Taalin mi'aawaa

[English version below]

Tallinn and Helsinki, a wonderful pair! These two cities are only about 70 km apart and can be easily connected with a two-hour ferry ride.

We are not the only ones who take advantage of this, but also many Baltic Sea cruise passengers, for whom these two cities are a must. (And we have learned that the short crossing is worth it for Finns to stock up on cheap beer in Tallinn! So to all Finnish students: buy beer in Tallinn, sell it to other students in Finland - great business!) ;)

Due to the many cruise ships docking, it is not surprising that Tallinn's beautiful old town is practically taken over by tourists. The old town is one of the best preserved in Europe and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site! It has a great atmosphere, you immediately feel comfortable.

However, this beautiful atmosphere and authenticity can sometimes be distorted by the aforementioned streams of tourists. One could think that they are in a huge museum, as everything is geared towards tourists and it feels like they are the only people walking around. It should be noted that everything in Tallinn is focused on this old town, so unlike other cities, tourists cannot spread out well.

However, the lack of locals could also be due to the existing national holiday. Coincidentally, Tallinn celebrated the 27th anniversary of regaining its independence from the Soviets on our visit on August 20th. Despite heavy rain, the city honored this day with various musical performances and a bicycle tournament.

However, we only really got to know the old town on another Free Walking Tour! And we can officially announce: that was the best Free Walking Tour we have ever participated in during our two-year 'Walking Tour Experience'! This is truly a great honor, as we have already done many ;) Our tour guide, a young woman, made the tour really interesting and exciting, so that we couldn't help but follow her attentively. In addition, we not only learned a lot about the old town itself, but also about the culture, history and people of the entire country. Super interesting; we can really only recommend this walking tour to everyone visiting Tallinn (of course the guide may vary, but the content will be similar)!

The old town itself is already a major attraction, but within it there are some highlights: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Town Hall Square, St. Olaf's Church, the Parliament, and definitely don't miss the viewpoints in Upper Town, from which you have a wonderful view over Lower Town to the harbor and the rest of Tallinn!

Just 10 minutes from the old town is a brand new food market called Balti Jaama Turg. You can buy fresh goodies there, but you can also have a good lunch at one of the street food stands. You will also meet many locals!

We really like Tallinn, you can simply fall in love with this small, friendly city despite all the tourists! We will definitely come back!

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Estonia's capital Tallinn has become one of our favorite cities thanks to its beautiful medieval old town and vibrant city life. We traveled from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry, which only takes 2 hours. The two cities are only 70 km apart and it is a very popular route for commuters as well.

By coincidence, we visited Tallinn on a national public holiday. On August 20, 1991, Estonia declared formal independence from the Soviet republic. Since then, this day has been celebrated as the Day of Restoration of Independence. To celebrate this special day, the entire city was decorated with Estonian flags, many shops were closed, and various events such as concerts, a bicycle race, or opening the parliament to visitors took place. Throughout the city, there was a really nice atmosphere.

Thanks to our amazing tour guide, The Free Walking Tour in Tallinn was the best we have ever participated in!! We were told interesting stories about the city itself, the main sights such as the City Hall, the Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral, and so on, as well as about the country of Estonia, the Estonian people, and their traditions.

Tallinn's old town is very beautiful with its many small houses, churches, and squares. It is the largest preserved medieval old town and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. You can find gift shops, restaurants, and cafes everywhere, just like a whole bunch of tourists...

After the Walking Tour, we went to the newer part of Tallinn, which is located right next to the old town (Tallinn is a small city). At the newly reopened Turg Market, you can find many market stands with fresh food, cute shops, restaurants, and nice places to sit. We shared a portion of self-made good fries there. Yummy!

Unfortunately, it started raining heavily in the afternoon. Luckily, we had our rain ponchos with us, but we still got very wet. Despite the rain, we had such a great time in Tallinn. Sadly, we had to leave far too soon. We would have loved to stay longer in Tallinn. We love this city!