It’s a northern city that looks like a southern city: on the shores of the Baltic, the Estonian capital seduces with its medieval heart, its large parks and its arty, bubbling districts. An exotic getaway, three hours from Paris.
Day 1
9 a.m. Carcassonne time
Head to the old town, you’ll have plenty for the morning. It is for her that we come to Tallinn. Nicknamed the “Carcassonne of the North”, classified since 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is beautifully preserved. It all started with a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in the 13the century, transformed into an outpost of the Hanseatic League until the 16the century. Money then flowed freely, and the monuments bear the traces of this wealth.
Town Hall Square, Raekoja Plats (1), is the tourist epicenter of the city. The hotel itself, a Gothic jewel, was completed in 1404. From there, all routes are possible. If its wealth is extreme, the area of the old town is small, and everything is covered on foot. We stop at number 11 of the square, a curiosity not to be missed: the oldest pharmacy in the city. The back room contains a mini-museum where various animals used for the manufacture of medicines are exhibited in jars.
10:30 a.m. Icons and lightning rod
Everyone will go their own way. Let yourself be surprised by the charm of these narrow streets framed by tall houses with very recognizable facades. Passage Sainte-Catherine, which connects two of the main streets, is a perfect example. Not to be missed: the Kiek in de Kok tower, built between 1475 and 1483, its four-meter-thick walls and, above all, its underground passages that lead to the fortifications; Toompea Castle (2), a more recent construction (Czarist Russia and 1920s), which houses the Estonian Parliament; the Saint-Alexandre-Nevski cathedral, an Orthodox church whose interior is overflowing with icons and mosaics…
In several places there are very nice views of the city. The most famous is the one that can be seen from the top of the tower of the Saint-Olaf church, once the tallest building in the world (in the 16e century). Its arrow even served as a lightning rod and was burned several times.
12:30 p.m. From bear to candle
To stay in the medieval tone, let’s have lunch in this rather kitsch establishment that is the Olde Hansa (3). The decor, lit only by candlelight, evokes a tavern under Louis XI. The waiters and waitresses disguised as youths and damsels try their hand at a chivalrous humor and the menu aligns dishes from before: you can eat a lot of game, including bear (expensive, but rare…), and you drink there a spicy wine, claret. The quaintness of the experience will amuse those who won’t be irritated by its Disneyland side. Others can go to Rataskaevu 16 to taste more local cuisine with fried herring fillets and roast elk.
You have 58.77% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.