Tallinn Old Town

Every visitor to Tallinn should pass through Raekoja Plats, the center of the Old Town since medieval times. It is, unsurprisingly, the location of the Tallinn Town Hall, the oldest town hall in the Baltics and Scandinavia: there was a building there as early as 1322, though it was rebuilt in its current form at the turn of the 15th century. Even now Raekoja Plats is at the heart of the city’s cultural life–it becomes filled with little cafés in the summer, and hosts many a market and festival.

Toompea Hill

A large part of the Old Town sits on a hill known as Toompea, closely linked to Estonia’s history and legends. Today it is the center of the country’s government and the location of its Parliament (Riigikogu)—it is even referred to as Toompea just as the American president’s administration is sometimes called the White House. But beyond its political significance, Toompea Hill is simply a beautiful place to visit: most of the buildings date from the 18th and 19th century and the elevation makes for breath-taking views of the rest of the city, especially from the specially arranged viewing platforms.