Me, in Tobago, Nov 2005 |
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Monk-San |
| Gender: | Female | | Lives in: | A Town Near Gatwick United Kingdom | | Registered: | 06 May 2003 | | Last visit: | 08 September 2006 |
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| Tallinn Review: An excellent weekend break | | Written by Monk-San on 06 Sep 2005 about a trip in Jul 2005.
| Tallinn is becoming more and more popular as a "stag weekend" destination, so make sure that you go there now before it gets out of hand!
We spent four days in Tallinn - Thursday to Sunday, landing about lunchtime on the Thursday. We took the opportunity to buy a Tallinn card at the airport, although we subsequently saw them on sale in several places in the Old Town and even at our hotel (The Meriton Grand).
For about £15, the Tallinn card gives you free transport for 72hours, which isn't quite as good as it sounds since the Old Town is easily walkable - the only time we used a tram was to visit Kadriourg. It also gives you free access to pretty much all the Old Town museums. These cost about £2-£5 each to visit, so if you plan to visit more than 3 or 4, you start to get your money back. On the top of that, you get discounts in certain bars and restaurants and this is where we got our value for money! I e-mailed the tourist office before our trip and they kindly sent me back a pdf of the booklet that goes with the Tallinn card (addresses, opening hours, cost etc) so I was able to plan ahead which of the many sights and museums to visit.
These were my choices:
Walking the city walls - excellent fun, clambering up and down mediaeval stairs, all beautifully preserved.
"Fat Margaret" - splendidly squat tower, containing the maritime museum and with an excellent view of the harbour from its wide, flat roof.
History of Tallinn Museum - Nicely laid out and containing a lot of information about the many occupations suffered by the Estonians.
Fotomusuem - Have to say that the photos weren't quite what I expected, but this museum did redeem itself by having a selection of spy cameras and by being set in the old jail - what a great building!
Apothecary - the oldest working apothecary in Europe/the world (depending on what you read). Mostly full of tourists, but there's a nice little room at one end that does at least look rather Olde Worlde.
Oliveste Tower - you have to visit this lovely church and climb the tower. Once it was the tallest building in the world (about 500 years ago), but it's still quite high enough when you have to climb it! Has to be done for the views. Make sure you go into the church and look at the organ above the door - very impressive. Also, look for the little skeleton carving at the back outside - linked to a local legend about the builder of the church.
Kiek in de Kok - excellent comedy name, apparently means "Peek in the kitchen". Had a great time clambering up and town the tower and admiring the exhibits.
Kadriourg palace - Build by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine. The building is absolutely stunning and gardens exquisitley manicured. I would have loved to see the collection of foreign art housed within, but it was closed due to it being Independence Day. D'oh.
Opening hours
Most museums are open every day and often 'til 6.00.
They did all shut on Independence day (20 August). I think that there;s another ID in February. Luckily the bars and restaurnats stayed open.
The Old Town
The Old town itself is beautiful - cobbled streets, pretty buildings, all painted and properly maintained. We took so many pictures of the streets - every corner you turn there's another beautiful view. There are a few outside bars, which are fantastic when the sun is shining. A number of bars kit their staff out in traditional costume, which adds to the the old time charm of the place. And gives you the change to snigger at the sandals / leather trousers. Sorry.
Weather
Tallinn is a long way north, so expect cooler weather. We discovered - after booking - that August is actually the rainiest month of the year, so we were very lucky to get glorious sunshine / 25'+ for our trip. However, it does seem that July is a better bet generally for warmth whilst avoiding the rain. I bet it looks stunning in the snow though.
Beach
If you are lucky enough to get good weather, you can walk back to the old town along the beach from Kadriourg. It's beautiful - undeveloped, sandy and gently sloping into the clear sea. Add in a few pretty shells and the odd streak of black sand and you have a wonderful place on the doorstep of the town.
Cruise ships
The cruise liners stop here in droves and there do tend to be packs of cruise liner passengers ambling along behind someone with a flag. This can be annoying, but they're not too hard to avoid.
Food and Drink
There's a good selection of foreign and local cuisine at low prices. If you don't fancy the herring, there are some good Franco-Russion restaurants, which give you a more sophisticated taste of Estonian culinary heritage. Or you can go for a curry.
The local tipple, Vana Tallinn comes as a liqueur and a cream liqueur - and its very nice. After several galsses, I asked the landlady if I could buy the glass (engraved "Vana Tallinn") she said that they weren't for sale - but then just gave it to me when I left. This is typical Estonian friendliness and generosity.
Getting there
Tallinn Airport is 10-15 minutes from the old town by taxi. You can get a bus, but the taxi is so cheap its hardly worth making the saving. We flew with Estonian Air from Gatwick.
Currency
The Estonian Kroon (EEK) is fixed to the Euro. With the Euro at about 1.45/1.50 = £1, you get about 22/23 EEKs to the £.
EU
Estonia joined the EU in May 04, so there is no limit on the amount of booze you can bring back.
Summary
This is a historically interesting, beautifully preserved city. The food and drink are cheap and tasty. The people are friendly and welcoming.
Having visited 20 or 30 towns and cities in Europe, this gets my vote as one of the best. |
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Tallinn Hotel Reviews
Monk-San reviewed these Tallinn hotels...
| Meriton Grand Hotel Tallin review |  | | Excellent Hotel, close to the Old Town | | The Meriton Grand is good quality hotel, deserving its 4* rating.
The rooms are spacious, comfortably furnished and well maintained and the bathrooms are bright and modern (Tiled, big mirror,... |
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