Whenever I thought about “must-see” cities in Europe, Tallinn never came to mind. Due to its close proximity to Saint Petersburg, where I was studying abroad, and only a short ferry from Helsinki, where I had spent the previous day, Tallinn seemed like a natural stop on this long-weekend trip. My one day in Tallinn was actually two half days and one full day; either way, I could’ve spent more time in this dollhouse city.
Tallinn might’ve not been on my list of essential Europe before, but it certainly is now.
A romantic sunset greeted us on the first evening in Old Town and I was so happy a local showed us this secret lookout. It was here I understood why Tallinn is an up-and-coming destination wedding location. I wanted to watch the sunset from that lookout every night with a glass of wine in hand and cuddled under a blanket with my favorite people.
Tallinn has more to offer than its medieval center, but you’ll need all the time you can get to explore every alley and corner. Since Tallinn is a medieval city, the roads are confusing. Many of them are only accessible by foot. It was fun to walk down random alleys and see where they led.
Sometimes we were caught in snow and hailstorms, but the temperamental weather only made the city more magical.
Friends and I sat in a lot of cafes, restaurants, and pubs, too. Tallinn is a foodie city and, thankfully, everything is quite inexpensive.
I ate at the Chocolate Cafe three times because I couldn’t stop thinking about the chocolate cake and hot chocolate.
Olde Hansa, a candle-lit medieval restaurant where the staff call you King or Queen, surprised me. Most tourist restaurants like this are overpriced and underwhelming with taste. Not Olde Hansa. The comfort food tasted like grandma took medieval cooking lessons.
Kompressor offers delicious, massive, and inexpensive savory and sweet pancakes. No dinner is necessary with a brunch at Kompressor.
There’s more to Tallinn than food, alleys, and sunsets, though. The architecture in this dollhouse city will have you swooning as you stumble upon a new corner. I don’t think there’s a single unphotogenic corner.
While you can explore Tallinn in one day, I recommend more because you’re definitely going to fall in love and never want to leave.
Wow, another destination on my bucket list. I can’t wait to read about your next adventure.
Thanks for tuning in!
Tallin is on my bucket list for a while now and I really hope to cross it soon. Thanks for the motivational pictures.
Hopefully you visit sooner rather than later 🙂