Tallin,Estonia

chucken1

My daughter is thinking of going to Tallin in May or June. Shes not really looking to party,just a chill out with her partner after working hard. She's looking for info on nice places to eat (any vegetarian?) Any nice local bars?(cheap beer lol) They just want to relax and meet the locals I think and maybe a trip or 2? Anyone been there?

Columbia

Depends on what she's into really. The only restaurant I went to in Tallinn was Olde Hansa, a medieval-style place right by the main square. You can have various "feasts" there depending on your tastes and how many of your there are, or you can get your own portions like a normal restaurant. You can also get bear meat most of the time.

Kuressaare could be good for a daytrip, flights from Tallinn take about 30 minutes (I think they were about E16 each way last year), it's a pleasant seaside-y town to walk around for an hour, and to then spend a couple of hours visiting the castle.

Also, there are several 'Antik' stores around Tallinn selling various Estonian antiques, mostly former Soviet-style things. Very interesting to look around, and one of my regrets from being there is that I didn't pick anything up in these stores.

schemingbohemia

It's a while since I was in Tallinn but it wasn't brilliant then for vegetarians, probably best looking for ethnic restaurants for that.

This is a nice bar, very touristy though but I liked it, they did serve veggie food there too. It's very close to the main tourist square. It's not cheap though.
http://www.beerhouse.ee/

I really enjoyed just wandering around Tallinn. How long is she going for?

I never got to this island but everything I read about it made it sound great for a chill-out in a spa there
http://www.visitestonia.com/en/holiday-destinations/the-islands/saaremaa-island

Unshelved

It's difficult to meet locals in Tallinn. The people are quite stand-offish andnot the friendliest - 50 years of Soviet oppression will do that. The old town in Tallinn is very touristy - in fact it seems to be almost totally geared around tourists - there didn't seem to be any locals living there at all. It's beautiful though and well worth a wander. There were a lot of stag parties from the UK at weekends when we were there - avoid! Also masses of Finnish who come over for the cheap beer and get absolutely hammered. You'll notice quite a bit of poverty - old ladies selling posies for a few crowns - and quite a lot of drunkeness, especially among the Russian minority.

It's a very interesting place to visit and the guided tour through the tourist office is well worth it. Another thing that's worth doing is a day-trip by ferry to Helsinki - the journey only takes about 90 minutes and it's fun to visit a different country. Outside the Old Town there wasn't a whole lot to see or do.

We ate at Old Hansa too - very touristy but a lot of fun. Another place we liked is this place - www.hellhunt.ee - it's a bar that serves food (a bit like the Porterhouse in Dublin). On the whole it's not very vegetarian-friendly though.

There's a good craft market just outside the main gate to the Old Town that's worth a look. If you're into it, linen (especially table linen) is excellent value.

picorette

Would agree with other posters. Visited the same places - Olde Hansa and HellHunt - on my few days there.

Old town can be very touristy but is worth walking around as it is quite unique. The advantage is that, like Temple Bar (although it is far superior), it keeps most of the tourists amused, and if you venture outside, you will find some gems.

Kadrioru Kunstimuuseum in a large park to the east can be reached on foot. There are some interesting beaches with villas of the wealthy, along this coast.

If there is time to go further, Helsinki or Saaremaa on the ferry are a good day trip.

cailinoBAC

Back when I went to Tallinn on my own I met a few locals and had a great time. I suppose, it’s different for everyone. I would check out www.inyourpocket.com
You should find info both about restaurants and also what’s on or where to go.

RoboRat

Stay away from Olde Hansa, whilst its 'touristy' the food is vile and the wine is like petrol, literally. The main square is a tourist trap too and tell your daughter not to bring her partner to club Hollywood, its too much temptation for a red blooded male! The Maarjamäe War Memorial complex is worth a visit and there are plenty of interesting bits of architecture to be seen - its quite a compact town (the old part).

We went up to Parnau and that was quite nice, Tartu is also a lovely town but might be a bit far. All in all Tallinn is good but its being ruined by stags and people on the piss IMO.

chucken1

Thanks everyone for the replies! Shes thinking of going for a week because the flights work out cheaper. Plus if they only go for a few days,she'll be tempted to go back to work and they really need to rest.

I'll show her this thread. Thanks everyone