I was in Tallinn late April 07. I came alone on the ferry from Helsinki. There is a fast ferry (more expensive) and a slow one. I took the slow one, which gave me more time to digest it. There was karoke, a live band singing covers of 80s American tunes in Estonian (or maybe Finnish?), and a full bar. By the time we docked, everybody was quite jolly.

I got into Tallinn the day rioting started in full force over the Estonian govt’s relocation of a Russian statute. Still, there were lots of tourists (primarily Europeans), so I felt relatively safe. The old town is very walkable, I didn’t go much beyond that. There is a museum covering Estonia in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War, which was fascinating. Initially, I intended to see more of Estonia and perhaps go to Latvia, but the events in Tallinn were so interesting that I stuck around for 4 or 5 days.

Tallinn is relatively inexpensive. As I recall, a decent guest room in the old town was $50-70 US. Restaurant entrees are in the $10 range.

Re Helsinki, I thought it was a rather boring city. There is no quaint old town. There is some decent architecture, but the Alvar Aalto makes me want to puke because most of the awful, monotonous “modern” American architecture we have now is descended from that. It’s quite expensive. Helsinki is more of a jumping off point than a destination in and of itself. I took a side trip to Turku, which was quite worthwhile.

Thanks Karen. That’s very helpful to know. I wasn’t expecting much out of Helsinki, but the main reason I did want to go (other than the fact that it’s most likely easier to get a flight into Helsinki than to Tallinn) was actually to see the architecture. I figure a day is enough time. Thanks for the suggestion about Turku, I will check it out. I was going to spend 2 days in Tallinn, do you think that’s a good amount of time? Right now this is the itinerary I am planning. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks!

2 weeks, mid-late May
Finland: Helsinki/Turku (2 days)
Estonia: Tallinn (2 days)
Lahemaa Park (1 day)
Tartu (2 days)
Latvia: Sigulda (1 day)
Riga (2 days)
Lithuania: Vilnius (2 days)
Curonian Spit (1 day)

Adeelie,

Re whether 1 day is enough for Helsinki and 2 days for Tallinn, it should just depend on your own whim. You’re on Adeelie time without a schedule. You might find a bar you like, you might run into people you want to spend time with, you might find a comfortable guest house where you can catch up on sleep, there might be a concert you want to hear in a few days, who knows. Keep it loose and let each place soak into you. I best remember the people I met traveling, and all of the old towns (which start looking really simliar) get mixed up in my head.

Having said that, somewhere around 2 days will give you a taste for Tallinn. I’m not so sure about Helsinki, in part because you may find yourself somewhat outside of the main town area because it is so expensive. Travelling into town takes time.

Karen

Im orginally from lithuania and I have travelled a bit in Estonia, have seen a lot of Latvia and of course know lithuania.
I havent been in Talin, but i know its very pretty/old and interesting.
The same with Ryga. ALl the capitals i think are quite simiral in architecture, but very pretty, with lots of cafes/restaurants and little shops.
on your way from Ryga to vilnius, you ould stop by the the hill of crosses, its quite impressive, but i dont know if its something you would like. definately go to Neringa/Nida (the curonian spit) and maybe even KLaipeda and i woudl stay there for more than a day, its very scenic and pretty. Little fishing towns with old houses and amazing beaches.
I dont think you’ll need 2 days for Vilnius, its pretty, but quite small and other than downtown there isnt much to see.
about the prices, food is amazing (lithuanian national food is very rich, so i would be carefull) and very cheap ( in a good restaurant you will probabyl end up paying max $15 for dinner, although Neringa/Nida tend to be a little overpriced.) its quite safe, as long as you dont walkt around at night, especially ion smaller cities.
it should be a pretty nice trip!!
have fun.