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City Guide > Europe > Estonia > Tallinn | |
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Key Attractions Old Town Tallinn’s old quarter is one of the most attractive in Europe and it is easy to see why it has been dubbed a ‘mini-Prague’. It is compact and easily navigable. Many of the buildings have been renovated and the Old Town now boasts cafes, restaurants, hotels and tourist orientated shops, but this is no museum piece and local people still live and work here. Town Hall (Raekoda) Unmissable thanks to the sinewy spire that hangs omnipresent above the eponymous square. The original town hall rose in the 14th century, but much of the building you see today dates from the 15th century. There is now a small café at the Town Hall, but the interior is often closed for official functions. Visitors can, though, check out the pharmacy, said to be one of the oldest in Europe. Raekoja Plats 1 Tel: 645 7900. Website: www.tallinn.ee/raekoda Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Dominating the Toompea hillside is this striking orthodox cathedral with its instantly memorable black onion domes. The cathedral was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III, first opening its doors in 1900. Local legend has it that the reason that the cathedral has been plagued by structural problems is that, although it was commissioned to commemorate a Russian hero, it actually stands on the grave of an Estonian one. Lossi Plats 10 Tel: 644 3484. Website: www.hot.ee/nsobor Occupation Museum The dark days of both the Nazi and the Soviet occupations come alive at this chilling museum. Old uniforms, photos and audio-visual displays illuminate the tortuous decades that Estonia endured before its eventual independence in 1991. Toompea 8 Tel: 668 0250. Website: www.okupatsioon.ee Civic Museum The civic museum offers a lucid and comprehensive depiction of the story of this deeply historical city. Housed in a 14th century building, it covers up to German and Soviet times and right through to independence with some fascinating photos. Also stages temporary art exhibitions. Vene 17 Tel: 644 6553. Website: www.linnamuuseum.ee |