In these increasingly hot summers, the desire to travel and find a little respite from the heat often pushes us to turn our gaze towards North. HAS Tallinn for example, pulsating center of the whole Estoniain summer, temperatures generally do not exceed 22 degrees.
Tallinn in summer it's a great discovery. You can walk caressed by the cool breeze of Baltic and be surprised by a city where old and new constantly interact. As you stroll through ancient streets surrounded by bastions and walls, you will discover high-tech environments and ancient neighborhoods. Soviets resurrected from abandonment.
Attention is drawn to the medieval wooden houses which alternate with the Baroque houses, but the excitement which nourishes the capital is palpable: after all, you are in the Silicon Valley of the Eastwhere the lines of the future are drawn.
For years to Tallinn everything is smart. Wi-Fi is free in every square, while robots deliver groceries and food as lunchtime approaches. They call them Bolt and it is the “waiters” who run at full speed through the streets and sidewalks.
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Old Tallinn: what to see in summer
Tallinn in summer can be discovered on foot without hurrying, between revelation and revelation. Each district preserves a strong identity, stories of knights and Hanseatic leagues coexist with creative and hyper-technological centers. In short, past and future mark the stages of the itinerary which starts from Old Tallinn and pushes towards Roterman And Telliskivi Loomelinnakurban regeneration districts.
Raekoja Square
Raekoja Square is strategic: just take a walk, in this large open space surrounded by pastel-colored buildings and the town hall, to admire some of the most important buildings of the cultural heritage of Tallinn.
It is located in one of the corners of the square, at number 11. Raeapteekone of the oldest pharmacies inEuropewhere you can buy medicines that almost look like magic potions.
Then you can stop for a taste break at the medieval tavern Old Hansewhere lunch is a blast from the past. Indeed, inside the stone walls, waiters in traditional attire serve dishes of smoked meats and meat and bean soups on wooden tables, with ceramic jugs for sipping beer and wine .
Toompea Hill to admire Tallinn from above in summer
A few steps uphill and you reach the cool hill of Toompeawhere is the cathedral of Alexander Nevskywith the majestic dome, and the castle. It is a privileged point to immortalize the city from above.
The view from Kohtuotsa Vaateplats it's a postcard with red roofs and mighty towers. Leaving the Orthodox cathedral behind you, you reach the Kiek Tour to Kökwhich today houses the City Defense Museum.
St. Olav's Church
Go back down to the lower town, getting lost without any precise direction among the picturesque streets. The Gothic church of Saint Olav stands out: with its 124 meter tower, it is among the tallest buildings inEurope.
The passage of Saint Catherine
After surrendering Veinsartery of the historic center, you arrive at a tangle of passages and courtyards of artisan workshops: the passage of Saint Catherine and the neighbor Craftsmen's Courtyard they house small shops selling ceramics, clothing made from natural fabrics and jewelry by Estonian designers.
Viru, the main street
A few minutes walk Virusthe main street teeming with tourists, and the kitchen doors open Farma contemporary restaurant where the best of Estonian gastronomy is enhanced with raw materials from small local producers.
It starts with the leibrye bread served with butter, salt flakes and fish roe, and continues with the Silgusoustherring with crispy bacon and sour cream.
A short distance away, that's all Viru Doorthe gateway to the city. Walking along the city walls, you can climb up to the Hellemann Towerconverted into an art gallery, or head to the neighborhood Rotermana former industrial area where many artists have opened their workshops and where young people meet in cafes.
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Art and gardens in Tallinn in summer
The largest museum in the Baltics is in Tallinn
A visit to KUMU Art Museumthe largest museum in Baltic Statesand we extend a little to Versailles to Tallinn: Kadriorgcolorful baroque palace sought by Tsar Peter the Great in homage to his wife Caterina, surrounded by a park of chestnut trees and oaks and Rose-Hillwith more than 30 varieties.
The entrance fee is worth the visit to the Estonian Art Museum, with a collection of 9 thousand works of Flemish, German and Italian art.
The Kalamaja district
A jump towards the west, towards the bay of Tallinnwhere the nostrils are pinched by iodine, following the thread of innovation. The walls of the colorful wooden houses in the district of Kalamaja they emerge from the greenery of the parks.
The Telliskivi Loomelinnak district
They lead to another space of urban regeneration, Telliskivi Loomelinnaka district built on a large complex of abandoned factories, converted into a hub of ideas and artistic expressions. Here you will also find one of the most original markets in the capital, the Balti Jaama Turg. And it is here that the cultural excitement is more palpable than ever.
What to see in Tartu, European Capital of Culture 2024
Tartu, the Baltic city
LEFT Tallinnin two hours and twenty minutes by train you arrive at the oldest city overlooking the Baltic, TartuEuropean Capital of Culture 2024. It emerges from woods, rural villages and streams and has a prestigious university.
The leaning house
A route following the classic route, between the town hall square, the Leaning house (hangs more than Leaning Tower of Pisa), which houses the Art Museum, and the Gothic cathedral, on the hill of Tooméand you immerse yourself in a river of creativity.
The ideal time to visit it is now, the opportunities to understand its inventive impulses are diverse: architour which until October 31, 2024 will lead to the discovery of collective farms and hidden urban corners of the 20th century; dozens of events along the river Emajõgi; museums for everything – about the press, about toys, about sports, about the KGB – scattered along the Vanemuisea kind of short The museum kilometer where exhibitions, libraries and theaters alternate.
The Estonian National Museum
THE Estonian National Museum It is accessible in a half-hour walk from the center. The futuristic seat designed by architects Lina Ghotmeh (Lebanese), Dan Dorell (Italian) and the Tsuyoshi Tane (Japanese) was built on a former Soviet Air Force runway.
It houses a million pieces, between objects and testimonies, from prehistory to the invention of Skype, a start-up born in this corner of Europe which is making giant strides.
READ ALSO: Tartu, the party has started in Estonia: what to see and do in the European Capital of Culture 2024
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