Tallinn - Estonia

There are a number of large ships that make the crossing between Helsinki and Tallinn. The trip takes about 100 minutes on a fast ship. The trips are very popular, so the ships are generally full.

We booked the 10:00 am trip over and the 19:30 return. The ship is large and comfortable, carrying both passangers and vehicles. It is well equipped with bars, food stalls, poker machines, currency exchange and a large duty-free shop - any room left is for the passengers.

The old town of Tallinn is World Heritage listed, it is a well preserved medieval city with cobbled streets and a city wall. We had an Estonian meal (wild boar meatballs!) and then wandered around. There are old churches (Lutheran and Estonia's only Anglican church) and a newer Orthodox cathedral. The castle area is on higher ground and traditionally had different administration and laws to the lower town. Estonia's parliament is the old castle building. The town hall dates from the 1400's, as does a pharmacy opposite.

The old town is a compact place and attractive to wander around. It's full of tourists, but is quite easy-going. The museum is well worth a visit - it is in the house of a medieval merchant, over three levels. It gives a great understanding of how such a house functioned, as well as explaining the history and development of the old town. The museum also makes it clear that there is no fondness for the Soviet occupation (their words) from 1940 to 1992.

One reason that the trip from Helsinki is so popular is that it is an opportunity for Finns to do some duty-free shopping - particularly for alcohol. By the way, they can bring any amount of alcohol back, as long as it's for personal use. In Finland, as in much of Scandanavia, the sale of wines and spirits is a state monopoly. In Finland, this is through a chain of shops appropriately called Alko.