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Questions on Tallinn Old Town

Tom O.

By Tom O.,
in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

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Tom O. Great Review Rare

Tom O.

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We are booked for our first Baltic Cruise on Holland America Zuiderdam next summer.

Our first port is Tallinn, and we just wanted to go to the old town, walk around and shop, and maybe have lunch.

I have already booked a ship's excursion called Walk & Shop in Tallinn's Old Town.

But I am thinking of canceling it, because we don't really need a guided tour. Also, the excursion is only 3 1/2 hours, and of that time, we only get about one hour on our own. The rest of the time we are walking with a guide.

Is it easy to get from our ship to Old Town on our own? We have some minor walking issues, and would prefer to not to take a long strenuous walk.

Recommendations?

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dogs4fun

dogs4fun

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Agree that a tour is really not needed & it is very easy to reach the old town from port (about a 15 minute walk). You can also rent audio guides at the TI office (there is one located in the old town) - that way you can design your own tour & learn about the things in which you are interested.

If you prefer not to walk, you can easily take a taxi from port to the old town's entrance (old town is pedestrian area). Recommend wearing very comfortable walking shoes with good support - the cobblestones in the old town are murder on the knees and back. 

If you check the map below, you will see how close the port is relative to the old town.

https://mediabank.visittallinn.ee/static/files/030/eng_kaart_2019.pdf

The online tourist info office offers a wealth of info including things to see/do and maps:

https://www.visittallinn.ee/eng/visitor

 

Edited by dogs4fun
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John Bull

John Bull

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30 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

 

If you prefer not to walk, you can easily take a taxi from port to the old town's entrance (old town is pedestrian area). Recommend wearing very comfortable walking shoes with good support - the cobblestones in the old town are murder on the knees and back. 

 

 

The nearest part of old-town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret is only about a ten minute walk from the cruise port, then perhaps another 10 to the heart of old town.

 

But can I suggest that if you take a taxi ask the driver to drop you at the top  of old town. 

Super views, then work your way down the steep cobbled streets to the heart of the town - waaaay less strenuous than going up. 

 

JB :classic_smile:

Edited by John Bull
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tv77

tv77

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It took us about 20 minutes to walk into town from the pier, and we were in a hurry.  But it’s very easy to get to. 
 

Heading back to the ship we used Uber and it was quick and super cheap.  We heard taxis were expensive. 

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trosebery

trosebery

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Yes, it is very easy to tour Tallinn on your own, but if you would like a guide to show you around, I can recommend both Traveller Tours and Nordic Experience, both based in Tallinn. Both will run private (just your group, so you can control the pace) walking tours for very reasonable prices.

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dogs4fun

dogs4fun

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I found the walking tour that we used on our first visit to Tallinn. It provides walking directions from port, hits all of the high points of the old town & includes photos. If you would like a copy of the PDF, email me (address included in signature).

 

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Tom O. Great Review Rare

Tom O.

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1 hour ago, dogs4fun said:

I found the walking tour that we used on our first visit to Tallinn. It provides walking directions from port, hits all of the high points of the old town & includes photos. If you would like a copy of the PDF, email me (address included in signature).

 

 

Thanks very much, I have sent you and email.

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cruisin lady ca

cruisin lady ca

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I set up a small group on our roll call (10 ppl) for a walking tour with Tallinn Traveller Tours - Walking Tour with a Local Guide (https://www.traveller.ee/tour/old-town-walking-tour-tallinn).  The tour guide met us at the port entrance and walked us over to Old Town.  She gave us a good tour through the Old Town and we made our way back to the ship on our own at our own pace.    Setting this up as a private tour was beneficial as we were able to keep the group size small, and having the tour guide walk with us to the Old Town entrance was helpful.  

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rdt10

rdt10

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On 12/22/2019 at 12:25 PM, John Bull said:

But can I suggest that if you take a taxi ask the driver to drop you at the top  of old town. 

Super views, then work your way down the steep cobbled streets to the heart of the town - waaaay less strenuous than going up. 

 

JB :classic_smile:

We did this on our visit to Tallinn. It worked very well.

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yerdua

yerdua

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On 12/22/2019 at 12:15 PM, Tom O. said:

We are booked for our first Baltic Cruise on Holland America Zuiderdam next summer.

Our first port is Tallinn, and we just wanted to go to the old town, walk around and shop, and maybe have lunch.

I have already booked a ship's excursion called Walk & Shop in Tallinn's Old Town.

But I am thinking of canceling it, because we don't really need a guided tour. Also, the excursion is only 3 1/2 hours, and of that time, we only get about one hour on our own. The rest of the time we are walking with a guide.

Is it easy to get from our ship to Old Town on our own? We have some minor walking issues, and would prefer to not to take a long strenuous walk.

Recommendations?

Hi tom. Dh and I will be on this cruise 7/16. There is a short roll call started if you would like to join it. I think it will get more active after the holidays. Good question re tallinn. I'm just starting to plan shore activities for us. Audrey

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Tom O. Great Review Rare

Tom O.

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1 hour ago, yerdua said:

Hi tom. Dh and I will be on this cruise 7/16. There is a short roll call started if you would like to join it. I think it will get more active after the holidays. Good question re tallinn. I'm just starting to plan shore activities for us. Audrey

Our cruise is on 8/9. We have already booked a private tour in Saint Petersburg with Alla Tours. This was very expensive since it is just the two of us. But we decided to go ahead and splurge, since it is unlikely that we will ever be there again. With a private tour, we can opt to skip things if we get too tired. It will be a very busy time in Saint Petersburg, because we also have booked a ballet in the evening.

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trosebery

trosebery

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3 hours ago, Tom O. said:

Our cruise is on 8/9. We have already booked a private tour in Saint Petersburg with Alla Tours. This was very expensive since it is just the two of us. But we decided to go ahead and splurge, since it is unlikely that we will ever be there again. With a private tour, we can opt to skip things if we get too tired. It will be a very busy time in Saint Petersburg, because we also have booked a ballet in the evening.

As someone who has done both (small group tour with SPB on our first visit, private tour with Red Sun Tours on our second visit), I can vouch for the fact that a private tour is well worth the splurge, especially if you want to step off the beaten path (which is also well worth it).

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Anubi

Anubi

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On 12/23/2019 at 8:25 AM, dogs4fun said:

I found the walking tour that we used on our first visit to Tallinn. It provides walking directions from port, hits all of the high points of the old town & includes photos. If you would like a copy of the PDF, email me (address included in signature).

 

Email sent! 

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getaway101

getaway101

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On 12/23/2019 at 8:25 AM, dogs4fun said:

I found the walking tour that we used on our first visit to Tallinn. It provides walking directions from port, hits all of the high points of the old town & includes photos. If you would like a copy of the PDF, email me (address included in signature).

 

Email sent

 

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