Old Town The name speaks for itself. This is the very centre of the city, where every house and street is loaded with history, where some of the country’s best hotels, nightclubs and restaurants are located, and where the real-estate prices never seem to stop rising.

Kesklinn Enriched with a number of hotels, shopping centres and restaurants, this area surrounds the Old Town.

Pirita This prestigious and otherwise quiet residential district to the east from the centre becomes the city’s very own crowded resort area in summer. Many of the facilities have emerged thanks to the Olympic regatta of 1980, held in Tallinn. Pine forest, sea promenades and the picturesque ruins of St Birgitta convent make Pirita ultra-popular in summer. Kadriorg A green neighborhood near the centre with mostly wooden houses, it also boasts the chic Kadriorg Palace with a big park built by Peter the Great in the 18th century. The palace now hosts part of the Art Museum collection. The park is good for a picnic, weather permitting.

GETTING AROUND

In spring 2005, the taxi services saw major changes in their regulation. Self-employed taxi drivers can now set any prices they like, which leads to ridiculously expensive taxis waiting for tourists on the streets bordering the Old Town. It’s a good idea to check the price list before getting in. However, most of the major taxi companies will charge six to nine kroons per kilometre, around 35 kroons as the starting fee and some 120 to 200 kroons per hour of waiting. Getting from one end of the city to another by taxi will take less than 30 minutes and should cost about 120 to 150 kroons.

Tallinn’s public transport network covers the city quite well. A single bus, tram or trolley ticket costs 10 kroons if purchased from a kiosk and 15 kroons if bought on board from the driver. Passengers caught without a valid ticket face a fine of up to 600 kroons. A schedule for all bus, tram and trolley lines in Tallinn is available in English at http://soiduplaan.tallinn.ee. Use the Ekspress Hotline information service (Tel: 1182, about six kroons per minute, www.1182.ee) to find data on events and transport, contacts of companies and phone numbers of private individuals.

SHOPPING

There are five large shopping centres in Tallinn and the choice is getting more varied every year.

In the centre, just a few hundred metres from each other, are Stockmann (53 Liivalaia), Viru Keskus (4/6 Viru Square) and Kaubamaja (connected to Viru Keskus with a gallery). Right near the airport stands the largest mall in the country, Ülemiste Keskus (4 Suur-Sõjamäe). Kristiine Keskus (45 Endla) is to the west of the centre, and several kilometres further stands Rocca al Mare (102 Paldiski Road) shopping centre.

The boutiques of Estonian fashion designers, such as Ivo Nikkolo and Kairi Vilderson, along with international names like Gucci and Hugo Boss are scattered around the Old Town.

GIFTS TO BUY

Estonian applied art features a very original style and may be a great gift idea. There’s a big art gallery on the fourth floor of the Viru Keskus shopping centre (open 9am-9pm). For contemporary Estonian art souvenirs, visit Nu Nordic (8 Vabaduse Square, open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 11am-6pm).

Estonian vodka is usually quite good, although not as smooth as others due to the water used in its production. The classical Estonian liquor Vana Tallinn, a strong herbal spirit with an original taste, is available in every store.

THINGS TO DO

From summer 2005, a genuine red London double-decker bus has been offering an official 1.5-hour hop-on hopoff sightseeing tour of the city. The route includes all the major attractions and even parts of residential districts. An audioguide in English, German, French, Russian, Finnish, Swedish or Spanish is available on board. Tickets cost 320 kroons, 160 kroons for Tallinn Card holders. The tour starts at Viru Square every day from 29th April to 2nd October, every hour 10am-4pm. Tel: 645 7777 or 627 9080.

Tallinn Card (Tel: 645 7154, www.tourism. tallinn.ee) is a way to save money on museum and excursion tickets. Valid for from six hours to 72 hours and priced 130 kroons to 450 kroons, the card provides free entrance to museums, one of Tallinn’s best nightclubs (Club Hollywood), free excursions and even doubles as a public transport ticket.

The Estonian Art Museum will move into a new home in February 2006, in a modern complex of buildings that will host both classical and modern Estonian art. Until then, the treasures of the museum can be seen at several locations in the city. See www.ekm.ee for details.

The Rocca al Mare open-air museum, located at the western border of the town, offers a detailed portrayal of the life of Estonian peasants during the past several centuries. The vast area features authentic wooden houses and barns brought from various parts of the country. Open 10am-8pm (buildings and pub until 6pm), see www.evm.ee for details. The buidling are closed from 1st October to 28th April.

EXCURSIONS

A day trip from the city can take you to any part of the country, including the islands. Tartu, the second-largest city in Estonia, is worth seeing as it is the spiritual and scientific capital of the country. It boasts the best university and a beautiful city centre—and it’s just 184kms away from Tallinn.

The resort town of Pärnu, 127kms from Tallinn, is the summer capital of Estonia, with spas and an aqua park replacing the beach and the sea when it’s cold outside. Buses for Tartu and Pärnu leave from the Tallinn bus station several times an hour. Helsinki, the capital of neighboring Finland, sits across an 85kms-wide gulf from Tallinn and is easily accessible by ferry, fast boat or helicopter. See the Passenger Ship Schedule section at www.portoftallinn.com for ferry times.

It takes from 1.5-3.5 hours to cross the gulf, return tickets cost from 400 kroons.

A one-way helicopter ride will cost from 1,850 to 3,500 kroons and will take only 18 minutes. See www.copterline.com for schedule and bookings.

TOURIST TRAPS

In Tallinn these include a number of restaurants that play on the medieval theme while having neither the service nor a chef to match the really good medieval restaurants, such as the one and only Olde Hansa.

The main streets frequented by tourists have yellow signs warning about pickpockets. Although street crime in Tallinn isn’t really a problem, it is better to avoid walking alone at night in the Old Town after a pub-crawling session.

CONVENTION CENTRES

Eesti Näitused, 28 Pirita Road, Pirita (Tel: 613 7337, Email: fair@fair.ee, www.fair.ee), hosts the main business and consumer fairs in Estonia all year round. The closest hotel is Pirita Top Spa (see listing below). Sakala Centre, 12 Rävala Boulevard, in the city centre is home to many seminars, conferences and congresses. It’s about 200 metres away from Radisson SAS hotel and just a bit futher from the Sokos Hotel Viru and other fine hotels (see listings below).

The National Library building, at 2 Tõnismägi in the city centre, has a number of conference rooms for 20 to 270 people and a vast foyer that usually serves as an exhibition hall. The library is 200 metres from the Scandic Hotel Palace and Hotel Mihkli (see listings below). You’ll find an exhibition schedule at www.nlib.ee.