Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: The Ultimate Guide of Tips, Attractions & Local Insights
Planning a trip to Estonia’s capital? This Tallinn Travel Guide 2025 has everything you need to explore this stunning city where medieval meets modern. From stunning architecture to vibrant local culture, Tallinn is a destination you won’t want to miss.
Whether you're wandering through the Tallinn Old Town, discovering trendy neighborhoods like Telliskivi, or soaking in the views from Toompea Hill, there’s something for every traveler here. Plus, with great public transport and walkable streets, getting around is easy!
In this guide, you’ll find Tallinn travel tips on the best places to stay, how to get around, and must-visit attractions. Get ready to experience the perfect blend of history, culture, and modern charm in one of Europe’s most underrated capitals!
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Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: a Brief Intro
Welcome to our Tallinn Travel Guide 2025! Before diving into all of the details of how to navigate this fascinating city, let's go over some of the basics.
🤩 What is Tallinn, Estonia Known for?
Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, and is known for being one of the most well-preserved medieval cities in the world. It's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it's a unique port city that allows visitors to enjoy a beautiful blend of historic beauty and modern comfort.
📍 Where is Tallinn in Estonia?
Tallinn is the capital and biggest city of Estonia, a country in the Baltic region of northeast Europe. It's located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, making it well-connected for both land and sea travelers.
Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: How to Get to There
Now that you know a bit about Tallinn and where it's located, let's get into the next part of our Tallinn travel guide 2025 - which is getting you there! Due to its location, Tallinn can easily be visited in a number of ways.
Here are the different options for how to get to Tallinn, Estonia:
- Fly to Tallinn: As the capital, the biggest airport in the country belongs to Tallinn, making it a gateway to the country. The airport is is just 4 km from the center, and has flights from many different countries.
- Sail to Tallinn: As a port city, there are a number of ways to visit Tallinn by sea, most commonly by ferry or by cruise ship
- Visit Tallinn by Land: There are a variety of other ways to visit Tallinn, including buses, trains, Bla Bla cars, or you can rent a car and drive there.
The ferry is a popular way to travel to Tallinn, Estonia.
Want to learn all about the different options for visiting Tallinn? We have a full guide about the various ways to visit Tallinn, Estonia.
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Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: Entry Requirements
Now that you know how to get to Tallinn, let's jump into the next part of our Tallinn travel guide 2025 - entry requirements.
Before you travel there, let's see how you need to prepare legally to visit.
🛂 Do I Need a Visa to Enter Estonia?
Many travelers do not need a visa to enter Estonia. Anyone from the EU can visit freely, for as long as they want, while Americans and other non-restricted nationalities may visit without having to get a visa.
🇪🇺 Is Estonia in the Schengen Zone?
Estonia is both in the EU and the Schengen Zone. This means that if you are coming from another country in the Schengen Zone, that you won't be going through customs. Just make sure you are not overstaying your allowed time within the Schengen Zone, which is 90 days within a 180 day period.
If your nationality is required to have a Schengen Visa for Europe, then you will in fact need to provide proof of your Schengen Visa if you are traveling to Estonia from a country outside of the Schengen Zone.
💉 Vaccine Requirements
Estonia does not require travelers to have any special vaccinations for visiting.
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Tallinn Travel Guide 2025:
Local Adjustments
🗣 Language: Estonian (most people do speak a good level of English though)
💵 Currency: Euro (most places accept credit card, but some attractions such as the towers only accept cash.
🔌 Outlets: Type F plug - The electrical current is 220 volts and 50 Hz
🚰 Water: Tap water is safe to drink, but not many servers will give you tap water for free. We recommend carrying a resable water bottle with you.
💸 Tipping: It is not mandatory to tip, but for exceptional service you can leave 5-10% of the bill as a tip.
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Things to Do & See in Tallinn
So now you know most of the basics for visiting Estonia's capital city. But here comes the fun part of our Tallinn travel guide 2025! Let's talk about all of the cool things you can do and see in and around the city.
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❣️ Things See & Do in Tallinn Old Town
Tallinn is a stunning medieval city, particularly known for its charming old town. It is full of quaint streets, beautiful viewpoints, and great museums.
From exploring the attractions on your own to joining unique tours, there are an endless amount of ways to enjoy the heart and soul of Tallinn, so don't miss out on our other guides that go over all of the cool things to do and see there!
The old town of Tallinn is the heart of the city.
📍Things to See & Do Outside of Tallinn's Old Town
While the old town of Tallinn tends to steal the show, there are so many other great ways to enjoy Estonia's capital!
From exploring national parks and visiting beautiful waterfalls to experiencing abandoned prisons and nearby historic villages, there are endless things to do and see outside the city center.
If you'd like to learn all about the attractions right outside the old town, or fun day trips from Tallinn, then don't miss out on our complete list of things to do Tallinn.
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Tallinn Local Food & Drink
One thing we love about Tallinn is that is the perfect blend of old traditions and modern influences. You can find everything from medieval dining experiences to fairs with a variety of international foods, and fun culinary tours to join.
We loved the food and drink scene, and after visiting several times in both summer and winter, we've rounded up all of our knowledge for diving into the food & drink scene of Tallinn.
1 week previous to publishing this we finished up our Tallinn food guide with all of the details, so don't miss out!
Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: Getting Around
Now that you know how many things there are to do and see around the city, it's time for the next part of our Tallinn travel guide 2025- getting you from one place to another.
🚗 What are the Different Ways to Get Around Tallinn as a Tourist?
There are plenty of ways for getting around Tallinn! With a variety of options to choose from, it is a city that is accessible for all different types of budgets and travel preferences.
Here are the different options for getting around Tallinn, Estonia:
- Walking
- Taking public transportation (buses, trams, and trains)
- Ordering taxis
- Using rideshare apps (Uber and Bolt)
- Biking
- Renting a car and driving
If you'd like to learn more about the different ways of getting around and comparing each one, then make sure to read our complete Tallinn transportation guide!
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Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: Where to Stay in Estonia's Capital
The heart and soul of Tallinn is the old town, and where the majority of the best things to do in Tallinn are. Centrally located, it's an excellent place to base yourself that is pedestrian-friendly, and allows you to easily reach top attractions, and plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops.
🏨 Hotel Recommendations in Tallinn:
Here are a few hotel recommendations for different budgets:
💲 Budget-friendly Hotels in Tallinn
- Old Town Munkenhof: the hostel that we stayed at offering both shared and private rooms, a game room, kitchen, and bike rentals
- Viru Backpackers Hostel: budget-friendly private rooms with shared bathrooms located right on the main street
- Imaginary Hostel: hostel with both dorm style and private rooms with a game room and kitchen
💲💲 Mid-Range Hotels in Tallinn
- Kalev Spa Hotel & Waterpark: family-friendly hotel with spa, waterpark, restaurant, bar, and a sun terrace
- CRU Hotel: beautiful boutique hotel in a 15th century merchant's house with a restaurant serving traditional Estonian cuisine
- Hestia Hotel Barons Old Town: beautiful hotel with stylish decor and comfortable rooms
- Nunne Boutique Hotel: boutique hotel with a spa, gym, bar, and spacious rooms
💲💲💲 High End/Luxury Hotels in Tallinn
- Schlossle Hotel: one of the small luxury hotels of the world, it's located inside 13th and 14th century buildings, and has a spa, free private parking, an excellent restaurant, and a beautiful terrace.
- Hotel Telegraaf: a 5 star hotel with an indoor pool, hot tubs, spa, a great restaurant, and free airport shuttle
- Hotel Regent Tallinn: a 5 star hotel with a pool, spa, garden, gym, and a cave-style restaurant
- Meriton Old Town Guest House: a boutique hotel with a super nice courtyard, restaurant, and amazing panoramic views of the old town
Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: Safety
Now that you know all of the best things to do in Tallinn, and how to get around, let's dive into an important part of our Tallinn travel guide 2025 - safety!
👮🏻♀️ Is it Safe to Travel to Estonia Right Now?
Estonia is perfectly safe to travel to right now! There may be concerns due to the country's close proximity to Russia, but its location truly has not made a difference in terms of safety.
🤠 Is Estonia Safe for Tourists?
Estonia is a very safe country! Tallinn is a great place for travelers to comfortably explore as it has a low crime right, especially in the heart of town where tourists typically stay.
🙆🏻♀️ Is Tallinn Safe for Solo Female Travelers?
Tallinn is completely safe for solo female travelers! I ventured off on my own quite a few times, and felt really comfortable walking around on my own even at night, especially in the old town.
Tallinn felt completely safe as a solo female traveler.
🫂 Is Estonia Friendly to Foreigners?
Estonians were honestly far from friendly. Many seemed extremely grumpy, although we did find a few of the younger people working in shops and such to have a bit nicer of a demeanor.
Tallinn Travel Guide 2025: Other Things to Know About Visiting
Now you know almost everything you need to for visiting Estonia's capital! But don't go just yet - we have a few more things to share in our Tallinn travel guide 2025.
☀️ What is the Weather Like in Estonia Year-Round?
Estonia experience 4 seasons, with severely cold winters and pleasantly warm summers. If you visit Tallinn in winter, you can expect to see a lot of snow, with short days. If you visit Tallinn in summer, you'll be able to experience almost 24 hours of sunlight, and perfectly comfortable temperatures.
Winters have short days and lots of snow in Tallinn.
📆 What is the Best Month to Travel to Estonia?
The best time to visit Tallinn is in summer, so you can enjoy the long beautiful days and some of the nearby beaches and islands.
On the other hand, December is particularly magical due to the snow covered city, the lights everywhere, and the amazing Christmas market that the city has.
While summer and winter are completely different experiences, we loved experiencing Tallinn both times of the year, and can also imagine it being lovely in spring and fall for fewer crowds and better prices.
Tallinn is a magical destination year-round!
🧳 Packing For a Trip to Tallinn
Ready to pack your bags? Here are some things we'd recommend bringing with you on a trip to Tallinn:
- Comfortable shoes for walking around (no heels!)
- Bathing suit for the beach in summer or for saunas in the winter
- Bag/ Backpack that zips (check out our list of favorite backpacks for travelers!)
- Action Camera (we use the Insta 360 X3 because you can use it with an extra long selfie stick to mimic a drone)
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Chapstick
- Reusable Water Bottle (we use this water bottle from Cafago because it holds the temperature)
- Camera (we use the Sony A7Riii)
- Wide Lens for getting more buildings in one shot, or for Pirita forest (we use Sony GM 14mm 1.8)
- Drone for unique shots of the city from above and for the cool nature around it (We use the DJI Mavic Mini 4 Pro)
- Power Bank (we use Anker power banks as they are super long lasting and durable)
- Cash for certain tickets like the city walls
- Travel Adapter
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⏳ How Many Days Do You Need in Tallinn?
You can easily explore the top highlights of Tallinn in just a couple of days. However, there are a ton of cool things to do in Tallinn outside the old town, as well as some really cool day trips you can enjoy.
We'd recommend a weekend trip to get a good taste of the city, but a full 3-4 days in Tallinn if you want to truly immerse in the culture and experience things a bit more off-the-beaten-path.
🤔 Is Tallinn, Estonia Worth Visiting?
Tallinn is one of our favorite cities in Europe, and is absolutely worth visiting! From its charming old town to the unique sites surrounding it, Estonia's capital has so much to offer for a variety of travelers out there.
Tallinn is a city well worth visiting!
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So are you ready to experience the magic of Estonia's capital? We hope our Tallinn travel guide 2025 has helped inspire you to visit one of our favorite European cities. Have more questions? Simply drop them in the comments below!
Want to learn about other fun cities in Europe? Don't miss out on our other European travel guides, as well as other articles about Tallinn. We also have a couple more of them coming up, so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all of our weekly updates!
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