Day 1 - Tallinn

We arrived in Tallinn late last night after a good, on time Ryanair flight from Stansted.  The hotel is small and comfortable and on the northern edge of the Old Town.

After a very good nights sleep and nice breakfast we headed into the old town which has 26 remaining towers and 2 km of remaining city walls (originally 48 towers and 4km of wall).  Just outside our hotel is the Grusbeke Tagune Tower and we walked inside the walls passing another 7 towers before we started seeing more tourists.  It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day.  There must have been a cruise ship in the port as there were large groups of tourists, many from Japan or China, being shown around.

 

Tallinn Old Town street near to hotel

 

Towers along the City Wall

 

City Walls

We spent much of the day in the Toompea area which is a hill to the west of the Old Town.  There are some viewpoints over the old town and the harbour area.  The Presidential Palace, in Toompea Castle and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are here.

 

Toompea Castle, Presidential Palace

 

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

 

View over Tallinn Old Town  and Baltic Sea 

from Toompea Viewing Point 

 

View over Tallinn Old Town from Toompea Viewing Point

 

The Governors Gardens and Tall Herman Tower

 

Church Tower at Cathedral of St Marys

 

Further down the hill are 4 towers, Kiek in de Kök, Maiden's Tower, Tallitorn Tower and the Gate Tower of the Short Leg which are joined by the city wall.  They are now the Fortification Museum.  We spent a good couple of hours here.  Kiek in de Kok is the tallest tower in Tallinn and in Estonia.  We were able to climb to the top floor and each floor had an display of how the tower would have been used in Medieval times.  The entrance also included the Bastions which are a series of underground Tunnels which were inhabited by homeless people or hermits until the 1980s.  The tunnels went on and on and we wondered when we would come to the end.  There was the story of the various wars that Estonia have been involved in over the past.

 

The wall between the Maiden's Tower and Tallitorn Tower

 

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and 

Cathedral of St Mary in background and

Danish Kings Garden

 

View from Kiek in de Kok across the old town to the Baltic Sea

 

Tall Hermann Tower from Kiek in de Kok

 

Roof at the top floor of Kiek in de Kok 

 

Walk between Tallitorn Tower and the Gate Tower of the Short Leg.

This was the stables area

 

Map of the towers in the Old Town

 

Stone relic in the tunnels

 

Stone relics in the tunnels

 

Once outside we walked around part of the Old Town and went for coffee and cake in a small cafe near the Town Hall square.  

 

Statue to Jaan Kross, Estonian Writer

 

Town Hall Square

 

Town Hall Square

 

Small narrow house in Town Hall Square

said to have been the site of the first cafe in Tallinn

 

There was a concert in Tammsaare Park, just outside the Old Town and it was very noisy there but they did have a lot of games for younger children in the park.  We went to the harbour area and found where we need to catch the ferry when we leave.  

 

Small wood church near the harbour

 

Tallinn harbour and ferry terminal

 

Swing Bridge at marina entrance

 

We then made our way back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to eat.  It was very quiet with few tourists about.  Much cooler now and needed a jacket.

 

St Olavs Church

 

Gate leading to hill up to Toompea