A Tallinn of Two Cities

Advantages: The residue of earlier centuries
Disadvantages: The residue of the Soviet era

...Fortunately, I knew in advance that Tallinn wasn?t going to be the way it looked as we came in to land, or I might have been depressed. The plane?s flightpath brought us in from the east, flying over the dreary sprawl of apartment blocks that disfigures so many cities scarred by a Soviet past. And quite a few without a Soviet past, of course. I knew that amid the sprawl I would find an attractive historic centre ? a World Heritage Site, no less ? with other monuments and places of interest scattered around the outskirts. And so it proved. I also found a clean and prosperous-feeling city, very modern in places, capital of a country, Estonia, that has grown confident in its recently rediscovered independence and is eagerly embracing Western ways. One could almost forget its long periods of past subjugation ? sometimes gruesome...

torr 11.07.2007 (16.07.2007) · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

Uniquestay Hotel Tallinn

Advantages: Great location, good price, free internet and well appointed rooms
Disadvantages: Not for those looking to party

...Have just returned from a Conference in Tallinn and had the pleasure to stay in the Uniquestay Hotel. The price was £41 which was great especially as I took my 18yr old son so needed 2 rooms. The staff on reception were friendly and helpful and from the very first impressions it was a wise choice. My room was large, well decorated with wooden floors, tea and coffee making facilities and free computer and internet access. Breakfast was in their lovely restaurant and had a great choice even for vegetarians. The location was brilliant, just a short walk through a lovely park to the old town which is great for a city break with plenty of museums, lots of history, shopping centres, restaurants etc- would definitely visit again...

karenivey 25.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Uniquestay Hotel, Tallinn

Try Tallinn!

Advantages: Atmosphere, history, cheap shopping
Disadvantages: Not on the beaten track, cold

...For a great day trip from Helsinki, visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which is just a short hop across the Baltic from Helsinki. On a whim, my friend and I checked out the times of the ferries that leave the harbour in Helsinki on a regular basis and we just went for it! The ferries are either large cruise liner-type ships, or the much faster, but very comfortable catamarans. Leave early in the morning to give yourself a good few hours to wander and shop, and still be back for supper! On arrival, we were surprised at the modern terminal facilities and the large number of huge cruise ships. We were processed quickly through immigration (no need for a visa, as a UK citizen) and walked out into the fresh sea air. Quickly, we were brought down to earth, and our preconceptions about poverty and poor infrastructure seemed to have been...

Stewart 13.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

Tallinn.

Advantages: Price. Cheap way to see Helsinki.
Disadvantages: Still Third World.

......

timstephens4760 16.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

A new song for Europe

Advantages: Picturesque, fascinating, variety of things to see, Depeche Mode bar
Disadvantages: Cruise ship passengers, stag parties

...I was a little disappointed not have got to Tallinn before the stag parties but its proximity to Finland where I was holidaying last September coupled with the touristic worth of Estonia's capital city meant I would have been foolish to let a few drunken Brits put me off. As it turned out, the irritations came from another group altogether.... Some geography.... Tallinn is situated on the Baltic Sea a couple of hours across the water from Helsinki. The Russian city of St Petersburg is a couple of hours north east along the coast and Estonia is the most northerly of the three former Soviet Republics referred to as the "Baltic States". (Incidentally, to remember how they lie it's alphabetical from north to south - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, easy). Its primarily the amazingly beautiful medieval part of Tallinn that attracts...

fizzytom 18.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

Well Preserved

Advantages: old, attractive, no annoying street vendors
Disadvantages: aching feet, we were done in a day

...I'm currently staying in Helsinki, Finland with my boyfriend because of a summer job. As something to do, it was recommended to us that we take a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia. This we did yesterday and had a great day out. There were a huge number of museums and galleries that we didn't look at, a huge number of shops we didn't go in and a vast number of traditional Estonian restaurants that we didn't have the space in our stomach to try. This is just a brief description of our trip; there is plenty more in the city that we didn't see. ~~~ Getting There ~~~ There are plenty of boats that go from Helsinki to Tallinn. The cheap option is to take a ferry which takes about three hours. We avoided this option because I have a tendency towards seasickness and one of the ladies at work told me that the slow ferries tend to be full...

87degrees 12.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

Hostel Alur - a tempting option

Advantages: Good value, great location, clean modern rooms
Disadvantages: Cluttered kitchen and iffy fridges

...Old Town Hostel Alur is situated as the name suggests in Vana Tallinn - Old Tallinn. Well just about, it's within the old walls and is two minutes walk from the main square, Raekoja Plats. There are one or two hostels nearer the centre but it's nothing worth quibbling over. Alur's sign is rather modest and as it has no windows at eye level you could easily miss it. Entrance is by door buzzer and reception is on the first floor so it's straight up the stairs when you arrive. The reception area is tiny; squeeze in more than two backpackers with rucksacks and you'll be falling over each others legs and luggage. We hadn't booked and wanted a double for three nights and they offered us a room on the top floor - basically in the eaves - for the first night, after which there would be a better room on the first floor for the other two...

fizzytom 21.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Old Town Alur, Tallinn

I've died and gone to heaven

Advantages: Cheap, Nice people, Beer Festival
Disadvantages: Starting to get popular, Food not great, rip-off taxis!

...I have visited Tallinn in July for the last two years with a friend predominantly to take in the Ollesummer Beer Festival, but there are also many other attractions to this well-preserved town. The Town Tallinn consists of two parts, the old town with its cobbled streets and beautiful architecture and the new 'Soviet Era' town with its masses of concrete and ugly buildings, including a strangely mesmeric TV tower, which is the tallest building in Tallinn. The Old Town is where the majority of the tourists go as it is the most tourist friendly, with a wide variety of bars and restaurants. A café culture is very evident here and it is actively encouraged to drink outside. Unlike in Britain this leads to a convivial atmosphere and people of many different nationalities drink together without the slightest sign of any...

fryera2 12.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

The Scruffy Shoe Diaries BOOKING AHEAD ADVISABLE

Advantages: Medieval old town
Disadvantages: Irish theme pub

...A train of thought clattered through my head and came to a halt at anxiety station. It was seven o'clock on Sunday evening. I was on the dockside in a very foreign country. A very bleak, foreign country. All I could see was crumbling Soviet architecture looming in the approaching dusk. I had no local currency and the guide book said "booking ahead is advisable". Oh dear. >> Here, is a further instalment of my vacation-related escapades, the "Scruffy Shoe Diaries". Think of me as David Duchovny if it’ll help you relax (for those of you who have never seen late night tv on Channel 5, you probably just want to ignore this last sentence). This opinion is adapted from diary entries I made while in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, in September 2000. It follows on from the Helsinki opinion as it was part of the same trip. I...

Paiceyjohn 08.08.2001 (04.05.2002) · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)

Cruise to Talinn

Advantages: History, Cheap, Trouble-free
Disadvantages: None that we can think of

...just shortly before the ship docks in Tallinn, and have time for hot drinks before venturing out. Passports are checked and stamped, and we are away into Estonia. 2nd Bit ------- So here we are in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The weather forecast said it would be cloudy, and it is a bit, but blue sky is peeking through the cloud, so we are a little hopeful. We forget the map on the boat. The first things we see are just a few run down bits of land and some old derelict buildings but we follow where it looks like most people are going and get to a clothes market within a few minutes. It's small with loads of nice wolly clothes, and even if we just look at them, we are told all about it, people desperate for a quick sale. We don't buy anything. We pass by the Advent church, which doesn't look too interesting so we don't go inside. We...

Kingseany 25.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Tallinn (Estonia)