Tallinn, Estonia: I Just Can’t Get Enough

There are certain parts of the world where I’m never unhappy to be. On the one hand, there’s the unique comforts of home - places that are replete with nostalgia, sweet memories and a very particular sense of warmth and belonging. There are those far-flung paradisiacal locations, where adventure seems an inevitability, and where it’s impossible to wipe the smile from your face between sips of coconut water and bites from a heaving plate of steamed crustaceans. There are also those foreign and forever slightly unknowable cities that, for whatever reason, you always come away from with a spring in your step and a singular thought in your mind: “Yes, I could see myself living here”. 

The ancient Tallinn skyline

Tallinn, the ancient and venerable capital Estonia, is a perfect example of this latter category. I’ve wandered the impeccably-preserved medieval streets of Tallinn more times than I can actually remember - it’s a city that first drew me in when I was a mere 22 years of age, and I must have been back at least once a year ever since; I’ve danced in its clubs, eaten copious amounts of the (wonderfully and woefully underrated) cuisine on offer, and I’ve loved its women. Often in that precise order, often in the same evening. Whenever I’m there, either in the surprisingly blazing summer sunshine that stretches on until almost midnight or in the snow-laden and blisteringly cold winter, I’ve never not had an absolute ball.

I was most recently in Tallinn as a guest of Visit Tallinn, the local tourist board. The city was in full swing and showing off its finest features, and Tallinn Fashion Week was underway with a host of neatly curated shows displaying an approach to haute couture that took in Scandi-adjacent minimalism, St Petersburg-style excess and an oh-so Estonian commitment to sustainability. From watching the catwalk, it’s actually surprising just how much of this tiny nation’s national character could be summarised via the medium of leggy and fox-eyed blondes walking up and down under harsh spotlights. 

After necking a couple of glasses of superb sparkling wine sourced from fellow former satellite state Georgia, it was time to head through the imposing and thrillingly fairytale-esque Viru Gate - the grandiose portico from which the medieval Old Town unveils itself, and let the night do what it does best. 

Viru Gate

No article of Tallinn’s Old Town would be complete without some mention of Olde Hansa - a veritable beacon of the city’s tourist offerings and an unmissable landmark smack in the centre of Vana Turg square. Now, the first five or six times I was in the city, I avoided this place like the plague, understandably assuming that the massive restaurant and pub within the vast 14th century townhouse was the kind of tourist trap best swerved, perhaps in favour of something a little more authentic. After all, you can’t meander past Olde Hansa without seeing bright young things dressed in period medieval costumes ushering in curious visitors… and I’ve often written about my journalistic aversion to restaurants that rely on gimmicks to drum up trade.

And yet, and yet.

Beer far better that it has any right to be, Olde Hansa

Once my curiosity got the better of me and I eventually decided to step into this stunningly-preserved medieval town hall, I realised that my prejudices were entirely misplaced. Olde Hansa is, frankly (and somewhat annoyingly) absolutely brilliant. Rather than being a Disney-fied facsimile of a medieval dining hall, a remarkable amount of effort has gone into ensuring it’s as authentic as possible. The whole place is solely lit by candlelight (an impressive effort considering the size of the main dining halls), and the menu has been meticulously designed by award-winning head chef Manu Wille to accurately represent fine dining dishes of the city’s nobility at the height of the Hansa - God’s first attempt of the EU, based primarily on herring and fur trading throughout the middle ages. As such, you’ll find plenty of fish dishes, game meats including venison, bear and wild boar, and - I kid you not - some of the best beers I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking, brewed with herbs and honey and served in gigantic clay mugs. Local musicians, playing traditional folk music on medieval instruments, regale visitors from a carved wooden balcony, and it’s genuinely somewhere you can spend a thoroughly enjoyable and immersive evening. 

Wander onwards up the higgedly-piggledy Pikk Street, and you’ll uncover a number of superb restaurants, including Kompressor - a pancake house, where enormous stuffed pancakes are served with local beers in a decidedly bohemian setting. Elsewhere, the two-Michelin starred restaurant 180° by Matthias Dieter is the place to reserve in advance, serving as it does a whimsical tasting menu of foraged ingredients and foie gras, monkfish, seabass and a caviar and cheese selection, but you don’t have to break the bank to find less exclusive eateries serving brilliance in the capital. In fact, I was equally impressed by Frenchy Bistro in the achingly-cool Talliskivi district just outside the Old Town gates and Von Grahl Cafe, both serving their takes on various classics in a hip, vibey atmosphere. Again, it’s a city where it feels almost difficult to eat badly, and the locals will be more than happy to pass on their recommendations. 

A fantastically walkable European capital

Tallinn is a city with a remarkable and lengthy history, and it’s one that can be uncovered via its various museums and monuments. Pick up the Tallinn Card from the airport or tourist office, and you’ll have free entry to most of them - including the rather humorously-named Kiek in de Kok museum (the ancient city walls, transformed into an atmospheric walk through centuries of conflict and defense), and the remarkable Seaplane Museum on the harbour; a gigantic submarine and seaplane bunker that showcases the city’s maritime history and various conflicts with neighbouring Russia. There’s a full-sized British submarine as the museum’s centrepiece - what’s not to love? The Fotografiska gallery is bursting with contemporary art (and includes a gorgeous roof terrace bar serving beers from an assortment of local microbreweries), and that barely scratches the surface of what’s on offer. 

My nights in Tallinn invariably end up in DM Baar - a secluded nightspot on Pikk Street in the Old Town dedicated solely and somewhat ridiculously to Depeche Mode, the British synthpop band who are something of a religion unto themselves anywhere beyond the Berlin Wall. I sip at my ‘Everything Counts’ cocktail while ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ blares from the speakers, and I can only concur - Tallinn is a city that will likely pull me back on an annual basis, for I just can’t seem to get enough of its various charms. 

Pick up your Tallinn Card here