In the 16th century, the Fat Margaret artillery tower was built near the Great Coastal Gate. The Fat Margaret is being renovated and will re-open in autumn of 2019.
Just outside the tower on a bluff overlooking the harbor is a broken black arch, a memorial to 852 people who perished in 1994 when the Estonia passenger ferry sank during its Tallinn-Stockholm run.
Three Sisters is an example of a merchant home / warehouse / office from the 15th-century Hanseatic Golden Age. The charmingly carved door near the corner evokes the wealth of Tallinn’s merchant class.
The 16th century 124m gothic steeple once made this one of the tallest buildings in the world and is considered a symbol of Tallinn. Visitors can climb the 232 steps to the tower's observation platform to enjoy views of the city.
Free entry
The ministry of police was, before 1991, the local KGB HQ. The building was called "the tallest building in town" because "when you’re in the basement, you can already see Siberia". Notice the bricked-up windows at foot level.
The Black Heads Society Hall dates from 1440 and was a German merchants’ club. "Black head" refers to St. Mauritius, a Christian martyr beheaded in Switzerland in 200 AD.
The mediaeval Great Guild Hall's permanent exhibition discloses the story of Estonian, such as the Gun Room that tells about war and the 'Power of the Elite' that talks about the Great Guild and mediaeval trade.
Free entry
See nearly 200 marzipan figurines and watch Tallinn's favourite sweet being made while learning about Tallinn’s love affair with marzipan.
Free entry
Pühavaimu kirik and its great clock from 1633, retains its 14th-century design. In back, the old flag of Tallinn recalls 13th-century Danish rule.
Free entry
Open since 1422, this shop is the oldest continuously running pharmacy in Europe.
Housed in a 14th century merchant house, medieval society is explained using artifacts and models. Displays are devoted to 20th-century life and wars, Soviet occupation, and Estonia’s re-independence.
Free entry
The only intact Gothic town hall in Northern Europe dominates the main square. Built in 1402 as a meeting place for the rulers, the Renaissance spire is topped by an important symbol of the town, the Old Thomas vane.
Free entry
Town Hall's 64-metre tower is where soldiers used to keep watch. Ascend the tower’s 115-step, spiral staircase to reach the belfry balcony at the 34-metre level to be rewarded with picturesque views of Old Town and the city centre.
Free entry
This 13th-century Gothic church served German merchants and knights 500 years ago. The Russians bombed it in WWII. In one night, on March 9, 1944 the area around this church, dense with medieval buildings, was flattened.
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Toompea Castle
Free entry
Tallinn is famous among Danes as the birthplace of their flag. According to legend, Danes were losing here when a white cross fell from heaven and landed in a pool of blood. The Danes were inspired and went on to win.
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Toompea Castle
Along with examples of medieval firepower, there are displays detailing how the city's walls and towers developed through the centuries and exhibits covering crime, punishment and other facets of old Tallinn.
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Toompea Castle
Free entry
The museum displays a collection of portals, pillars, coats of arms with family signs and symbols, relief-decorated window jambs and tombstones from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Free entry
The 17th century Bastion passages run beneath Toompea and are an integral part of the city’s defence system together with the town wall and its towers.
10.00 - 20.00, tours must be booked in advance
Free entry
Neitsitorn was built as part of the town’s defenses in the 14th century. In the 18th century, the tower was repurposed as a two-storey residence and was home to many prominent Estonian artists.
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Toompea Castle
Free entry
Built in 1900 over the supposed grave of legendary Estonian hero Kalevipoeg. Built to face the parliament, Estonians see it as a crass attempt to flex Russian cultural muscles during Estonian national revival.
The pink palace is an 18th-century addition that Russia built onto Toompea Castle. Today, it’s the Estonian Parliament building, flying the Estonian flag and the Estonian republics.
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Toompea Castle
This tallest tower of the castle wall is a powerful symbol. For 50 years, while Estonian flags were hidden in cellars, the Soviet flag flew from Tall Hermann.
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Toompea Castle
Kuberneriaed was initially laid down in 1773 when the Toompea fortress was reconstructed for the use of the Province Government.
Built in 1360, this five-story stone tower was once an integral part of Tallinn's defense system. Today it's a great place to absorb some of the city's historic atmosphere as well some picture-postcard views of Old Town.
The Dome Church is a textbook example of simple Northern European Gothic, built in the 13th century during Danish rule, then rebuilt after a 1684 fire. Once the church of Tallinn’s wealthy, it’s littered with medieval coats of arms.
Free entry
One of the largest phaleristics exhibitions in Europe, introduces visitors to the history of Orders of Chivalry. Some pieces include the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Order of Malta and the Order of the Black Eagle.
Free entry
A little viewing platform on the west side of Toompea hill overlooks Pelgulinn and Kalamaja. This hidden square is also known as Piiskopi aed or Bishop's Garden. This platform is often a quiet heaven on a summer's day.
Toompark is formed on the former earth fortification ground around the Shnelli pond. The pond is the only remaining part of the moat once surrounding the city.
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Toompea Castle
On the left is the Neoclassical facade of the executive branch of government. Below, a bit of the old moat remains. The Group sign marks Tallinn’s tiny train station, and the clutter of stalls behind that is the rustic market.
This museum showcases the historic distillery as well as the history of Estonian alcohol production. The distillery was the nation's leading winery in the 1930s and has now made a comeback.
Free entry
On the left is the cruise port and the Church of the Holy Ghost. On the right is Town Hall and St. Nicholas’ Church. The undesirable part of this city of 400,000 is the clutter of Soviet-era apartment blocks in the distant horizon.
Visit this portion of the wall connecting Nunna, Sauna and Kuldjala towers. Work on the town's defences first began in 1265, but the current outline of the wall dates to the 14th century.
This impressive, pseudo-Gothic church with its neoclassical façade sits aside the ruins of the medieval Dominican monastery. When St. Catherine's monastery was closed in 1524, the refectory was given to the town school.
This quiet courtyard is home to the master craftsmen of the Old Town. Visitors can shop for handicrafts and jewellery, and sample heavenly confections created in the popular Chocolaterie Café.
The most picturesque of Old Town's lanes, this walkway runs behind what used to be St. Catherine's Church. What makes the passage interesting is St. Catherine's Guild, a collection of craft workshops.
Visit the inner chambers of Tallinn's 13th-century Dominican Monastery for a glimpse into the lives of medieval monks. Visitors shouldn’t miss the 'Energy Pillar' in the cellar, thought to be a source of physical and spiritual health.
Climb this 14th-century tower and stroll atop its 200m stretch of Town Wall for fantastic views of Tallinn's medieval defences.
Free entry
Viru street is old Tallinn’s busiest and kitschiest shopping street. Just past the strange and modern mall, Müürivahe street leads left along the "Sweater Wall", a a colorful gauntlet of women selling handmade knitwear.
Besides producing luxurious, handmade treats, this chocolaterie in the Old Town conceals a tiny museum dedicated to the history of chocolate production in Estonia.
The bright yellow neo-Gothic church that dominates Freedom Square is a survivor among the city's churches, despite two attempts to tear it down in the last century.
In 1972, two decades before the collapse of the Soviet Union, any hotel that was appropriate for foreign visitors had to be appropriate for the KGB. This museum is a treasure trove of stories of two different worlds.
10.00 - 18.00 Book in advance to visit the museum.
The urban park was built in 1718 on the orders of Russian tsar Peter I. The most popular places in the park are the flower beds surrounding the Swan Pond and the promenade leading from there to the president's palace.
This baroque palace built for Peter the Great in 1718 houses the Art Museum's foreign collection. The palace and gardens are an example of Tsarist extravagance.
Free entry
About 200 items are on display at the historical seaplane hangar: the submarine Lembit, a century-old icebreaker Suur Tõll, seaplane Short 184, remains of the oldest ship found in Estonia, and more.
Free entry
The long foot gate is a protective tower of the Tallinn city wall, which was built at the end of the 17th century, and is located above the former wooden gate.
The Nunnatorn is a tower of the Tallinn City Wall, located on the north side of Toompea, on the crossing of Suur-Kloostri Street and Väike-Kloostri Street at Väike-Kloostri 1.
One of Old Town's narrowest lanes, Needle Eye Gate, had remained buried under World War II bombing rubble and hidden by landscaping for more than 60 years before it was unearthed and restored as a memorial in 2008.
Saunatorn is a tower of the Tallinn City Wall , which is located on the northeastern side of the city wall on the north-south side.
