Tallinn is to Finnish what JB is to Singaporean - a cheap fast weekend getaway. A 2.5h ferry ride away to cheap and good food and stuff (beauty treatment, wine etc). Cost of ferry ride varies according to season and demand/supply principle. I got mine at €23 per ride which is kind of the peak season price. Was told you could get a return at €16! The ferry is not just your normal Bintan/Batam ferry - it is a full size cruiseship! Complete with cabins and restaurants! Indoor seating is sparse and very difficult to find, except for those cabin style seat back near doors (4 per section). Otherwise it's brace the cold for outdoor seating or find a place in a restaurant (almost impossible).
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| Colours |
I arrived in Tallinn to amazing 25 degrees of sunshine! The walk from ferry terminal to old town is pleasant and easy and even from afar you can already see the churches and the remaining walls. Checked into my hostel - Tabinoya (amazing hostel and if you like quiet and peace I highly recommend this!) They are located right in the middle of the action but still at a quiet corner. They have all the information you need for exploring Estonia/Tallinn. Met Katrina, an aussie who has been travelling around the world for a year, upon arrival and immediately we hooked up to spend our time in Tallinn! First stop the free walking tour offered by the Information Center. It starts at 12 noon and I highly recommend this! This tour is very informative, the guides are funny and they give you plenty of time to take pictures and even to enter the church! The tour was 2 hours in total and we got a lot of information. Then it's off to the pancake house! It's a popular pancake house Kompressor that serves really delicious pancakes (savoury and sweet) for €5 and under. Go there!!!
We also signed up for the prison tour (€10) and that is also a good one! You can of course go to the prison and explore yourself for much less but the tour gives very good insight and information about the history of the prison and Victor is a very good guide. We also get access to private part of the prison not open to public - like the execution chambers. The tour is about 1hour and is walking distance from the old town.
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| So old and charming |
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| Not as easy as it looks |
We got a good tip for a very medieval restaurant for authentic experience - III Draakon - walk into the tavern and you feel like you are in Game of Thrones! Everything is so old fashioned and authentic. There's no lights and you fish your own pickle the old fashioned way - with a spear out of a barrel. Their menu is limited - oxtail soup, ribs, 6 kinds of pies (delicious!), cider and beer. And they are cheap! The pies are only €1 each and really really good! Cider was €2. Really enjoyed it!
The next day we booked ourselves on a trip to visit the Lahemaa National Park. Initially was to go with another hostel-arranged tour at a cheaper rate (€40) but they canceled this trip so we went with the Information Center (€55). The great weather helped in us enjoying the tour. The tour runs in size of 8 people max in each car with own guide. So if the group is larger, they split up into separate groups that will run separately and then meeting for lunch. During our whole trip, we didn't see the other group except during lunch.
The drive was not too long and we visited the famous waterfall (was too small as there was no rain) and also a small walk in the forest. We learnt that the Estonians invented the game of swinging - where you stand on the HUGE swing and start to go around. It can be pretty scary when you are directly above but upside down on the pole.
Lunch was not included in the price but it seems to be obligatory that you take the lunch (€15) Lunch is smoked salmon with potatoes and cheesecake. We only knew about this at the start of the tour so had no other option. If you are vegetarian, you pay the same price but you only get vegetables which were eventually shared with the others - doesn't seem fair though. If I had known, I'll choose NOT to have lunch and bring my own. €15 is not terribly expensive for salmon but I would have brought my own to save a little more money. Lunch was in the home of an old couple who bought the place and they have a museum of many old shipping artefacts. The good thing about this museum is you are really up close and personal and you can touch them!!
After lunch we went to an abandon secret Soviet site by the sea - the place was so secret that nobody really knows what the base was used for! Then we had a walk in the bog which was really nice and that ended our wonderful day out in nature!
The night was an impromptu decision by me - Katrina asked if I wanted to go to a Prodigy concert and I said YES! For €20 we got 90mins full on Prodigy concert even though I know nothing much about them. But the atmosphere and the live music was infectious that I just started dancing along! Everyone was crazy there. I had my first mosh pit experience - for whatever reason I will NEVER understand instead of standing and enjoying the performance which you paid for, these people prefer to bump into each other, totally oblivious about what's going on! Crazy!
The next day it was a rainy day - not so nice but luckily we chose to activities that are indoors. We went to the Kiek in de Kok and Bastion tunnels. I recommend doing the Bastion tunnels tour - call ahead to ask about the tour timing. If you are not interested in the museum then just get the ticket for the tunnels (I think it is €9). We got a combo ticket and did both. The tunnels are a little chilly so bring a jacket. It was a very nice and informative tour where the guide will explain the history of the tunnels and the use over the years. Really enjoyed it. After we went into Kiek in de Kok museum - so called because you can see into people's kitchen from the tower. It is a 4 level museum so be prepared to climb! The only disappointment is that you don't really get a true panoramic view of the city at the top. All that climb for nothing! If you like to walk along the walls, that a separate fee and you can enter from the museum or the café on the wall.
There's also a old pharmacy right in the townhall area where they showcase some old remedies - not as extensive as we would like it to be but it is pretty cold and it's free! Oh, and if you like you can try the almond marzipan which is said to cure all heartaches (for €2 - an expensive remedy). I got one but forgot I hate the almond taste when it's cooked in other things.
Another thing from Tallinn you could buy is chocolate - you can get them in supermarket - try the white chocolate with berries!
That was my last day in Tallinn and I took the evening ferry back to Helsinki. Of course not before I got a hair treatment! Almost missed my ferry cos the treatment took longer than promised.
All in all, really like Tallinn - for the colour, history and good food. I truly can understand why Finnish people like to go there - so convenient and everything is so much cheaper! If you have more time, I would also suggest taking the other tour to the west of Estonia - heard it is really nice there too! All these tours are easily arranged either via your hostels or the Information Center.
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| Largest waterfall in Estonia |
The drive was not too long and we visited the famous waterfall (was too small as there was no rain) and also a small walk in the forest. We learnt that the Estonians invented the game of swinging - where you stand on the HUGE swing and start to go around. It can be pretty scary when you are directly above but upside down on the pole.
Lunch was not included in the price but it seems to be obligatory that you take the lunch (€15) Lunch is smoked salmon with potatoes and cheesecake. We only knew about this at the start of the tour so had no other option. If you are vegetarian, you pay the same price but you only get vegetables which were eventually shared with the others - doesn't seem fair though. If I had known, I'll choose NOT to have lunch and bring my own. €15 is not terribly expensive for salmon but I would have brought my own to save a little more money. Lunch was in the home of an old couple who bought the place and they have a museum of many old shipping artefacts. The good thing about this museum is you are really up close and personal and you can touch them!!
After lunch we went to an abandon secret Soviet site by the sea - the place was so secret that nobody really knows what the base was used for! Then we had a walk in the bog which was really nice and that ended our wonderful day out in nature!
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| The bog |
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| The remaining walls |
The next day it was a rainy day - not so nice but luckily we chose to activities that are indoors. We went to the Kiek in de Kok and Bastion tunnels. I recommend doing the Bastion tunnels tour - call ahead to ask about the tour timing. If you are not interested in the museum then just get the ticket for the tunnels (I think it is €9). We got a combo ticket and did both. The tunnels are a little chilly so bring a jacket. It was a very nice and informative tour where the guide will explain the history of the tunnels and the use over the years. Really enjoyed it. After we went into Kiek in de Kok museum - so called because you can see into people's kitchen from the tower. It is a 4 level museum so be prepared to climb! The only disappointment is that you don't really get a true panoramic view of the city at the top. All that climb for nothing! If you like to walk along the walls, that a separate fee and you can enter from the museum or the café on the wall.
There's also a old pharmacy right in the townhall area where they showcase some old remedies - not as extensive as we would like it to be but it is pretty cold and it's free! Oh, and if you like you can try the almond marzipan which is said to cure all heartaches (for €2 - an expensive remedy). I got one but forgot I hate the almond taste when it's cooked in other things.
Another thing from Tallinn you could buy is chocolate - you can get them in supermarket - try the white chocolate with berries!
That was my last day in Tallinn and I took the evening ferry back to Helsinki. Of course not before I got a hair treatment! Almost missed my ferry cos the treatment took longer than promised.
All in all, really like Tallinn - for the colour, history and good food. I truly can understand why Finnish people like to go there - so convenient and everything is so much cheaper! If you have more time, I would also suggest taking the other tour to the west of Estonia - heard it is really nice there too! All these tours are easily arranged either via your hostels or the Information Center.
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