Tallinn

Soumenlinna - Helsinki - Tallinn - St Petersburg - Moscow

• Have a good breakfast and carry a bottle of water all the time. Tallinn demands a lots of walk up and down the old town which at times can be tiring.
• Buy a sim when you reach Estonia. Most of the international networks either don't work here or are super costly. Carry an umbrella if you are going in rainy season.
• Take St. Olaf's entry ticket to the top. It costed us €3. There are few views in Tallinn that can beat what you can see from up there. Most of the other entries in Tallinn are free.

The Old Town of Tallinn is a magical place or so it seems. In a space of few square miles, you will come across a hill, a sky high cathedral, few viewpoints and an old way of life. Within the walls of the old town, life takes a backseat. You wish to fill your eyes with the beautiful structures that makes you hungry. There are rows of restaurants within the gullies of Tallinn in case you do not prefer the Town Hall Square that hosts the open restaurants.

Inside the Old Town

We entered the old town when it was raining. The day wasn't looking very promising until we reached the gates of St. Olaf's Church. The church was simple with the most remarkable thing being a sky high tower sprouting from the roof of church. At the entry we found there is a spiral staircase to the top. The day was changing to look positive.

View from St. Olaf's

We took tickets and climbed the 400 ft tower to reach the top. It was a surreal experience at the top. Narrow terrace at four sides looked at Tallinn. One side was facing the harbour was beautiful but nothing compared to the expanse of old town visible from the opposite. In the chilly wind at the top, it was that more exciting to absorb the beauty of the landscape. We came down satiated.

Aleksander Nevski Cathedral

The road from St. Olaf's is called Lai Rd and leads directly to Aleksander Nevski Cathedral and further to it the Toompea Castle. The cathedral is an imposing structure at the elevated end of Lai Rd. The castle is a modest one. What's so special about this area is the balconies with a view that it throws at such elevation. We were thrilled to see the entire Tallinn Old Town from here.

View from a balcony, Old Town

Coming out from the side of Nevski Cathedral we walked down to St. Michael's Church, another imposing building at the foot of the old town. Beyond this the cafes and restaurant were in abundance, all spreading from the Town Hall Square. It was a lovely afternoon and we settled at one of the open restaurants for pizza. The breeze was good and we enjoyed our meal.

St. Michael's

Our next stop was Kadriorg Park which was on the other side of Tallinn. We took uber which was super cheap. The park was not that great and we came back to the Viru Gate to spend some time with the crowd. The gate is one of the entrances to old town from city side and hence among the busiest areas. All major restaurant chains were around and more. We tried couple of them and then moved towards the harbour. 

Towards Viru Gate

Our ship was due in an hour. We settled, charged our cells and decided to try Burger King which was on the ship. This one was bigger than the one we had taken in the morning. Hensinki was as cold as we had left it. We took a tram back to our hostel this time. The fact that it was bright at late night never ceased to amaze us.