I%26#39;m travelling to Talinn on August long weekend with my wife and 2 %26amp; half yrs old daughter. We will spend 4 days in Tallinn ( might do one day trip to Helsinki) We are going to stay in Pirita Top Spa hotel.
Could you please let us know :
1) The best things to do in 4 days in Tallinn considering our little one.
2) How much local currency should I carry for 4 days ?
3) Travel from airport to hotel ( late night as our flight will reach at 10:30 pm)
4) Food and shopping ( to make my wife face smiling -:)
Any other information would be highly appreciated.
cheers
Anu
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Hi,
its very hard to recommend if you have so young kinds..
Try to vsit Zoo, Open Air Museum in Rocca-al Mare and Kadriorg (nice park and 2 castles) . And you should walk in the oldtown.
You can take a ride with sightseeing bus , this goes to Open Air museum also.
Best Shopping area is Viru Center, but If you are looking a littLe bit cheaper then Kristiine center (my favorite)or Ülemiste center (near Airport). For cheap and extreme experience you can visit Sadamarket in the harbour (its like russian Shepherds Bush market).
Its hard to say how much money you can need, almoust all places accept cards and we have many money exchanges also . But maybe 2000 EEK should be in cash, i guess.. Today Hansapank`s GBP-EEK rate is 19.97.
Your hotel is pretty far from center and Airport, by taxi it takes 25 min and costs probobly 200-250 EEK.. (10-12 GBP). But Pirita is a very beutiful place!
WElcome
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Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Its very useful information. I have couple of more questions.
1) Will it be easier to get vegetarian food in Tallinn
2) We read that we can get some nice craft items and local items in Tallinn. Could you please advise where to look for any such stuff?
Thanks again
Anu
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Hi
We%26#39;ve stayed at the Pirita Top Spa twice and love the hotel, BUT, not for any reason other than it%26#39;s kind of outdated concrete Soviet charm and its delightful staff.
It is near a brilliant beach, leave the hotel and walk back up to the main road. Turn left, go over the bridge and after the parade of shops turn left again and you%26#39;ll find a lovely sandy beach. The web-cam which shows this beach is www.surf.ee and click on the webcam link.
Going back towards Tallinn is the Song Grounds, lots of room for kids to run and play.
Further along the same road is Kadriorg Park, another lovely place to wander and there is an art gallery in the beautiful summer house which is at its centre.
Tallinn itself is lovely, an unbelieveable medieval city. A place your little one would probably love is the chocolate cafe on Vene. Get a map it%26#39;s easy to find. The cafe is about half way down on the left if you approach it from Olde Hansa, you walk through a yard to find it and it is absolutely charming. Take some baby wipes.
It%26#39;s probably a little late now for an August trip but the best way of getting currency is to use a Nationwide visa debit card, failing that the best rates come from Marks and Spencers. I don%26#39;t have a clue how much you will need, we are quite tight when we go away, you may well be extravigant.
The Viru shopping centre, which is just outside the Old Town has lots and lots of modern shops, but don%26#39;t expect to find cheap goods. That particular boat has sailed I%26#39;m afraid, prices are high but so is quality. All the shops take UK credit cards so cash is not needed to buy anything. There is a supermarket underneath the shopping centre where you will be able to buy most things you might need for your child.
When you arrive at the airport and walk outside you must walk accross a small road and then go to the taxi rank. The guys plying their trade on the first road (it%26#39;s only about a few feet wide) are the rogues and vagabonds you need to avoid. The taxis at the other side are %26quot;Linna Taxis%26quot;, %26quot;Tallink%26quot; and one other whose name escapes me. I think we paid less than a tenner in July when we were last there but I%26#39;m not that sure.
Someone else has already mentioned the Open Air Museum and the Zoo and to be honest other than the beach I can%26#39;t really think of anything else totally suitable for a toddler.
Get hold of an In Your Pocket Guide as soon as you can after you arrive, but before that download a copy, that little book is not only full of ideas it also gives you full details of which bus or tram to catch to get there.
If you want to know anything else please just ask.
Have a great trip
Jackie
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Hi
Wrong information, the Chocolate cafe is halfway down on your right from Olde Hansa.
Sorry
Jackie
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Many THanks,
I%26#39;m already loving all this information and very much excited about our trip. We went to Stavanger,Norway for hiking trip in June and our little one loved it. I%26#39;m sure she will have fun in Tallinn.
We have booked the Pirita spa hotel for 4 days and planning one day trip to Helsinki. Would you recommend trip to Helsinki or should we go to any other near by place in Estonia ?
Could you please suggest us few restaurants ( local and other famous ones) - we love Indian ,Italian,Thai and Mexican food. My wife is vegetarian and I hope we would find few vegetarian places there.
What would recommend us for souvenirs shopping?
cheers
anu
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There is no problem with finding vegetarian food in Tallinn.
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Hi
You will find that the breakfasts in the Pirita Top Spa are less than wonderful, and because of this we didn%26#39;t give the restaurant a chance.
We ate at the Kalev Yacht Club, which is close to the hotel and that was okay, not fantastic but okay.
We love %26quot;Kapten Tenkes%26quot; on Parnu Mnt, just up past the Scandic Palace hotel walking away from the Old Town. I don%26#39;t know if they have vegetarian food there as we are dedicated carnivores but if they do it will be lovely, and fairly cheap.
We usually eat in the %26quot;Peppersack%26quot; in the Old Town and that is usually very good too.
Get your copy of In Your Pocket and it will give lots of unbiased tips on where to eat.
We love Tallinn and usually go there twice a year.
Have a good trip
Jackie
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Hi again..
abaout craft items.. You can find many handcroft and artshops in the oldtown. If you enter Old town from Mere street, there are 2-3 small streetmarkts with staff. Even in Kadriorg and Sadamarket you can find something.
Pls notice that all matrjoshkas and amber-staff are not Estonian souveniers, those are russian and lithuanian.
Estonian staff are all wooden souveniers, mottled warm sweet sweaters, embroidered, woollen,linen or leather staff..
And one of the most famous Estonian souvenier is liquer Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) , original and creamy variant. Nice gfft.
Welcome!
Hellin
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Hi again
you can find any kind eating places in central, but the prices are pretty salty there, this area is for tourists.
In Kadriorg is asian restoran Willa Thai, this one has normal prices, also in Kadriorg are mexican, italian and estonian restorants. Try something new-
estonian food, in this forum are all good places mentioned.
Its easy to go to Helsinki, but i hope you will find enough to do in Tallinn also. Take a ride with tram or trolley (its intresting for kids also) and you can see other Tallinn too. You could also go by bus or train to some lovely smalltown (Haapsalu, Pärnu, Rakvere).. and we have many so beutiful places in the countryside, but then you need a car and 4 days are not enough...
WElcome
Hellin
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Could you please list down few places for authentic Estonian food for our convenience ?
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