How to Spend a Long Weekend in Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland

While pursuing my masters in Paris, our class had a one-week International Seminar in Tallinn, Estonia to work with an Estonian start-up company and help build them a new digital strategy.

My first time in a Nordic country, I was in awe of the architecture, food, and way of life in the country.

What’s fascinating about Estonia that not many people may know, is that the Estonian government is 100% digitalized as of December 2024, and has been dedicated to this transition since their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

As a small country, they realized the importance of making all services and processes accessible at their citizens’ fingertips, no matter where they are, in order to maintain competitiveness and remain able to do business with much larger countries.

Read more about their complete digital transformation here!

In this blog, I’m going to share some of my favorite moments from our week long trip that would be perfect for spending one weekend in Tallinn.

Be sure save this blog on Pinterest for later, and subscribe to my blog to stay up to date on all of the travel deals, new foodie blogs and city guides, and tips for moving and living abroad!

At a glance :

Day 1 : Getting to Know Tallinn and Estonia

Arriving at the Airport

When arriving to the airport in Tallinn, you can easily get to the city by public transportation on their buses, yet you can also take a Bolt. Since Bolt is originally from Estonia, it’s great to experience Bolt in it’s country of origin!

When we had used it throughout our stay, prices of the rides were extremely affordable. They even have great discounts on the Bolt food delivery app, if you’re looking to save a bit of money ordering food in!

Lunch at Balti Jaam Turg Market

Once arriving to our hotel by bus, we had a quick hour to grab lunch on our own before meeting back for our guided walking tour of Tallinn.

Our International Seminar local guide recommended us to check out Balti Jaam Turg, or Baltic Station, which is the center train station that has a large market with all types of vendors.

Here you’ll find everything from art and jewelry to all types of food. They even have a full grocery store and sports club!

I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of choices, in a good way, since we only had a short amount of time before we needed to get back to the hotel, but once I layed my eyes on a pierogi stand, I knew exactly what I wanted.

I’ve only ever had Polish pierogis before, so I was excited to try Estonia’s!

This stand had six different options of pierogis, all of which are classic to Estonia. Since I’ve only had Polish pierogis, I’m used to it just being potatoes and cheese with grilled onions, so it was super neat to see the variety.

I decided to go with the salmon and shrimp, and the fish was so fresh that it seemed to melt in my mouth. As Tallinn is right on the Northern Baltic Sea, they have easy access to freshly caught fish!

Estonian pierogis from Balti Jaam Turg Market

Afternoon Walking Tour of Tallinn

After our lunch, we met back at our hotel for the walking tour of Tallinn and it’s old town. I’m becoming to love walking tours, especially on my first day in a new city, because I am able to understand better the lay of the land, learn the secrets and history of the city, and even make a mental list of places I would want to double back to.

Our walking tour was organized through our program, but you can easily find one of Get Your Guide! Personally, the Two Hour Old Town Walk with Stories and Views or the Tallinn Medieval Walking Tour would be the tours that interest me.

Tallinn is filled with history that dates back centuries, so you definitely have to absorb as much as you can during your weekend, and these walking tours are a great way to do so.

Museums to See in Tallinn

During my stay in Tallinn, I didn’t have the time to visit any museums since we were working throughout the days, yet with all of the history that Estonia holds, Tallinn has many unique museums that would be great to see.

Three that stand out to me that I would love to see in the future if I ever visit again would be the Banned Book Museum to discover books that have been banned and burned throughout the world, the Kiek in de Kök to explore the hidden passages and fortress towers in Tallinn, and the Estonian Maritime Museum, aka “Fat Margaret”, to learn more about Estonia’s history as a maritime country and their medieval maritime trade .

Check out this website for a fully detailed list of all of the museums in Tallinn!

Evening Dinner & Drinks

Our first day in Tallinn ended with a welcome cocktail hour at La Copa, which is a cute bar with plenty of outdoor seating with even fireplaces for the winter, which is definitely necessary in Estonia. You can even play paddle right next door! I really enjoyed the vibe of this bar because it seemed super local and friendly.

La Copa also holds many events, so it’s worth checking out the calendar of the complex to see what’s happening!

On our Friday night, there ended up being a DJ set throughout a few of the buildings and outdoors, so you could hop from DJ to DJ enjoying Estonian and European house music. This was one of my favorite parts of the week!

This is also a great area to have dinner your first night, because you can walk through all of the RV’s and restaurants to choose what you want to eat and bring it back to the bar to have drinks.

I ended up having a truffle burger from Peatus just next door in an RV style sit down or take away restaurant, and it was super good!

Day 2 : History Stroll & Finnish Saunas

An Estonian Breakfast in Tallinn

What better way to start off your second day in Tallinn than to have an Estonian breakfast.

With my school, we had breakfast at our hotel as it was included, but having breakfast out is a great way to experience the local culture and cuisine because breakfasts can change so much from country to country!

Luckily, our hotel breakfast seemed to included traditional Estonian foods, so we didn’t miss out.

Estonian breakfasts can vary, but typically consist of oatmeal with fruit, cottage cheese, rye bread with cheese, or yogurt. At the hotel it seems that they provided us with plenty of typical Estonian options, and even had fish as well! But for me, breakfast was a bit too early to be eating fish.

For inspo on where to have breakfast in Tallinn, check out this website by Visit Estonia, and for inspo if you want to make it at home, check out this blog by Estonian Cuisine!

Morning History & Architecture Stroll

Since the theme of Day 2 is very tranquille as in the afternoon you’ll be going to the sauna, take the morning time to go back and explore any areas that sparked your curiosity on your walking tour on the day prior!

Maybe there was a cute store with handmade Estonian products you passed, or a bakery that smelled heavenly? This is the perfect opportunity to check those spots out.

In the afternoons after we were done working, my friends and I took walks all throughout Tallinn, which gave us a better feel for the city and it’s history.

One thing I was fascinated by was the architecture down by the coast when we went to explore the beach, as the buildings were completely unique from that of Old Town or in the city center, as well as each other.

Some buildings actually had reminded me of scenes from The Giver, as they were very grey and monotone and resembled each other, especially on the cloudy day we had. However, I didn’t happen to take a picture of this.

Another interesting spot to check out by the coast is Linnahall, which was originally built for the 1980’s Moscow Olympics, celebrating Tallinn hosting the sailing events.

At the time, Estonia was under Soviet rule, officially known as the Estonian Socialist Soviet Republic (Estonian SSR). I didn’t realize that Tallinn had held any part of the games, so this was a really unique discovery that we didn’t learn about on our walking tour!

Views of Tallinna Linnahall from the beach

Afternoon at a Finnish Sauna

The one thing I was most looking forward to during our week in Tallinn was our afternoon at a Finnish Sauna right on the Gulf of Finland.

This activity was organized for our whole class since on Thursday we had a jour férié (public holiday). I was surprised that most of the students in our class didn’t take advantage of our group discount!

We spent the afternoon at the saunas in Iglupark right on the sea, and it was the most relaxing way to take a break from our project that week.

There ended up being about 9 or 10 of us total, but it actually worked out perfectly so we weren’t all crowded inside the saunas.

I’d never actually been to a sauna before, so everything about this experience was new to me.

As our guide explained it to us, typically how the Finnish enjoy their saunas, is that they will first jump into the (freezing cold) sea and then head straight into the sauna where the temperature is above 80 degrees celsius (176 degrees fahrenheit) to enjoy the peacefulness of the heat.

Once they start to warm up again, they take a shot of vodka and then jump back into the sea! They repeat this as many times as they wish, and also alternate between the outdoor jacuzzis or sitting on the benches outside.

Even though we were there the last week of May, the sea was still absolutely freezing. If I remember correctly, the water was between around 5 degrees celsius!

Despite the temperature, I jumped in the water to have the traditional experience, but I couldn’t stay in longer than about three seconds.

The water was so cold that my legs were actually in pain shortly after from the shock of the cold! But, since I went straight to the sauna afterwards, I actually appreciated the fact that I jumped into the sea.

This experience was so peaceful and I truly felt so much calmer afterwards, especially from some of the stress of our group project and competition throughout the week!

Traditional Estonian Dinner

To celebrate the end of our International Seminar, we had a class dinner organised at Restaurant Kaerajaan, located centrally at the historical town square of Raekoja Plats that dates back to the 15th century. This restaurant takes traditional Estonian cuisine and brings a modern flare to its dishes, which provides a great way to experience typical flavors and ingredients from this Baltic country.

If you’re looking to try a traditional yet modern Estonian dinner, I can’t recommend this restaurant enough!

Here, we had a pre-selected three course meal that introduced us to Estonian and Baltic cuisine, different from what we had experienced all week.

My first course consisted of a pumpkin soup, which was followed by beef tenderloin and pan roasted potatoes with a chanterelles pöltsaama red wine sauce, and finally a panna cotta with a fresh jam for dessert.

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors of each course, and also the simplicity!

This menu was designed for a special event renting out the restaurant, but after looking at their daily menu, you can normally find these items here in season.

3 course Estonian dinner at *Restaurant Kaerajaan*

Cute Cocktail Bar in Tallinn

After dinner, if you’re looking for a nice spot to have a cocktail in Tallinn, I recommend going to Mnemonic Bar. We went here one night with a decent amount of our classmates, and it was a great spot to have a drink with everyone. They have a large menu of different twists on cocktails, along with the classics and wine.

This would be a great spot for a solo spot if you’re solo traveling as you can grab a seat right at the bar, date night with your s/o as it can be an intimate space with the dim lights, or even if you’re traveling with a group of friends as they have large tables to accommodate!

Day 3 – Helsinki, Finland

For your last morning in Tallinn, try out one last local Estonian café near your accommodations before heading to the ferry for one last taste of Tallinn!

Crossing the gulf to Finland

If you’re looking to extend your weekend a bit longer, take the ferry across the Gulf of Finland and spend a few days in Helsinki!

On our last day in Tallinn, we all loaded up onto the ferry to spend one day in Helsinki before hopping on our flight back to Paris.

Personally, I would’ve loved to spend at least one or two nights there, because our afternoon gave me a small taste of the city, leaving me wanting to explore so much more.

You can book your ferry trip for a one-way or return trip through Openferry, and it seems that tickets run between 30 and 40 euros for one direction. The ferry takes about 2 hours and you’re able to move throughout the ship, order food and drinks, and enjoy the views of the gulf.

You are also able to take your suitcases abord if you are traveling by foot without a car, but you will have to lug them around with you as you move throughout the ship, just as a heads up.

Views from our ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki

Kauppatori Local Market for Lunch

As a class, we took a guided bus tour through the city which allowed us to get out and see the market they had right at the harbor, and also the library of Helsinki.

Despite our short amount of time in Helsinki, these two activities were actually a great way to get a taste of the city.

The market, called Kauppatori, is open year round Monday through Saturday and the perfect way to have a taste of Finnish cuisine. Here you can find reindeer, plenty of fish and salmon, sweets, seasonal produce, and locally hand crafted items.

While walking through the covered market, a super sweet lady gave me the rest of her strawberries because she didn’t want to finish them, and said how they were in season and we absolutely had to try them. I loved how open and kind she was, and the strawberries were indeed some of the best I’ve had! They were very sweet and juicy, a perfect little snack.

For my lunch, I decided to try a salmon and potato soup from one of the stands, and it was the most comforting meal! I took it on-the-go and had it as we were back on the bus, and despite the odd way of eating soup during transportation, it was outstanding.

My Finnish lunch from the Kauppatori market

I also picked up a cinnamon roll from the covered market called Old Market Hall since the Nordic countries are known for them, but mine happened to be a little bit dry! I’m sure it was a fluke since normally these pastries are extremely popular throughout the country.

Visiting Helsinki’s Impressive Library

Now, normally when I visit a city, the last thing I think of would be to visit their library. However, on our bus tour, our second and final stop was at the Oodi Helsinki Central Library, which was absolutely worth the visit.

Since Finland is so far north and receives very few hours of sunlight during the winter, Helsinki does an amazing job of providing ways for their people to stay active and engaged in the community year round.

The Oodi library is free for anyone to visit, and offers an enormous range of activites, outside of the usual opportunity to rent out books. From sewing to renting out instruments, to renting out a DJ or karaoke studio, to rooms dedicated to Esports, to plenty more, they really have everything here.

I was also fascinated by the interior design as it was super modern yet timeless, which gave it a cozy and welcoming feeling. If I lived in Helsinki, I could totally see myself spending my days there as it had so much to offer!

After our visit to the library, we had to make our way to the airport, so unfortunately our visit to Helsinki was short lived.

However, it was such a beautiful city where I think you could easily spend 2-3 nights if you choose to extend your trip.

Overall, I really enjoyed spending one week in Tallinn, and loved experiencing Estonia’s culture and learning so much about their history. This country is so unique and beautiful, and a perfect place to visit during a weekend!

I hope you enjoyed this detailed guide to spending the weekend in Tallinn, Estonia with a day trip to Helsinki, Finland!

If you have any questions or want to share your experience in these cities, be sure to leave a comment below!

Xx,
Carmela

Under The Sun