […]

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  5. […] let’s visit Patarei. Paterei Prison lies about a 30 minute walk out of central Tallinn, and is the next installment from the Estonian leg of my Baltics road trip. is really worth a visit […]

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  6. Oh awesome! definitely saving for when we someday hopefully visit the Baltics 🤩

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    1. Ahh so glad you found it helpful, thanks for reading 🙂

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  7. It looks lovely – we haven’t been to any of the Baltic States or cities so will have to rectify that!

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    1. Oh they are definitely worth a visit Marie, especially when the sun is shining in Spring time or at winter for their amazing Christmas markets.

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  8. I can see why the church would be seen as a symbol of oppression, but my is it lovely. I’m glad they didn’t raze it. This is a great list of things to do and see in Tallinn – I do hope to get there someday soon.

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    1. It’s just beautiful isn’t it, it’s such an amazing city and Estonia a very underrated country for sure. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂

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  9. Beautiful sights at every turn! I only had a brief half-day in Tallinn over a decade ago during a Baltic cruise I took with family, but I found the Estonian capital to be an understated beauty. Definitely a place for learning about the deepest, darkest of human history and for lightening the mood with a hearty meal and drink (or several drinks, haha). Thanks for sharing your guide of things to do in town!

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    1. You are so right, it’s so understated and underrated in its beauty and all the history there as well. I totally agree on the drinks as well – I ate and drank farrrr too much!! Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.

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  10. A lovely post Hannah. I was actually back in Tallinn last week, taking the ferry from Helsinki for a day.

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    1. Oh amazing, it’s a great day trip from Helsinki for sure 🙂

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  11. The Old Town looks so charming! I’d love to just wander the streets there.

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    1. The streets are totally perfect for getting lost in and taking lots of photos 🙂

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  12. Such a wonderful tour of a city I’ve always wanted to see! The old town looks so charming and I think walking the walls would be my first stop. 🙂

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    1. It really is a beautiful city with so much to see and do, I think you’d really love it Meg 🙂

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  13. Looks like an amazing place to visit! I love the bright colors and the views from the platforms. Your meals look amazing too.

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    1. it’s such a beautiful city with so much to offer, really worth a visit for sure 🙂

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  14. The old town of Estonia looks beautiful. It’s neat that you can even walk the city’s historic walls. And I love the viewing platforms. It’s a nice way to get a different perspective of the city.

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    1. I totally agree, the viewing platforms are lovely and enable you to get oriented with the city. Thanks so much for reading 🙂

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  15. I’d love to walk those city walls. There seems to be lots of places to see the city from above. The narrow streets look inviting as well.

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    1. It’s such a beautiful city with lots of winding streets to explore 🙂

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  16. Such an amazing post! I have never been to Tallin but this has definitely made me want to check it out! The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral looks beautiful and even though it looks very “Russian”, it seems like it still goes really well with the town’s architecture and style. The Medieval restaurant also seems like such a fun thing to do! I don’t know if I would like to try eating bear though ahah Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Aw I’m so glad you enjoyed it Juliette, thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. It’s definitely worth a visit if you do ever get a chance to go 🙂

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  17. Great post and such amazing photos from one of my favourite European cities! It is such a vibrant city bursting with history, culture and wonderful things to do and see. What I really love about Tallinn, is that the majority of all the best tourist attractions are located in the Old Town (or close to it) which means it’s easy to access all the best places to visit in Tallinn by walking. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. That is so true, it’s such a walkable city and there is so much to do and see, without feeling like you’re rushing between places so it’s still quite a relaxed visit. I loved Tallinn and it was my second time there – no doubt one day I will go back again 🙂 Thanks for reading Aiva xx

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  18. What a beautiful city! It must be quite an experience to walk on those medieval walls and the views of the old town’s streets are lovely – the cobbled walkways are always a pretty sight. And yes, the food looks delish (as it always does in your posts)!

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    1. Oh definitely, the city is amazing and so full of amazing sites and things to do. Our holidays seem to revolve around food…… haha!

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  20. […] the exhibition on the Baltic Way – a line of over 2,000 people holding hands all the way from Tallinn to Vilnius in a peaceful demonstration for […]

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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