2025 in Estonia (Tallinn)

On June 18, 2025, the Norwegian Dawn cruise stopped at the port and capital city of Tallinn, Estonia:

This made it my:

• 37th country
• 1st time in Estonia
• 1st Baltic country
• 2nd Uralic (Finno-Ugric) speaking country
• 1st time in the former Soviet Union

A visit mostly through the Old Town, Tallinn actually give birth to the Danish flag that the Danes still use today! No accident, as the origin of the name Tallinn comes from the Estonian for "Danish city"!

I had a "free" walking tour guide take us through its walkable historical quarter, with glimpses of:

Neitsitorn (Maiden's Tower)

Niguliste (St Nicholas' Church)

A Lutheran church built in the 13th century, renovated in 1981:

Tallitorn (Stable Tower)

Some ominous statues guard the city walls!

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

An Eastern Orthodox Church that shares its name with many other similar churches in Eastern Europe:

Raekoja plats (town square)

Many postcards of the city would feature these pastel-coloured exterior façades in the central plaza of Tallinn:

The guide was amazing as he each gave us some old Estonian and Soviet "CCCP" coins. He even offered all attendees to pick whatever year meant anything and offered me my birth year (which really dates me now!)

Before and after the tour, some other places of interest came into view:

Russian embassy

Quite possibly the most controversial place in the city, where citizens of the world air their grievances:

KGB prison cells

A museum that once had actual prison cells which held anyone suspected of spying in custody:

Tallinna linnahall

Now for the "Bald and Bankrupt: that's very Soviet" moment, we have here a former venue of the 1980 Summer Olympics, which looks like it has had better days:

Tallink

However, Tallinn is trying to break free from its old traditional and Soviet past with some modernity in the mix, engaging in telecommunications industries throughout the Baltics and adopting a more modern architectural style in its everyday affairs outside the Old Town:

Skyline

Still, we should continue to know Tallinn for its red roofs and traditional skyline:

Whenever we think of Estonia, we should have something like that in our mind!