Insight Guides Pocket Tallinn (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Insight Pocket Guides: ideal itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package.

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Tallinn, from top attractions like Toompea Castle, Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral and the Seaplane Harbour, to hidden gems, including the ancient Town Hall Pharmacy, eccentric Dragon Gallery and the Latin Quarter.

Compact, concise, and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What to Do, this is an ideal on-the-move companion when you're exploring Tallinn
Covers Top Ten Attractions, including the Holy Spirit Church, Dome Church, Toompea's viewing platforms and Kadriorg Palace, and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions
Offers an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
Contains an invaluable pull-out map, and essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around
Inspirational colour photography throughout
Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789192650

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Tallinn, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Tallinn, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Tallinn are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Tallinn. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Tallinn’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day in Tallinn

Introduction

A Medieval Milieu, a Modern Edge

People and Economy

Seasons

A Brief History

First Invaders

A City Built on Salt

From Empire to Empire

National Awakening

The Estonian Republic

World War II and Occupation

The Singing Revolution

Boom Times, Skype and Beyond

Historical Landmarks

Where To Go

Toompea

Pikk Jalg and Lühike Jalg

Orthodox Cathedral

Toompea Castle

Kiek in de Kök and Bastion Tunnels

Danish King’s Garden

Dome Church

Viewing Platforms

Lower Town

Town Hall Square

Holy Spirit Church

The Guilds of Pikk Street

St Olav’s Church

The Great Coast Gate and Vicinity

The Latin Quarter

St Nicholas’s Church

Freedom Square

Parks and Moats

Kalamaja

Kadriorg

Kadriorg Palace

Kumu

Kadriorg Park Attractions

Outlying Areas

Maarjamäe

Pirita

Open Air Museum

Excursions

Lahemaa National Park

Jägala Waterfall

Naissaar, Aegna and Prangli

Pärnu

Tartu

Haapsalu

What To Do

Entertainment

Classical Music, Opera and Ballet

Pop and Rock Music

Cinema

Nightlife

Shopping

Where to Shop

What to Buy

Sports

Children

Calendar of Events

Eating Out

Meal Times

Breakfast

Traditional Cuisine

The Modern Menu

When Ordering

Snacks

Dessert

Drinks

Reading the Menu

To Help You Order…

…and Read the Menu

Restaurants

Old Town

Kalamaja

City Centre and Kadriorg

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airport

B

Bicycle Hire

Budgeting for Your Trip

C

Car Hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and Safety

D

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting to Tallinn

Guides and Tours

H

Health and Medical Care

L

Language

LGBTQ Travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening Times

P

Police

Post Office

Public Holidays

T

Telephones

Time Zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist Information

Transport

V

Visa and Entry Requirements

W

Websites and Internet

Y

Youth Hostels

Recommended Hotels

Old Town

City Centre

Port Area

Further Afield

Tallinn’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Shutterstock

Toompea Castle

From the 13th century onwards this was the historic seat of power in Estonia. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

Shutterstock

Dome Church

Great architecture and a turbulent history characterise Tallinn’s grand Lutheran cathedral. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

iStock

Toompea’s viewing platforms

Enjoy a fairy-tale panorama. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

Peeter Jahe

The Town Hall

Fine medieval woodcarvings are among its treasures. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

iStock

Holy Spirit Church

Its eye-catching clock has been ticking since the 1600s. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

Shutterstock

Seaplane Harbour

Explore the vast maritime museum and historic ships. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

iStock

Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral

The most impressive-looking Orthodox church in Estonia. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Shutterstock

Kumu

The soul of the nation comes to light at Tallinn’s grandest art museum. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

iStock

Town Hall Square

Once Tallinn’s main marketplace, this is still the life and soul of the Old Town. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Alamy

Kadriorg Palace

Peter the Great’s summer residence is a reminder of imperial Russia. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day in Tallinn

9.00am

Breakfast

Get your energy fix with a breakfast of sausages and herring in your hotel, or grab a coffee and pastry in the Town Hall’s medieval-style corner café. On Town Hall Square, find the Centre of Tallinn stone and see how far you have to stretch to spot the five towers.

9.30am

Toompea climb

Make a leisurely ascent up Pikk jalg to catch a glimpse of Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral’s onion domes in the morning light, then beat the crowds to the viewing platforms for snapshots of Old Town rooftops.

10.30am

Old Town

Navigate your way through the cobblestone streets of Lower Town and see how many colourful doorways you can find. Stop in at the Great Guild Hall at Pikk 17 or the Tallinn City Museum on Vene 17 for deeper historic insights.

12.30pm

Retail therapy

Head to St Catherine’s Passage and wind your way through the craft workshops to watch the artists at work. Pour through the wares at the Sweater Wall to find an authentic souvenir. If you’re hungry, grab a bite at Controvento or one of the restaurants on Vene Street.

2pm

Kadriorg

Catch tram No. 1 to Kadriorg Park, stroll around the pathways, feed the ducks at the Swan Pond and inspect the manicured flowerbeds behind the Kadriorg Palace. Time permitting, take the path to the Russalka Memorial and gaze out over Tallinn Bay.

3.30pm

Culture fix

Make contact with your creative side by visiting any or all of the art museums of Kadriorg – the palace itself with its foreign art collection, the Mikkel with its exquisite porcelain, and the vast, modern Kumu, Estonia’s award-winning national gallery.

6pm

Historic dining

Make your way back towards Old Town by tram, or by walking along Narva road to see the city’s contemporary edge. If you have the power, make a detour to the Radisson BLU Hotel at Rävala 3 to catch the views from its 24th floor café. Satisfy the hunger you’ve worked up in the city’s famed medieval restaurant, Olde Hansa, or its equally lively neighbour Peppersack, both of which are built into beautiful, Hanseatic-era houses.

8pm

Bar-hopping

Take in the night-time ambience of the square as its terraces begin to fill with revellers, then head to Suur-Karja and Väike-Karja to begin your tour of the area’s bars, picking the ones with the oddest themes. The underground Karja Kelder (Väike Karja 1) has the most local flavour and is a good place to try various Estonian beers, while Nimeta (Suur-Karja 4) is a guaranteed party spot for the international crowd.

11pm

Nightcap

Wind the evening down with a final beer, glass of wine or shot of Vana Tallinn at one of the city’s elegant wine bars, or make your way to Clayhills Gastropub (Pikk 13) for live music.

Introduction

Steeped in history, pulsing with energy and beaming with fairy-tale charm, Tallinn has earned its place among the must-see destinations of Europe. The city’s soul is fed by a progressive arts scene, the natural beauty of its parks and coastline, a buzzing nightlife and a post-Soviet edginess. All this, and the fact that it can be toured by foot, make Tallinn an ideal choice for a city break.

This cosy city of just 450,000 inhabitants on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland occupies an enviable position