What to do in Tallinn?

[swdke]

What is everyone doing inTallinn? I was wondering what everyone is planning on doing in Tallinn, and hoping you can share your ideas. And, for those who returned, what are your recommendations? Thanks!

 

Steve

[SaylorGirl]

Steve, we don't have any specific plans in Tallin just walking around taking it all in. I also have heard that there is some good shopping there. I know it will be Sunday when I'm there so I'm not sure what all will be open.

[swdke]

Steve, we don't have any specific plans in Tallin just walking around taking it all in. I also have heard that there is some good shopping there. I know it will be Sunday when I'm there so I'm not sure what all will be open.

 

Saylorgirl, thanks for sharing.

[SaylorGirl]

Thanks Steve for that info!

[M&T]

I'm looking forward to walking around old town, seeing the medieval buildings, churches, walls and towers. Several streets have preserved Hanseatic buildings. St. Nicholas Church/Concert Hall and Church of the Holy Ghost have exquisite altarpieces and rich decoration. Some of the buildlings have towers that can be climbed for views. There are three towers that are open. My husband and I love to take pictures, so we'll have a great deal to photograph there. It is one of the places I'm most looking forward to going because we were there a couple of years ago but not for long. This time it won't be for long either but longer than last time. Marlyne

[Andee]

We followed the self-guided walking tour in Rick Steves' book, and enjoyed our day very much.

[cruisemom42]

I also did the self-guided tour from Rick Steves. Talinn is VERY easy to get around.

 

We took the shuttle to the old town (not a long ride and could have easily been walked). They drop you off a couple of blocks from the old town area. I had 3 different maps and all were a little confusing to start with, but once you make your way to the central square it's easy to find your way around. Most of the major sites are noted on directional signs. Don't miss the scenic overlooks for some great photos.

 

Also, be aware that the Holy Ghost church requires an entrance fee in Estonian money (kroon?), so it's a good idea to have some small change handy. We were lucky to see a service going on in the Russian Orthodox church, which was lovely and seemed much more like a "real" church than the huge cathedrals of St. Petersburg.

[mikenmar]

Did you have to use Kroons on the shuttle in Tallinn?

[whenzuc]

How far is it to walk to old town from the cruise ship?

[a1dolllady]

Hi,

 

We are taking a private tour in Tallinn. The guide has emailed us asking which museum we would prefer seeing - Rocca al Mare or Kadriorg. Which one is better, more interesting?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Helen

[cruisemom42]

No, you do not need Kroon for the shuttle -- they take dollars or euros.

 

I recall people saying the walk was 15-20 minutes and it looked pretty flat (until you get to the city itself where the roads to the upper portion are a bit steep).

[OhioDogLover]

Is the shuttle to the old town provided by the cruise ships/companies? If so, which ones? How often does it run? What is the cost?

 

Thanks.

[dileep]

Celebrity provided us free shuttles in every port where we needed them :

 

Copenhagen

Riga

Stockholm

Tallinn

Helsinki

 

No shuttles:

 

Klaipeda - 10 min walk

Warnemunde - train station at pier

St Petersburg

 

On return to Dover, there were plenty of taxis to take you to the train or bus station for ~5GBP.

[GoldenRetriever]

Walk around Old Town (using Rick Steve's book as our guide) and have lunch at Olde Hansa restaurant. We tried to take a walking tour but there were so many people it was useless to try and hear what the guide was saying so we dropped out of that pretty quick and explored on our own. Tallinn was my favorite port, with great lookout points for photo ops.

[MizzLee]

What did you think of Olde Hansa? Did you make reservations in advance? My 15yo son would like to eat there while we are in Talinn (but he nixed the bear entree!)

 

Thanks, Lee

[cruiseonly]

Was looking for Rick Steven's Walking Guide for Tallinn, but could not find.

 

Is it included in a book of Baltic Ports.

 

Can someone please give me the correct title, and I will do a search in the book stores.

 

They never had any of his books at all at Coles.

[dbh62ark]

Rick Steves Scandinavia 2005. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1566916844/qid=1118940024/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-7613211-4417648?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. $12.89 at Amazon with free shipping over $25. I suggest that you add the new Frommers Scandinavia book for $14.95 because I found it to be the best for all the other ports on a previous Baltics sailing. It's http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764578251/qid=1118940082/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-7613211-4417648?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. The Frommers book has great walking tours and lots of detail on the sites (opening hours, public transportation to the site, etc.). Tallinn is not included in the Frommers Scandinavia guide, so I recommend the Rick Steves guide for Tallinn only due to the fact that the Steves guide is not nearly as comprehensive as Frommers for the other ports.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

Donna

[cruiseonly]

Thanks Donna.

 

Will check out the books.

[GoldenRetriever]

MizzLee,

I was glad we were able to eat at Olde Hansa. We did not make reservations but probably should have. We didn't have to wait long though and got a cozy table right under the stairs. My husband had the thick meat soup and I had some kind of soup which was served with bread and butter of some sort. It's a very neat atmosphere inside with only candle light (of course they do have electricity in the kitchen). If you do eat there make sure to go upstairs to the second and third floors to explore. On the stairway up there are candles that had burned and the wax had dripped down the walls and created a very neat effect. Enjoy!:)

[Mapu]

A quick note to let those going to Tallinn that you can find Rick Steves walking tour of Tallinn online, print it and then not have to take a book.

If you go to Frommer's sight and put in your destinations, for most other cities you will find one or two walking tours as well.

[swdke]

A quick note to let those going to Tallinn that you can find Rick Steves walking tour of Tallinn online, print it and then not have to take a book.

If you go to Frommer's sight and put in your destinations, for most other cities you will find one or two walking tours as well.

 

 

Got it. Thanks.

Steve

[NancyIL]

Rick Steves Scandinavia 2005. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1566916844/qid=1118940024/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-7613211-4417648?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. $12.89 at Amazon with free shipping over $25. I suggest that you add the new Frommers Scandinavia book for $14.95 because I found it to be the best for all the other ports on a previous Baltics sailing. It's http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764578251/qid=1118940082/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-7613211-4417648?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. The Frommers book has great walking tours and lots of detail on the sites (opening hours, public transportation to the site, etc.). Tallinn is not included in the Frommers Scandinavia guide, so I recommend the Rick Steves guide for Tallinn only due to the fact that the Steves guide is not nearly as comprehensive as Frommers for the other ports.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

Donna

 

Rick Steves has never claimed to be "comprehensive" in his coverage of any particular area. He says in the introduction to his Scandinavia 2005 book, "To save time, maximize diversity, and avoid tourist burnout, I've been very selective." He covers 5 of the 6 ports we'll visit in 354 pages, vs 640 for the new Frommers book (whose 2nd edition comes out June 20th). With only a few hours in each port, I am pefectly happy to see just the highlights. If I return to Scandinavia on a land tour, then a more comprehensive book like Frommers will be helpful.

[dbh62ark]

Uh, I didn't say Rick Steves claims to be comprehensive. That was MY assessment of the two books. But I have actually been on this itinerary in 2003 and used both books and found the Frommers guide to be much more helpful for just a few hours in port. In fact, having just a few hours in port requires more organization in advance than long ports stays.

 

If you do a side-by-side comparison of the two books, anyone can see that the Frommers book has much more information. Since everyone has different interests, we read about some of our favorite sites on a previous trip that we wouldn't have even known about if it weren't for the Frommers guide! I want to know about all of my options and then will make my own decisions. The page numbers of the guides is duly noted, but the Steves guide is much smaller in dimension too, so there's just not as much text. Also, that's not the second edition of the Frommers Scandinavia guide. They publish under different titles, and there are over 20 editions.

 

If the Steves guide works for you, that's great. But we'll have our Frommers guide with us to take full advantage of all the offerings in the ports. The organizational information in the Frommers guide is also superior, in my opinion.

 

Donna

[pungo3]

Thanks Donna for your insight. I'm on my way now to purchase a Frommers, 2nd edition Scandinavia guide.:)

[dbh62ark]

I'm sure you will find it very helpful. :)

 

Hope you have a great trip,

Donna