Tallinn

Tram #4 from airport to center(10 minutes)

€2 contactless. Or Bolt ride €8-10

Hotel check-in in old town(45 minutes)

Hotel Telegraaf (€120/night) or Tallinn Backpackers (€25/night). Stay inside or near the medieval walls

Walk through the Old Town(2 hours)

Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square), Raeapteek (oldest pharmacy in Europe, since 1422), and the narrow medieval lanes. The old town is compact — 20 min end to end. Free to wander

Dinner at Rataskaevu 16(1.5 hours)

Rataskaevu 16. Best-value restaurant in the old town. Estonian classics — wild boar sausage (€9), elk stew (€14), and local craft beer (€4-5). Reserve ahead

Climb to Toompea Hill via Pikk Jalg (Long Leg)(30 minutes)

Medieval lane connecting lower and upper town. Cobblestones — wear sturdy shoes

Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewpoints(30 minutes)

Both free. Patkuli has the best angle of old town rooftops and church spires. Kohtuotsa has views toward the port. Best in morning light

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral(30 minutes)

Ornate Russian Orthodox cathedral (1900) with five onion domes. Free. Cover shoulders. The largest collection of bells in Tallinn

Toompea Castle (exterior)(15 minutes)

Now Estonia's parliament (Riigikogu). Can't enter but the pink exterior is striking. The Tall Hermann tower flies the Estonian flag

Lunch at Leib Resto ja Aed(1 hour)

Uus 31. Farm-to-table Estonian cuisine in a garden setting below the town wall. Seasonal menu — mains €14-22

Walk the town walls and towers(1 hour)

Tallinn has 20 surviving towers. Climb the Kiek in de Kök tower (€6) for a museum of Tallinn's fortifications and tunnel tours underneath. The Helleman Tower walkway offers wall-top views (€4)

Dinner at Olde Hansa(1.5 hours)

Vana Turg 1. Medieval-themed restaurant with costumed servers and recipes from the 15th century. Wild boar, mead, and candlelit atmosphere. Touristy but genuinely fun. Mains €14-20

Tram to Kadriorg(15 minutes)

Tram 1 or 3 from center. €2

Kadriorg Palace and Art Museum(1.5 hours)

Baroque palace built by Peter the Great in 1718. Foreign art collection. Entry €8. Beautiful park grounds free to walk

KUMU Art Museum(2 hours)

The Baltic's largest art museum in a stunning modern building. Estonian art from 18th century to contemporary. Entry €12. Open Tue-Sun. Allow 1.5-2 hours

Lunch at NOOS(1 hour)

Weizenbergi 18 in Kadriorg. Modern bistro with seasonal Estonian-Nordic menu. Lunch specials €10-14

Walk through Kadriorg Park(45 minutes)

Beautiful formal gardens, ponds, and sculptures. The president's residence is here (Kadriorg Palace houses the art museum; the president is next door)

Evening walk to Song Festival Grounds(30 minutes)

The massive amphitheater where Estonia's Singing Revolution took place in 1988. Free to walk through. Every 5 years, 30,000 singers perform here

Dinner at F-Hoone(1.5 hours)

Lai 1 in Telliskivi. Modern Estonian in a converted factory. Excellent comfort food — the burger (€12) and roasted cauliflower (€10) are standouts. Great craft beer selection

Explore Telliskivi Creative City(2 hours)

Former factory complex now packed with indie shops, design studios, street art, and food halls. Balti Jaama Turg food market is excellent for casual grazing. Free to explore. 10 min walk from old town

Lunch at Depoo(1 hour)

Inside Telliskivi. Street food hall with 20+ stalls — Georgian dumplings, Vietnamese pho, Mexican tacos. Dishes €5-9

Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) Maritime Museum(1.5 hours)

Incredible museum in a WWI seaplane hangar. Full-size submarine, icebreaker, seaplane, and interactive exhibits. Entry €15. One of Europe's best maritime museums

Afternoon craft beer at Põhjala Tap Room(1.5 hours)

Noblessner area (15 min from old town). Estonia's best craft brewery. Tours available (€15). Their Öö imperial stout is world-class. Pints €4-7

Dinner at NOA Chef's Hall(2 hours)

Ranna tee 3 in Pirita. Sea-view fine dining. Tasting menu €75. One of the best restaurants in the Baltics. Or the more casual NOA Restaurant downstairs (mains €18-28)

Sleep in and breakfast at Reval Café(1 hour)

Müürivahe 14. Estonian café chain — great pastries and coffee. Breakfast €5-8

Morning walk in Kadriorg Park or Pirita Beach(1.5 hours)

Pirita Beach is Tallinn's best — 2 km of sand, 20 min by bus from center

Päevapraad lunch (Estonian daily special)(1 hour)

Almost every Estonian restaurant serves a lunch special (päevapraad) for €7-10. Try Kivi Paber Käärid (Telliskivi) or Klaasvarik in the old town. Always includes soup, main, and sometimes dessert

Evening at Koht(1.5 hours)

Lai 8 in old town. Wine and cocktail bar with excellent small plates. Mains €8-14. A local favorite

Fast ferry to Helsinki(2 hours)

Tallink or Viking Line from Tallinn D-terminal. From €15-30 each way. Book online. Bring passport

Walk Helsinki Market Square and Uspenski Cathedral(1 hour)

The waterfront market (fresh berries, fish, reindeer meat). Uspenski Cathedral (free, largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe)

Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square(45 minutes)

The iconic white cathedral. Free. Senate Square is Finland's most important neoclassical ensemble

Lunch at Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli)(1 hour)

1889 covered market. Try salmon soup (€12), Karelian pies (€3), or reindeer wrap. Authentic and delicious

Temppeliaukio Rock Church(30 minutes)

Church carved into solid rock with a copper dome. Entry €4. Incredible acoustics. 10 min walk from center

Design District walk(1 hour)

Finnish design shops — Marimekko, Iittala, Artek. Browse Punavuori neighborhood

Morning walk through empty old town(1 hour)

Before 9AM the medieval streets are yours. Walk the full town wall circuit

Buy marzipan at Maiasmokk café(30 minutes)

Pikk 16. Estonia's oldest café (since 1864). Hand-painted marzipan figures are a traditional Tallinn souvenir. €3-8 per piece

Tram #4 to airport(10 minutes)

Or Bolt €8-10. Allow 2 hours before flight

Estonian Open Air Museum(3 hours)

Entry €10. Farmsteads, chapel, school. 18th-20th century buildings. Traditional food at Kolu Inn

Lunch at Kolu Inn inside the museum(1 hour)

Traditional Estonian food — blood sausage, sauerkraut, dark bread. €8-12

Dinner at Ribe(1.5 hours)

Vene 7. Modern Estonian fine dining in the old town. Tasting menu from €59

Walk through Kalamaja(1.5 hours)

Wooden houses, street art, hip cafés. Tallinn's answer to Brooklyn. Kalasadama tänav and surrounding streets

Proto Invention Factory(1.5 hours)

Interactive museum about Estonian inventions and technology. Entry €14. In the Noblessner quarter

Lunch at Boheem(1 hour)

Kopli 18 in Kalamaja. Excellent casual café — eggs benedict, bowls, pastries. €8-14

Noblessner quarter walk(1 hour)

Former submarine factory turned harbourside creative quarter. Kai Art Center (€6), boutiques, and waterfront restaurants

Dinner at 180° by Matthias Diether(2 hours)

Noblessner area. 180° views over the bay. Tasting menu €75. Estonian-Nordic with global influences

Rent a car or join a tour(1 hour)

Rent from Bolt Drive or Europcar (€30/day). Or join a guided tour (€65/person). Drive east on Route 1

Viru Bog trail boardwalk(1.5 hours)

3.5 km loop on boardwalks through a raised bog with mirror-like pools. One of Estonia's most iconic landscapes. Free. Bring bug spray

Palmse Manor House(1 hour)

Beautifully restored Baltic-German manor (18th century). Entry €5. Gardens, distillery, and a tavern for lunch

Lunch at Palmse Manor Tavern(1 hour)

Traditional Estonian food in a historic setting. €8-14

Käsmu (Captain's Village)(1.5 hours)

Picturesque coastal village with boulder-strewn beaches and a maritime museum. Walk the cape loop trail (3 km). Free

Kalma Saun public sauna(2 hours)

Kalma 5. Traditional Estonian public sauna (since Soviet times). €5-8. Bring your own towel. A genuine local experience

Dinner at Sfäär(1.5 hours)

Mere pst 6E in Rotermann Quarter. Modern European in a converted industrial space. Mains €16-24

Pirita Convent ruins(45 minutes)

15th-century Bridgettine convent ruins. Entry €4. Atmospheric stone walls and gardens

Tallinn TV Tower(1 hour)

314m — tallest building in the Baltics. Glass floor walkway at 175m observation deck. Entry €13. On clear days, you can see Finland

Lunch at Tuljak in Pirita(1 hour)

Pirita tee 26E. Modern casual. €10-16

Return to city, dinner at Tchaikovsky(2 hours)

Hotel Telegraaf, Vene 9. Russian fine dining with Estonian touches. Tasting menu €65. Opulent interior

Bus to Tartu(2.5 hours)

Lux Express from Tallinn bus station. From €8 each way. Comfortable coaches with WiFi

Walk Tartu old town and Town Hall Square(1 hour)

The leaning 'kissing students' statue on the main square. University of Tartu main building (climb the tower, €3)

Estonian National Museum (ERM)(2 hours)

Stunning building on a former Soviet airfield. Permanent exhibition on Estonian history and culture. Entry €14. One of Europe's most innovative museum designs

Lunch at Werner(1 hour)

Ülikooli 11. Excellent café-restaurant near the university. Lunch specials €8-12

Walk along the Emajõgi River(45 minutes)

Supilinn (Soup Quarter) has charming wooden houses with streets named after vegetables

Balti Jaama Turg market for souvenirs(1 hour)

Next to the train station. Estonian handicrafts, wool knits, local food, and vintage finds

Lunch at Kompressor(45 minutes)

Rataskaevu 3. Giant Estonian pancakes (sweet or savory) for €4-6. Always packed with students

Marzipan painting at Maiasmokk(45 minutes)

Hand-paint your own marzipan figure at Estonia's oldest café. €8-12. A unique souvenir

Farewell dinner at Lee(2 hours)

Pärnu mnt 67. One of Tallinn's best restaurants. Creative Estonian. Tasting menu €65. Or à la carte mains €18-26

Apartment check-in(45 minutes)

Apartment in Kalamaja from €40/night

Bus from Tallinn to Riga(4.5 hours)

Lux Express from €15. Comfortable with WiFi

Walk Riga Old Town(2 hours)

Town Hall Square, House of the Blackheads (stunning reconstructed medieval guild house), Riga Cathedral (€3). Compact and beautiful

Dinner at Restaurant Valtera(1.5 hours)

Miesnieku iela 8. Modern Latvian. Mains €14-22

Art Nouveau district walk on Alberta iela(1.5 hours)

Riga has the world's finest collection of Art Nouveau buildings — 800+ in total. Alberta iela has the most ornate facades. Art Nouveau Museum (€6) shows a period apartment interior

Riga Central Market(1.5 hours)

Europe's largest market in five former Zeppelin hangars. Each hall has a theme — meat, dairy, fish, vegetables, bread. Grazing lunch €5-10. Open daily 7AM-5PM

Latvian National Museum of Art(1.5 hours)

Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1. Latvian Impressionism and Art Nouveau. Entry €6

Walk the canal parks(1 hour)

The ring of parks where the medieval walls used to be. Bastejkalns park, Freedom Monument, and the Nativity Cathedral (Russian Orthodox, free)

Dinner at Restaurant 3(1.5 hours)

Kaļķu iela 3. Latvian-Nordic fine dining. Tasting menu from €65

Train to Jūrmala(30 minutes)

From Riga Central Station. €2.50. Jūrmala is Latvia's seaside resort — 33 km of white sand beach

Jūrmala beach walk and wooden architecture(2 hours)

Walk the beach and browse the 19th-century wooden villas along Jomas iela (pedestrian street)

Lunch at 36.Line(1 hour)

Jūras iela 2. Beachside seafood. Mains €10-16

Bus to Haapsalu(1.5 hours)

From Tallinn bus station. €8 each way

Haapsalu Castle ruins(1.5 hours)

13th-century bishop's castle. Entry €5. In August, look for the White Lady ghost in the full moon (local legend celebrated with a festival)

Walk the Promenade and old town(1 hour)

Elegant 19th-century wooden resort architecture. Tchaikovsky bench on the Promenade — he vacationed here

Lunch at Hapsal Dietrich(1 hour)

Karja 4. Excellent restaurant in the old town. Local fish, seasonal menu. €10-16

Estonian cooking class(3 hours)

Learn to make blood sausage, sauerkraut, and kama (Estonian superfood). From €40/person. Try Tallinn Cooking School

Photography walk through old town(2 hours)

Morning light on medieval walls. Passageways, doorways, and stairways are all photogenic. Walk the Müürivahe passage (between the walls)

Dinner at Kaerajaan(1.5 hours)

Raekoja plats 17. Modern Estonian. Mains €12-18