Museums · Tallinn · Estonia
5 best museums in Tallinn
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Liilia Moroz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels, Kumu Art Museum and Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam). Together the 5 picks below take roughly 10–12 hours across 4 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 10–12 hours
- Areas
- Toompea, Kadriorg and Kalamaja
Museums in Tallinn
Museum · Toompea
1.Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels
Kiek in de Kök, Low German for 'peek into the kitchen', is a 15th-century artillery tower whose gunners could see into the kitchens below.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Gallery · Kadriorg
2.Kumu Art Museum
Estonia's national art museum opened in 2006 in a curved limestone and copper building cut into the Lasnamäe bank above Kadriorg park, and was named European Museum of the Year in 2008.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- History
Museum · Kalamaja
3.Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam)
The Estonian Maritime Museum fills three concrete-domed seaplane hangars built in 1916–17.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Toompea
4.Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom
At the foot of Toompea, Vabamu tells the story of Estonia under Soviet and Nazi occupation between 1940 and 1991 and the peaceful 'Singing Revolution' that restored independence, using personal stories, objects and interactive displays.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Rocca al Mare
5.Estonian Open Air Museum
On a wooded shore west of the centre at Rocca al Mare, this open-air museum gathers farmsteads, windmills, a wooden chapel, a village school and a tavern from across Estonia, dating from the 18th to the 20th century.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Architecture
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Toompea | Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels and Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom | 1.5–2 hours + 1.5 hours |
| Kadriorg | Kumu Art Museum | 2 hours |
| Kalamaja | Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) | 2–3 hours |
| Rocca al Mare | Estonian Open Air Museum | 3 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 5 mid-priced. Book ahead for Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels. The longest visit is Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam); group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels: Tunnel tours have limited places; reserve a time online in summer.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Toompea): Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels → Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Kadriorg and Kalamaja): Kumu Art Museum → Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam), at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Rocca al Mare): Estonian Open Air Museum, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of -1°C (30°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Often the coldest month, with frozen bays and crisp sunny days; the quietest time of year for sightseeing.
- April: highs of 9°C (48°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cool and fresh, with the first café terraces and the city's spring cultural season.
- March: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 8 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still wintry, with snow giving way to slush; days lengthen fast.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Toompea — The quiet hilltop upper town of the castle, Parliament, cathedrals and viewpoints
- Kadriorg — Leafy park district around Peter the Great's palace, with Kumu and the sea promenade
More of Tallinn
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Tallinn?
Kiek in de Kök and the Bastion Tunnels. Kiek in de Kök, Low German for 'peek into the kitchen', is a 15th-century artillery tower whose gunners could see into the kitchens below.