Tallinn

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, lies on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, only 70 km (43 mi) south of Helsinki. At the historical and medieval heart of the city is the hill of Toompea, covered in cobbled streets and filled with medieval houses and alleyways. The lower town spreads out from the foot of the hill, still protected by the remnants of a city wall. Around the city wall is a series of well-maintained green parks, great for strolling.

The city’s old town has been astonishingly well preserved and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, it is now in better shape than ever, with the bigger roads converted into fashionable shopping streets reminiscent of Zürich or Geneva. Especially in summer, the Old Town is packed with tourists, with the traditional daytrippers from Helsinki increasingly supplemented by Europeans taking advantage of cheap flights.

Alas, the new town sprawling all around is largely built in typical concrete Soviet style, now joined with glass-and-steel cubes celebrating the post-Soviet economic boom. The new centre of town is Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) at the edge of the old town, and nearby is the giant matchbox of Hotel Viru, the former Intourist flagship and notorious den of Cold War intrigue (every room was tapped and monitored by the KGB).

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Tallinn Airport (AKA “Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport” or “Ülemiste Airport”) (IATA: TLL) (ICAO: EETN) is a small airport located 5 km from the city center on the eastern shore of Lake Ülemiste. A decent and reasonably priced cafe (open 8–20) can be found on the 2nd floor, above the departure area (before security control). Cafes beyond the security are more expensive, as usual. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the terminal building. There is a designated room for smokers – a glass “gas chamber”, with a few tables, but ventilation is imperfect.

The following airlines operate service to/from Tallinn Airport:

AirBaltic (Riga, Vilnius), Avies (Kärdla), City Airline (Gothenburg-Landvetter), EasyJet (London-Gatwick, Liverpool), Estonian Air (Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Kiev-Boryspil, Kuressaare, London-Gatwick, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Oslo-Gardermoen, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm-Arlanda, Tartu, Vilnius, Antalya, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel, Dublin, Heraklion, Minsk, Nice, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Salzburg), Finnair (Helsinki), LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich), Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo-Gardermoen), Ryanair (Bergamo, Bremen, Dublin, East Midlands, Manchester, Girona, London-Luton, Oslo-Rygge, Stockholm-Skavsta, Weeze), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul).

• By Bus
  Bus #2 stops right in front of the airport. The journey to the entrance to Old Town (A.Laikmaa stop) takes approximately 15 minutes. Be careful because both inbound and outbound line #2 buses use the same bus stop at the airport. To get to the city center, catch the bus traveling towards “Reisisadam” (the passenger port) (and not towards “Mõigu”, which is a residential area on the outskirts of the city). The bus stop in the city center (A. Laikmaa) is located between Hotel Tallink and the Viru Center shopping mall/ intra-city bus terminal. The bus does not stop in the intra-city Bus Terminal itself. You can buy tickets at the R-Kiosks all around the city, in the bus terminal, or on the bus.
• By Taxi
  Taxis should cost €7-10. Around midnight, taxis often collect passengers from far before the taxi column, so booking one before arrival is highly recommended.