Hi guys,
Never been to Estonia before and looking to try somewhere different. Like the sound of Tallinn but just need an nudge in the right direction. Not a first time traveller at all so like to be independent and find my own way around but any hints/tips on how long i should stay, must see%26#39;s would be great. WIll be travelling with a 1 year old too so any help on family-friendly hotels/restaurants would be more than welcome.
Also, price comparison wise, how does it compare to other Eastern European countries such as Prague or Bratislava?
Thanks in advance.
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Just go. Stunning, stunning, stunning Old Town. Really overwhelming. Lots of cobbled streets in the Old Town so a buggy might be hard work getting around if your one year old needs one. In that case i would opt for a Hotel outside of the Old Town.
You can see all of the Old Town in a day, but i personnaly found it friendly and very atmospheric and i happily stayed three days and just hung out there and relaxed.
Similar prices to Prague and BA, possibly a little bit more expensive but by no means excessively. The old town square will be more expensive, just as it is in Prague.
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Dear Jimbo 16,
Tallinn %26amp; Estonian is very beautiful.
When where you planning to travel? Tallinn, Prague %26amp; Bratislava weather starts to drop from december onwards.
I can see that you our from the UK. In December, January, February %26amp; March. tempertures can dramatical drop. I would recommend you buying a whole new WINTER wardrobe for your young child.
If travelling with a young child would recommend either an old town hotel or one of the larger hotels in the business area of Tallinn.
Places to visit:
Old Town Tallinn
Kadriog Park, Muesuem etc
Toompea hill + churches
Open air mueseum
Average stay in Tallinn is 3days.
Very beautiful in December especailly as christmas market is in old town.
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Guys thats fantastic, just the sort of tanswers i was looking for.
Looking at february when probably it will be at its coldest! But your right, we will dress our child appropriately, i know how cold it can get for us, i think layers is the best option - plus its not as if she%26#39;ll be able to tell us she%26#39;s too cold/hot either. Do you think we should wait till spring time?
I%26#39;m very interested in the architecture so no doubt i%26#39;ll have my head towards the sky mostly! Food wise - i%26#39;m presuming alot of the local cuisine is potato/meat based such as in Prague? We prefer to eat from local traditional restaurants as opposed to chains or international brands - any suggestions there?
We have a good buggy so the cobbled streets won%26#39;t be an issue - we all love walking and investigating things by ourselves and it seems that the city is fairly compact.
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Jimbo
Food is similar to much of eastern Europe or much more so to Germany - so yes, Meat, Potatoes and heavy breads. Also common as throughout countries bordering the Baltic is the ubiquitous Herring.
One bit of advise i had before i went was not to get into the habit of comparing Estonia to elsewhere in eastern Europe - you probably know this but the Estonian people are closely related to the Finns with whom they are an entirely seperate ethno-linguistic group to either Slavic, Anglo-Saxon or indeed even to Balt (Latvian and Lithuanian) peoples. I mention this in case you%26#39;re dining out a lot - as one faux pas i found was offering to buy Estonian men drinks, as you would do here and many other countries. They would reply with %26#39;we have our own money%26#39; and seemed mildly insulted. Russian-Estonian men though may be very glad of a drink!!!
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Thats why i find this site so useful. Its little snippets of information like that which are invaluable to travellers. Good call.
Its really hard not to compare places, especially if its a place you have never been to before. I found it hard not to do this in Bratislava as i have a real soft spot for Prague, but in no way did it detract from my enjoyment of Slovakia.
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I know what you mean - i went to Prague and Bratislava then onto Budapest in the same trip. I soon got told off for comparing the Hungary to other places as the Hungarians aren%26#39;t Slavic either and there were some serious faux pas there that you would do anywhere else too.
I heard that the Estonian President called Estonia the %26#39;only post-Communist Nordic country%26#39; inferring closer ties to Finland and Scandanavia than elsewhere. I also drew scorn on myself for using the term %26#39;western%26#39; and in doing so excluding Estonia - and realised this is a very redundant term now, especially given their EU and NATO memberships.
Anyway, Tallinn blew me away - have a great time!
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Last summer we were in Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga and hotels cost the same in all 3 ie not particularly cheap; in fact I think Helsinki hotel was even a bit cheaper for same standard. Eating out was cheaper in Tallinn and Riga than Helsinki though.
In Tallinn you could sometimes pay with euros (markets, some shops; in Riga only lats). I mention Riga because know you%26#39;ve posted that forum too. As I said there Tallinn Old Town is beautiful but I found it a bit Disneyfied (few if any shops not dedicated to tourists); Riga feels more authentic/grittier.
Long time since I was in Prague (2000) so can%26#39;t compare prices there. In Ljubljana in 2005 we got great deal for hotel, and meals were cheap too. And it is WONDERFUL with stunning architecture (next year maybe?!)
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