Moscow to Prague Travel Stories

“A unique mix of cultures and architectural gems”
by Sacha Bunnik
Operations Director, Bunnik Tours

Dennis and I arrived into Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, early in November to explore this amazing city. We have heard so many interesting stories about Tallinn and had to see it for ourselves.

Estonia has a long, rich history and dates back many thousands of years. Unfortunately for the Estonians, they have been occupied many times throughout their history by aggressive neighbours, each leaving behind a unique mix of cultures and architectural gems to make modern day Tallinn a real treat to the senses.

Estonia gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR and joined the European Union in 2004. Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city, is quite small compared to other European cities, with a population of approx 400,000 people, making it a perfect place to explore on foot.

Medieval Magic
We started our exploration of Tallinn by walking through the old medieval city centre amazed with its high protective walls, cobblestone streets and quaint narrow lanes filled with interesting shops and restaurants covering traditional Estonian food to modern and affordable fusion with a hint of ethnicity. The old town has a really nice atmosphere about it with lots of tourists absorbing the European culture at cafés, the lingering smell of roasting chestnuts in the air and historic sites and buildings all around.

We walked both the Pikk Jalg and Luhike Jalg - long leg and short leg, it’s what the locals call the 2 main streets in Tallinn. These streets connect the upper and lower parts of the old town and meet in the middle of a square with a picturesque water well. We also ventured down St. Catherine’s Passage - a narrow lane known by locals as one of the most romantic streets in the world. Luckily I was with my brother Dennis and not my wife or things would have got out of hand!

St Olaf’s Church dates back to 1267 and is a must see site in Tallinn. When the steeple was added in the 1500’s it became the tallest building in the world, standing at 159 metres. During the cold war, the KGB used the steeple as a surveillance point and radio tower. The view from the top is amazing as it gives you a wonderful bird’s eye view of the old town.

Dinner in Tallinn was a wonderful experience as we chose a local restaurant full of Estonians being merry. The food was very hearty, from thick pea soup to blood sausage, sauerkraut and pork, all with lots of garlic. Let’s just say Dennis and I did not go hungry.

Local Estonians are very friendly and really open up to tourists, especially after a few beers. Estonia has a really friendly and safe feel about it and seems to be coming to age within the European Union as a dynamic country with a lot to offer. 

Saturday Night in Tallinn
By Jean & John McPhee
Bunnik Tours clients

It  was a cool September Saturday night In Tallinn, Estonia and we had just left Russia on the Moscow to Prague Tour.  We strolled out  from our hotel near the large tower gate of  the old town looking for somewhere to have a drink and a bite to eat.

We ventured into a small doorway which revealed a cosy wood panelled pub .The sign said 'Hell Hunt' which we thought looked a bit ominous! However, we found some stools at a bar table and ordered 2 delicious beers. We were offered the menu and ordered a very tasty meal and some wine too. It was very comfortable and welcoming and we felt we were enjoying a regular Saturday night.

We achieved all this without a word of Estonian or English! The barman, the local people and the waitress' all smiled and helped us and we felt like we had settled in. It was so much fun we would certainly recommend it. 

Incidentally, the name 'Hell Hunt' means gentle wolf and it certainly was a gentle experience and one we'd love to repeat!

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