This actual day in Tallinn, Estonia gives an overview of some of the highlights of this city and the outlying areas. While some may not consider Estonia to be a first choice vacation  destination, this burgeoning nation has a lot to offer in the way of history and is rapidly modernizing and a visit to Tallinn is one children are sure to love.

A Special Note: In order to maximize time, get the most out of each location and facilitate easier travel in a new city which we had a limited time to enjoy, we made use of a guide. We highly recommend this approach if it is within reason for your family.

The company was very professional, our guide was named Jüri and he was great. All of our kids enjoyed him. The information for the company is as follows:

Tallinn Traveller Tours
Address: Niguliste 2, Tallinn
Phone: +37258374800
http://www.traveller.ee
tallinn@traveller.ee

Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia, one of Europe’s smallest countries. However don’t let the size fool you as both the country and the city are rich in both culture and heart. Estonians are ranked as some of Europe’s happiest people. Over 20 years of independence from the Soviets are truly appreciated here and there is an air of optimism as commerce booms and the country grows. The country’s mix of old and new is evidenced best in Tallinn’s historic Old Town. Here old meets new as upscale coffee shops and evidence of the tech boom are juxtaposed by medieval architecture, iron gates and cobblestone streets. Wear comfortable shoes as you observe such sights as the Dome Church (Toomkirik), the Danish King’s Garden, St. Catherine’s Guild (Tallinn’s Dominican Monastery), Fat Margaret’s Hall (Home of the Maritime Museum), the 15th Century Guild Hall (Home of the Estonian History Museum), the Hellemann Tower and Town Wall, the Hobuveski (Horse Mill) the House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads, Tallinn Town Hall, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the beautiful Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas and the Kiek in de Kök (a medieval defense tower with impressive battlements). Al this barely scratches the surface of 14th and 15th century architecture and history to be seen here. An ideal place to start your visit to Tallinn, Old Town promises to be unlike fun, unusual and unique.

Our Experience: Our kids loved wandering around  here. We didn’t focus so much on seeing all the specific sites but more generally wandered while our guide gave us interesting tidbits about Tallinn. He was great at explaining the history of the city as a whole and the history of old town. We also got some very nice views and photo ops here.

Beautiful Sights Surround Estonian Town of Tallinn

Description: Heading to the outskirts of the city you will find Kadriorg, the gorgeous seaside area of Tallinn. Home to a combination of wooden buildings from the 18th century, like Tallinn’s “baroque pearl” Kadriorg Palace, and 20th century Art Deco structures. Tallinn originally rose to fame as a resort and getaway local for wealthy Russians. The palace here was built in 1718 as a summer residence for Tsar Peter the Great. The palace grounds cover over 200 acres and play host to a symmetrical swan lake and elegant promenade. The palace itself holds a great collection of 16th-20th century art from around Europe, but is also the current home of the offices of the president of Estonia making a good portion of it off limits to the public. Also situated in the park is the KUMU Art Museum, another branch of Estonia’s National Art Museum. As one of the largest in northern Europe the museum houses an impressive collection of native art, and the building itself is a modern marvel and impressive vista.

Our Experience: They kids enjoyed seeing this very pretty park and palace from the outside. The sights are outstanding and our guide added to the experience with some explanations. Not as engaging as other stops but more than worthwhile.

Description: The Estonian Song Festival is one of the worlds largest gathering of amateur choral musicians and a tradition both steeped in history and innately fun. While the festival only runs once every 5 years, its grounds are always open to visitors and the immense and beautiful grassy area is impressive even without 30,000 bodies occupying it. The grounds feature an impressive stage as well as plenty of room for families to spread out for a picnic, or to allow children to stretch their legs a bit. This impressive facility is part of a UNESCO cultural heritage site and a great stop for any family visiting Tallinn and the surrounding area.

Our Experience: Our kids really liked this. I think they especially enjoyed it because we watched some of the movie The Singing Revolution with them before our trip which put it into context for them. We would recommend this to any family planning a visit here. The kids enjoyed actually seeing the area and running up and down the many steps to get to the top of the bandstand area. They had races up and down and so were able to blow off some steam and have fun besides learning while here.