Things to Do in Tallinn and Estonia
Things to Do in Tallinn and Estonia
The best of a Tallinn trip splits neatly into what you do inside the medieval capital and what you do with the country around it. Treat the city as your base and you can fill several days without repeating yourself. Here is the fuller picture, city sights first, then the country.
Read the Old Town properly
The Old Town is free to wander, split into the Lower Town, where medieval merchants and guilds ran things, and Toompea above it, where Estonia’s parliament still sits today. Raekoja plats is its heart. Start with the free Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewpoints on Toompea, better than any paid tower, and stop at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a 1900 Tsarist-era Russian Orthodox landmark that is a layer of history, not proof the city is Russian. Estonia is Baltic, an EU, Schengen and NATO member on the euro since 2011, and Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language.
Climb, then go underground
St Olaf’s Church tower is a spiral climb to about 60 metres for a few euros. Kiek in de Kok links to the Bastion Tunnels for a roughly 90-minute guided walk through defensive passages later used as Soviet shelters, about 10 to 12 euros, book ahead.
Spend real time at Seaplane Harbour
Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam), a maritime museum in a 1917 hangar with a walk-through submarine, is 22 euros and one of the strongest museums in the Baltics. Pair it with the Kalamaja district next door: Telliskivi Creative City for shops and studios, Balti Jaam Market for a cheap, local lunch.
Slow down in Kadriorg and go digital
Kadriorg Park, Peter the Great’s palace grounds, holds the KUMU art museum (16 euros) and a run of embassies. It is also a reminder of how the country runs: e-Estonia keeps government and payments online, and Bolt, the ride-hailing app now used worldwide, started here in 2013.
Take a day out of the city
This is where a Tallinn trip becomes an Estonia trip. Lahemaa National Park is about 1 hour out for bog boardwalks and Jagala Waterfall; Parnu, 1.5 to 2 hours south, is a beach town with a 180-year spa tradition; Rakvere runs a hilltop castle with summer reenactments; and the Helsinki ferry crosses in about 2 hours if you want a whole second capital. Book the popular runs ahead in summer, and skip the Narva border crossing into Russia, which is not a casual day trip in 2026.
Read more: the Tallinn and Beyond Estonia guide plans the day trips in detail.