Day Trips from Tallinn

My husband Pat and I opted for the private tour option since we only had a week in Tallinn, and without a rental car, we wanted to make the most of the trip by getting outside the capital for a bit. We took two private tours with Traveller, and neither one disappointed. On this tour, Sten picked us up promptly outside our AirBnB and gave us plenty of options of what we could go and see. Our response was "all of it." For the entire day (we left at 9am and got back around 5:30), we kept seeing one thing of beauty after another. Sten was so so knowledgeable about the history of Estonia, it's Occupation, it's subsequent Independence, what life is like now, and so much more. The highlight for me was climbing around the former limestone quarries and the flooded prison. If you're not afraid of heights, or, as he put it "to go mountain climbing in the country with no mountains", this is a real treat. Also the Soviet plane, now the home to a model airplane club, is surreal as you sit in pilot and Gunner seats and get transported back in time. We didn't only talk about the past, though. We talked hobbies, politics, culture, movies, etc. It really left us feeling like we'd made a friend in Estonia. I will absolutely recommend this company to anyone visiting the country.

Our guide Andres did a fantastic job of exploring the area around Tallinn as well as providing a detailed tour of the old town. Andres brought out the history, the culture and soul of the Estonians.

He shared his perspective of the history of his country.The area outside of Tallinn was as fascinating as the old town. The Festival area, the Memorial and the Maritime Museum were meaningful, important sites.

Kudos to him for bringing out the spirit of the country and allowing us to fall in love with the country and the people.

Just do it!

I am pleased as punch that we participated in this tour. We had originally intended to spend a few days exploring Lahemaa National Park and its various natural landscapes and manor houses. Unfortunately we needed to trim our itinerary by a few days, so this tour offered an ideal way to experience the park’s highlights. As an added benefit, it offered a delightful contrast to the city without having to drive far from Tallinn!

Our guide began by setting expectations with a brief outline of the day’s itinerary and expected return time - always a great way to start. At each stop, she provided an overview of the larger context—the geology underlying the Jägala waterfall, the history behind the Baltic German manor houses—before providing further specific details and engaging with questions to those interested. I very much enjoyed seeing the contrast between the unrenovated Kolga manor, with its massively looming (crumbling) pillars, set against the restored pretty-in-pink Sagadi manor, surely the backdrop for many Estonian weddings.

The extended nature walk in Viru Bog was an absolute highlight. Perfectly structured, she led us to the observation tower, with an amazing view over the technicolor pools, then picked up the car and met us at the other end of the trail, allowing some self-paced walking. The more adventurous could dip their toes in the water or even swim. Our guide called our attention to several types of plants found there, which we could again spot and examine during the unguided part of our hike. It is rare these days to get to enjoy such beautiful solitude, walking along a boardwalk, surrounded only by the evocatively twisted pine trees and still, dark water.

For lunch, we stopped at a simple tavern in Võsu, a tiny village of about 500 that was “one of the USSR’s hot resort towns.” Our guide told some stories of coming there as a young girl, and how crowded the area was with Ladas. Again, a highly authentic experience that encouraged our small group to interact and helped us see life outside “the big city.”

The second nature walk included some time in the quiet forest and on the sandy, rocky coast. Along the way, we saw a traditional fishing village and tested out a traditional 6-person swing—an unexpected workout! Photo opportunities abound on this tour, and the exercise is a nice bonus. You are guaranteed to learn several things about Estonian history, culture, or nature that you would otherwise miss.

The tour company (Tallinn Traveller) normally has a 4-person minimum, so I was very grateful that they still ran this tour even though there were only 2 of us. Our guide, Marju, was very kind and knowledgeable. I enjoyed the sights, especially since I had done the Lahemaa tour the day before, so I was a bit worried that it might be too similar, but the two tours complemented each other very nicely. This tour focused more on culture and religious history and life outside of the capital. I especially enjoyed that you could get up close & personal with all of the sights, especially the Padise monastery. I would highly recommend this tour to learn more about Estonia outside of Tallinn, just be aware that if it's not the tourist high season, it may not be offered.

I had a great time on the Lahemaa tour with Hindrek. He is very knowledgeable about Estonian history and culture, and I never expected to learn so much on this tour -- I thought we were just going to go out into nature. The Baltic German manor houses were fascinating, while the nature areas were nice too. I never expected I would call a bog beautiful! The bog walk was the best part of the trip. (For those, like me, who were wondering: you don't need any special shoes or gear for this; there is a wooden walkway over the bog, so you won't get dirty at all.) Thanks for everything, Hindrek!

This tour was the exact reason why I came back to Tallinn, after a summer trip to explore the city itself.
For 55 euro, this tour is a bargain. I am speaking for myself of course.

Our guide was excellent, fluent in English and very up to date with all our questions. Getting out of Tallinn to see what other beauty Talinn has to offer is a must. You will see a waterfall, a gorgeous bog (a type of swap), abandoned Russian industry and the cutest museum you will ever see. At that particular museum we were served a delicious meal, prepared by a true viking. :)

Highly recommended!

Our guide, Andres, was amazing! He explained everything very well and answered all of our questions! We visited the Jägala waterfalls, the viru bog, the abandoned Hara submarine base, the kasmu maritime museum, a fishing village and the Sagadi manor. We also had a very tasty lunch at the kasmu village (not included in the price but totally worth it). Everything was great! I definitely suggest this tour to every body!

Booked a surprise dinner for my husband's birthday, he truly enjoyed the experience and the warmth of the captain and his family.

The captain asked for him to come up and was really nice of him, he was thrilled beyond words!

Thank you for making it super special since he was working in Talinn and we were apart.

Keep the good work up, memories am sure he will cherish! Thank you so much

Myself and 3 friends had a great day with Kurt and especially enjoyed visiting the abandoned town. It's a long day, for sure, but you get to see so much of the country, so it's totally worth it. Standing across the river from Russia was another highlight.

The vehicle was modern and comfortable and Kurt was an excellent guide, taking us to a nice spot for a delicious lunch too!

The staff and tour guides were all extremely helpful, easy-going, charismatic, and freely shared their knowledge and cool facts with the group. Everything about the day was memorable, and I would say the highlight of my trip. I will definitely be going back to some of the places we visited, such as Käsmu and Sagadi, the next time I'm over in the beautiful land of Estonia.

We enjoyed a tour to Coastal Cliffs & Paldiski with Liine. It was grasping, we had a nice company with our tourmates, and our guide was very lively and smart. It seems that Liine knows everything about history and Estonia!
We recommend this tour for anyone who wants to spend an interesting day in the out-of-doors!

Jon was an enthusiastic, knowledgable, and friendly tour guide! It was clear that he enjoyed showing off the towns between Tallinn and Riga as much as we enjoyed seeing them. I would recommend this tour to absolutely anyone who wants to see more of Latvia and Estonia besides the capital cities.

Having a small group of eighth people was a great idea. A nice size group and great transport. The guide (Anders) was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour and pride about his country.

I would recommend this trip to anyone.

A very nice and international Tour (JP, JP, IND, AT, AT, CH, D) With 7 people and a very friendly and competent guide "Mariu" to fantastic spots in the estonian national park. A must do, if you habe time to spend a day in the nature.

Our guide Chris is very informative & funny, that made our trip more wonderful besides the beautiful scene.
The lunch we had at the Captain Village was absolutely amazing! The best smoked salmon i’ve ever had.

There’s no better way to travel between Riga and Vilnius than to spend a day with eight other travelers and the guide/driver. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and wouldn’t have wished for it to be different. Tim

Exceeded every expectation. Great stories and cultural insights. Great knowledge of history. Best of all was her sense of humor. Thank you for a great experience.

A very informative tour and tour guide ! Would certainly recommend if you want to discover Estonia’s history and interesting facts.
Fantastic value too !
Thank you

Must to visit this place if you are in Tallin. The guide is super duper good guy. Vehicle and his knowledge both are awesome. Close your eye and press on buy !!

Thank you so much for the great experience. It was a great adventure .
If you take a tour with this company you will feel like traveling with friends.