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Tallinn, Estonia


Moose12345
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Can someone please tell me why every tour that I look at for Tallinn is set as strenuous?

Is it because of steep grades, because one tour that I read, said 1 mile of walking. I didn't think that 1 mile would make it strenuous.

I'm very confused!

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2 minutes ago, Moose12345 said:

Can someone please tell me why every tour that I look at for Tallinn is set as strenuous?

Is it because of steep grades, because one tour that I read, said 1 mile of walking. I didn't think that 1 mile would make it strenuous.

I'm very confused!

I don't think that tours of Tallinn are strenuous. The medieval old town is a pedestrian area with cobblestone streets - it is located on a hill (Toompea). My guess is that tours of Tallinn are listed as strenuous due to the fact that the majority of cruise passengers on the Baltic itineraries are retirees - tour companies are giving a nod to this fact by listing walking tours as strenuous. Just my guess.

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23 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I don't think that tours of Tallinn are strenuous. The medieval old town is a pedestrian area with cobblestone streets - it is located on a hill (Toompea). My guess is that tours of Tallinn are listed as strenuous due to the fact that the majority of cruise passengers on the Baltic itineraries are retirees - tour companies are giving a nod to this fact by listing walking tours as strenuous. Just my guess.

 

Yes, it's probably because the company has had complaints in the past from older guests who had difficulty keeping up with the guide on the cobblestoned, sometimes-sloped streets or had difficulty staying on their feet and walking around for a couple of hours without a break to sit down somewhere.

 

But most able-bodied people, like ontheweb, would describe walking tours of Tallinn tour as leisurely.

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8 hours ago, trosebery said:

 

Yes, it's probably because the company has had complaints in the past from older guests who had difficulty keeping up with the guide on the cobblestoned, sometimes-sloped streets or had difficulty staying on their feet and walking around for a couple of hours without a break to sit down somewhere.

 

But most able-bodied people, like ontheweb, would describe walking tours of Tallinn tour as leisurely.

Well Mr. and Mrs. ontheweb actually do a lot of walking. Also we did this on our own not an excursion, so we could set our own pace.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I agree. I visited Tallin. One has to wear good rubber-soled shoes, and not sandals with heels or high heels to maneuver around the cobblestones. Some streets have a slight incline to them...but mostly it's the uneveness of the cobblestones that one would need to worry about.  Walk slowly and carefully and you should have no problem.

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19 minutes ago, Oliver Hansen said:

I haven't been there but based on what I could find on Internet it is indeed a very small and cozy town, probably not fully suitable for a bus tour but perfect for a nice and relaxing walking combined with good restaurants and cafe's. Good shoes are recommended in all Scandinavian ports, same applies for Stockholm and Copenhagen for example. 

I would not consider Tallinn a very small and cozy town - perhaps you are referring to the medieval walled city (that could be described as small and cozy).  

I consider a small town one that has no more than 50,000 residents and I would consider a town with less than 10,000 residents small and cozy..

Tallinn it is the capital of Estonia and has a population of about 435,000.

The medieval walled city is a pedestrian area & buses are not allowed.

Definitely recommend good walking shoes due to the uneven cobblestones in the medieval walled city.

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5 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I would not consider Tallinn a very small and cozy town - perhaps you are referring to the medieval walled city (that could be described as small and cozy).  

I consider a small town one that has no more than 50,000 residents and I would consider a town with less than 10,000 residents small and cozy..

Tallinn it is the capital of Estonia and has a population of about 435,000.

The medieval walled city is a pedestrian area & buses are not allowed.

Definitely recommend good walking shoes due to the uneven cobblestones in the medieval walled city.

I think most who are on a Baltic cruise and tour Tallinn think of the walled city as Tallinn.

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Well, I've been there only once and it seemed to me just lovely! the old town is small but really authentic! I also know that many soviet historic filmes were shot in Tallin (soviet Sherlock holmes by the way ) 

the streets are cobblestned - not too comfortable, specially for those with walking difficultis but we used to make short stops in some cafes with beautiful terrace and all in all had it great

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8 minutes ago, Lagerta said:

the old town is small but really authentic

Particularly St. Catherine's Passage whose architecture has been largely untouched since the founding of the city. 

For those looking for souvenirs, St. Catherine's Passage houses Tallinn's traditional artisans - some wonderful, unique handicrafts can be found here.

On 3/16/2020 at 6:40 PM, ontheweb said:

I think most who are on a Baltic cruise and tour Tallinn think of the walled city as Tallinn.

You are probably correct regarding those visiting from a cruise ship and that is a shame because the medieval old town is certainly not all that Tallinn has to offer.  In fact, if one limits themselves to visiting only the medieval walled city, they are missing much of what Tallinn has to offer - it is a hip, vibrant city with much to see and do.  Even on a short port visit via cruise it is possible to stray from the old walled city and visit some wonderful sights/venues.

I love visiting the medieval old walled city - it is spectacular (with much to see) but very crowded during the height of the tourist season.

Some food for thought for those wishing to venture beyond the confines of the walled city as many visitors to Tallinn enjoy exploring sights not located within the medieval town walls that are unique and not crowded, for example: the KGB museum, Song Festival Grounds, Kadriorg Park/Palace, Estonian National Opera, Kumu Art Museum,  Telliskivi (one of the top sights in Tallinn - fantastic art district that features great shopping - tons of Nordic influenced designs & art - very worthwhile IMHO), Seaplane Harbor Museum, etc.

 

 

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2 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

Particularly St. Catherine's Passage whose architecture has been largely untouched since the founding of the city. 

For those looking for souvenirs, St. Catherine's Passage houses Tallinn's traditional artisans - some wonderful, unique handicrafts can be found here.

You are probably correct regarding those visiting from a cruise ship and that is a shame because the medieval old town is certainly not all that Tallinn has to offer.  In fact, if one limits themselves to visiting only the medieval walled city, they are missing much of what Tallinn has to offer - it is a hip, vibrant city with much to see and do.  Even on a short port visit via cruise it is possible to stray from the old walled city and visit some wonderful sights/venues.

I love visiting the medieval old walled city - it is spectacular (with much to see) but very crowded during the height of the tourist season.

Some food for thought for those wishing to venture beyond the confines of the walled city as many visitors to Tallinn enjoy exploring sights not located within the medieval town walls that are unique and not crowded, for example: the KGB museum, Song Festival Grounds, Kadriorg Park/Palace, Estonian National Opera, Kumu Art Museum,  Telliskivi (one of the top sights in Tallinn - fantastic art district that features great shopping - tons of Nordic influenced designs & art - very worthwhile IMHO), Seaplane Harbor Museum, etc.

 

 

Thank you. If we ever get there again, I will keep this all in mind. I have to admit we knew nothing of the rest of Tallinn when we were there.

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48 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

Particularly St. Catherine's Passage whose architecture has been largely untouched since the founding of the city. 

For those looking for souvenirs, St. Catherine's Passage houses Tallinn's traditional artisans - some wonderful, unique handicrafts can be found here.

Oh yes you're right! We also enjoyed wathcing craftsmen glassblowing in a workshop there

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