English
If a traveller ever dreamt about a fairytale city, a place where you expect mythological creatures, enchanted princesses, gnomes, elves, witches and wizards to come out all of a sudden, that city would be the Estonian capital, Tallinn.
Despite the city being filled with commercial activity and boasting brand new buildings, its well-preserved Old Town is where the traveller will feel transported to a magical place. Tallinn´s Old Town is part of UNESCO´s World Heritage Site list. It preserves the framework of medieval streets and large part of the city wall towers. Let´s start the route with no further delay:
What to see in Tallinn?
1. The centre of the Old Town, or Vana Tallinn in Estonian. You have to go to the main square, flanked by beautiful buildings painted in yellow and white tones, crowned with red roofs. You can´t miss the unique Town Hall of the end of the 15th century, constructed in Gothic style and boasting a tall tower with a rooster weather vane on top. Exotic lovers can acquire medicinal herbs or teas at Raepteek, on the corner of the square. This pharmacy appears in a 15th-century document, which makes it the oldest pharmacy in the western world.
2. St Olav´s Church and the Church of the Holy Spirit are essential to see. You have to stop by on Long Leg St (Pikk jalg) and Short Leg St (Lühike jalg), as well as in the cobbled and oneiric St Catherine Passage and on Pikk St, with the original circular building known as Horse Mill (Hobuveski). Another similar building is the Fat Margaret Tower (Paks Margareeta).
3. Worthy of a postcard or a fairytale is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, with its white facade and circular towers on top, inspired by Oriental designs. Although it seems old, it´s from the early 20th century, when neo-gothic constructions became fashionable around Europe. The beauty of its inside lies in its collection of religious icons. The ´traditional´ cathedral of Tallinn is of St Mary, from the 13th century. Here you can find the graves of the most noble men and women of the city, that´s why the altars are filled with nobility shields and badges.
4. A visit to the Estonian capital isn´t complete without a tour around the towers that mark out the ancient wall. Only some of them are open to the public and they have different uses. In one of them there´s a permanent medieval arms and armor exhibition and the other has access to the tunnels and underground of the city.
5. On the outskirts of the city is the Kadriorg Palace and Park, in the homonymous district that today is the bureaucratic headquarters of the country. Much of the palace was reconverted into an art museum and around it, next to bourgeoise and aristocratic mansions, they have preserved many traditional wooden homes.
Those visitors that have more time on their hands can go to the Pirita district. The best thing about this area are the ruins of the St Bridget Convent. The ceiling has disappeared and the stone walls give us a similar feeling to those of the Carmen Church in Lisbon, destroyed after the earthquake.
Another recommendation is to book one of the good apartments in Tallinn, since this Northern European city has to be enjoyed calmly and relaxed. More interesting destinations next time!
