The best things to do in Tallinn

We visited Tallinn as a group of four in mid-July 2024. The trip was planned as part of a week-long trip including a drive down to Riga in Latvia. But before we hit the road, we had three days to explore Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

These were our favourite places to visit in Tallinn.

Explore the Old Town

The historic old town of Tallinn is lined with cobbled streets and ancient buildings. From churches and museums and pubs and restaurants, the city is full of character. Amazingly, the old town was not bombed in WWII, so while the surrounding neighbourhoods look much newer due to being rebuilt, the old town is intact. 

The Tallinn open top bus tour

We took the hop on hop off bus tour around Tallinn as a quick and easy way to see more of the city without a car. The green route takes you through the old town and out into the seaside suburbs. You drive along the shore of the Baltic, which in summer was full of swimmers and sunbathers, and into the famous Tallinn harbour. You can get on and off at any time, so we disembarked at the port and stopped for an amazing lunch at Ocean 11 before walking the 20 minutes back into town.

Tickets cost about £30 per person and are 10% cheaper if you book online.

Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewing platforms

There are a number of viewing platforms in Tallinn, but these two were our favourites. From the walls of the old town, you can look out across the pointed roofs and church towers to the harbour. You have to hike up quite a lot of steps, but it’s well worth the view. There was even a rainbow while we were at Patkuli. 

Balti Jaama Turg

This market is packed with vintage stores, restaurants, and bars as well as more modern clothing vendors and fruit and vegetable stalls. It’s a relaxed place to wander on a morning or afternoon, and is very close to the arts district of Telleviski where you’ll find cultural galleries, museums, and studios. It’s all about 15 minutes walk from the old town and is perfect for getting a feel of contemporary Tallinn.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

We didn’t go into this Russian Orthodox church, but its impressive domed roof is an imposing view across a lot of the old town. As you wander the old town, you’ll find a number of photo opportunities that are made even more impressive thanks to the cathedral – especially from the steps next to Kiek in de Kök Museum.

Fotografiska 

Fotografiska is a gallery and studio with shops, bars, cafes and a Michelin-starred restaurant on the roof. You could spend 20 minutes or 2 hours exploring the old warehouse building. They also host late night events in summer where you can explore the art, photography, and other cultural displays until 11pm.

Rummu Quarry

If you’re visiting Tallinn in summer, make a date trip to the Rummu quarry. We stopped on our drive to Riga, and spent an hour wandering around the shores of the huge lake where the submerged limestone quarry can still be seen. Now, the area is popular for camping, hiking, diving, kayaking, and swimming and on a hot afternoon it was very busy with locals. But the view of the surrounding limestone cliffs and the imposing buildings in the water made this a unique stop that I’m very happy we made on our roadtrip.

Entry to the quarry is $6 per person. Tickets to the prison and for camping can also be purchased.

Pärnu

In the south of Estonia is the seaside town of Pärnu, where many Estonians like to holiday. The beach city is small, and has a beautiful river (the Pärnu River) running through it. We stopped here for lunch in one of the many independent kitchens, and had a delicious pizza which was just what we needed on our 4.5 hour drive to Riga. If we’d had more time, we would definitely have stopped at the stunning Pärnu beach.

Eating and drinking

I was so impressed by the food and drink experience in Tallinn – perhaps because I didn’t go on this trip expecting it to be a foodie adventure. In our group was a meat eater, a vegetarian, a pescatarian, and a vegan, and we had no problem finding excellent restaurants that catered to us all – in fact, I couldn’t believe how many vegan options there were. I don’t think we stopped at a single restaurant or cafe that didn’t have one. 

While Estonian food is largely inspired by its neighbours like Russia and Poland, we found that the local restaurants were very diverse and had a very contemporary feel. The bars were often inspired by speakeasies and the prohibition era, but there were plenty of more relaxed bars for an afternoon beer as well.

Find our favourite places to eat and drink in Tallinn in our blog here.