August 19 – October 16, 2020 (Fall)
Before COVID hit, our well-laid plans for 2020 had culminated in a triumphant return to Tallinn, Estonia. That had been our first brush with the Baltic states, and we fell in love so thoroughly that visiting them has become an annual tradition for us.
Until this year. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania kept their numbers lower than almost anywhere in Europe, and consequently were most reluctant to let the unwashed masses over their borders. We watched with helpless despair as our reservations in the region evaporated, one by one, throughout the summer. But just as the final hammer dropped – our last Airbnb host cancelled on us – a glimmer of hope emerged. The UK’s numbers fell below Estonia’s threshold for entry. Our careful positioning and precautions paid off. We were going to Estonia!
This post is about our 2020 stay in Tallinn. Read about our 2016 visit here.
Even with proof of our travel history, we fretted about the possibility of being turned away since the UK no longer stamps American passports. Ticket stubs proving our Serbia to UK arrival were enough to satisfy the border agent.
In a weird way, the pandemic✨ restored the unique joy of arriving in a new country. Crossing borders✨ was again an exceptional occurrence. We grinned all the way from the airport to our perfectly situated✨ Airbnb.
Our home was perched on its own block between the Old Town✨, the ferry terminal✨, and the long waterfront stretching toward Pirita. The deck had a commanding view of Tallinn Bay✨ (and a bevy of liquor stores✨ – those Finns need their ferry-ready cases of vodka!).
Up to this point, Estonia had kept their Covid numbers startlingly low. This meant life was going on almost normally. Restaurants, bars, and shops were open; even festivals and sporting events were largely going ahead. A couple weeks into our stay the Tallinn Coffee Festival took place at the Kultuurikatel✨. Some (including us) donned masks, but it was largely business as usual. After months of distancing✨ it felt reckless to be inside with so many strangers✨. We didn’t end up staying long. But the exhibition space, inside a repurposed power plant, was incredible.
We prefer the outdoors even without a pandemic to worry✨ about, and Tallinn abounds with potential strolls. Kadriog Park is one of the best. It was every bit as pretty✨ as our last visit.
Beautifully landscaped lawns roll over hills and trees hide a palace-turned-art gallery, a second even-grander art museum called KUMU, and a smattering of smaller museums and public buildings. In a normal year it would be a setting for the annual Wandering Lights✨ festival, but even in Estonia some sacrifices had to be made to curb Covid.
No matter, the park’s museums were still open. KUMU, in spite of the excessive number of head statues, is quite possibly the best art museum we’ve visited. The building itself is striking; a graceful, sweeping hall surrounded by galleries and gardens.
The landscapes and Soviet propaganda✨ posters and images of Stalin✨ all get pinned down in certain historical eras✨, but its more memorable pieces are timeless✨. Drinking baby certainly has a 2020 mood✨. Across the lawn the Kadriorg Palace’s✨ collections were less eclectic but still very worth visiting.
Kadriorg also marks the beginning of an especially beautiful and walkable stretch of the Baltic shores✨, full of seemingly-endless waterfront paths✨ and serene beaches that stretch to meet the tempermental✨ sea. Since our last visit a stark✨ monument to the victims of communism has arisen.
We walked these places often, gazing across the water✨ across the water to the north. There’d be no weekend trips to Finland this year. Those borders were even more stringent, and in any case, the hours-long crossing on a ferry felt like a bad idea.
On our first trip to Estonia, we barely scratched the surface of the craft beer scene. A mistake we would not repeat again. First and foremost, Põhjala✨ Brewery is the largest of the small beer makers. Their mass-market beers are available in almost any grocery store, but their brewpub serves exotic porters, orange gose, and juniper-berry infused creations that were far more noteworthy. Pühaste is almost as prevalent and possibly even better and more varied. Countless others (Lehe, Sori, etc) filled shelves of the many wonderful bottle shops.
Uba ja Humal beer shop had the extra advantage of being right across the street from Kalaturg’s Saturday fish market. If there is one cuisine✨ Estonia outshines all others at, it is smoked fish. It might be mild sacrilege to say, especially since we’re from Seattle, but the home cold smoked salmon from Kalaturg is in a league of its own.
Taptap and Põrgu were meanwhile the best spots to drop in for a beer after exploring✨ the Old Town for an afternoon. It’s impossible to pick out one spot in this gorgeous✨ medieval center as our favorite. We spent our entire stay strolling its winding roads, discovering and rediscovering back alleys✨ and hidden passages. But one place we found ourselves wandering to over and over is Patkuli Viewpoint✨. The picture-perfect skyline teleports visitors to a Tallinn of long ago.
But there’s no better way to experience long ago than the Estonian Open Air Museum✨. Reminiscent of similar ones we’ve enjoyed in Romania, it brings together bygone buildings✨ from around the country to show how Estonians from all walks of life✨ once lived✨.
We took advantage of the low tourist numbers and sprung for a Tallinn Card. This allowed us to enjoy some of Tallinn’s museums✨ and cultural attractions✨ (like the TV Tower✨ observation✨/terrify yourself✨ deck) without competing✨ with crowds.
That may be a bit of an understatement. We had some places, like the spectacular Lennusadam Seaplane Harbor, practically to ourselves. Its Lembit submarine✨ is a particular highlight. We couldn’t imagine trying to social distance in such tight quarters✨.
The card includes a bevy of other sights, from the Maarjamäe Palace✨ and Estonian History✨ Museum, to the KGB prison cells✨, to St. Nicholas Church✨. And both the famous Town Walls✨ and the notorious Kiek in de Kök✨.
The Maritime Museum at Fat Margaret deserves a special callout for the spectacular makeover✨ it had since our last visit. Aside from newly discovered(!) ruins under the building that were integrated into an exhibit(?!) they’ve added a slew of well-done interactive screens and stations. One out-of-the-way corner features a sea shanty karaoke room. In another a weighing scale will tell you how many barrels of wine or bales of hay you can get for your weight in cloth or herring. Given the choice, I’ll take the wine!
Tallinn is the sort of place that it breaks our hearts to leave. Unlike similarly-enthralling Edinburgh, where the cost-of-living had us eyeing the exits, in Estonia the limiting factor was time. We stayed every second we could, until Covid numbers forced our hands and we moved on out of necessity. But give us just a second more, Estonia, and we’ll love you for a lifetime.
