Tallinn: 'I went to this fairytale capital city and was captivated'
Marisa Cashill enjoyed a winter break in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and while she was captivated by the Christmas market she discovered that there was far more to the historic city.
I stood in the Old Town square looking through the hot steam of my Glögg as the bokeh of lights from the Christmas tree twinkled.
Church towers and pastel-coloured buildings formed a backdrop to the fairytale wonderland.
Alas my winter weekend Baltic break in Tallinn wasn’t to be filled with the snow scenes from a Christmas card. It didn’t seem to matter, because the Christmas market was all that was needed to kickstart my festive season.
The market itself wasn’t very big but it was a perfect addition to a winter get away in Estonia. Often we overlook what European destinations can offer during the wintertime, but Tallinn is a city rich in architecture and history.
The Old Town’s city walls contain a wealth of charm as preserved medieval buildings, along with German and Russian influences take hold.
The opulent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral dominates views from across the city and is just one reminder of times of occupation before Estonia sang its way to freedom in 1988.
As you meander along cobbled streets, turning corners into alleyways, through archways into more streets of painted buildings, you will pass parliament and consulate buildings, souvenir shops, many selling Baltic Amber, along with bars and cafes.
As you gently creep uphill there is an opening with stunning views of the city below.
The skyline of red tiled rooftops and turrets, along with church towers, including the Fat Margaret Tower, and the coastline in the distance, all compliment the perfect vista, and you can see why Tallinn is so proud of its UNESCO heritage status.
You can leave the Old Town and and head further out, walking along immaculate clean and litter-free streets of wood-built houses to the trendy Telliskivi area - considered a creative hub and has many smaller shops with local crafts and wares.
The Balti-Jaama is along this route and is a shopping area where you can get knitwear with traditional designs, from socks and mittens to dresses and jumpers.
There are vintage clothes stores, a flea market, food stalls and a shop selling their local chocolate ‘Kalev’.
I visited the Fotografiska Museum which is home to rotating photography and modern exhibitions.
The current ‘Space - a Visual Journey’ exhibition was more immersive than just looking at still images on a wall.
The thought evoking displays by 14 artists led you through the journey of our universe combining science and discovery with artistic integrity.
There is a good public transport system with buses and trams, which even go as far as the airport. A train station is also nearby and taxis are also bookable. I saw plenty of Bolt taxis around so this is easy to arrange via an app.
I enjoy exploring on foot so I also walked towards the city’s coastline and spent a couple of hours exploring the maritime museum (Eesti Meremuuseum), which houses interactive displays where you can go on flight simulators, sail model boats and explore inside a submarine.
There were many heartwarming video interpretation panels of real life stories spoken by real life people, along with dedicated displays marking their wartime history, sailing merits, shipwrecks and there was even a display for Yorkshire’s very own Captain James Cook.
Iglupark is also by the coast, with cosy cabins by the sea, including saunas and restaurants. I sadly didn’t have time to visit here but it is on my wishlist for a return visit.
Instead I spent extra time in the Old Town exploring the abundance of shops, and made sure I returned to the Christmas Market during the daytime to buy gifts.
There was a mix of stalls, from traditional knitwear to Christmas decorations, the compact market wasn’t repeated in its stalls so a good variety of shopping was available, with quality and not overpriced goods from Christmas decorations to knitwear.
There wasn’t a variety of food and drink stalls, however. Just sausages, which is not great if you are vegetarian like me, and their mulled wine stalls.
This meant I was instead able to try local cuisine in the fantastic restaurants and cafes Tallinn has to offer.
Remember to try the local sourdough rye breads which appeared to come complimentary everywhere we ate. Fish and elk were given a spot on the menus, along with seasonal dishes like beetroot, aubergines, parsnips and berries.
If you have a sweet tooth however, it is worth visiting the oldest cafe in town, Cafe Maiasmokk, which has the most beautiful ceilings and wood panelled walls.
They have a cabinet of amazing pastries, both sweet and savoury, and in their shop you can learn about the history of the craft of marzipan making, and watch staff hand decorate their traditional marzipan figures.
I was staying at the recently opened Ibis Styles, a ten minute walk between the Old Town and the Balti Jaam area, an ideal location for exploring both parts of the city, and there is a bus stop outside the hotel.
The hotel has a photography theme and I was really impressed with how they had incorporated the designs into a modern concept, from the lifts having mirrors that looked like a camera lens, to wall panels created out of vintage cameras and lights.
The designers had the freedom to explore their ideas and by working with a professional photographer, Ken Oja, they managed to create a storytelling display of photos and design in both the communal areas and the bedrooms. Even the hotel’s cocktail menu had photography themed cocktails.
The comfy spacious rooms and amazing bathroom come with a coffee machine and pods, but as a tea drinker I asked for a kettle to be taken to my room instead. Nothing was too much trouble.
The hotel’s Focus restaurant has all day dining and the culinary expertise of a chef creating a taste sensation using local ingredients.
Once you have eaten I can recommend tasting some of the local liquor, Valla Tallinn, a local warming tipple. We ate lunch and an evening meal at the hotel and benefitted from a buffet breakfast each morning.
Tallinn has statues and monuments, from the haunting Three Monks in the King of Denmark Garden, to more political memorials such as the Cross of Liberty in Freedom Square.
Tallinn is culturally forward thinking, with trendy areas and new museums.
Its focus on the city’s future means it is a great time to visit to see out of town areas evolve while keeping the medieval heritage of the Old Town.