We have flights to Tallinn From:
Aalesund, Amsterdam, Athens, Baku, Barcelona, Bari, Bergen, Berlin, Billund, Brussels, Budapest, Chisinau, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Helsinki, Istanbul, Kaliningrad, Kaunas, Kiev, Lappeenranta, London ,Milan, Minsk, Moscow, Munich, Nice, Odessa, Oslo ,Oulu, Palanga, Paris, Riga, Rome, Simferopol, St Petersburg, Stavanger, Stockholm, Tampere, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Tel Aviv, Turku, Umea, Vaasa, Venice, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw, Zurich
Geography
Once a city of 66 towers set around its easily defended historic hill of Toompea and the visible limestone cliff that cuts through its heart, Tallinn today has 19 towers (an impressive number nonetheless) and the spirit of city where life is a pleasure. Located in north western Estonia on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Tallinn lies across the Baltic some 70 km from Helsinki, making it easily accessible by ferry. With a population of just over 400,000, it is both the capital and largest city of Estonia. airBaltic is your airline for cheap tickets to the city, with flights to Tallinn Airport, located a mere four kilometres from Raekoja plats (Town Hall square).
Languages
Estonian is the official language of Estonia and Tallinn and in contrast to other post-soviet nations, Russian is not as widespread as would be expected, with many locals preferring to pretend they don’t even speak it. English is common enough, especially in the Old Town, and in the hotels and tourist areas, where travelers should have little difficulty getting around. For a little Estonian in your pocket, consider the always useful palun (please) and aitäh (thank you).
See and Do
At the centre of the city and by far its main attraction is Tallinn’s wonderfully preserved Old City, or Al-linn, some six hundred years old. It is a small area and easy enough to see on foot. The Raekoja plats is the main square with the Town Hall building, dated to 1371. As the centre includes a hill, it is hard to miss the rise of Toompea with its founding Danish Castle atop. Once the command centre to the stand alone town named Dom zu Reval, it is today home to the Estonian Parliament. Nearby stands the powerful Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, as well as Tallinn’s oldest church, the Toomkirik. From atop the hill, the city and harbor spread out beyond in a nearly fairy tale-esque manner. Down below extends the lower town through the old section with its narrow cobblestone streets with several fashionable and quaint shopping lanes, then onward to several parks below the hill, where strolling is a pleasure.
In the east of the city stands the Kadriorg Palace, the imperial summer home of Peter the Great, designed by the Italian Niccolo Michetti. Today it is the Art Museum of Tallinn, as well as the presidential residence. For a chilling experience, pass by the Ex-KGB headquarters at Pikk 61, where the cemented in basement windows tell all that is necessary of the atrocities that occurred within.
For entertainment, purchase tickets to a show at the Saku Suurhall, a large concert venue where the Eurovision contest was held. And don’t head back to your airline without sampling some Estonian cuisine. At the Olde Hansa try some first rate Estonian cooking, and even a little bear meat, which doesn’t come cheap. The beer is excellent as well. |
