Tallinn Old Town
★ 4.8🇪🇪 TallinnSuggested visit Half a dayBest season June to August for long days; December for the Christmas market
World HeritageMedieval old townCity walk
An exceptionally intact Hanseatic medieval town, its walls, Gothic town hall and gabled merchant houses still enclosing the streets.
Overview
Divided into upper and lower towns, Tallinn's old town joined the World Heritage List in 1997. Some 1.9 kilometres of wall and more than twenty towers survive, including Fat Margaret and the Three Sisters. The Gothic town hall on Town Hall Square dates from the 14th century, among the oldest in northern Europe, and the square hosts a Christmas market in winter.
History
Founded in the 13th century and a Hanseatic member from 1285, it prospered on trade with Russia and Scandinavia, with most walls and towers built between the 14th and 16th centuries.
Highlights
- •The surviving walls and towers
- •The 14th-century Gothic town hall
- •The upper-town viewing platforms
- •The winter Christmas market
Practical tips
- •The viewing platforms are free and best at sunset
- •Most old-town streets are cobbled — mind your footing
Practical information
- Best time
- June-August
- Tickets
- The old town is free; the town hall about EUR 5
- Opening hours
- Old town open all day
- Local food
- Estonian rye bread, marinated eel, marzipan
- Getting around
- About 20 minutes by tram or bus from the airport; 15 minutes on foot from the ferry terminal.
- Visa
- A Schengen visa is required; apply about one month in advance.
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