Tallinn Travel Blog- Old Town Tallinn Estonia tourism photos and artwork

Why Visit Tallinn, Estonia?

Tallinn, Estonia is one of the most beautiful and walkable capital cities in Europe. Famous for its remarkably preserved UNESCO-listed Old Town, visitors can wander medieval streets, admire colorful architecture, climb historic towers, and enjoy breathtaking views over the red rooftops and Baltic Sea. Beyond its rich history, Tallinn offers excellent restaurants, vibrant cafés, museums, and some of the best photography opportunities in Northern Europe. Whether you’re visiting for a day or spending several nights, Tallinn is a destination that combines medieval history, modern culture, and unforgettable scenery into one remarkable travel experience.

Purchase this 11×15″ unframed original painting and fine art prints online

My wanderlust brought me this August to Estonia. My oldest son Rocco and I embarked on a two-week trip to Eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) with a few days in Finland squeezed in (Helsinki and Porvoo). I love dragging his rear-end out of the country to go see the Baltics.

He does not seem to mind it either! :) My son and I are very similar when it comes to travel- our only itinerary (for example) is- “We are spending three nights in Tallinn”. What else will we do during those three days? We figure that out when we arrive!

(Old Town street near Vira Gate with Town Hall Tower rising above buildings)

(Medieval architecture near Town Hall Tower)

Look familiar? This was the photograph I used as reference for my mouth atomized painting above.

What is a mouth atomizer? Don’t worry, its not a Star Trek weapon (sounds like one). It is a metal tube that allows you to shoot watercolor paint directly onto the paper- creating a wonderful impressionistic effect of tiny colored dots not possible to recreate with a brush.

Purchase a mouth atomizer online: https://amzn.to/3NLG1mS

I travel to take the photographs. Then I return to the studio to create my artist interpretation of the scene. Groovy huh?

My son and I enjoyed wandering the meandering medieval streets of the UNESCO World Heritage Vanalinn (Old Town)- seeing all the old churches, Gothic town hall, hidden courtyards, hilltop citadel and gates. I really liked the area because it isn’t very large- you can see everything at a leisurely pace (though there is a bit of climbing to get to the viewpoints).

Panoramic viewpoint from Kohtuotsa viewing platform on the ancient hilltop citadel of Toompea. Nice picture huh? Look at what it looked like 40 minutes earlier…

Sunrise over Old Town Tallinn. Shot the morning of our second day in city. Thank you jet lag for getting us up early. It is amazing how different a scene can look in 20 (or ten minutes). These are panorama shots with my iphone8 camera. Below is my artistic interpretation of the original photograph painted on Japanese rice paper:

Here is my artistic interpretation of the sunrise scene. This is a full sheet (24×36″) batik on Japanese rice paper. Original painting and fine art prints available.

(Rocco taking a photo from the Kohtuotsa viewing platform at sunrise)

I have an action shot of him leaning against the wall that he is using for his senior portrait.

…not this image. The young man refuses to smile for photographs.

Unless I am taking him to Pull & Bear, a shop we discovered in Bratislava, Slovakia last year. Rocco loved the shirts and wanted to shop there again. Luckily our hotel was a five minute walk from the store in Tallinn.

(City Hall reflected in puddle in the Old Town)

We had a great laugh our first morning. A musician was playing on the street near McDonald’s and a very, very drunk bloke came over to dance nearby (and do some whistling). A few minutes later he proceeded to stumble into the McDonalds near the Old Town Gate. I took the opportunity to teach my son that you should (probably) get dressed prior to drinking beer #12- the gentleman’s shirt was inside out. :)

Explore More Baltic Travel Guides

• Lithuania Travel Guide
• Riga Latvia Travel Guide
• Tallinn Estonia Travel Guide
• Kaunas Lithuania Travel Guide

Next: Several days in Helsinki, Finland

See our OTHER stop in Estonia- Viljandi

Tallinn References:

Hotel

Park Inn Radisson Central Tallinn

Nice hotel 10 minutes walk from Old Town. Nice spacious room with balcony view. Close to downtown shopping malls. Approx. 10 minutes walk from ferry to Helsinki too. Delicious Indian restaurant next door.

I never spend much money on a hotel- all I ask is a clean and quiet place to sleep. There was a TV. I have no idea if it worked- I never turned it on.

Other Tallinn Hotels:

https://expedia.com/affiliates/hotel-search-tallinn.kESHFHT

If I HAD the money, I would have stayed in this hotel:

Radisson Collection Hotel

https://expedia.com/affiliates/tallinn-hotels-radisson-collection-hotel.8RRnyLo

Coffee

Unfortunately, Tallinn bakeries and coffee shops do not open until 7:30am. If you are a photographer getting photographs in the summer- that means you will be awake hours before a coffee shop is open. This is unacceptable and I will DIE beforehand. I highly recommend stocking up on iced coffees available at supermarkets the day before and drink enough to sustain yourself until the coffee shops open (exactly what I did)

Tours

Find things to do in Tallinn- day trips, purchase Tallinn Card (museums and public transport), and more:

https://expedia.com/affiliates/expedia-home.QbFTzUh

Travel Guides

Here is the new recently published Lonely Planet Guide. This is what I used to plan the trip (in conjunction with the all-beloved internet):

https://amzn.to/3UI7rOC

Another travel guide available for Tallinn:

https://amzn.to/4fg3AR7

Flights:

My son and I flew from Raleigh to London, London to Tallinn. We purchased our flights on Expedia:

https://expedia.com/affiliates/expedia-home.4ro8F7b

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA

Ryan Fox Painting

www.ryanfoxpainting.com

(919) 645-8345