Toompea Hill and Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform

Toompea is the limestone hill that rises above Tallinn's Old Town and has served as the seat of power in Estonia for centuries. Today it holds the Toompea Castle, the pink baroque building that houses the Estonian parliament (Riigikogu), with the Tall Hermann tower and its national flag rising from the castle wall. The Kohtuotsa viewing platform, near Kohtuotsa tn 4, is the best-known of two free terraces on the hill. It looks down on a sea of red roofs and church spires in the lower Old Town, with the Gulf of Finland and ferries on the horizon. The nearby Patkuli platform looks north-west over the Patkuli valley and the town wall instead, and is usually less crowded. Between them, visitors pass the onion domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Lutheran Dome Church and narrow lanes of old stone houses. The usual approach is on foot from the Old Town, up the steep cobbled Pikk jalg street through the Long Leg Gate tower, which takes 5 to 10 minutes; the alternative is the gentler Lühike jalg street. No public transport serves the hill itself. A full visit including both terraces and a short walk past the cathedral and castle takes 45 to 60 minutes. Kohtuotsa is open at all hours, so sunrise and sunset are both options, and the evening light on the roofs is the classic photograph. The platform is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon, when tour groups queue to take the same picture; early morning and late evening are calm. In winter the cobbles can be icy.