La Boheme, Tallinn

Advantages: The residue of earlier centuries
Disadvantages: The residue of the Soviet era

...Fortunately, I knew in advance that Tallinn wasn’t going to be the way it looked as we came in to land, or I might have been depressed. The plane’s flightpath brought us in from the east, flying over the dreary sprawl of apartment blocks that disfigures so many cities scarred by a Soviet past. And quite a few without a Soviet past, of course. I knew that amid the sprawl I would find an attractive historic centre – a World Heritage Site, no less – with other monuments and places of interest scattered around the outskirts. And so it proved. I also found a clean and prosperous-feeling city, very modern in places, capital of a country, Estonia, that has grown confident in its recently rediscovered independence and is eagerly embracing Western ways. One could almost forget its long periods of past subjugation – sometimes gruesome... Read review

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Advantages: 5 * cosy hotel
Disadvantages: Expencive

...(Endla 46). Here you will find basically everything that is for sale in Tallinn, along with a couple of cafés, restaurants and a large supermarket. Other smaller centres include the Melon Centre (Estonia 2) and De La Gardie (Viru 13/15) but these mainly stock clothes. There is lot of museums as well. Try The Museum of Occupation and of the Fight for Freedom in address: Toompea 8.In the period from 1940 to 1991, Estonia was occupied briefly by Nazi Germany and then for four and a half decades by the USSR. The history of this difficult period comes to life in this modern museum on the edge of Old Town. High-tech audio-visual displays and art installations add life to the museum's artefacts and texts. Admission 10kr. or Patarei Prison in address: Suur-Patarei. This imposing, seaside complex in the Kalamaja district is now one of the best... Read review

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Advantages: Atmosphere, history, cheap shopping
Disadvantages: Not on the beaten track, cold

...For a great day trip from Helsinki, visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which is just a short hop across the Baltic from Helsinki. On a whim, my friend and I checked out the times of the ferries that leave the harbour in Helsinki on a regular basis and we just went for it! The ferries are either large cruise liner-type ships, or the much faster, but very comfortable catamarans. Leave early in the morning to give yourself a good few hours to wander and shop, and still be back for supper! On arrival, we were surprised at the modern terminal facilities and the large number of huge cruise ships. We were processed quickly through immigration (no need for a visa, as a UK citizen) and walked out into the fresh sea air. Quickly, we were brought down to earth, and our preconceptions about poverty and poor infrastructure seemed to have been... Read review

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