Travel: Tallinn, Estonia

Published on Tuesday 22 March 2011 10:57

From the open-air balcony on the 23rd floor of the Hotel Siru I have a clear, sweeping view of a small, bustling city by the sea, crowned by the medieval spires and towers of its pretty old town.

While that may sound like a common sight for the seasoned European tourist, look a little closer and you discern Tallinn's distinguishing features: the red turrets of the old city wall peeking above the rooftops, the globular domes of the Russian Orthodox cathedral sitting stoutly on Toompea Hill and the sheets of ice covering vast swathes of the Baltic Sea in the distance.

Had you visited Estonia's capital just 20 years ago however, such a view would be off limits. For the top floor of this high-rise hotel was, until 1991, the base of the Soviet Union's feared security agency, the KGB.

Now the hotel is popular for its unrestricted views, and the top floor is a museum dedicated to lifting the lid on the dark days of espionage and state-sponsored paranoia.

The guided tour is fascinating, and, after hearing tales of bugged plant pots and elderly lift attendants who were really there to take notes about the movements of "suspicious guests", it's easy to see why older Estonians can be forgiven for seeming a little withdrawn at first.

Today Tallinn is at the heart of a thoroughly modern European nation. A member of the European Union since 2004, Estonia joined the eurozone on the 1st of January this year and, as it celebrates two decades of independence, Tallinn itself has been named a European Capital of Culture for 2011. The sight of a frozen sea can be deceiving: in the tourism business, this city is hot.

Despite the chill in the air when I visit at the bitter end of a cold snap, this part of the world has a seasonal climate, and because it's on a northern line of latitude similar to Stockholm and St Petersburg, it benefits from an abundance of summer sunshine.

Bring a sturdy pair of shoes to saunter around the old town's cobbled streets and it's worth taking a walking tour - an hour in which you'll learn of the days when gossiping women were pilloried in the town hall square and the immense Gothic spire of St Olaf's Church was briefly the tallest structure of its kind in the world.

If that doesn't satisfy your historical appetite, it's worth visiting Kiek in de Kk, one of the massive, stoic towers that once defended the well situated city.

A visit to the 15th century fortress gives a good overview of Tallinn's turbulent past. The city has been occupied by Danes, Swedes, Russians and Nazis at various junctures, the latter resulting in the devastating bombing of 1944 which makes the continuing existence of so much of the original architecture even more miraculous.For the complete medieval Tallinn experience, round off your day with a traditional feast at the Olde Hansa restaurant. Here you can sample the life of a wealthy Hanseatic merchant as your plate is piled high with bear and elk sausage, rabbit and sauerkraut, and "wenches" ensure the honey beer is always flowing.

But Tallinn is also a city that takes cuisine very seriously. We were treated to caviar-topped salmon that arrived under a smoke-filled dish at the Tchaikovsky Restaurant, itself set in a bright atrium of the chic Hotel Telegraaf.

At Neh we enjoyed succulent veal cheek with delicious beetroot relish. Then there was another delightful lunch in the smart surroundings of Mekk. I could go on, but more startling than the flavours were the prices, with three courses of fine dining typically costing around €e20-e25 (17-22).

The radical mix of old and new that defines this city can also be experienced in its nightlife.

While there are the Irish bars, theme pubs and cocktail lounges you find everywhere else, walk into Valli Bar and you'll see a snapshot of life behind the iron curtain, where most of the regulars have been knocking back eyewatering "jellyfish shots" (tequila, sambuca and Tabasco sauce) for decades and routinely break into accordion-led song and dance.

We also found the antithesis - young, hip, style-conscious Estonia - at a party staged in F-Hoone, a converted brick warehouse that now houses a restaurant and club playing minimal dance music.

As I found, one night in Tallinn can easily encompass sentimental folk songs and sleek techno, which seems to be an apt soundtrack for a city that celebrates its long, embattled history with one eye fixed firmly on the future.

THE FACTS

Return flights from Edinburgh to Tallinn with Ryanair start from 43 (www.ryanair.com). Nick Mitchell stayed at the Merchants House Hotel, Dunkri 4/6, Tallinn (0372 6977 500, www.merchantshousehotel.com,), double rooms with breakfast from 70 per night. For more on Tallinn see www.visitestonia.com or www.tourism.tallinn.ee

Visit www.holidays.scotsman.com for more UK holidays

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 2 April, 2011