Tallinn Estonia

[crusinbanjo]

Anybody been to this port? Is it possible to just walk off the ship and into the sights, or is transportation a must. Any one done private excursions or are the ships excursions the way to go in this port. Any insight would be helpful.

 

Thanks

[bobalink]

We did the Baltic cruise last year on Princess. We loved Tallinn, very quaint and super easy to do on your own. We did not schedule a tour, just walked around on our own. I did find a great "walking tour" from another CC member, Lair Bear. You can find it at www.*****.com/tallinnwalk.html

 

It was very good, informative and you get to see a lot and then end up in the town square.

 

Don't know if you are interested in jewelry, but the Baltic region is known for their amber. Tallinn has beautiful amber jewelry set in gold. That was unique because most of the amber we saw in other Baltic countries was set in silver.

 

Tallinn gift stores also had the finest nesting dolls IMHO. ;)

 

You will love the Baltic. Enjoy!

[Willsot]

We walked. Lots of cobblestone, as in much of the Baltics, so wear comfortable shoes.

Restroom location tip: Amber Waves gift shop - very nice.(the shop is also nice). We looked at a lot of amber but prices seemed high. We also took a ship excursion to a medieval fortress for part of the day. Tallinn was a port we had not known much about and we enjoyed it very much.

[bobalink]

Anybody been to this port? Is it possible to just walk off the ship and into the sights, or is transportation a must. Any one done private excursions or are the ships excursions the way to go in this port. Any insight would be helpful.

 

Thanks

 

I forgot to mention that you can easily walk from where the ship docks to Tallinn. Very close.

There are a LOT of cobblestone streets in Tallinn, so wear comfortable walking shoes with lots of cushion!:)

[pj-atsea]

We were there a couple of years ago and we took the ships shuttle to town. We must have been docked a little further away because I would have walked if it was close to town. There is a woolen market there too where there are some lovely knitted goods. I agree with the other poster that there is really nice amber jewelery there too. We loved Tallinn. pj:)

[RuthC]

The last time I was there ('08) there was a HO-HO bus stop in the parking lot by the pier. It's a good way to get a quick tour on the cheap. As the name says, you can hop off to see something that intrigues, then hop on the next bus to come by. It covers a lot more territory than even a good walker can manage.

[PROCRUISE]

Anybody been to this port? Is it possible to just walk off the ship and into the sights, or is transportation a must. Any one done private excursions or are the ships excursions the way to go in this port. Any insight would be helpful.

 

Thanks

 

We took one of HAL's walking tours of the city which was great. I'm sure one could do this one their own but our guide was sensational with all the history and insights into the different places we visited. If you go on your own, make sure to get to the high overview point where you look out over the city and city wall-great place for photos and to just soak up the view and history!

[xxoocruiser]

One of my favorite places on the the Baltic Cruise. Though I took a tour because of having MS, it's a nice short leisurely walk from the pier. Or you can take the ship's shuttle. But do be aware that most is cobblestone and very rough uneven cobblestone at that. The people were the nicest and friendliest of any Baltic Port I toured.

[scottjeanne]

Read the roll calls about Northern Eurpoean ports. There is great information there. The one thing I would recommend before you go is to view the movie "Singing Revolution". It is the true story of how the Estonian poeple gained their independence from Russia by singing. this is recent history since it happened in the 1990s.

 

It is lovely port and the people were great. Have a good time.

[bobalink]

I thought I would share a picture of Tallinn so you can see the cobblestone streets. We traveled with a group of friends, and you will notice one in a wheelchair. She hurt her leg early in our trip and we got a wheelchair from Princess and did not let that stop us! Fortunately, all the men took turns pushing, sometimes two, up the hills and all around Tallinn (and all over the Baltic, for that matter)

In the picture I am holding a Westways magazine, which I submitted in hopes of getting our picture published. :D

[jtl513]

You can walk to the Old Town area from the ship, but I think one best things to see is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral up at the top of Toompea hill. If we had not taken a bus to the top I doubt that we would have made it all the way to the top and seen it, and the view looking over the town. Much easier walking back down the hill than up!

 

I suggest you either take the HAL walking tour (that buses you up the hill) or use the HOHO bus as RuthC suggested.

[lazey1]

We took a ship excursion to Haapsalu which was wonderful, included lunch at a seaside resort and an overview tour of old town Tallinn. I would highly recommend this option if you have any mobility issues. Jane

[RuthC]

You can walk to the Old Town area from the ship, but I think one best things to see is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral up at the top of Toompea hill. If we had not taken a bus to the top I doubt that we would have made it all the way to the top and seen it, and the view looking over the town.

Totally agree about the cathedral, the view from nearby, and the entire area surrounding the cathedral. The HAL tour I was on the first time I went ('03) took us close to the area. The walk up the rest of the way wasn't too bad, and was quite worth it.

[bbwex]

We took a ship's tour for a half day. We went through Old Town which was very interesting. The cathedral and the area where they have their annual independence day concert didn't do anything for me. You could walk all around Old Town -- as you don't get back on the bus for that at all -- but getting there might take more than 5 minutes. As stated, there was a HOHO bus that would have taken you that far. It's likely just me, but I'm not into cathedrals.

[jcrandle]

An earlier poster mentioned rest room locations. Be aware that there are rest room kiosks (upscale port-a-potties) in several locations (noted on the city maps) but you do need local coins to use them, as they are unattended.It is indeed a great walking city, but the climb up the hill to the cathedral can be a challenge for someone who has difficulty walking a mile or two uphill.

[WhansaMi]

I always find that I enjoy the excursions best when I have a knowledgable guide, but I don't like being on a large bus load of people. We found the best of both worlds in estadventures.ee. It is run by an Aussie (Andrew) who moved to Estonia to find love, and had set up a tourist company there. His training in Oz was in tourism.

 

He has several options, is willing to be flexible (we combined two of the tours), and is very inexpensive. Initially, it was set to just be the hubby and I, but after our tablemates indicated interest, they came along as well. It was definitely a great outing. I'd highly recommend it.

[crusinbanjo]

Thanks all for the great response! Lots of really good info. Thanks bobalink for that link and great photo! and Thanks Ruth for the info about the HoHo. WE are in pretty good shape and walking is not a problem for us, so we likely will do our homework for the history, and then take the walking tour and explore on our own. Can't wait, we leave on June 24, comming fast! :)

[bobalink]

So glad the info helped you make your decision. We so enjoyed Tallinn, and know you will, too.

 

One other tip I should mention. As you know, we all need to be very careful as tourists, and watch our cameras, purses and wallets. We were warned often while visiting the Baltic ports. There are actually signs posted in Copenhagen and our wonderful tour guide in St. Petersburg cautioned everyone numerous times and even pointed out some women with baby strollers, as potential pickpockets.

In the quaint little village of Tallinn, you would not expect pickpockets, but it happened to someone we met while there. He did not feel a thing, but another tourist witnessed it and made a commotion that drew attention to the thief as he was running away. The wallet was recovered (empty) and fortunately the wallet had very little cash, and no credit cards.

All that to say, just use common sense in all of the ports, even the ones that seemingly appear safe.;)

[crusinbanjo]

Thanks for the heads up! Whenever we are touring we make it a point to dress down so as not to stand out, (too much). We generally leave the pocketbook and anything that would be a target on the ship in the safe. And finally, (and Theresa thinks I'm crazy), is I always set up my wallet with dummy stuff and keep my money and credit card in more secure inside pockets. Just in case, I give any potential pick pocket a decoy target. If they get it, good for them, but they get nothing.

However, I agree that the best defense is to be aware of your surroundings and be cautious, while having fun of course! :)

[jtl513]

In the quaint little village of Tallinn, you would not expect pickpockets, but it happened to someone we met while there.

Our tour guide spotted a couple of young men she didn't "like the looks of", and warned us about them. Later she spoke to another young man who she thought was paying too much attention to our group. I don't know what she said (in Estonian) but he went away!

[Loreto]

You can walk to the Old Town area from the ship, but I think one best things to see is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral up at the top of Toompea hill. If we had not taken a bus to the top I doubt that we would have made it all the way to the top and seen it, and the view looking over the town. Much easier walking back down the hill than up!

 

I suggest you either take the HAL walking tour (that buses you up the hill) or use the HOHO bus as RuthC suggested.

 

I also took the HAL walking tour in Tallinn. It was a wonderful experience combining history, culture and unique shops on Toompea Hill. You could look in the shops or just enjoy spectacular views from the nearby terrace.

 

It was a really memorable port.

 

Karen