For Nordic charm across the Baltic Sea, try Tallinn
A two-hour ferry ride from Helsinki, Finland, sits a port city that’s as Nordic as a city can be (except for its affordability) without being in a Scandinavian country.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, delivers intriguing cultural offerings, exquisite dining and a relaxed urban seaside vibe against a dramatic historical backdrop, one that goes back centuries to the Middle Ages when Estonia was under Danish rule.
Tallinn was built on the salt trade in the Middle Ages. All of the “white gold” that was shipped from western Europe to Russia went through this city, making it the richest in the Baltic. The buildings in the magnificent town square bear that out. You can wander through the six-centuries-old, Gothicstyle Tallinn Town Hall. St. Olav’s Church has a distinctive spire so tall it was once used by the Soviets as a radio tower and surveillance point.
The city is small — its population numbers around 440,000 — but the concentration of museums is dense. Some, such as the Tallinn City Museum and the Museum of Photography, are tucked away in old stone-walled buildings along the narrow, twisty streets. Others are sprawling properties outside Old Town, such as Kumu, which has galleries with historic Estonian art and modern works.
Tallinn’s chefs are reason enough to visit the city, where a tasting menu at a top-ranked restaurant runs about $60, compared with about $130 in Helsinki. Some chefs take liberties with what could be called Soviet soul food.
Others take cues from the New Nordic kitchen. Try the minimalist Restoran Ore for exquisite, imaginative meals by chef Silver Saa.