Taking Time for Tallinn's History
Tallinn Card Offers Discounts and Freebies in Old Town
Sep 3, 2009
The medieval walled city is in the heart of Tallinn. From old churches to Middle Ages-style dining and open air plazas, Old Town is a delightfully walkable bit of Baltic history.
The Tallinn Card
The Tallinn City Tourist Office offers a discount card good for six to 72 hours (prices vary accordingly from 12 euros for the six-hour card (popular for cruise stopovers) to 32 euros for a 72-hour card. For the Old Town attractions, the Tallinn card offers free admission to Town Hall, Town Hall Tower, Town Prison, Holy Spirit Church, Niguliste museum, Oleviste Church tower, Dominican Monastery Claustrum, Tallinn City Museum, Town Wall, Epping Tower - Interactive Museum and the Estonian Maritime Museum. The card also entitles you to free audio guide rent and a free audio guide for your MP3 player.
Some other value attractions include the Museum of the Occupation, which is just outside the walls of Old Town. It includes video of survivors of the Soviet invasion of Estonia and exhaustive documentation of the resistance. Also worth seeking out is the Catharine Guild, where women sell their hand-crafted items including hats, glass work, leather and silkscreen items. Sometimes the crafters will be working on items and it’s fascinating to watch.
Like every medieval port city, Tallinn had towers for fortification and keeping an eye on approaching enemies. One of the must-see towers in Old Town are Kiek in de Kök, which is home to a museum of the city’s defenses including carved cannons and model of the full old city. The other is Fat Margaret, which is home to the Estonian Maritime Museum. The towers are not fully accessible for people with mobility issues.
Eating Time in Old Town
Olde Hansa is probably the best known restaurant in Old Town. It’s lit by candles hanging from fixtures in the ceiling and the young servers combine nose rings and tattoos with medieval garb. The English menu is charmingly translated with appetizer-sized portions designated as “Small Hunger” and larger amounts as “Much Hunger.” It would be unwise to skip the boar, bear sausage or the spiced claret. For a more modern take on Estonian cuisine, find Kuldse Notsu Korts for country-style traditional Estonian cooking. In summer, eating on the terrace is a delight.
There are numerous places to get a coffee, find a beer and generally enjoy the passing parade of Old Town. Find a place with outdoor seating. On a nice day, watching the passersby and marveling at the ancient architecture can’t be beat. Walking to the attractions may help you burn off all that boar and beer.
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