The city of Tallinn is the capital city and main seaport of Estonia. It is located on Estonia’s north coast to the Baltic Sea, 80 kilometres south of Helsinki.
Other historical names are Koluvan (Kolõvan, Kolyvan), Lindanise, Lindanisa (Lindanäs), and - as variations of “Reval” - Revalia, Revel and Reveln. The origin of the name “Tallinn” is debated, but it is certainly of Estonian origin; while it is usually thought to be derived from “Taani-linn” (meaning “Danish town”), it may also have come from “talu linn” (meaning “farming town”). The name Tallinn became official in 1918, when Estonia became independent. Previously the name Reval was used instead.

Education

Tallinn is the location of Tallinn University of Technology, as well as other institutions of higher education and science, including:
Tallinn Pedagogical University
Estonian Academy of Music
Estonian Academy of Art
Estonian Academy of State Defence
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Institute of Theology

Sports

During the 1980 Summer Olympics a regatta was held in Tallinn. Many buildings like the Olympic Hotel, Post Office and Regatta Center were built for the Olympics.

Population

The population is about 500,400 (2000), registered 401,694 (march 2005).

Tallinn’s old town, looking towards port.

Population development:
15th century: 8,000
1816: 12,000
1834: 15,300
1851: 24,000
1881: 45,900
1897: 58,800
1925: 119,800
1989: 500,000+
2000: 340,000
2005: 401,694

According to Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union, Tallinn is the city with the largest number of non-EU nationals: 27.8% of its population are not citizens/nationals of a European Union country.
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Transport

Aircraft

Tallinn is served by an airport in close proximity to town center, located in the central town district and about 4 kilometers from town hall square. It is connected to town center with a bus line. In addition to regular airplane connections to a variety of European airports, the airline Copterline maintains an hourly helicopter service to Helsinki at 189 euros one way, advertised as the fastest capital to capital link in the world. More modestly priced advance bookings for less than 50 Euros are available. Copterline leaves from Linnahall, an event hall on the outskirts of old town.

Ground Transport

There are train connections to several cities including Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Riga, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Buses are also available to these destinations, as well as to various other parts of Estonia.

Tallinn is crossed by Via Baltica motorway to Poland.

Ferry

Tallinn from seal

Several ferries connect Tallinn to
Helsinki (Finland)
Stockholm (Sweden)
Ã…land (Finland)
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Rostock (Germany)

Other

Tallinn is a major shopping center for Finns, who travel across the Gulf of Finland by high speed ferry. Owing to the extremely high consumption and alcohol taxes in Finland, prices can be substantially lower than in Helsinki, inducing many Finnish shoppers to make single day trips, especially for health goods not covered by the Finnish social services (such as eyeglasses).

For the tourist

The Russian-Orthodox Alexander Nevski Cathedral, said to have been built on purpose on the centerpoint of Estonian mythology

The old town walled town is the place to go. This contains many authentic buildings of great antiquity. These are mostly well kept or undergoing restoration. As the town is a set of ring defenses built around a hill, be prepared to hike and walk. The antique cobblestone paths are rough but have been improved with cut granite sidewalks for safe walking. The tourist will pass through narrow approaches walled in for defensive purposes. For those ones who wish to stay more than just a day there are numerous hotels, but for a home away from home try furnished apartments. They are more reasonably priced than a hotel.

Shopping

The main shopping attraction is the numerous shops carrying high quality knitwear. Prices will vary, with stalls just inside the city wall offering the best values, with a better selection of higher quality goods available in the numerous small shops around town. Some of these are located in the basements of buildings on minor streets.

Dining

For dining in the old walled town there is a medieval alehouse that serves boar, elk and bear, and their own home-brewed honey ale, under authentic conditions - the only artificial light is candlelight. Many, however, feel that there is a Disneyesque, kitsch feeling about “ye olde Hansa” restaurants. The quality of restaurants varies, but superb fine dining on the European level - with prices in the range of US$ 100 for a complete menu - includes the 1930s-style Gloria, the French-Estonian Bonaparte, and the hip and chique Pegasus that is also famous for its stand-up urinals in the Ladies Room.

Sites

A walking trip through old town past the City Hall and up the Toompea hill past several churches will lead to the seat of the Estonian government, high atop Tallinn’s central hill. Around the hill are views of both the old town within the walls and the modern urban area.

Geography

Tallinn is situated on southern coast of Gulf of Finland, in north central Estonia.

The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ãœlemiste (covers 9,6 km²). It is the main source of the city’s drinking water. Lake Harku is the second lake within the borders of Tallinn and its area is 1,6 km². Unlike many of the large towns, the only larger river in Tallinn is located in Pirita (city district counted as a suburb). The river valley is a protected area because of its natural beauty.

A limestone cliff runs through the city. It is exposed, for instance, at Toompea and Lasnamäe. However, Toompea is not a part of the cliff, but a separate hill.

The highest point of Tallinn which is 64 meters above the sea level, is situated in the district of Nõmme, in the south-western part of the city.

The length of the coastline is 46 kilometers. It comprises 3 bigger peninsulas: Kopli peninsula, Paljassaare peninsula and Kakumäe peninsula

Abruka

This tiny island is a mecca for naturalists. It’s a beautiful, rugged spot, populated by a few dozen hardy souls and about as many deer. The main attraction is the botanical-zoological reservation, open in summer, which offers classes, horse riding, meals and rustic farmhouse accommodation.

Abruka lies 6km (4mi) from Roomassare, off Saaremaa’s southern coast. It’s accessible by boat in summer, though during the dead of winter, when most of the island’s attractions are closed, you can reach it by walking across the frozen strait.

Pühtitsa Convent

This beautiful 19th-century nunnery has something to offer ascetics and those who like to spin a good after dinner yarn. The first group will appreciate the strict vegetarian diet and the daily religious services. The latter will enjoy staying overnight in the convent dormitories and bragging about ’sleeping with 80 nuns and novices’. The merely hopeful might be cheered by the fact that the convent is on the site of ancient pagan worship.

Thousands of pilgrims make the trek each year to the Russian Orthodox convent, which is located in the village of Kuremäe in north-eastern Estonia. One bus runs daily between Kuremäe and Tallinn.

Soomaa National Park

If you’ve always dreamed of paddling through a bog looking for witches, this is your bog. According to local lore, witches have enjoyed the isolation of the bogs for centuries. The only way to explore the park is by canoe or haabja, a traditional Finnish boat carved out of a single aspen tree.

You can fish and camp in the park, and there are haabja-building courses available that have you test your very own log in the bog. The park is located in the south-western corner of Estonia; its headquarters are at Viljandi, accessible by bus or train from Tallinn

Abruka

This tiny island is a mecca for naturalists. It’s a beautiful, rugged spot, populated by a few dozen hardy souls and about as many deer. The main attraction is the botanical-zoological reservation, open in summer, which offers classes, horse riding, meals and rustic farmhouse accommodation.

Abruka lies 6km (4mi) from Roomassare, off Saaremaa’s southern coast. It’s accessible by boat in summer, though during the dead of winter, when most of the island’s attractions are closed, you can reach it by walking across the frozen strait.

Hiiumaa

This quiet, sparsely populated island just west of the mainland has some beautiful stretches of coast. The main town, Kärdla, is a sleepy place full of gardens and trees, but its main interest for travellers is as the jumping off spot for the Tahkuna Peninsula, just north-west of town.

Hiiumaa’s second largest settlement is Käina, whose main appeal is its idyllic location in the south of the island near the shore of Käina Bay, a major bird reserve. The town’s low-key atmosphere is its biggest charm, though the ruins of a fine 15th-century stone church are worth a peek.

Lahemaa National Park

Estonia’s largest national park is an interesting mix of coastal bluffs, dense forest, 18th-century manor houses, and numerous lakes, rivers and waterfalls, located in northern Estonia. You’d think you were in a Jane Austen novel but for the bears and lynxes.

Waterfalls cascade down some of the cliffs along the northern edge of the North Estonian limestone plateau, the Glint. The Koljaku-Oandu Reserve is an area of wet sea forest in the north-eastern part of the park, while the Laukasoo Reserve, in the park’s centre, is home to the 7000-year-old bog.