2 days in Tallinn

Day by day

1. Day 1: Town Hall Square and Tallinn Town Hall and Lower Town streets and St Catherine's Passage

   Town Hall Square and Tallinn Town Hall, Lower Town streets and St Catherine's Passage, St Olaf's Church and City walls and Towers Square, then Telliskivi Creative City in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Town Hall Square and Tallinn Town Hall

      Its Gothic Town Hall, completed in 1404, carries the Old Thomas weathervane on its spire, and the Town Hall Pharmacy in the corner has been dispensing medicine since at least 1422. In winter the square holds the city's Christmas market; in summer it fills with café terraces.

   2. Late morning

      Lower Town streets and St Catherine's Passage

      St Catherine's Passage, a narrow lane beside the ruined Dominican monastery, has glassblowers, potters and textile workshops where you can watch artisans at work.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Black rye bread

      Bakeries, supermarkets and every restaurant bread basket; garlic bread in most pubs.

   4. Afternoon

      St Olaf's Church

      In the warmer months a narrow spiral staircase climbs the tower to a viewing gallery above the Old Town and the harbour.

   5. Late afternoon

      City walls and Towers Square

      A short stretch can be walked from the Hellemann Tower on Müürivahe street, where knitwear sellers line the wall below, and Towers Square park outside the north-west walls gives the classic view of a row of red-capped towers.

   6. Evening

      Telliskivi Creative City

      Visit late afternoon to browse the shops, then stay for dinner and drinks as the courtyards fill.

2. Day 2: Toompea hill and viewing platforms and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

   Toompea hill and viewing platforms, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels and Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, then Old Town in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Toompea hill and viewing platforms

      The Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewing platforms look over the Lower Town's spires and the harbour beyond.

   2. Late morning

      Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

      Its interior is filled with icons and mosaics, and its bells are the largest in Tallinn. Entry is free outside services.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Sprat sandwich

      Cafés, market food stalls and traditional restaurants; tins of spiced sprats are sold in supermarkets.

   4. Afternoon

      Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels

      It holds a museum of the city's fortifications, and guided tours lead into the 17th- and 18th-century bastion tunnels dug beneath Toompea, later used as air-raid shelters.

   5. Late afternoon

      Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom

      It is the best single introduction to modern Estonian history.

   6. Evening

      Old Town

      Pubs, cellar bars and cocktail bars around Viru street and Town Hall Square, busy with visitors and weekend groups.

Before you go

• Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels: Tunnel tours have limited places; reserve a time online in summer.

If it rains

• Swap in Kumu Art Museum (Kadriorg): Allow time for the Soviet-era galleries, which show how artists worked under censorship.
• Swap in Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) (Kalamaja): Combine it with a seaside walk to Noblessner for lunch, and allow extra time with children for the simulators and play areas.
• Swap in Balti Jaama market (Kalamaja): Head upstairs for old badges, cameras and enamel signs, then eat downstairs at the street-food stalls.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 11–14 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 6.1 hours in December to 18.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. Most sights in the Old Town, Toompea, Kalamaja and the harbour are within a 20-minute walk, though Old Town cobbles are uneven and Toompea is steep.

More or fewer days

• One day in Tallinn
• 3 days in Tallinn

Questions travellers ask