The most off-the-beaten-path Nordic capital, a perfect fusion of medieval fairy-tale charm and futuristic flair.

If you are planning a trip to the three Baltic States, for most people, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, will most likely be the first stop of this journey. Heading all the way south from here, you can reach Latvia and Lithuania; heading north, you can arrive at Helsinki, the capital of Finland by ferry in just over two hours. As a result, many Europeans travel between the two cities on weekends, making Tallinn one of the most important gateways in the Baltic region.

The first time you come to Tallinn, it is easy to feel that it is a "Northern" city. It does not have the strong and lively atmosphere of ancient cities in Southern Europe, nor does it deliberately create a fairy-tale vibe. The gray city walls, low-saturation buildings, the cold and crisp light brought by the Baltic Sea, plus some traces left over from the Soviet era, jointly shape a tough and restrained urban temperament. But at the same time, you can also find design-forward cafes, highly aesthetic modern buildings, and creative blocks crowded with young people at street corners, all of which add a layer of Nordic simplicity and relaxation to the city.

This is exactly the most charming part of Tallinn: it has fully preserved the history of a medieval port city, and has also developed one of the most mature digital government systems in Europe.

01

My first impression of Tallinn's Old Town is not the "fairy-tale feel" that most European ancient cities have, but solidness. It does not have many exquisite and complicated building facades and gorgeous decorations, most of the architectural styles are very simple, with plain lines and unassuming roofs. At the same time, because it is close to the Baltic Sea, the light here is always a little colder. When the weather is fine, the entire Old Town looks extremely clean, with a unique freshness typical of northern cities.

The history of Tallinn's Old Town dates back to the 13th century. Historically, Tallinn was once an important port. Compared with palaces and nobles, the Old Town retains more traces of commercial life. The thick and solid city walls, merchants' residences, warehouses and churches did not exist for romance, but to guard a city that thrived on maritime trade. Walking into the Old Town today, you can still see the urban pattern left over from the Middle Ages: the Upper Town located on the high ground and the Lower Town at the foot of the mountain, connected by ramps, steps and alleys. Most of the time, if you just turn into a random path, a complete section of city wall will suddenly appear in front of you; a few steps further, you can see the sea surface in the direction of the port. This undulating terrain gives Tallinn a little more fun to explore than many square and regular medieval cities.

In winter, Tallinn's Old Town will switch to another atmosphere. The Town Hall Square is the center of the Old Town. Since the Middle Ages, it has been one of the busiest places in the city, where markets, gatherings and various public activities take place. Every Christmas season, the square is decorated into a dreamy Christmas market, with wooden stalls spreading around the square, where you can buy traditional Estonian food, festive gingerbread and handicrafts. What's more interesting is that a temporary stage will also be built in the center of the market, where song and dance performances rehearsed by nearby residents (maybe) will be staged in turn. Then you will find that although this country has been independent from the Soviet Union for a long time, you can still see the residual traces of the Soviet temperament left in Tallinn from the melodies of the festival performances, people's dances, the surrounding buildings and even eating habits.

Therefore, I always feel that the most attractive part of Tallinn's Old Town is not how many scenic spots worth checking in it has, but that it has always had a unique restraint typical of northern European cities. It is quiet, solid, without too much decoration, but very memorable.

02

Many European cities will build a brand new modern district outside the Old Town, but Tallinn has not chosen such a development path.

Compared with "building new things", Tallinn prefers to keep the old ones and endow them with new life little by little. The most representative one is Rotermann Quarter. It used to be just an industrial area, but now it has become the most design-forward block in Tallinn. The former warehouses, factories and red brick buildings were not demolished, but were transformed into cafes, design shops, restaurants and office spaces, with the core feature of combining old industrial plants with very bold contemporary styles. Wandering in this block, you will clearly feel that this city has a sense of propriety: new buildings are not deliberately made too eye-catching, and old buildings have not become enclosed relics only for people to visit.

Tallinn's "Nordic design sense" is not only reflected in the architecture, but also hidden in the daily life of the city. For example, in Telliskivi Creative City, cafes like Fotografiska Café (this chain also has a branch in Shanghai) naturally combine coffee, art and work together. It is not only part of the photography museum, but also an open urban living room that provides specialty coffee, bread and light meals. Some people meet friends here to chat, while others sit down with their laptops to handle work. As a result, the boundaries between cafes, art spaces and co-working spaces have become increasingly blurred in Tallinn, and the sense of modernity has naturally integrated into urban life.

If you happen to catch up with the biennial Tallinn Architecture Biennale, you can also see various attempts by architects and designers from all over the world about the future of the city. The exhibition is not limited to pavilions, and many public spaces, old factories including streets may become exhibition venues.

03

If you only look at tourism popularity, Estonia may not be the most popular destination in Europe, but when it comes to digitalization, it is definitely worth talking about separately. Many government affairs here can be completed online, such as tax declaration, company registration, and many public services, you do not need to go to government departments specially. For local people, digitalization is not a novel technological concept, but has long been part of daily life.

In the field of digitalization, there is also a very special e-Residency program — people from all over the world can apply to become "e-residents" of Estonia, to remotely register and manage an Estonian company. As a result, it has attracted many freelancers, remote workers and digital nomads to take Estonia as their "online headquarters".

Why did Estonia take this path? It is related to its historical background. After restoring independence in 1991, the whole country needed to re-establish its own administrative system. The practical problem in front of it was that the country had a small population and limited resources. Instead of spending a long time building a complex traditional system, it was better to start directly with a more lightweight digital system. As a result, the Internet has gradually become an important foundation for the operation of this country. Looking back now, the seemingly "unconventional" choice back then has instead allowed Estonia to move faster in the field of digitalization.

There is also a quite interesting little-known fact: the original core development team of Skype, which was once popular all over the world, came from Estonia. Later, a number of international technology companies such as Bolt and Wise were born here. For Estonia, which has a population of only more than one million, the "technology density" of this small country is indeed quite high.

04

If you have enough time, you can also leave Tallinn's Old Town and walk around the surrounding areas. For local people, forests and coasts are part of life. More than half of Estonia's territory is covered by forests. Starting from Tallinn, you can quickly arrive at a completely different world.

Lahemaa National Park, about an hour's drive from Tallinn, is a place I think is most worth arranging into your itinerary. It is not a place where you just visit one "scenic spot" and then finish the trip, but a natural landscape composed of vast forests, wetlands and coastlines, and you will also pass through some coastal villages and time-honored manors along the way. If you plan to go, you can directly search for Viru Bog Study Trail. The whole route is about 5 kilometers long. The first half will go through the forest, then the wooden boardwalk will extend deep into the wetland, with low vegetation and dotted ponds on both sides. It is relatively easy to walk, and you can feel the unique tranquility of Nordic nature.

In addition, in this national park, there is a coastal village called Käsmu, also known as the "Captain's Village", because almost every family in the village used to have a captain! The earliest written record of "Captain's Village" dates back to the mid-15th century, when there was a navigation school here, and almost every family had someone who had been a captain or sailor, which is how the village got its name. You can stroll around the maritime museum here, or just walk along the coast and overlook the quiet Baltic Sea. It may not be as bright as the Mediterranean Sea, and it always has a little gray-blue color the same as the sky, but it is very easy to make people relax.

If you don't want to arrange a full day's trip, Jägala Waterfall will be a more relaxed choice. It takes about half an hour to drive there from Tallinn. The waterfall is more than 50 meters wide, especially when the water volume is large, you can hear the sound of the water from far away, and it is quite spectacular when you get close. In winter, when the temperature is low enough, large pieces of ice hang will form on the waterfall.

If your Baltic trip starts in Tallinn, you really can spare a little more time for this city. No matter the Old Town, modern design, cafes, or the forests and coasts outside the city, after walking slowly, you will find that the attractiveness of Tallinn never only lies in those few medieval stone roads.

TIPS

About Visa: Estonia is part of the Schengen Area, and Chinese passport holders need to apply for a Schengen visa in advance.

Currency to use: The local currency is Euro, and card payment is very convenient in urban areas, so you don't need to carry too much cash.

How to get there: There are currently no direct flights to Tallinn in mainland China. You need to transfer when departing from cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and you can choose to transfer in Helsinki, Stockholm, Warsaw and other places. If you plan to visit Nordic countries along the way, it is also highly recommended to fly to Helsinki first, and then take a 2-hour ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn.

Local Transportation: Most of the main attractions in Tallinn's Old Town can be reached on foot; if you want to go to the suburbs, you can consider signing up for a one-day tour or renting a car for self-driving.

About Car Rental: For self-driving, it is recommended to bring the original Chinese driver's license, passport, and the driver's license translation document or international driving permit that meets the requirements of the car rental company. It is best to confirm with the car rental company in advance before booking.

(Written by / kido)

This article is from the WeChat official account "CNTraveler", Author: CNTraveler, published with authorization from 36Kr.