Tallinn in a day, the way the Finns do it

Finns go to Tallinn for cheap alcohol. Tourists go for the medieval old town. You can do both, or neither. The ferries are cheap, the crossing is 2 hours, and if you do not sleep on it you get seven hours on the Estonian side. Tallinn's old town is UNESCO, compact, and completely walkable. Most visitors to Helsinki fly home without doing this. It is the easiest mistake to correct.

The walk

1. 1

   Tallink or Viking ferry

   West Terminal 2 (Länsisatama)

   Either Tallink or Viking Line runs about every two hours. Book ahead, 25-45 euro return for foot passengers. The ferry is bigger than a cruise ship inside, with restaurants, shops and, yes, alcohol.

   Take the 07:30 out, the 19:30 back. You get six full hours in Tallinn.

2. 2

   Tallinn old town walk

   Vanalinn (old town)

   Compact, walled, 14th-century core. Not a replica, the real walls are still mostly standing. Cobblestones, steep in places. The whole walkable area is about 1 km across.

3. 3

   Toompea hill

   Toompea, old town north

   Upper town, medieval nobles' quarter. Two viewing platforms, Kohtuotsa and Patkuli, both free, with photos of the lower town's red roofs over the city walls. Russian Orthodox cathedral at the top.

4. 4

   Rataskaevu 16 or Olde Hansa

   Rataskaevu 16 / Vana turg 1

   Actual Estonian food, not Finnish-ferry food. Rataskaevu is modernist-traditional, Olde Hansa is medieval-themed. Both are tourist-heavy, both are still worth the lunch. Book ahead in summer.

5. 5

   Telliskivi creative city

   Telliskivi 60/1, Põhja-Tallinn

   Former railway workshop complex turned into a creative quarter, 15 minutes' walk north of the old town. Food halls, local designers, street art, cafés. This is where Tallinn locals spend their Saturdays.