Tallinn Sightseeing: First Visit and Return

October 5, 2026

Tallinn Sightseeing: First Visit and Return

The flag on the Pikk Hermann tower goes up at sunrise to the national anthem, and that is a fair start to a first visit. A return trip needs a different list, because the central sights are covered and the rest of the city is where the new material is. Here are both lists.

First visit: the Old Town and Toompea

Begin at Raekoja plats. The Town Hall dates from 1404, the weather vane on the spire is Old Thomas (Vana Toomas), and the Town Hall Pharmacy (Raeapteek) has been recorded since 1422. Walking the UNESCO Old Town costs nothing; towers, museums and wall walks inside it are ticketed.

Climb to Toompea, the limestone hill that holds the seat of government and Pikk Hermann tower. The Kohtuotsa and Patkuli platforms give free views over the roofs to the bay. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, from 1900, is free to enter with modest dress. Back in the Lower Town, St Catherine’s Passage links Vene and Müürivahe streets, and craft studios open onto it.

For height, the St Olaf’s platform is open from 1 April to 31 October, 258 steps, €10 or €5, details at oleviste.ee . The Town Hall tower is open only in summer, 1 June to 31 August, €7 or €5.

A short orientation with a guide can help; compare options with Tallinn sightseeing tours on Viator .

Return visit: beyond the walls

The second visit is the one for Kadriorg. The palace, designed by Niccolo Michetti for Peter the Great from 1718, houses the Kadriorg Art Museum at €15 or €10, and the park around it is free. Nearby, KUMU holds the national art collection at €16 or €11 (ticket details at kunstimuuseum.ekm.ee ).

Inside the walls, the sights that rarely make the first day are the Niguliste museum, where Bernt Notke’s Danse Macabre hangs in the church, at €15 or €10, and Fat Margaret, the cannon tower at Pikk 70, now a maritime museum. Both reward a quiet hour.

Then go out to the neighbourhoods. Kalamaja has 1920s wooden houses, and Telliskivi Creative City is a free walk through converted factory halls with murals and studios. Noblessner is a former submarine yard turned seafront district, and Pirita has the promenade and the Olympic marina.

For a quiet half hour of reflection, the Victims of Communism Memorial at Pirita tee 78 has two long black steel walls engraved with names, and entry is free.

Getting around

Visitors pay €2 for 1 hour, €5.50 for 24 hours, €9 for 3 days or €11 for 5 days on city transit. Free travel covers only registered residents, children under 7 and over-65s with an Estonian address. The airport has trams T2 and T4, and bus 2. A pair of flat, supportive shoes matters more than any ticket, since the Old Town is paved with uneven stone.

Verdict

On a first visit, give Raekoja plats and Toompea a full morning, add one tower, and keep the afternoon for wandering. On a return, give Kadriorg a day and Kalamaja an evening.

Choose your next stop from the attraction guide .