When you think of a fairytale setting, images of towering spires, winding cobbled lanes, colourful little houses and a bustling vibrancy to the place probably come to mind, right? Well enter the old town of Tallinn, a place I fell in love with in all of, ooh, maybe ten minutes.
When a friend of mine visited Helsinki, and told me that getting the ferry to Tallinn was the highlight of her trip, I was intrigued. Estonia was somewhere that I had honestly never considered visiting before, it's not somewhere that screams ideal holiday destination in the way that places like Italy. But I always like a ferry, and Helsinki is small enough that I didn't feel like I was missing out on experiencing there by spending a day in Tallinn.
The ferry there is super easy from Finland, there's wifi and a bar with with the intriguing 'Gin Long Drink'- I have no idea what was it in but it certainly made the 1hr30 ferry pretty fun...
The sun was smiling down on us the day we were there, painting the city in a glorious, glowing light- I was daydreaming away, picturing the fictional characters of my childhood ambling through the quaint streets. It takes a lot for me to be quiet, but I was too awestruck taking in these beautiful, ancient spaces to form articulate conversation. And if you've ever met me, you'll know that's high praise!
The old town is a UNESCO world heritage site, and from the first few minutes, you'll understand why. Painstakingly detailed plaques and information points adorn the walls of medieval buildings, leaving me with even more of an appreciation for this fascinating place.
We were there for such a short amount of time, that I don't have any particular recommendations of things to see and do here. Just walking around and taking in my surroundings was the perfect way to spend an afternoon in my opinion! It's also far cheaper than Scandinavia, which is always a bonus for us students!
Definitely walk up to the viewing platform for breathtaking views across the city and sea, check out the cathedral, city walls, and picturesque squares.
If I had known about Tallinn before my trip, I would have stayed here and got the ferry to Helsinki for the day instead of the other way round!
It's such an under appreciated place that I felt it needed a full post to do it justice, and hopefully inspire more people to discover its charms! I'm just back from a spontaneous weekend in Copenhagen, which was just wonderful- so look out for a post on that coming soon!
And now back to bed and watching 'The Good Wife'- I know I should be revising, but I've just started watching this and I am addicted!
Honor xxx
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