This was part of A day in Tallinn 🇪🇪 🔗.
I arrived just in time to join the Tallinn Free Tour by Traveller Tours at 12:00 PM. We started at the Tallinn Tourist Information Centre and made our way toward Toompea Hill as we learned about the rich and complex history of Estonia.
Our first major stop was the Danish King’s Garden (Taani Kuninga Aed). According to legend, this is the spot where the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell from the sky during a battle in 1219, turning the tide for King Valdemar II. We saw the Tuli lipp (The Flag Came) sculpture, a modern bronze monument commemorating this event.
The garden is also famous for the haunting sculptures of the three monks—Ambrosius, Bartholomeus, and Claudius. These faceless, 2.5-meter tall bronze figures represent the monks who were once part of the religious orders that lived in this area centuries ago.
We walked past the medieval Stable Tower (Tallitorn) and the Town Wall Walkway, which offered a glimpse into the city’s ancient defensive systems. This led us to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a stunning Russian Orthodox church known for its black onion domes and ornate interior. Directly across from the cathedral stands the Parliament of Estonia (Riigikogu), housed in the vibrant pink Toompea Castle.
Our group then visited St. Mary’s Cathedral (Toomkirik), the oldest church in Tallinn and the city’s main Lutheran cathedral. From there, we continued to the Kohtuotsa viewing platform, which provided that quintessential, postcard-perfect view over the red-roofed houses and spires of the Old Town.
We crossed the upper town to the Patkuli viewing platform, another fantastic observation deck overlooking the harbor and the railway station. We then descended the steep Patkuli Stairs, a historic limestone staircase that connects the upper town of Toompea to the lower town below.
In the lower town, we headed to the Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences / Museum of Puppetry Arts, located in a charming historic quarter. We then passed the Holy Spirit Church, recognizable by its unique 17th-century external clock, before finally ending our tour at the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), the bustling heart of Tallinn’s medieval festivities.
