Sometimes checking another country off the list is just a boat ride away! At least that’s how taking a day trip to Estonia was for my friend Alex and I back in June. Visiting Tallinn, Estonia simply required an early morning wakeup, my camera and some spending money!
Did you know that Estonia is just across the ocean from Finland? You can actually take a ferry across the Baltic Ocean. It makes for the perfect day trip for anyone visiting Helsinki, Finland!
How to take a day trip to Estonia
Well the first thing that you should know is if you’re already in Helsinki, it’s easy! There are several ferry companies that you can take. The one we went with was Tallink. We caught their first boat at 7:30 a.m. and returned in the evening around 6:30 p.m., giving us a good, solid day to explore Tallinn, the beautiful capital of Estonia.
The boat ride lasts between 2 and 3.5 hours depending on what time you go. On board you have several restaurants, casino games and an open-air deck. You even have wifi on board!
When you land in Estonia
Once off the boat, it’s maybe a 10-15-minute walk to the Tallinn city centre. We kind of used Google Maps as a guide, but were open to some detours along the way. Tallinn has this feeling of enchantment with the cobblestone streets and breath-taking architecture. Apparently Estonians, while they’re located in Eastern Europe, culturally feel more like Scandinavians. Even their language is more similar to Finnish than perhaps Russian or another Slavic language.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
One thing I always love to do when I travel is visit cathedrals. It’s always amazing to see how beautifully decorated they are and learn about history through them. The cathedral in Tallinn was unlike none other that I had visited in my life. For starters, it has this sort of Eastern flair.
This church is an Orthodox church. It was built in 1900 and apparently funds were collected all over Russia for it’s construction.
Entrance is free, but you’re not allowed to take photos inside.
Lunch time in Tallinn
When lunch time rolled around, we were looking for something both filling and affordable. We found a place called Kompressor that makes these amazing pancakes for around 5€ each. I got one with cheese and salmon, and it was super filling.
According to their website, they have more than 29 different pancakes.
Taking a walk around old town Tallinn
One of the best things about taking a day trip to Estonia from Finland is that it’s very affordable. Apart from the ferry and food, it’s basically free. While there are museums to visit such as Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour and Tallinn City Museum, the best thing to do is just take a walk around the old town.
Have you ever considered taking a trip to Estonia?
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