A day trip from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry is very popular—and for a good reason! There are multiple crossings per day, and the (old) city of Tallinn is very compact; it’s easy to get to most places on foot.
Helsinki in Finland lies about 80 kilometers north of Tallinn, Estonia; 400 kilometers northeast of Stockholm, Sweden; and 300 kilometers west of St. Petersburg in Russia. With all three cities, it has close historical connections.
I’ve visited Tallinn twice now, both in January, and both on a day trip with a ferry crossing. And every time I visited, I wished I had more time to explore! Here are some of my favourite places to visit:
TALLINN DAY TRIP GUIDE
FERRY CROSSING HELSINKI-TALLINN
The ferry to Tallinn is part of the fun on this day trip. With the Eckerö Line or the Viking Line, you can make the crossing to Tallinn several times a day. There is a very good food buffet on board, as well as cabins, so you can leave your belongings on board when you only visit for the day. Of course, you can also stay overnight in a hotel in Tallinn.
TIP: I would highly recommend getting the earliest boat out and the latest boat back to get the most out of your day. The departure times differ between the two companies but also between the days of the week and time of year, so make sure to compare the time schedules!
The Finnish girls that I travelled with on my first trip told me that Tallinn is the place to have a proper girls day out. Doing your hair and nails, etc., is a lot cheaper there than in Helsinki. Also bread, craft items, and alcohol are a lot cheaper, I’ve been told. And because you can enter the ship with your car as well, you can stock up well too.
But making a trip like this is not just about the shopping. In fact, quite a few people like to make the crossing just because of the onboard entertainment, no kidding! The ferries pride themselves on their choice in live music… and especially the karaoke!
TALLINN IN JANUARY
I’ve visited Tallinn twice now in January and had completely different weather each time! On my first trip, we were just enjoying the food buffet when someone spotted an amazing sunrise from the window.
Good bloggers as we were, we all jumped up to make our way to the deck for that perfect shot…only to realise that stepping out into -16 degrees Celsius with no coats on was actually a pretty stupid idea.
On my second trip, with the Viking Line, we departed a bit later in the morning and didn’t get a magical sunrise, unfortunately. It was, however, only a few degrees, so no freezing for us on deck this time. Although I must admit that I was a little disappointed about that—it is a great experience to feel such extreme temperatures!
EXPLORING OLD TOWN TALLINN
Once off the ferry in Tallinn, it’s only a short walk or even shorter tram or taxi ride into the city center. While it’s easy to walk around on your own, I can highly recommend going on a guided walk, as you get to know so much about the history, culture, and architecture of Tallinn.
I’ve always grown up visiting historical sites (try to say no when you have an archeologist dad). But I still prefer the old over the new, to be honest. So visiting the historical center of Tallinn was a great experience. The streets looked like a fairytale book. No wonder, because the entire center of Tallinn is UNESCO World Heritage listed.
Tallinn was built up from the 13th to 16th centuries, when the city was a thriving member of the Hanseatic trade league. The city wall is almost entirely intact still, including guard towers, just like the colourful houses, hidden courtyards, and grandiose churches.
GREAT VIEWS OVER TALLINN
When you’re exploring Tallinn, don’t miss the viewing platform from the east corner of the Toompea hill. You can see tiny people walk the streets below you and gaze out all the way to the harbour in front.
TALLINN TOWN HALL SQUARE
It’s hard to miss and a must-see, especially in wintertime. Town Hall Square has been the heart of Tallinn’s Lower Town and a bustling marketplace since the late 13th century.
Today, it remains a vibrant gathering place lined with cafés and medieval taverns and a magical Christmas market in winter. The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree here dates back to 1441, when the Brotherhood of the Blackheads is believed to have raised the world’s first public Christmas tree.
If you want to step back in time and have a laugh at the same time, dare to enter III Draakon. Dare I say, because the staff is doing really well in pretending to be grumpy medieval tavern owners, you are never sure if they are just rude or if it’s all an act. You’ll get what I mean when you whip out your phone to take a photo inside 🙂
Inside Restoran Olde Hansa you can enjoy a medieval feast with live troubadour music and authentic 15th-century dishes.
ESTONIAN DESIGN
Did you know that Estonia is pretty well-known for their design? I sure didn’t, until we visited the Estonian Design House. Even though Estonia is just a small country, the density of designers is very high. Some even say there is one designer for every 800 inhabitants!
My group got a peek behind the scenes of one of the on-site design studios and met with Markus Vihma from the Reet Aus Design team. They design garments made out of recycled materials, and each item in their collection has a label with a unique calculation of the environmental impact.
The location of the studio has changed since my visit; the Design House is currently east of Old Town at Solaris Keskus, Estonia pst 9, and Reet Aus can be found west of Old Town at Telliskivi tn 60a-5.
Another interesting place to visit if you love design and architecture is the Rotermann Quarter, a bit more north from the Design House. This area began as an industrial hub in the late 1800s, and the factories were preserved despite redevelopment plans. Used into the 1980s, the area began transforming in the 2000s and is now partly a high-end retail and residential district.
Looking for good souvenirs to take home? I would recommend visiting Balti Jaama Turg. This huge indoor market has various food stalls, shops, and even a vintage market where I’m sure you’ll find something you love: there are nearly 300 traders on three floors! The first floor is mainly devoted to Estonian design and crafts, clothing, household goods, and antiques, so I would make some time to browse all the goodies if I were you.
MORE TIME IN TALLINN?
On my first trip to Tallinn, I got to visit the Lenusadam Seaplane Museum, which we didn’t have time for on our second visit, as our ferry departed much later and returned earlier as well.
At the time, there was a fantastic exhibition about the Titanic on display. On entering the exhibition, we got a boarding pass with the details of one of the actual passengers of the Titanic on it. Making our way through the exhibit, we got to know more about their life onboard and their final fate.
There are many changing exhibitions at the museum, so if you have (more) time, I would definitely check it out.
Disclaimer: I visited Tallinn as part of the Nordic Bloggers Experience / MATKA Travel Fair and later on invitation of Toolbox Travel.
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO ESTONIA
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