Tallinn: Old Town in Depth - Part 12

Now to start the second part of the walk which is :- THE UPPER TOWN (TOOMPEA)

Continuing on from the end of the lower town walk at the corner opposite the church, climb uphill along the steep, cobbled, Lühike Jalg , “Short Leg Lane”, which is home to a number of quality craft shops. At the top of the lane, stop at the giant stone tower and look at the original oak door which was one of two gates through the wall separating the two cities. This passage is still the ritual meeting point of the mayor and prime minister whenever there is an important agreement between town and country.

If you are facing that tower and door you should now turn left and go through the café courtyard to its far end. Here you will emerge into a beautiful view terrace.

The imposing city wall once had 46 towers, of which 26 still stand. The gravel and grass strip that runs in front of the wall offers a pleasant stroll and fine views. If you have the interest and energy, you can also climb some of the towers and ramparts. While the views from the towers are nice, keep in mind that during this walk will be reaching some even more dramatic viewpoints overlooking different parts of town.

The easiest option is to simply scramble up the extremely steep and tight steps of the Dannebrog restaurant tower. You can buy a drink or a cheap meal here, it’s about €5 for soups and €7 for pasta. However, they generally don’t charge those who just want a quick look at the view.

To reach a higher vantage point, or if Dannebrog is charging admission, you can pay €3 to enter the nearby Maiden Tower (Neitsitorn). It has a few skippable exhibits, an overpriced café, and great views, particularly from the top floor, where a full glass wall reveals panoramic town views. The tower and café are open daily 10:30-22:00, exhibits open until 19:00, and there are normally shorter hours Oct-April.

If you have a little more time then add a visit to the Kiek in de Kök. This is the stout, round tower that sits farther along the wall with an extremely tight, twisty, steep stone staircases inside. While fun to say, the name is Low German for “Peek in the Kitchen”, so called because it’s situated to allow guards to literally peek into townspeople’s homes.

This tower is bigger than the Maiden Tower, with more impressive exhibits it does not have a lot of real artefacts, but plenty of cannons, mannequins, model ships, movies, and models of the castle to give you a taste of Tallinn’s medieval history. The €7 combo-ticket with the Maiden Tower lets you walk along the scenic rampart between the two towers. You should look for the door marked Väljapääs on the second floor of the Maiden Tower, and open it with your wristband ticket. It is also possible to enter just Kiek in de Kök with a €4. 50 ticket and you can pay extra for tour of tunnels below the tower.

Continued in part 13