Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia.
Located on a bay in northern Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of 452,563 as of 2026, making it the third most-populous city in the Baltics. As of 2024, the population of the Tallinn metropolitan area is estimated at 646,315. Tallinn is the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Estonia. It is located 187 kilometres (116 mi) northwest of the country's second largest city, Tartu, however, only 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is also 320 kilometres (200 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Riga, Latvia, and 380 kilometres (240 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, Tallinn was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name, Reval.
Getting to Tallinn
All ferries dock at Reisisadam port, to the north of the centre. Tallink uses
- 01Terminal A/B
Walking between the two terminals takes about 5 minutes over a pedestrian bridge crossing the marina.
- 02Old City Marina
Extremely sheltered guest harbor 10 minute walk from old city.
- 03Noblessner
Worth seeing
The Tenet tour is a showcase of sets of the 2020 film Tenet. The Tallinn history tour is a walk through the city's long history. = = According to myth, the hill was built on top of the grave of legendary Estonian king Kalev, but more historically, its solid limestone and the site of the Danish castle that founded the city in 1219.
- 01Toompea Castle
- 02Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
A classic onion-domed Russian Orthodox church, built 1894–1900, during the Russification period when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire.
- 03St. Mary's Cathedral (Tallinna toomkirik), Toom-Kooli
The oldest church in Tallinn, built as a Catholic church in 1229, but renovated and expanded many times since then.
- 04Stenbock House
Today, the Stenbock House is the seat of Estonia's government, but it was built as a courthouse in late 18th century, at the behest of the erstwhile Russian authorities.
- 05Estonian Knighthood House
- 06Viru Gate
Things to do
- 01Medieval Days
- 02Kultuurikatel
A former industrial site, it now Tallinn's main creative hub, site of many events (see website).
- 03Energy Discovery Centre
- 04PROTO Invention Factory
Indoor amusement park where amusements take place with the help of VR glasses.
- 05Kalev Spa
One of the largest water parks in Northern Estonia.
- 06Atlantis H2O Aquapark
Randvere tee 11, Viimsi (Buses 1A, 114, 174), info@aquapark.ee.
Where to eat
The Old Town is packed with restaurants claiming to offer authentic Estonian food, particularly on and around Raekoja plats. Prices at restaurants near the Raekoja Plats are generally more expensive, yet offer the same quality of food, as restaurants off this main square.
Getting around Tallinn the local way
- Get inAll ferries dock at Reisisadam port, to the north of the centre.
- Get inThe most common ferry route is from Helsinki, Finland to Tallinn Port, which has upwards of 20 departures daily.
- Get inDepending on the ferry, journey time is 1½–3½ hours.
- Get inAll ferries also carry cars, from €25 one way.
- Get inBikes on car ferries must go through vehicle check-in, which closes earlier than passenger check-in, so plan for extra time.
- Get inThe following companies operate ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki: Eckerö and Viking usually have the cheapest fares, as they are more geared towards day-trippers and the party crowd who tend to spend more in the bars, restaurants and shops on board.
- Go nextGood for a day trip or even hikes with overnighting at the park.
- Go nextHop on the ferry and you are in Helsinki, Finland in 2 hours.
From Wikivoyage: Tallinn, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.