Boutique hotels
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Three Sisters
- Style
- New-school, olde-worlde
- Setting
- Mediaeval merchant's house
Tallinn Overview
Estonia
- Cityscape
- Turrets on the Baltic
- City life
- Mystery and modernity
A maze of merchant houses, spires and red-tiled roofs, Estonia's seaside capital is a living history book where vodka-fuelled nocturnal fun is as typical as festivals of modern dance, cinema and contemporary music.
The Baltic is teeth-shatteringly cold in winter, so defrost in cockle-warming cafés with motherly service and flavoured coffee. In summer, swap hot chocolate for Havaianas, and visit the beach, a 30-minute drive away.
Typically Tallinn
Rent a sauna on wheels for an evening, and invite new friends: it fits eight (+372 508 7600). Buy brooms and brushes for Walpurgis Night at the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union (www.folk.ee). It’s their equivalent of Halloween, and all the kids dress up.Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- They are cheap. Go to the taxi rank on Vabaduse Väljak, or hail one on the main road.
- Tipping culture
- Optional, but ten per cent is usually expected.
- Packing tips
- An Estonian (Eesti Keel) phrasebook – although more and more people speak English. Warm clothing in winter.
- Recommended reads
- The Compromise by Sergei Dovlatov; The Conspiracy and Other Stories by Jaan Kross; The Autumn Ball by Mati Unt.
- Cuisine
- Cabbage or pea soup. Our favourite was served at the simple, traditional Eesti Maja (Estonian House) on Lauteri (645 5252).
- Currency
- Kroon (EEK).
- Dialling codes
- Country code for Estonia: 372. No city code.
- Do go/don't go
- Though it’s very pretty in the snow in winter, it gets very cold and in February the temperature can drop to –25ºC.
