Tallinn Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage)

Tallinn Old Town (Vanalinn) is the medieval core of the Estonian capital in Harju County, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as one of the best-preserved Hanseatic trading cities in northern Europe. The district divides into the Lower Town, once home to German merchants and craftsmen, and Toompea hill, the seat of rulers and today of the Estonian parliament. Visitors walk cobbled lanes lined with steep-gabled merchant houses, past guild halls, the Gothic spire of St Olaf's Church and the Town Hall on Raekoja plats, the central square. Long stretches of the 13th to 16th-century town wall survive, with towers such as Kiek in de Kök, Fat Margaret and the Viru Gate, and several sections can be climbed. Streets worth tracing include Pikk (Long Street), Vene, Katariina käik and the lanes around Müürivahe, where craft stalls and courtyards sit beside cellar restaurants. Most people need half a day to see the main sights and a full day to add museums, church towers and viewing platforms. Photographers favour the view from Kohtuotsa and Patkuli platforms on Toompea, where red tiled roofs and church spires frame the harbour, and the alleyways at dawn when the stone is empty and lit low from the east. Crowds peak between roughly 10:00 and 17:00 in summer, when cruise ship passengers fill Raekoja plats and Viru street; early morning and the evening after 18:00 are far calmer, and winter brings a quiet atmosphere and a Christmas market on the Town Hall Square. Walking is the only practical way to explore, since the cobbles and narrow streets restrict vehicles. Wear sturdy shoes, and allow time for coffee in one of the old cellar cafes. Entrance to the streets is free, while individual museums, towers and church galleries charge their own admission.