![]() The Soviet trail can be followed back up to the Old Town and the former KGB headquarters at 49 Lai street. Its nostalgic atmosphere is complemented by Soviet-style drinks and music from the 1970s and 1980s - maybe some retired KGB officers are listening in. ![]() The hotel also has a hard currency bar, which recreates the experience of bars which existed where only people with dollars or other hard currencies, mainly foreigners, could visit. Some of the rooms were also bugged by the KGB. The hotel had several rooms which served as a communication relay station for radio traffic between Helsinki and Moscow. ![]() This Finnish-built hotel from the 1980s has a museum devoted to the work of the KGB secret police and on Soviet life and a tour can be booked. Interesting buildings in the upper town include the 19th century Russian Orthodox cathedral, a pink building which houses the country's parliament, as well as the cathedral, for which Toompea is named.Ī taste of the Soviet past can be found in the lower half of the city, just outside the Old Town gates at the Sokos Viru Hotel. There are several fine lookouts spaced around the walls of the upper town giving a panoramic view of the city, with its mix of medieval, baroque and modern architecture. The gates were locked in the old days, especially when the upper town's rulers and lower town's traders were at war with each other. That involves a walk up a street called Luhike jalg (short leg) and through the gate in the wall between the upper and lower halves of the town. If Tallinn's history takes your fancy, then head up the hill to the look-out spots on Toompea, the upper part of the Old Town. Head for an evening of Jazz at Clazz, just a couple of hundred meters away at Vana turg, or try any of the clubs and lounges in the Old Town.ĩ a.m. If you want to try the kind of food Europeans ate before they discovered the potato and you enjoy pulses and grains, then look for the medieval-style restaurants, such as Olde Hansa, or the Pepper Sack.Īnother option is to head to Vana Viru street, towards the old Viru city inner gates and hit the largest cocktail lounge in the country, the Butterfly Lounge.ĩ p.m. Don't forget to try some of Estonia's dark and heavy porter, which seems to suit snowy winters. If you are keen to try traditional Estonian food head from Town Hall Square up Dunkri street to Kuldse Notsu korts (the Golden Piglet Inn). Estonia was independent between 1918 and the start of Soviet rule in 1940 and became a sovereign nation again in 1991.ħ p.m. In the Soviet period it was under Moscow's direct control. It was established by Danes more than 800 years ago and has been ruled by Germans and Russians. Tours are possible in winter if booked in advance. The town hall is the last surviving Gothic town hall in northern Europe. In addition to the numerous houses, barns and warehouses of the general population and traders, all of the main representative/governmental buildings and churches are still intact. It still has the original street system (from 13th to 15th century) and most of the 14th and 15th century houses in their original size and form. The small city of half a million people bills itself as the most intact medieval city in Europe. Tallinn is a Hanseatic architecture-lover's dream and is protected by UNESCO. Plunge straight into the heart of the Old Town by heading for Town Hall Square. If you like a good view, try the Raddisson Blu, Swissotel or the Soviet-built, now modernized, Sokos Viru.Ħ p.m. There are many good hotels in the Old Town or nearby, including the spa Hotel Telegraaf=, where European central bankers stay, or boutique hotels The Three Sisters and Schlossle. Whatever your interests, local correspondents show you how to make the most of 48 hours in Tallinn.ĥ p.m. You could easily lose yourself while exploring the Estonian capital's well-preserved medieval Old Town or become absorbed in Tallinn's gritty Soviet and spy-laden past.
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