Back to towns in Estonia
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is truly one of the gems of Northern Europe. The city lies at the bottom of a bay on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, only 70 kilometers south of Helsinki. At the historical heart of the city is the hill of Toompea, covered in cobbled streets and filled with medieval houses and alleyways. The lower town spreads out from the foot of the hill, still protected by the remnants of a city wall. Around the city wall is a series of well-maintained green parks, great for strolling.
While the old town has been astonishingly well preserved and is now in better shape than ever, with the bigger roads converted into fashionable shopping streets reminescent of Zürich or Geneva, the new town sprawling all around is largely built in typical concrete Soviet style. The new center of town is Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) at the edge of the old town, and nearby is the giant matchbox of Hotel Viru, the former Intourist flagship and notorious den of Cold War intrigue (every room was tapped and monitored by the KGB!). Recently, Tallinn has received a boom in tourism, especially by daytrippers which visit it from its sister city across the Baltic Sea,
The old town walled town is the place to go. This contains many authentic buildings of great antiquity. These are mostly well kept or undergoing restoration. As the town is a set of ring defenses built around a hill, be prepared to hike and walk. The antique cobblestone paths are rough but have been improved with cut granite sidewalks for safe walking. The tourist will pass through narrow approaches walled in for defensive purposes. For those ones who wish to stay more than just a day there are numerous hotels, but for a home away from home try furnished apartments. They are more reasonably priced than a hotel. Download high resolution version (480x640, 65 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 65 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Shopping
The main shopping attraction is the numerous shops carrying high quality knitwear. Prices will vary, with stalls just inside the city wall offering the best values, with a better selection of higher quality goods available in the numerous small shops around town. Some of these are located in the basements of buildings on minor streets.
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