Historic Center & Old Town (red line)
The red line is the best line to take if you want to see and visit Tallinn’s main sights. The tour starts from the city center. You can hop on from the main stop which is located in front of Mere Cultural Center (former Russian Cultural Center). This tour takes you to the most picturesque places in the capital city. You can hop off at Kadriorg Park, which is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit. The palace is located in Kadriorg Park which is known as the largest park in Tallinn. Russalka Monument is located within a walking distance. In addition to that bus will pass the Song Festival Grounds on which the Estonian Song Festival is held every five years. The red line also passes new town and Estonian National Opera House dating back to the 1913. The red route also takes you to the Upper Part of the Old Town, where you can have a walk and visit Toompea Castle, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the St Mary’s Cathedral, also known as the Dome Church. All the routes take you back to the port (A,D, and Cruiseship Terminal).
STOP 1: MERE pst.5 ( in front of Mere Cultural Center)
OLD TOWN/VIRU GATES, ESTONIAN NATIONAL THEATRE, ROTERMANN QUARTER (WEST SIDE)
The barbican of Viru Gate was part of the defence system of the Tallinn city wall built in the 14th century. A couple of centuries later, it already had 8 gates that consisted of several towers and curtain walls connecting them. As the entrances to the Old Town were widened, several gates were demolished. However, the corner towers were preserved. Also, you can still see a part of the bastion that is called Musumägi. Viru Street with its many shops and restaurants has become one of the busiest pedestrian streets in the Old Town.
Majestic historical opera house nearby is part of the « Estonia » Theatre building, located in the very heart of Tallinn. The art nouveau/ neo-classical structure, designed by Finnish architects Armas Lindgren and Wivi Lönn, was the largest building in Tallinn when it first opened in 1913.
Rotermann Quarter – called also the Bold Town of Tallinn, across the street from our stop, puts people first and says: life should be enjoyed. From work life to free time, from social life to time with yourself. At all times. 24/7. Rotermann doesn’t let life get away from you.
STOP 2: KADRIORG PALACE & PARK, SWAN LAKE, RUSSALKA MONUMENT
In this bus stop you can visit Kadriorg Park and Palace. Palace was built for Catherine I of Russia by Peter the Great. In Kadriorg Park you can enjoy the picturesque view of symmetrical Swan Lake and also visit the KUMU Art Museum. The Russalka Memorial is a bronze monument sculpted by Amandus Adamson, erected in 1902 in Kadriorg, Tallinn to mark the ninth anniversary of the sinking of the Russian warship Russalka or ,, Mermaid”, which sank on route to Finland in 1893. It was the first monument in Estonia made by an Estonian sculptor.
STOP 3: SONG FESTIVAL GROUNDS
In 2003 Estonian’s Song Festival tradition was enrolled to UNESCO World Heritage list. The new and current stage was built in 1959. In 1988 Estonians gathered at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds to sing patriotic hymns in what became known as the Singing Revolution.
STOP 5: Swissotel/ Radisson Collection Hotel /ST. JOHN´S ALMSHOUSE CHURCH located in the New Town area
The first church on this site was probably built in the 14th century (according to some sources, in the first half of the 13th century). The church received its present appearance during the reconstructions in 1648 and 1724. The weather vane with a rooster on top of the tower dates from the 17th century, while the two bells in the tower are from the years 1619 and 1731.
STOP 6: OLD TOWN/TOOMPEA CASTLE
This is a must visit place. Toompea Castle is the seat of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia – the Riigikogu.
The castle complex is made up of several parts: the west wall and the Tall Hermann tower belong to the medieval fortress of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword, the Government Administration building represents the Czarist era and is classic in style, and the building of the Riigikogu, in the castle courtyard, was built in the beginning of the 1920s.
STOP 7: OLD TOWN/TOWERS SQUARE AND PARK/RAILWAY STATION MARKET
Square is named after the towers of the city wall next to it; in addition, several church towers and 8 well preserved medieval towers can be seen from here. In the Middle Ages, the place was named the « nunnery pasture » (nunnakoppel) because it belonged to the nunnery that was located in the buildings of the present Gustav Adolf Gymnasium. Today, the former flower-rich green area has grown into a beautiful shady park that has been assigned under nature protection.
This is a also stop to get to visit and see popular and unique Balti jaam market. Market is located 5 minutes walk across the street
STOP 10: SEAPLANE HARBOUR MUSEUM & PATAREI PRISON
The Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) is a maritime museum that is located in the Tallinn aeroplane harbour, in a building originally constructed as a hangar for seaplanes in the area of Peter the Great´s Naval Fortress. The hall has an area of 8,000 m2 (86,000 sq ft) and was put out of service during the Soviet era. Its renovation started in 2010 and was opened in spring 2012.
The Patarei Prison fort was built from 1830–1837 as part of the fortifications for the tsarist Russian state. The building order was given by emperor Nicholas I. In 1864, Tallinn was removed from Russian Empire’s list of fortresses due to Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War, and the fort was converted into barracks.
The Republic of Estonia, reconstructed it as a prison after WW I. In 1919, the fort’s main function became a prison, lasting until 2005.
STOP 11: FAT MARGARETH TOWER
The tower was built in the early 16th century (from 1511 to 1530) during the reconstruction of the medieval city gate system. The etymology of the tower’s name derives from the fact that it was the largest part of the city’s fortifications with walls measuring 25 meters in diameter, 20 meters in height and up to 5 meters thick. Apart from being a fortification against would-be invaders to the port of the town, it was also built to impress outside visitors arriving by sea
