The Baltic Sea Cruise: Tallinn Estonia

DESTINATION PORT

Tallinn is a popular and busiest cruise port of Europe during summertime.  This is our third cruise port from our Baltic Sea Cruise itinerary.  

THE LOWDOWN

One of my favorite Baltic ports so far. Tallinn, Estonia is founded in 1154 and its Old Town (every corner is picturesque) has remained unchanged for over 600 years. Situated high on a hilltop, Tallinn’s medieval walled Old Town is a maze of cobblestone streets with historic buildings and modern delights hidden around every turn. Tallinn is also one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites…a unique and wonderfully photogenic city to explore.  You don’t need a taxi or a sightseeing bus because Old Town is a 20-minute walk from the port if you don’t mind the walk.  The walkway may look industrial but once you get to Old Town it is all worth it.

DON’T MISS

The best way to explore Old Town Tallinn is to admire the historic colorful buildings and walk the town built with cobblestone streets.  We were there for a few hours just walking around and checking out the shops. Every corner that you turn is picturesque filled with shops, restaurants, and outdoor cafes.  

Tallinn boasts a number of historic churches and cathedrals like many other medieval cities.  One of our favorite cathedrals is Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, designed by Mikkail Preobrazhensky in a Russian Revival style while Estonia was part of the Russian Empire.  

ORDER THIS

We stumbled upon this charming quaint restaurant called Leib Resto ja Aed.  Don’t let the name scare you…they speak English and the service was fabulous!  It is located in a hidden yard next to the walls of Old Tallinn that is not far from the main square of old town.  The freshly made bread (free) was amazing, We ordered the grilled farm quail for me, fish cake for the hubs, and chicken fillets for the boys.  The meal was better than expected and it was extremely affordable.

After a couple hours of walking off the meal we wanted something sweet so we headed to the oldest cafe in town called Maiasmokk Cafe. You must stop here if you are in Tallinn because the interior of the cafe is gorgeous although the dessert and coffee are not the best.

WHAT TO WEAR

It was quite windy and chilly in June.  So much so that my kids wore parkas over layered clothing.  Again, we didn’t pack accordingly because we didn’t expect the Baltic countries to be that cold in summer!  You can almost certainly throw out your dress and just pack jeans, light sweaters and a jacket.

WHAT TO BUY

Tallinn has beautiful table linen.  Estonians are known not to hibernate during the winter months.  These folks are tough and they know how to survive tough cold weather by keeping themselves warm with wool-knitted sweaters, mittens, and socks.  Most of these items are made with beautiful designs from flowers to reindeer motifs, which is their traditional patterns that have been in use for centuries.

Next Sea Port Stop: St. Petersburg, Russia