Estonia's capital — a seaside city with northern Europe's best-preserved medieval old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: towered walls, Town Hall Square, the Town Hall Pharmacy (operating since 1422), the Toompea Hill viewpoints and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Beyond the old town are Kadriorg Palace and the KUMU museum, the Telliskivi creative district, the Seaplane Harbour maritime museum in a seaplane hangar, the open-air museum, the TV Tower and the bog boardwalks of Lahemaa. Cheaper and smaller than the Nordic capitals and easy on foot; ~2 hours by ferry from Helsinki. No direct flights from UB — connect via Frankfurt, Helsinki or Istanbul. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen visa; for Estonia, applications are taken by the Czech Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (VFS Global).
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 14h☀ Best months: May, June, July, August
#Old Town#UNESCO#medieval#Baltic Sea#Christmas market#Schengen visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: May, June, July, August, September, December.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Tallinn Old Town and Town Hall Square
CultureOld Town and square free; Town Hall tower €6 (reduced €4)24 hours; Town Hall tower 1 June – 31 August, 11:00–18:00
A UNESCO-listed old town from the 13th–16th centuries: towered walls, cobbled lanes and Hanseatic merchant houses. At its heart is the square with the Gothic Town Hall of 1404 — cafés in summer and a Christmas market from late November into January. Good for walking with children, though the cobbles are hard with a pram.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goEstonia has no embassy in Mongolia, so Schengen visas for Estonia are taken by the Czech Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (VFS Global) — no need to go to Beijing. Slots fill up, so start early.+
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Schengen visa: Czech Embassy, VFS Global
Estonia's Foreign Ministry lists the Czech Republic as representing Estonia for visas in Mongolia. Book online with VFS Global in Ulaanbaatar (Embassy One building, 13th floor) and go in person to give fingerprints. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45, under 6 free) plus the VFS service fee, paid in tögrög cash. Processing usually takes 10–15 days.
Tip: If you enter via Helsinki and spend more nights in Finland, Finland becomes the main destination and the German Embassy (VFS) takes the application.
Medical insurance valid in all Schengen states with cover of at least €30,000 is mandatory. Attach the return ticket, hotel bookings, bank statements and employment letter; list any ferry day trip to Helsinki in your itinerary. Your passport must be valid for more than 3 months after you leave.
Instead of passport stamps, the EES system records your fingerprints and face at the Schengen border (fully live since 10 April 2026); the first entry may take longer. ETIAS is for visa-exempt travellers, so it does not apply to Mongolians with a Schengen visa.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityTallinn Airport is very close to the centre; the tram leaves right in front of the terminal.+
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Tram T4 (or T2)
From the Lennujaam stop in front of the terminal, tram T4 reaches Hobujaama in ~18 minutes and Viru Square in ~21 minutes, every 10 minutes at peak times. A 1-hour ticket is €2 with no airport surcharge — just tap your contactless bank card on the reader by the door.
Tip: If you'll ride many times in a day, a 24-hour ticket is cheaper.
If you arrive via Helsinki, Tallink, Viking Line and Eckerö Line ferries reach Tallinn port in ~2–2.5 hours, many times a day. The Old Town is walkable from the port. It is travel within Schengen, so there is usually no border check, but carry your passport.
If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave — it works as soon as you land. A Europe-wide plan also covers Frankfurt and Helsinki.
Tip: Download Tallinn in Google Maps for offline use.
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Estonian prepaid SIM
Telia, Elisa and Tele2 prepaid SIMs are sold at R-Kiosk, supermarkets and operator shops. EU 'roam like at home' rules mean it works in Finland and the rest of Europe too. Free Wi-Fi is common in the city.
🚇Getting aroundSee the Old Town on foot; use trams and buses for Kadriorg, Telliskivi, the Seaplane Harbour and the TV Tower.+
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Tickets: tram, bus, trolleybus
Trams, buses and trolleybuses share one ticket. For non-residents a 1-hour ticket is €2, 24 hours €5.50, 3 days €9, 5 days €11. Pay by tapping a contactless bank card on the reader, or buy an Ühiskaart card and top it up.
If you'll see many museums, the Tallinn Card covers public transport and most museums and towers — check the price on Visit Tallinn. Bolt is the most common way to get a taxi; ask the fare first with taxis waiting on the street.
Public transport to Viru Bog and Lahemaa is sparse, so renting a car or joining a tour is easier. Helsinki is ~2–2.5 hours by ferry, so a day trip works — always carry your passport.
The currency is the euro (EUR). Visa, Mastercard and phone payments work everywhere, even on trams. You need little cash. Tipping in restaurants is optional; leave a little if you were happy.
Tip: If the card reader offers to charge you in tögrög, say no — choose euros.
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Old Town prices
Restaurants on Town Hall Square charge for the view; Telliskivi, Kalamaja and the Baltic Station Market are cheaper and tasty. Some Old Town bars have overcharged tourists — check menu prices before ordering.
Non-EU visitors who spend above a minimum amount in a shop showing the 'Tax Free' sign can reclaim the VAT. Ask the shop for the form and have it validated by customs at the airport where you leave the EU.
🍜FoodSimple food built on black bread, fish, potatoes and dairy — with many New Nordic restaurants in recent years.+
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What to eat
Rukkileib (dark rye bread), kiluvõileib (Baltic sprat sandwich), seljanka soup, kama (a grain flour mixed with kefir), marzipan, and at Christmas verivorst (blood sausage). Medieval-style restaurants are fun with children.
Tip: Go one street back from Town Hall Square for lower prices.
Rimi, Maxima, Lidl and Selver supermarkets are everywhere. The Baltic Station Market (Balti Jaama Turg) has food stalls and fresh produce. Tap water is safe to drink.
Ambulance, fire and police — 112 (free, 24 hours, in English). For illness or injury that is not life-threatening, call 1220 (the family doctor advice line, in English) for advice.
Watch for pickpockets in summer in the Old Town, on Town Hall Square and around the port. Cobbles get slippery in rain and ice — wear shoes with grip in winter. The Baltic is cold; swim only at lifeguarded beaches.
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Medicines and pharmacies
Pharmacies (apteek) are plentiful, and some are open 24 hours. Most medicines need a prescription — bring regular medicines with their prescription. Treatment is expensive, so carry your visa insurance papers.
Estonians are quiet and value silence — don't talk loudly on public transport. Greetings are brief, with a handshake. Take your shoes off in someone's home. Being on time is a sign of respect.
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Churches and museums
In the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral cover shoulders and knees, don't take photos inside and keep quiet during services. Many museums close on Mondays — check when planning.
The Soviet period and Russia–Estonia relations are sensitive topics — be tactful. Don't call Estonians 'Russians' or 'Soviet'; saying 'Tere' (hello) and 'Aitäh' (thank you) in Estonian goes down well.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
Bolt — taxis and scooters. Peatus.ee — public transport planner. Tallink and Viking Line — ferries to Helsinki. Elron — Estonian trains.
TV Tower and Seaplane Harbour tickets are cheaper online. Visit Tallinn covers events and the Tallinn Card. Google Translate's camera translates Estonian menus.
Tram T4 from Viru Square to the airport takes ~21 minutes on a €2 1-hour ticket. The airport is small, but allow enough time for security, the EES exit check and the customs stamp for Tax Free. If you connect to MIAT in Frankfurt, allow for connection delays.
Leave the Schengen area no later than the date on your visa — EES records your exit day automatically, and an overstay will hurt your next application. Show Tax Free goods to customs before check-in.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00
One of Europe's oldest pharmacies, operating continuously since 1422 — it still sells medicines. The museum room at the back shows old apothecary jars, a mummified hedgehog and medieval 'remedies'; you can taste marzipan, sold here as medicine in the Middle Ages.
The upper town: the Kohtuotsa platform gives Tallinn's most famous view over red roofs, church spires and the harbour. The nearby Patkuli platform is reached from the lower town by a wooden stairway of 157 steps. Best at sunrise and sunset.
CultureFreeUsually daily 08:00–18:00 (Sat until 19:00)
An Orthodox cathedral completed in 1900, with onion domes, opposite the Parliament on Toompea. Golden icons inside and bells during services. Cover shoulders and knees; no photography inside.
CityTower ~€10; church freeApr–Oct, usually 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 in summer); tower closed in winter
Said to have been the world's tallest building in the Middle Ages. Climb 258 narrow, steep steps to a platform ~60 m up for a 360° view of the Old Town and the port. Not suitable for small children or anyone afraid of heights.
NaturePark free; Kadriorg Art Museum €15, family €30, ages 8 and under freeMuseum 10:00–18:00 (Wed until 20:00); closed Mondays Oct–Apr
A baroque palace begun in 1718 by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine — now a museum of foreign art. The large park has a swan pond, flower gardens, the Presidential Palace and the Miia-Milla-Manda children's museum. About 10 minutes by tram from the Old Town.
CultureAdults €16, reduced €11, family €32, ages 8 and under freeTue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (Thu until 20:00), closed Monday
A modern building set into a limestone bank at the edge of Kadriorg Park — Estonian art from the 18th century to today, including Soviet-era painting. Winner of the European Museum of the Year award in 2008. Has a children's art centre.
FoodFree (shops and cafés extra)24 hours; shops and cafés usually 10:00–22:00
A creative quarter of street art, design shops, cafés and the Fotografiska photo museum in former factory buildings. Next door, the Kalamaja district has colourful wooden houses and the Baltic Station Market (Balti Jaama Turg) for food, groceries and vintage finds.
KidsAdults €22, ages 9–18 €11, family €40, ages 8 and under freeMay–Sep daily 10:00–19:00; Oct–Apr Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00
The Estonian Maritime Museum in a 1916 concrete seaplane hangar: go inside the 1936 submarine Lembit, try ship simulators, see aircraft and an icebreaker moored outside. Tallinn's best museum for families.
KidsWinter season (from 29 Sep): adults €14, reduced €10, family €30; summer €18 / €12 / €38Summer daily 10:00–19:00 (houses until 18:00); winter Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00
More than 80 wooden farmhouses, windmills, a church and a school from 18th–20th-century Estonian villages in seaside woodland. In summer there are crafts, horse-cart rides and folk dancing; Kolu Inn serves Estonian food. A good half day with children.
KidsAdults €18 (online), ages 7–19 €13, family €36; evening ticket from 17:00 €10From 1 Oct 2026 daily 10:00–18:00
The viewing floor at 170 m in a 314 m tower — look down through glass floors, or walk the outer edge on a rope (Walk on the Edge, extra fee). Interactive exhibits keep children busy. In Pirita forest, ~20 minutes from the centre by bus.
A 3.5 km boardwalk in Estonia's oldest national park: bog, small pools and an observation tower; the first 1.3 km works with a pram. About an hour from Tallinn by car. Combine in one day with Palmse Manor, the fishing village of Käsmu and the giant boulders on the coast.
