There's more in Tallinn than just the Medieval Old Town. Locals might actually tell you to get out of there and go see the real Tallinn, be it taking a tram to the funky and bohemian Kalamaja, picturesque Kadriorg or seaside Pirita. Don't get us wrong – we love the Old Town, we just don't want you to think Estonia is a big theme park and all locals sell roasted almonds in baggy clothes. Instead, breathe in the art and culture in the little galleries or visit some of the more alternative sights until they're still here to remind us of the days, like the Soviet concert hall near the harbour or the flea market at the train station.
Balti Jaam Market
Shop like a Soviet
Mart Virkus /
In the context of the bygone Soviet times, the market could be considered an ...
Cinema Sõprus
The oldest arthouse cinema in Tallinn
Kalev Külaase /
The Sõprus cinema has found its niche screening the somewhat less mainstream films. It's ...
KUMU
Art above, under and beyond the ground
Kalev Külaase /
The giant museum itself resembles a supervillain's lair. Come nuclear apocalypse and we ...
Lahemaa National Park Daytrip
Get away for a day
Kalev Külaase /
It's a well-established fact that Estonia has fewer people than the cast of "Lost". With ...
Master's Courtyard
Hidden artisan retreat
Mart Virkus /
One of the most medieval looking alleys in the whole of Tallinn, complete with giant old ...
Park of Kadriorg
Take a walk in the czar's park
Mart Virkus /
They call Tallinn the green city, and with good reason. Take a wrong turn and you might find ...
Artis Cinema
Movie lover's delight
Ülane Vilumets /
There's a rabbit hole in the flashy Solaris shopping centre. And what will Alice find should ...
Bastion Passages
Tumble down the rabbit hole...
Mart Virkus /
In the old days, the tunnels were used for various purposes. In the 17th and 18th centuries ...
Boat Rental
Get a sping on the Baltic sea
Mart Virkus /
Rowing boats and paddlers require no license to operate and anyone can take one for a quick ...
Börsi Passage
The walk of fame and shame
Kalev Külaase /
In 2010, the small passage next to the Grand Guild building in the Old Town received an ...
CAME (EKKM)
Power (plant) to the people
Mart Virkus /
The complex houses the Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art and it's hard to think of a ...
Cat's Well
Well, what a good idea!
Mart Virkus /
It was believed that the water spirits hold a grudge for Tallinn and that they wish the ...
Circular Stone
Five famous spires of Tallinn
Mart Virkus /
Most of us don't even know about it. So if you're a tourist, introduce it to locals :)
City Gallery
City's arty heart
Ülane Vilumets /
The name “City Gallery” sounds conservative enough, but rest assured, it has little to do with ...
Culture Kilometre
The kilometre that's 2.2 kilometres
Mart Virkus /
The Culture Kilometre is the closest thing northern Tallinn has to a promenade. The path ...
Estonian National Library
A fortress of knowledge
Mart Virkus /
The library, the biggest in the Baltic states, was completed in 1993 and it's been a crucial ...
Estonian Open Air Museum
Estonia, condensed
Mart Virkus /
The idea behind this open air museum is fairly simple. They went around the land picking up ...
Estonia Opera Theater
Changing scene, lasting monument
Mart Virkus /
Bombed to the ground by the Soviet air force in 1944, it took decades to get the National ...
Harju Hill
Little hill, big legacy
Mart Virkus /
The Harju hill used to be an amazing place where people could grab a beer and browse through ...
Harju street skating rink
Ice skating - yay!
Mart Virkus /
There're two things Estonia has a lot of - ice and space. Ice is a given during a large part of the ...
Hirve Park
Scenic hangout with a secret
Mart Virkus /
Just a stone's throw away from the Pikk Hermann tower on the Toompea hill is... well, another ...
I spy Tallinn
Who is the KGB agent?
Laura Randmaa /
Medieval armies battled across Estonia, and spies were constantly at work. In the ...
Kadriorg Palace
An imperial baroque summerhouse
Mart Virkus /
The Kadriorg palace was built in 1725, as Peter the Great needed a quiet getaway from his ...
Kajsamoor Sail & Dine
Dine like Jack Sparrow
Mart Virkus /
There are many tours around Tallinn but why not go full pirate and hop on a sailboat ...
Kalma Sauna
Get naked and hop in
Mart Virkus /
Seriously, Estonians love sauna. The Kalma is the oldest public sauna in Tallinn, operating ...
Kapsad
Community driven library in Tallinn
Martin Sookael /
A community run library in the Uus Maailm (New World) city district, local people have long ...
Katariina Quai
A Non-touristic panorama of Tallinn
Kalev Külaase /
Katariina Quai is something totally different to the bustling theme-park that is the old ...
KGB Museum
Pee-ka-boo, KGB sees you!
Laura Randmaa /
Locals, if born before 1980, remember what a secret place Viru hotel was in Soviet times. A ...
Kohtu Viewplatform
Picture-perfect skyline
Mart Virkus /
The Tallinn Old Town is actually not that big, but that doesn't mean you can't get lost. The ...
Kultuurikatel
Stage for the unorthodox
Ülane Vilumets /
Kultuurikatel, or the “Culture Cauldron” is a funky new addition to Tallinn’s already ...
Maarjamäe War Memorial
A manmade mountain
Mart Virkus /
In the Soviet Union size really did matter. Be it submarines, planes or microcomputers ...
Museum of Estonian Architecture
Explore the future, from the past
Mart Virkus /
The Rotermann salt storage – the name of the building says it all, doesn't it? Well, not really ...
Museum of Occupations
Shedding light on the darkness
Mart Virkus /
The Museum of Occupations is a harrowing reminder of the country's not-so-distant past ...
Navitrolla Gallery
Surreal, absurd fun!
Kalev Külaase /
Navitrolla is definitely a unique Estonian artist! His name's been famous since 1990 and ...
Neeme Lall Gallery
Flower power forever
Ülane Vilumets /
Neeme Lall could well be considered the last Mohican of the 60s "flower power". His ...
Niguliste Museum
A collage of history
Mart Virkus /
It's a church completed in 1230 that nowadays operates only as a museum and concert hall. At ...
Olympic Village
Moscow Olympics in Tallinn
Mart Virkus /
Looking more like an abandoned cruise ship than a hotel, the Soviet Olympic village ...
Patarei Prison
Welcome to the big house
Mart Virkus /
We're not going to give you the full and terrifying history of the Patarei prison, but inside ...
Piip & Tuut Playhouse
Be a child again!
Ülane Vilumets /
Woo hoo - an excuse to be a kid again! You can pretend you’re there to chat to the outgoing ...
Pilsticker Tower & Stairs
Lost tourist's alleyway
Ülane Vilumets /
This is a really secret courtyard behind the Toompea castle. It’s only known by locals and ...
Pirita Beach
Fun in the sun
Mart Virkus /
Pirita beach is the most popular one in Tallinn, so you shouldn't expect a lot of privacy ...
Pirita River Valley
Where locals workout
Kalev Külaase /
Just a couple of bus stops from Old Town in an amazing valley you will find yourself among ...
Prangli Island Day Trips
Enrich your visit
Ülane Vilumets /
Estonians are pure nature lovers. It happens that often we take a weekend off from the city ...
Presidential Palace
The prez lives here!
Mart Virkus /
On the other side of the Kadriorg Palace you'll find the Estonian “White House” - that is, the ...
Puppet Museum
Puppetmasters
Mart Virkus /
Occasionally verging on the creepy, this museum works for young and old. It has a ...
Roof of Linnahall
It's big
Mart Virkus /
The Soviets built this thing for the Olympic regatta of 1980 set to take place in Tallinn ...
Rooftop Cinema
The cinema above the others
Ülane Vilumets /
Since 2010, people of Tallinn can enjoy an outdoor cinema on the roof of the Viru Shopping ...
Rotermann Quarter
The living, growing, breathing city
Mart Virkus /
Locals love this area as a place to work, shop, eat and relax. There are always a lot of cool and ...
Science Center Ahhaa
All hands on science
Mart Virkus /
In the beginning, the Universe was created. Ten billion years later (give or take a few mill ...
Seaplane Harbour
Terror of the seas
Mart Virkus /
The museum is located inside the seaplane hangars. It's truly unique as the first shell ...
Seegi Church
The little church that could
Mart Virkus /
There are some monuments that stand the test of time, and the test of modernisation. This ...
Song Festival Grounds
Stuff of revolutions
Ülane Vilumets /
There's probably no other place in Tallinn that resonates with the local people and their ...
St. Catherine’s Passage
The real medieval street
Mart Virkus /
St Catherine's passage is a small medieval street with things on the... uh... nevermind, you'll ...
St Olaf's Church Viewplatform
Tallest building in the world!
Mart Virkus /
Today, the church is home to a Baptist congregation, but its list of former operators ...
Tallinn Botanic Garden
Tropical Tallinn
Mart Virkus /
Biologists would argue that Estonia is incredibly diverse with millions of different ...
Tallinn Free Tour
They way the youth see it
Mart Virkus /
Coming to Tallinn for the first time can be confusing. There are grumpy, antisocial old ...
Tallinn Zoo
It's a zoo
Mart Virkus /
It's a zoo. Like, with animals and all that. It has... let's see here. Elephants, seals, buffaloes ...
Telliskivi
City secrets
Mart Virkus /
Telliskivi can be considered an umbrella organisation for everything creative and ...
The Ruins of Pirita Monastery
An iconic gothic giant
Mart Virkus /
Today, as you're walking around the Pirita district, the old monastery ruins might seem a bit ...
Traveller Day Trips
Hidden wonders of coastal area
Laura Randmaa /
Estonian love nature, it's their higher power. If you haven't been to nature, you haven't seen ...
TV Tower
Thrills in the sky
Ülane Vilumets /
The highest viewpoint in Tallinn was reopened in 2012 and quickly became one of the city’s ...
Ukrainian Church
The smallest openable window in Tallinn
Mart Virkus /
This has got to be our favourite church in Tallinn. The building itself looks just a little ...
Uus Maailm
A state of mind
Mart Virkus /
Uus Maailm, or the “New World”, is sometimes referred to as “the hippie district”, but it's really ...
Väike-Õismäe
Concrete jungle
Mart Virkus /
Back in the day, the Õismäe district used to be that hi-tech ultra-modern neighbourhood ...
Von Krahl
The mecca of all things underground
Mart Virkus /
Not everybody is content with Tallinn's mainstream club scene, and those people have long ...
Walk around the city wall
Alternative walk through the old town
Mart Virkus /
We love the Tallinn Old Town. It's a marvel of medieval architecture and we love its snaking ...
Western Coast & Paldiski Daytrip
The secrets of the Western Empire
Mart Virkus /
Heavily militarised during the Soviet era, Estonia isn't exactly in short supply of ...