THINGS TO DO

This is a selection of things to do.

Browse www.visitestonia.com for more ideas. Also useful to visit: http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-tourist-information-centre

Museums

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/niguliste-museum : medieval gravestones, unique altars and Tallinn’s most famous work of art: a fragment of Bernt Notke’s painting, The Dance of Death. Also, a silver chamber with the silverware.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/seaplane-harbour-estonian-maritime-museum : exhibition in the historical seaplane hangars tells you stories from under the water, on the water and above the water

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/kumu-art-museum : art museum, recognized as the best museum in Europe and the winner of the European Museum of the Year Award (2008)

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-car-museum : includes 50 historic vehicles, the oldest of which dates from 1931. There are both Soviet-era and prestigious international models among the collection

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/kalev-marzipan-museum-room : overview of the history of marzipan — how a medicine, made in the pharmacy during the Middle Ages, became a popular candy later. There are 200 marzipan figurines, cards and cakes on display, which are made using moulds that are more than a hundred years old. Here you can watch the art of painting marzipan.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/kadriorg-art-museum : Kadriorg palace ensemble with grandiose interior, beautiful park and fountains was a gift from tsar Peter the I to his wife Catherine. Ensemble is the extravagant example of tsar's goodness. In the palace there is an exposition of Estonian Art Museum collection of foreign art. Kadriorg Park is the most outstanding palatial and urban park in Estonia, covering around 70 hectares.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/estonian-open-air-museum : 12 farms in the museum provide an overview of how families from different strata of society lived in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. You can buy handicrafts, ride horses and try traditional Estonian dishes at the tavern.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/town-hall-pharmacy : oldest in Europe that has continually operated from the same premises. Explore the back room, where you will find an exhibition on medicines and the pharmacy's stocks from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/estonian-health-care-museum : a permanent exhibition on anatomy and health care, and collects heritage related to the history of medicine in Estonia.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/estonian-museum-of-natural-history : fauna and flora of Estonia

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/kiek-in-de-kok : represents the history of Tallinn genesis and development as well as the most important war events until 13th-18th centuries

Other attractions

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/the-broken-line-monument : erected on the Suur Rannavärav bastion in Tallinn in memory of those who lost their lives on the 'Estonia' ferry, which sank on the night of 28 September 1994 between Tallinn and Stockholm. 137 people were rescued, but 852 died - 757 of whom were never found.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-botanic-garden : picturesque valley of River Pirita is where pure nature and a beautifully designed landscape meet in harmony

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/st-olafs-church-in-tallinn : city's biggest medieval structure, took its name from the sainted Norwegian king Olav II Haraldsson. Great view of the city from the top: http://www.visitestonia.com/en/st-olavs-church-tower

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinns-song-festival-grounds-1 : The Song Festival Grounds are a popular venue for events. It is best known as the place where every 5 years the Song Festival is held, in which nearly 25,000 singers take part, attracting an audience of nearly 100,000. Anyone interested can climb to the top of the tower, which is 42 metres high and from which you can see all the way out over the city and bay. And if you have binoculars with you that are powerful enough, you should be able to see far out into the Gulf of Finland.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/kohtuotsa-viewing-platform : provides excellent views over the red roofs and towering spires of the Old Town as well as of the gleaming high rise buildings in the new part of the city; in the background is the Gulf of Finland, the port and the Pirita district.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/patkuli-viewing-platform : Another viewpoint, close to Kohtuotsa.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/rotermann-quarter-in-tallinn : most attractive quarter in the city, where old industrial buildings that have been given new functions stand next to modern architecture

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-town-hall-1 : Tallinn Town Hall is the only Gothic town hall still standing in Northern Europe

· https://www.visitestonia.com/en/a-walk-on-the-edge-of-the-roof-of-the-tallinn-tv-tower-175-m-from-the-ground

A walk on the edge of the roof of the Tallinn TV Tower, 175 m from the ground, which is the highest open observation platform in Northern Europe. If you don’t want to walk on the edge then the TV tower is worth a visit anyway: http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-television-tower

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-zoo-1 : home to more than 350 species of birds and animals

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/port-of-pirita-top-1 and http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-old-port-yacht-harbour-old-city-marina-1

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-town-hall-square : Town Hall Square has been a market place and the centre of this old Hanseatic town since the Middle Ages. It became the centre of the Lower Town at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. As a square it plays an important role today as well - in summer it is filled with outdoor cafes, plays host to the Old Town Days and other medieval festivals, is a venue for open air concerts and fairs and more. In winter it becomes a magical Christmas market, the centrepiece of which is a towering spruce tree. The tradition of celebrating Christmas festivities here dates back to 1441, when the Brotherhood of the Blackheads are thought to have erected the world's very first Christmas tree.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/alexander-nevsky-cathedral : large and richly decorated Russian Orthodox church, designed in a mixed historicist style, was completed on Toompea Hill in 1900, when Estonia was part of the Tsarist Empire. The well-maintained cathedral is one of the most monumental examples of Orthodox sacral architecture in Tallinn.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/freedom-square-in-tallinn : Freedom Square is Tallinn's grandest public space.

· http://www.visitestonia.com/en/st-birgittas-convent-ruins : history of the ruins rising above the banks of the Pirita River date back to 1407, when the largest nunnery in Old Livonia was founded here. The convent that got its name from St. Birgitta that has founded the mother convent in Sweden, survived in its original form until 1577, when the forces of Ivan the Terrible destroyed it.

TALLINN RESTAURANTS

· Kivi Paber Käärid (Telliskivi 60a):

known for very good bun-less burgers, also do a variety of vegan dishes

· Restoran Farm (Müürivahe 27B): modern Estonian cuisine

· Cru (Viru 8): gourmet

· Sesoon (Kotzebue 18): great for lunch

· Must Puudel (Kuninga 4):

cool interior, great for lunch

· Lee (Uus 31):

local raw ingredients, lovely outside terraces

· NOA (Ranna tee 3):

further away from the city centre, gourmet, gorgeous view of the city

· Kolm Sibulat (Maakri 19-1): mix of different cuisines

· Boheem (Kopli 18): cosy, great for lunch

· Pööbel (Toompuiestee 16):

good for snacks and beers

· Rataskaevu 16 (Rataskaevu 16): cosy, varied menu, great lunch offers

· Olde Hansa (Vana turg 1): classic for tourists, medieval themed

· Platz (Roseni 7): good veggie and fish dishes

· Kompressor (Rataskaevu 3) : yummy pancakes, crepes

DRINK

Cocktails

· Butterfly lounge (Vana-Viru 13):

live music, claims to be the biggest cocktail bar in Estonia

· Manna la Roosa (Vana-Viru 15):

very cool interior

Beers

· Pudel (Telliskivi 60a): craftbeers, small place

· Drink (Väike-Karja 8)

· Hell Hunt (Pikk 39)

Live music

· Chicago (Roseni 8)

· Philly Joe´s (Vabaduse väljak 10): jazz club