What is the Tallinn self-guided walking tour?
The Tallinn self-guided walking tour is a walk through Tallinn that you take on your own, with audio narration on your phone instead of a guide. It takes about 3 hours in all: 38 minutes of walking over 2.6 km, and 10 stops where the narration takes over. The Old Town is walled and compact, so most of the time goes on the stories of its merchants, guilds and defences.
At Viru Gate you hear why most of the gate complex was pulled down in 1888: to make room for a horse tramway. The Town Hall, completed in 1404, brings Old Thomas, the city guard on the weathervane, whose first version went up in 1530. On Toompea the narration tells how Alexander Nevsky Cathedral rose while Estonia belonged to the Russian Empire, and how an architect proposed demolishing it in 1924. At the House of the Blackheads you look for the Moor of Saint Maurice above the painted doors, and the walk ends at Fat Margaret, a cannon tower with walls up to 5 metres thick that later served as a prison.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 38 min · 2.6 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you do along the way
Hear the stories
Every stop has its own audio chapter with history, local legends and fun facts, read aloud or shown as text.
Find the way
Google Maps shows the way to the next stop: 2.6 km and about 38 minutes on foot in total.
Take a break
Nothing runs on a timetable. Close the app for a meal or a museum and open it again whenever you like, even the next day.
Local tips
Along the way you get tips for food and shops near the route. If another starting point suits you better, change it in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the walking tour is for
First time in Tallinn
One walk links the main sights of the centre and explains what you are looking at.
Travellers who skip group tours
No group to keep up with and no meeting point: stay where something interests you and move on when you are ready.
A short stay
About 3 hours covers the centre, so the rest of the day stays free.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The walk stop by stop: Viru Gate, Town Hall Square, Toompea, Pikk Street
10 stops · about 38 min walking · start: Viru Gate · finish: Estonian Maritime Museum (Fat Margaret)
Viru Gate, the two round towers at the end of Viru Street, opens the walk. Inside the walls you pass St Catherine's Dominican Monastery and reach Town Hall Square, then follow Harju Street to the Eduard Vilde Memorial beside St Nicholas' Church. Freedom Square lies just outside the Old Town, and from there the route climbs Toompea hill to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Back down in the Lower Town come the Great Guild Hall and the House of the Blackheads, and Pikk Street leads north to the tenth stop, the Estonian Maritime Museum in Fat Margaret. You can reorder the stops in the app, and no stop charges admission.
Open the route map ↗
1Viru GateStart
The two round towers at the end of Viru Street are what remains of the Viru Gate, part of Tallinn's medieval city wall. A first gatehouse stood here around 1370, and most of the gate complex was demolished in 1888 to make room for a horse tramway.
Read the full story →
2St Catherine's Dominican Monastery
Dominican friars had a monastery here, between Vene Street and the city wall, by 1246 at the latest. It was destroyed in 1524 during the Reformation, but parts of the cloister survive, and St Catherine's Passage beside it leads past a finely carved portal of the former church.
Read the full story →
3Tallinn Town Hall
Tallinn Town Hall on Town Hall Square was completed in 1404 and is described as the last surviving Gothic town hall in Northern Europe. Look for the dragon-head gargoyles on the façade and for Old Thomas, the city guard weathervane on the tower; the first one was put up in 1530.
4Eduard Vilde Memorial
Eduard Vilde (1865–1933) was one of Estonia's leading writers, known for historical novels such as The War in Mahtra. His memorial on Harju Street, beside St Nicholas' Church, is made of two large white stone tablets, one carved with figures of people and the other with a relief of the writer's head.
5Freedom Square
Freedom Square lies just outside the Old Town, on the site of a bastion in front of the former Harju Gate. On its western side stands the War of Independence Victory Column with the Cross of Liberty, unveiled on 23 June 2009 for those who died in the war of 1918–1920, and opposite is St John's Church, built in 1862–1867.
6Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
This Russian Orthodox cathedral on Toompea hill was built in 1894–1900 to designs by Mikhail Preobrazhensky, when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire. In 1924 an architect even proposed demolishing it, and its eleven bells, cast in Saint Petersburg, include one that weighs about 16 tonnes.
Read the full story →
7Great Guild Hall – Estonian History Museum
The Great Guild, Tallinn's association of rich merchants, built this Gothic hall on Pikk Street in 1407–1410. Its façade has tall blind arches and a large portal, and the building now houses the Estonian History Museum.
8House of the Blackheads
The House of the Blackheads on Pikk Street belonged to the Brotherhood of Blackheads, an association of merchants, ship owners and foreigners founded in the 14th century. Its Renaissance façade was rebuilt in 1597, and above the painted doors of the 1640s you can spot a Moor, the symbol of the brotherhood's patron, Saint Maurice.
Read the full story →
9Pikk Street
Pikk, whose name means Long Street, runs north through Tallinn's medieval Lower Town to the Great Coast Gate and was the old main route between the harbour and the town. It is lined with merchant houses and guild halls, and near its northern end stand the Three Sisters, three medieval merchant houses side by side.
Read the full story →
10Estonian Maritime Museum (Fat Margaret)Finish
The Estonian Maritime Museum is housed in Fat Margaret, a cannon tower built in 1511–1530 beside the Great Coastal Gate to guard the harbour. The tower is about 25 metres across with walls up to 5 metres thick, and it later served as a gunpowder store and a prison.
Read the full story →
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Kristen– United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
I went in to visit talon with no plans except to walk around and explore the old town. Finding this app was a fun way to learn about the area. I chose the self-guided tour but next time I travel, I would like to try the scavenger hunt or escape options. I wish I would have found this app earlier in my travels. Would have experienced different adventures in the other cities I went to. Brilliant idea.