Best Places to Visit in Tallin - Exploring Beyond the Old Town Walls

Tallinn is certainly the poster boy for quaint medieval old towns. Most visitors head straight to the jumble of cobbled streets leading to its Town Hall Square and the impressive Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the city centre. However, as with most European cities, when it comes to places to visit in Tallin, there are some really interesting districts to discover, as we found out on our most recent trip to the Estonian capital city.

Read on to see the best places to visit in Tallinn for you to add to your itinerary.

Exploring Noblessner

Enjoy the beautiful architecture with a lovely walk though Kalamaja (a cool bohemian district in itself with lots of old wooden houses) to reach this seafront quarter. The history of the Noblessner dates back to 1912, when two St Petersburg businessmen, Arthur Lessner, a machine manufacturer and Emanuel Nobel, Europe's largest fuel tycoon (and yes, related to Alfred) built a submarine factory here. The name of the factory, Noblessner, was created by combining their two surnames. A total of 12 modern submarines were built in the factory between 1913 and 1917. Although the construction of submarines ceased after Estonia's independence in 1918, shipbuilding and repair took place here until 2018.

These days, Noblessner has undergone rapid development. It's home to a yacht harbour, offices, museums, restaurants, and taproom of Estonia’s most popular brewery, Põhjala. We visited the acclaimed Lennusadam Maritime Museum, located in the old Lennusadam seaplane harbour with views stretching out to the Baltic Sea. Set in a huge hangar this museum explores Estonia’s maritime history. I must admit, I was a little disappointed that there were no actual sea planes. However, seeing an intact submarine, the Lembit and the famous Suur Tõll icebreaker docked outside more than made up for it.

In the area you can find Kai Art Center, Iglupark, PROTO Invention Factory VR centre, and techno nightclub HALL. There are cafes and the afore-mentioned brewery. For the foodies amongst you, enjoy culinary masterpieces at restaurant 180°, founded by Michelin starred chef Matthias Diether. We dined at the local favourite, Lore Bistroo, where we enjoyed the delicious food, especially the small plates marinated squid tentacles!

Lennusadam Maritime Museum

Photo Credit: Visit Estonia @ Rasmus Jurkatam

Telliskivi Creative City & Balti Jaam Market

I love a train stations, so visiting Tallinn’s main station was high on my list of things to see. We discovered a great market close by, called The Balti Jaama Turg (Baltic Station Market). It's jam-packed full of different stalls and shops selling anything from food to vintage clothing and antiques. We really liked browsing through the soviet kitsch on the antique stalls.

Just a little further on is Telliskivi Creative City, located in the former industrial complex of Tallinn. Here, you can find lots of cool cafes, boutiques, and independent shops, it has a great arty vibe. We visited the internationally renowned Fotografiska Tallinn Photography Museum. More than 800 different cultural events that take place here throughout the year, as well as over twenty different works of street art can be found here.

Photo Credit Visit Estonia @ Rasmus Jurkatam

Kadriorg Palace

Kadriorg

Taking tram number 1 out to Kadriorg was pretty exciting in itself and very easy to navigate. At the heart of Kadriorg, one of Tallinn’s most upmarket districts, is Estonia’s only Baroque palace and park, established 300 years ago by Russian Tsar Peter the Great. This beautiful park actually contains seven museums including Kadriorg Art Museum located in the stunning Baroque Kadriorg Palace. The park with its various gardens is a wonderful place to walk around but make time to explore nearby tree-lined streets and posh villas, old wooden houses and summer residences.

Rotermann Quarter

Rotermann Quarter

Located between the Old Town and the Ferry Port, a stone’s throw away from the landmark Hotell Viru is this once industrial district, which has undergone a radical make over. Wander around lanes lined with old brick warehouses and an odd chimney stack, enjoy boutique shopping and great dining options such as Pull, opened by one of Estonia’s top grill masters! We love Kalev Chocolate Shop here, Estonia’s oldest and most cherished chocolate brand. If you still have room enjoy cinnamon buns and delicious sourdough bread at RØST, one of the few bakeries in Tallinn baking sourdough!

Rotermann Quarter

Make your next trip to Tallinn, Estonia with Regent. 

If any of the above has made it to your bucket list, get in touch with Regent today for complete itinerary of special culture tours filled with rich history and beautiful city views.