Private Shore Excursion: Panoramic Tour of Tallinn

The old lower town in Tallinn preserves to a remarkable extent the medieval urban fabric of narrow winding streets, many of which retain their medieval names, and fine public and burgher buildings, including town wall, Town Hall, pharmacy, churches, monasteries, merchants’ and craftsmen’ guilds, and the domestic architecture of the merchants' houses, which have survived to a remarkable degree.

The fascinating walls of the old town remind us of the middle ages. The numerous towers each have their own history and the unique name. The most famous of those are "Paks Margareeta" (Fat Margaret), Kiek in de Kök (look into the kitchen), Tower behind the tower and many others. Tallinn is one of the very few towns with that large number of the middle age constructions preserved.

Toompea is the highest hill in the Tallinn area, so it was selected for the construction of the fort. The first constructions in the Toompea castle dates back to 1219. Many of the walls and towers have survived, thus making it one of the oldest forts of Europe. Tall Hermann tower of the Toompea castle with the Estonian flag on top is one of main national symbols.

Fat Margareth (Paks Margareeta) reminds us of the romantic legend of "Estonian Romeo and Juliet" - the story of a pesant boy Herman and firsheman's daughter Margareth. The Tall Herman tower is on the opposite part of the old town, sadly separated from his love for centuries.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral stands out from the old town buildings with it's bright color and Byzantine architecture. It's one of the latest constructions of the old city, the Russian Orthodox church, build by the request of Russian Emperor Alexander the 3rd in the 1900. It's located on the high point of the Toompea Hill in front of the Parlament building.

The Dome Church is one of the oldest churches of Tallinn. The church looks very plain and simple with the white walls and small dome, but it has the very long history. It was first mentioned in 1233 and since than it has been one of town's main temples. It's dedicated to Virgin Mary. It has the graves of the prominent people of 13th-19th centuries.

The nation's largest and most cutting-edge art museum, Kumu displays Estonian-created works from the 18th-21st centuries. KUMU Art museum, the winner of the "European Museum of the Year Awards" (2008), has received plentiful praise over the years.

The theater plays the operas, ballets and musicals, including the world famous performances like "Rigoletto", "Toska", "Swan Lake", "My fair lady". It's the most popular theater of Estonia. The building was designed by the Finnish architect in the beginning of the 20th century.

This square on the edge of the Old Town (the former Sennaya Market and Petrovskaya Square) is a popular venue for public events. The monument to the War of Independence is also located there.

For the long time the office of Estonian president was located in the Kadriorg palace. Later the special building was constructed next door to Kadriorg, repeating the design of the old palace.

Kadriorg Park is the most outstanding palatial and urban park in Estonia, covering around 70 hectares. Its construction began in 1718 on the orders of Russian tsar Peter I. Elements of park design from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries can be seen here.

The song festival grounds is a tradition of the Scandinavia countries. The national singing has been a large part of the national culture for centuries. The Grounds in Tallinn were re-designed in 1959 with the unique arch shaped stage which enhances the voices of the singers. It is used on the regular basis for full scale of performances from the rock concerts to the folk festivals.