Attractions A-Z

Lossi plats 10 Map
Ph: +372 644 3484 · Fax: +372 644 3484
nevsky@hot.ee · Homepage

This spectacular, onion-domed structure perched atop Toompea Hill is Estonia's main Russian Orthodox cathedral. It's also by far the grandest, most opulent Orthodox church in Tallinn. Built in 1900, when Estonia was part of the tsarist Russian empire, the cathedral was originally intended as a symbol of the empire's dominance – both religious and political – over this increasingly unruly Baltic territory. ...

Lühike jalg 9A Map

On the slopes of Toompea hill between the city wall and Lower Town is an open, garden-like area that happens to be the legendary birthplace of the Danish flag. This relaxing spot is called the Danish King's Garden because it was supposedly here that King Valdemar II of Denmark and his troops camped before conquering Toompea in 1219. More importantly, a well-known legend both in Estonia and Denmark ...

Müürivahe 33 Map
Ph: +372 511 2536
info.mauritanum@mail.ee · Homepage

The inner chambers of the Dominican Monastery once included three wings, together called the Claustrum, of which the east wing still remains. It consists of a monks’ dormitory, library, refectory, prior’s living quarters and other rooms, all of which provide an interesting view into the lives of medieval monks. Visitors shouldn’t miss the mysterious “Energy Pillar” in the cellar, thought to be a source ...

Vene 16 Map
Ph: +372 515 5489 · Fax: +372 644 4606
info@kloostri.ee · Homepage

You won't be blamed for imagining you can hear monks chanting as you wander through the corridors of St. Catherine’s Monastery. Established in 1246, this is Tallinn’s oldest intact building. Nowadays it operates as a museum (pre-arranged tours only). Its beautiful courtyard, which is accessed through the courtyard of the adjacent Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, is one of the most captivating ...

Laboratooriumi 31 Map
Ph: 601 3001, 566 01663 · Homepage

The development of Tallinn’s fortifications and medieval arms and armour are the focus in this renovated tower from the 15th century. Interactive exhibits on each of six floors make this a great stop for the entire family. Visitors are invited to try on a selection of chainmail and armour, as well as handle medieval replica weapons. A variety of medieval handicrafts are also presented for visitors ...

Pikk 70 Map
Ph: +372 641 1408 · Fax: +372 641 1414
info@meremuuseum.ee · Homepage

Standing guard at the north end of Pikk street are two of Tallinn's most impressive defensive structures, the Great Coastal Gate (Suur Rannavärav) and Fat Margaret's Tower (Paks Margareeta). They were built not only to defend the city from the seaward side of town, but also to impress any visitors arriving via the harbour. The Great Coastal Gate, along with the Viru Gates, are the last of six gates ...

Müürivahe 48
Ph: +372 664 6598
info@hellemann.ee · Homepage

Another good opportunity to get a glimpse of the town's Medieval defenses can be found at the Hellemann Tower, which stands adjacent Müürivahe street next to Old Town's knit market. The 3-storey tower dates back to the 14th century and at different times was used as a prison and a weapons store. Nowadays it serves a more peaceful purpose: housing an art gallery. Visitors not only get to see the tower, ...

Komandandi tee 2 Map
Ph: +372 644 6686
kok@linnamuuseum.ee · Homepage

Like any respectable Medieval town, Tallinn has its share of underground passageways, particularly the defensive tunnel systems built in the 1600s during the time of Swedish rule. Back then attack was a constant worry, so city planners constructed high bastion walls around the outside of the fortified city. They also installed tunnels under the base of the walls so they could safely move soldiers ...

Lai 47 Map
Ph: +372 645 7171

This squat, round house on the northern edge of Old Town served a vital function in times past: from the 14th to the 18th centuries it was the site of a horse-powered mill. Nowadays it's home to a museum that displays a fascinating collection of artistic stonemasonry from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. A model showing how the mill worked during the middle-ages is also on exhibit. Open ...

Pühavaimu 2 Map
Ph: +372 644 1487 · Fax: +372 646 4430
tallinna.puhavaimu@eelk.ee · Homepage

Just off Town Hall Square stands a radiant, white church with an octagonal tower. This is the 14th-century Holy Spirit Church, a spectacular structure both inside and out. The elaborate painted clock on its façade is Tallinn's oldest public timepiece, dating to the late 17th century. But don't miss the carved wood interior which includes such treasures as a unique 15th century altar by the famous ...

Pikk 26 Map
Ph: +372 631 3199 · Fax: +372 631 3199
info@mustpeademaja.ee · Homepage

One look at this beautiful, Renaissance-style guild hall with its bright red, green and gold door is enough to explain why it's a regular feature on every Tallinn postcard stand. This was the historic home of the Brotherhood of Black Heads, a Medieval guild made up of young, single merchants and foreigners. The guild's patron saint was the Moorish St. Mauritius, an early Christian martyr who died ...

A. Weizenbergi 37 Map
Ph: +372 606 6400 · Fax: +372 606 6401
kadriorg@ekm.ee · Homepage

A trip to Tallinn isn’t a trip to Tallinn without a visit to this magnificent northern baroque palace, built by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine I, in 1718. Designed by Italian architect Niccolo Michetti, the grandiose palace and surrounding manicured gardens are a humbling example of Tsarist extravagance, but just as important a reason to visit is that this is also home to the foreign art ...

Ph: +372 6014548
kadriorupark@kadriorupark.ee · Homepage

This vast park surrounding Kadriorg Palace is without a doubt the best place in town for relaxed strolling, pigeon feeding and life pondering. It was set up in 1718 as part of the palace estate, but has always been open to the public. In spring and summer visitors can see beautiful, manicured gardens and flowerbeds here, but most of the park has retained the look of the natural landscape, with meadows ...

Komandandi tee 2 Map
Ph: +372 644 6686
kok@linnamuuseum.ee · Homepage

The name of this massive, 38m-high cannon tower literally means “Peek into the Kitchen.” It was so high that Medieval guards joked they could see right down the chimneys and into the kitchens of the houses below. Kiek in de Kök was originally built in the 1470s, but quickly expanded and strengthened, giving it walls that were 4m thick. The investment paid off: During the Livonian war in the late ...

Lühike jalg 9A Map
Ph: +372 644 0896

This square tower next to the Danish King's Garden dates to the 14th century. Naming it “Maiden's” or “Virgin's” tower is an example of Medieval irony: it used to house a prison for prostitutes. In the 1990s it was home to a popular tourist café, but it has remained empty for the last several years. Locals insist it's haunted by a monk-like figure who has been seen drinking wine in one of the chambers ...

Kloostri tee 9 Map
Ph: +372 605 5044
+372 5568 8666 · Fax: +372 605 5010
lagle@osss.ee · Homepage

The mysterious, triangular shape towering above the trees next to Pirita River belongs to the ruins of St. Bridget's Convent. Founded in 1407 as part of a Swedish religious order, St. Bridget's was the largest convent in the Livonian territories. It operated here until the forces of Ivan the Terrible destroyed it during the Livonian war in 1577. In addition to its 35-metre gabled facade, visitors ...

Vene 12 Map

Easily the most picturesque of Old Town's lanes, St. Catherine's is a narrow walkway that runs between Vene and Müürivahe streets, along the back of what used to be St. Catherine's Church. What makes the passage particularly interesting is that it's home to the St. Catherine's Guild, a collection of craft workshops where artists use traditional methods to create and sell glassware, hats, quilts, ...

Niguliste 3 Map
Ph: +372 631 4330 · Fax: +372 631 4327
niguliste@ekm.ee · Homepage

Saints, dancing skeletons and silver – not to mention the occasional organ concert – are the main attractions at this imposing, 13th-century church. Founded by German merchant/settlers from the island of Gotland sometime around 1230, the sturdy church was designed to double as a fortress in the days before the town wall was built. The building survived the reformationist looting of 1523, but wasn't ...

Lai 50 Map
Ph: +372 641 2241 · Fax: +372 641 2116
oleviste@oleviste.ee · Homepage

Once upon a time, from 1549 to 1625 to be exact, this 13th-century church was the tallest building in the world. But its gigantic, 159-metre spire, which was probably meant to act as a signpost for approaching ships, also turned out to be a very effective lightning rod. Throughout the church's history its steeple has been hit repeatedly by lightning, completely burning down the structure three times.

Pikk 24 Map

This hall was the historic home of the Oleviste Guild, an organisation that united craftsmen from what were considered the lower-class trades – butchers, tanners, gravediggers – who were by and large Estonian. The guild began using the house a gathering place as early as the 14th century, but in the 15th century it was extensively rebuilt. At the end of the 17th century however, the Oleviste Guild ...

Kloostrimetsa tee 52 Map
Ph: +372 606 2666
+372 606 2660 · Fax: +372 600 5529
aed@tba.ee · Homepage

With over 4,500 plant species and 123 hectares of space, the Botanical Garden near Pirita is the best place in Tallinn to stop and smell the flowers. In summer a stroll through the rose garden is a must, but the extensive, lush greenhouses make this a popular destination all year round. Here you can find everything from bananas to decorative house plants.

Free with Tallinn Card.

While in the area, you can also visit the adjacent Metsakalmistu (Forrest Cemetery), where public figures of all sorts, from poets to politicians, are buried.

One of the most charming features of Tallinn's Old Town are the gabled, Medieval residential houses that line its streets. There are dozens that are worthy of a shapshot or two, but among the most striking of these are famous Three Sisters at Pikk 71, a trio of wonderfully restored houses dating from the 15th century. Though all these houses are unique, the Medieval dwellings tend to follow the ...

Narva mnt 95 Map
Ph: +372 611 2102 · Fax: +372 611 2109
info@lauluvaljak.ee · Homepage

This sprawling event venue in Kadriorg has a special place in the hearts of Estonians. It was here in 1988 that the Singing Revolution, a massive, musical demonstration against Soviet rule, set Estonia on its road towards independence. The grounds feature an outdoor concert arena, built in 1959, and host a multitude of large concerts and festivals through the year. Most famously the site is home ...

Kloostrimetsa tee 58A Map

Currently closed to the public but still clearly visible from eastern parts of the city, this 314m TV tower in Pirita is an impressive example of Soviet engineering. It's also the tallest structure in the country. The tower was opened in 1980 and until recently it had a restaurant operating on its 170m-high observation deck. On a clear day visitors could see the Finnish coastline from this level. ...

Paldiski mnt 145 Map
Ph: +372 694 3300 · Fax: +372 657 8990
zoo@tallinnlv.ee · Homepage

If it hops, flies or slithers, you can find it at the Tallinn Zoo. Spread across an 87-hectare swathe of forested land, the zoo boasts one of Northern Europe's best collections. The list of its residents includes rhinos, vultures, camels, polar bears, pythons, lions, bison and dozens of other species. You can visit the crocodiles and chimpanzees in the Tropical House, or make your way over to the ...

Toom-Kooli 6 Map
Ph: +372 644 4140 · Fax: +372 644 4140
tallinna.toom@eelk.ee · Homepage

The gleaming, Medieval church that stands at the centre of Toompea hill is best known by locals as the 'Toomkirik' (Dome Church), and it's the main Lutheran church in Estonia. Established sometime before 1233 and repeatedly rebuilt since, the church displays a mix of architectural styles. Its vaulted main body dates to the 14th century, while its baroque tower was an addition from the late 1770s. ...

Karu 16 Map
Ph: +372 662 3050 · Fax: +372 662 3001
rabbi@jewish.ee · Homepage

Established in 2007, Tallinn's synagogue is by far the most modern house of worship in the city. It was a long time coming. During World War II, the Jewish community that had existed in Tallinn was all but wiped out, and its synagogue bombed. In the years following the war, a few native Jews returned to Tallinn, joined by many more Russian Jews, but the Soviet regime had outlawed any open observance ...

Lossi plats 1 Map
Ph: +372 6316 537 · Fax: +372 6316 547

Perched on a limestone cliff and towering over the rest of the city, Toompea Castle has always been the seat of power in Estonia. Ever since the German Knights of the Sword first built a stone fortress here in 1227-29, every foreign empire that ruled Estonia used the castle as its base. Today, appropriately, it's home to Estonia's Parliament. The castle has been revamped countless times through the ...

Raekoja plats 1 Map
Ph: + 372 645 7900 · Fax: + 372 645 7904
raekoda@tallinnlv.ee · Homepage

Nothing says power like the impressive, Gothic town hall that dominates medieval Tallinn's main square. It was built in 1402-1404 as a meeting place for the ruling burgermeisters and has been a showpiece of the city ever since. Look closely at the top of the spire to spot the Old Thomas weather vane, a symbol of Tallinn who has been standing at attention here since 1530. Nowadays the Town Hall ...

Raekoja plats 11 Map
Ph: +372 631 4860 · Fax: +372 631 4861
rae@apotheka.ee

Open since as far back as 1422, this curious little shop on the corner of Town Hall Square is in fact the oldest continuously running pharmacy in Europe. Ten generations of the same family, the Burcharts, operated it from1581 to 1911. It was so famous in its day that the Russian tsar used to order medicines from here. Remedies sold at the pharmacy in Medieval times included snakeskin potion, mummy ...

Raekoja plats Map

Picturesque Town Hall Square has been the undisputed hub of Old Town for the last eight centuries. Surrounded by elaborate merchant houses and, in summer, packed with café tables, it's a natural magnet for tourists. Historically it served as a market and meeting place, and was the site of at least one execution (resulting from a dispute over a bad omelette). Find the round stone marked with a compass ...

Gümnaasiumi 3 Map
Ph: +372 644 9867
+372 507 9565
kodu.linn@mail.ee

With nearly 2km of its original city wall still standing, Tallinn boasts one of Europe’s best preserved Medieval fortifications. In fact, a large part of what gives Old Town its fairytale charm is the system of walls and and towers that surrounds it. Work on the town's defenses first began in 1265, but the current outline of the wall dates to the 14th century. By its heyday in the 16th century, ...

Viru Map

This pair of picturesque, ivy-covered towers at the beginning of Viru Street – one of the main pedestrian arteries into Old Town – is often the very first glimpse visitors get of historic Tallinn. Anyone passing between them couldn't be blamed for thinking they've left the 21st century behind and landed smack in the middle of the 18th. The towers are actually only the foregates of what was a much ...