Guide to Estonia Travel

The captain of our cruise ship told us that our stop in Tallinn, Estonia would be the "pleasant surprise" of our cruise. And it was.

Who wouldn't like a country whose capital city is guarded by a fortress named "Tall Hermann?" This is a small country, with only 1.5 million people. Invaded by Russia after the World War II, the Estonians were forced to give up their native language, their flag, and their national identity by the Russians. Russian became the official language for the country. As the former Soviet Union began to break up, Estonia announced its independence on August 20, 1991, and was immediately recognized as an autonomous country by most Western governments, including the U.S. Our tour guide stressed how much the Estonians appreciate their independence, and how much they value their freedom.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has a lot to offer to tourists, and is now a frequent port stop for most of the major cruise lines. This is a small, modern city, but it also has a very well preserved and rehabbed medieval section. Your ship will dock in Tallinn, and buses will take you into the downtown area.

Our favorites:

The medieval town -- a real surprise, this is a well restored Baltic medieval town, and if you are on a tour you will learn quite a bit about it.
Alexander Nevski Cathedral -- built in 1894, this Russian Orthodox church has onion domes that were typical of Moscow churches at that time.

Cruise Tips

Book shore excursions at this port. You will want to see the city, but also the countryside. And you will want to hear about Estonia from the tour guide. We took the "Tallinn Highlights Tour" which lasted four hours, and had plenty of time to spend in Tallinn when it was over.
This is a good place to purchase your Russian souvenirs, in the downtown market. Many of the prices will only be a fraction of what you would pay on your ship or in one of the Russian stores.

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