The Fairytale Town of Tallinn, Estonia

Ever wondered what it’s like to walk around a town from a real fairy tale?! Well that’s exactly how I would explain Tallinn which is the capital of Estonia. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve visited in Northern Europe with it’s medieval stone walls, winding cobblestone streets opening onto wonderful courtyards, and breathtaking church bell towers.

The main area to explore is the Old Town featuring beautiful architecture and is a lovely place to wander around. It’s centred around the Town Hall Square and is filled with lots of cute cafes and restaurants around the edge with a market in the middle, filled with traditional gifts and clothing. Just round the corner you have the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which is relatively new, considering it was only completed in 1990. This church has distinct black onion domes which tower over Tallinn. As it’s an active church it’s only available to visit at specific times, but even just from the outside it’s a wonderful church to visit.

If you’re looking for the best view in Tallinn, nothing beats the Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform located on Toompea Hill. You can see the whole of Tallinn from the top and marvel at the wonderful bell towers, harbour and unique terra-cotta coloured roof tiles. There’s the infamous ‘The Times We Had’ spot which is a great photo opportunity, and there’s a few surrounding shops to pick up some souvenirs, I picked up a hand carved decoration for Christmas (they have them all year round here).

The medieval atmosphere of Tallinn feels like you’ve been transported back in time, but if you want to add to this experience even more I would highly recommend visiting Olde Hansa. It’s an internationally renowned medieval experience restaurant and the dishes are all created through a combination of dishes cooked according to 700 year old recipes. The interior is fantastic from the murals on the walls to the candles which are used throughout, as there is no artificial lighting.

The food exceeded expectations and it’s honestly one of the most delicious restaurants I’ve ever dined, also the wine and honey beer were both great too. The staff really make you feel like you’ve been transported back in time and there is so much attention to detail that has gone into this restaurant. If you want to see more about the restaurant I did a vlog on my visit which you can watch on my YouTube channel or the video at the end of this blog.

Throughout the cobbled streets there are lots of unique shops with one of my favourites being a glass blowing shop which I bought a few pieces from. There’s also a wall which goes around the town and you can visit certain areas for around 2 euros each, you get beautiful views of Tallinn and find out interesting facts about the history whilst exploring the towers. There’s lots to do in this lovely little town and I’d definitely recommend visiting!

Rebecca x