The Viru Gate is the pair of slender round towers with red conical roofs at the eastern entrance to Tallinn's Old Town, where Viru street begins. They are not the gate itself but the corner towers of its outer gatehouse: the rest of the complex was pulled down in 1888 to make way for a horse-drawn tram. Today almost everyone walking from the modern centre to Town Hall Square passes between them.
The Viru Gate at a glance
- Where: at the east end of Viru street, where it meets Valli and Vana-Viru streets, opposite the Viru Keskus shopping centre and the Hotel Viru.
- Built: the gate was established in 1345; the outer gatehouse with its round corner towers was rebuilt in 1446.
- What it is today: the best-known entrance to the Old Town, part of the Historic Centre of Tallinn, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
- Time needed: 5–10 minutes, longer if you explore the lanes along the city wall nearby.
From fortified gate to tram route
In the Middle Ages Tallinn, then called Reval, was a Hanseatic trading town ringed by a stone wall with towers and gates. Each main gate had a square gate tower and, in front of it, an outer gatehouse with one or two small round towers. The Viru Gate, established in 1345, opened onto the road heading east along the walls. Its first gatehouse went up around 1370, and in 1446 it was replaced by a new two-storey gatehouse with slender round watchtowers at its corners: the towers you see today.
By the 19th century the walls had lost their military purpose and the gates were in the way of traffic. In 1870 the city council agreed to demolish the Viru gatehouses, and in 1888 they were knocked down so that a horse-drawn tram could run from the Old Market to Kadriorg. Only the two corner towers and part of the bastion were kept. The towers were restored for the sailing events of the 1980 Olympic Games, held in Tallinn, and again in 2003, when the damaged roof tiles were replaced.
What to look for
- The two towers: they were the corner towers of the outer gatehouse, not the main gate. Imagine a two-storey gate building between and behind them, and the square main tower further up the street.
- The roofs: the red conical roofs re-tiled in 2003. They make the towers one of the most photographed views in Tallinn.
- The city wall: follow the old wall left and right of the gate to see how the towers were tied into Tallinn's defences, which still keep much of their medieval circuit.
- The flower stalls: flower sellers line the wall just outside the gate, a long-standing Tallinn sight and a good place to buy a bouquet.
A gate that became a trademark
The two towers are so closely linked with the city that they are registered as a trademark of Tallinn under the name Viru Gate. The irony is that they survived largely by luck: in 1870 the council wanted to keep only two towers of the whole wall as monuments, Kiek in de Kök and Fat Margaret. The Viru gatehouse lasted another 18 years, and when it finally went, its corner towers were spared.
Tips for your visit
- For a photo without crowds, come early in the morning; by late morning Viru street is busy with walkers and shoppers.
- The classic shot is taken from just outside the gate, looking in, with the towers framing Viru street behind them.
- The streets inside are cobbled and uneven. Wear comfortable shoes.
- Combine the gate with a walk straight up Viru street to Town Hall Square, a few minutes away.
Nearby
- Town Hall Square: the medieval market square at the end of Viru street, with the Gothic Town Hall finished in 1404 and Old Thomas, the city's guardian, as a weather vane on its spire.
- St Catherine's Passage (Katariina käik): a narrow lane off Vene street with craft workshops and old tombstones set into the wall of St Catherine's Church.
- The Sweater Wall: knitwear stalls along the city wall on Müürivahe street, a couple of minutes' walk from the gate.
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral: the Russian Orthodox cathedral on Toompea hill, completed in 1900, a pleasant walk uphill across the Old Town.
See Tallinn with World City Trail
Our Tallinn scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 38 minutes of walking. The Viru Gate is one of the stops, along with Town Hall Square and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Tallinn.
Play the Tallinn scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Tallinn →
Play the outdoor escape game in Tallinn →
Facts checked in October 2026.