Stepping off the boat in Tallinn, Estonia — a short ferry ride from Helsinki (and an overnight sailing from Stockholm, or an easy flight from anywhere in Europe) — you’ll likely feel as if you’ve nevertheless traveled a great cultural distance from Scandinavia. Located about halfway between Stockholm and St. Petersburg, Tallinn is both Nordic- and Russian-influenced, and a visit here is a fun peek into a proudly unique and resilient nation.
While both Estonia and neighboring Finland gained independence from Sweden, then Russia, after World War I — when Estonians were at least as affluent and as advanced as the Finns — Estonia could not preserve its independence from Soviet expansion during World War II, after which the nation sank into a nearly 50-year period of communist stagnation. But Estonia’s post-communist chapter has been a success story, and since 1991 its capital city has westernized at an astounding rate, all while holding tight to its Old World charm. Tallinn’s mostly intact city wall includes 26 watchtowers, each topped by a pointy red roof.
Baroque and choral music ring out from its old Lutheran churches. Below the steeples and towers, the Old Town is crammed with inviting shops and restaurants. Meanwhile, the outlying districts are a Petri dish of architectural experimentation.
Given its compact scale, Tallinn can be easily appreciated as a side-trip (from Helsinki, or from a cruise ship). If you’ve only got a day, start with a short stroll fro.