ESTONIA: TALLINN ~ Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia

sábado, 11 de abril de 2015

ESTONIA: TALLINN

For going to Tallinn from Helsinki we saw in Internet an agency with which the tickets were well priced. Looking directly into the company Tallink Silja (the one whose timetables adapted to the day and time we wanted: 7:30 am and 4:30 pm round trip) cost 40 € each way. Online (without the right to change or cancellation) cost us € 54 back and forth with the same company. The departure and arrival terminals were:

Helsinki: West Terminal

Tallinn: D-Terminal.

Since we wanted to visit Tallinn the day before of our return to Barcelona, for the last two days we took the hotel relatively close to downtown and Kauppatori for going to Suomenlinna and Tallinn.

The problem was that the company we went to Tallinn with departed from another terminal on the other side of the city (I thought that all the companies would depart from Kauppatori and not just some).

As the ferry left at 7:30am and we had to be half an hour before in the terminal, we had to get a taxi at 6:30 am to get the terminal on time. As there was no traffic, the taxi wasn't expensive at all, about 12 €, and in just 15 minutes we were at the ferry terminal.

In one day, even in a long morning, you can see perfectly the Old Town of Tallinn. We arrived at 9:30 am to the ferry terminal and at 10 am we were wandering around its cobbled streets. About 1:30 pm we had lunch in the Olde Hansa restaurant and then we walked quietly through the Town Hall Square. At 3:30 pm we went to the ferry terminal.

The ferries are very full, especially at certain times, because the Finns are going to Estonia to purchase or consume alcoholic drinks. In Finland alcohol is expensive. A can of beer cost about 2 €, whereas in Estonia alcohol taxes are much lower. So it's worth doing a return trip if you buy much alcohol or to get drunk. In fact, many people had folding trucks to transport boxes of bottles or cans.

The ferry terminal is relatively close to the old town, and after a nice walk of 20 minutes under a lovely day we arrived easily to the Old Town of Tallinn. You can't get lost. Just follow the stream of people.

Below you have the most interesting places we saw in Tallinn:

Saint Olav Church. Views from the bell-tower
Pikk Street
Tower's Square
Town walls
Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
Parliament of Estonia
Saint Mary Cathedral
Kohtu Platform
Patkuli Platform
Saint Nicholas Church
Town Hall's Square
Town Hall
Town Hall's Pharmacy
Olde Hansa Restaurant
Viru Gate
Saint Catherine Passage

From this point of the city walls of Tallinn you see the bell tower of Saint Olav church on the left and one tower of the walls on the right

The old town of Tallinn from the bell tower of Saint Olav church

The two cathedrals of Tallinn: Aleksander Nevski Cathedral and Saint Mary Cathedral

As well as the two cathedrals, on the left Saint Nicholas church appears

Towers of the city walls of Tallinn in Estonia

In the middle of this picture yo can see the Town Hall of Tallinn

Pikk Street in Tallinn

From Tower's Square in Tallinn you can get a nice view of the city walls

Taking pictures of the towers of the city walls of Tallinn

Detail of the roof of one tower of the city walls

The city walls of Tallin from the other side

Aleksander Nevski is the Orthodox Cathedral of Tallinn

Parliament of Estonia in Tallinn

I liked the building of the German Embassy in Tallinn

Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary in Tallinn

Roofs of the old town of Tallinn from Kohtu Platform

Towers of the city walls of Tallinn and the bell tower of Saint Olav church from Patkuli Platform

Another view of Tallinn from the viewpoint of Patkuli

Behind the bell tower of Saint Olav church you can see the Baltic Sea from the viewpoint of Patkuli in Tallinn

Saint Nicholas church in Tallinn

In the blog www.elrincondesele.com I found very interesting information about the sites to visit in Tallinn and, above all, a restaurant to have lunch. The restaurant is called Olde Hansa and is absolutely medieval. The restaurant building, located in the old city center and near the Town Hall Square, is like a medieval 3-storey house with a gabled roof.

Next to the front door, a cart to give the medieval appearance. And inside everything was set in the most splendid period of Tallinn where it was a trade hub in the Baltic. The waiters are dressed and speak to you with the accent of two centuries ago. The interior is medieval too: tables and chairs, soft light, you drink beer in jugs and eat food on huge plates. I ordered a delicious beer flavored with cinnamon. And the meal was succulent. Anecdotally, when asking for the bill, the waiter asked: in cash or in horses?

Building of the medieval restaurant Olde Hansa in Tallinn

Doorway of the restaurant Olde Hansa located near the Town Hall's Square in Tallinn

First floor of the medieval restaurant Olde Hansa in Tallinn

The low lighting and candlelight gave even more medieval atmosphere to the restaurant

My mug of beer with a slight taste of cinnamon

The main dish I enjoyed in Olde Hansa Restaurant in Tallinn

Leaving the restaurant to the Town Hall Square we discovered even a souvenir shop associated with the restaurant. Besides in the surroundings of the restaurant there is a nice girl dressed in a medieval style you can take a picture with and gives you an ancient coin as souvenir.

Town Hall's Square in Tallinn

Town Hall in Tallinn

Town Hall's Square in Tallinn

Town Hall's Square

Town Hall's Pharmacy is one of the oldest pharmacy in Europe

Viru Gate in Tallinn

City walls of Tallinn between Viru Gate and the Passage of Saint Catherine

Saint Catherine Passage in Tallinn

We left the old town of Tallinn walking along Pikk street

Tallinn's Old Town is lovely and transports you to a past time. The day was sunny, which enhanced the beauty of its streets and buildings. Ther is a mix of architectural styles in the construction of religious buildings: Protestant churches, a Catholic cathedral and another Orthodox Cathedral.

The place I liked most was the Town Hall Square, wide, pedestrian, delimited with two-story buildings and the City Council as the most prominent building. The atmosphere in the square was festive and lively, with many tourists (it was weekend and the day was splendid with a very pleasant temperature for early April).

I liked the viewpoints too. There are two located in the upper part of the old town. From one of them, yo can see better the downtown area surrounding the Town Hall Square. From the other, a magnificent view of the city walls and the Baltic Sea is obtained. In addition we climbed the bell tower of the Church of St. Olav to get a first overview of the city.

And the walls are impressive. Very well preserved, with its towers finished in red cones perfectly visible from the viewpoints of the city.

This was our trip route in Finland and Estonia:

Day 1 - Helsinki