Tallinn Christmas Markets 2021
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Christmas Markets in Tallinn
Finnoy Travel is based in Helsinki but we must admit that our neighbour capital, the Baltic beautiful city of Tallinn has a better Christmas Market than Helsinki. There is a simple reason for that. Tallinn has an extremely beautiful medieval Old Town. Creating a Christmas atmosphere around the medieval Old Tallinn is much easier than doing the same in Helsinki.
"Quality beats quantity" - this applies well when speaking of the Christmas market in Tallinn. The city is quite small and it has only one major traditional Christmas market located in the Old Town but the market itself is a great reason to visit this enchanting city.
Luckily, the lively city of Tallinn has also other Christmas events so the town won't leave you empty after the Christmas Market.
Tallinna Jõuluturg - Tallinn Christmas Market
In winter 2021 - 2022, the Christmas Market opens on 26th November and it will be open until 2nd January. The market is open every day from noon to 7 pm. Warm drinks are served until 10 pm. There is plenty of time to experience the warm Christmas atmosphere of Tallinn medieval Old Town. We recommend visiting the Old Town late in the evening.
As the dark sets in, more shoppers can be spotted buying Tallinn souvenirs, like winter accessories, from the several shops at the Tallinn Christmas Market.
The Christmas Market is built in German style having many outdoor stalls selling delicious drinks and snacks. Naturally, you can also buy souvenirs and Christmas items. Estonians love drinking mulled wine outside to warm themselves up. The wine is often combined with dried fruits.
Glögi is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas in Europe. Visitors at the Tallinn Christmas Market are lining up for their Glögi.
Tallinn Christmas Market is in the middle of the Old Town next to Tallinn Town Hall. The building is the oldest surviving town hall in the Baltic countries and Scandinavia. Some people say, that the Christmas Market in Tallinn is the most beautiful in Europe. We have visited it multiple times ourselves and we strongly agree - the market has a special winter atmosphere even though there isn't usually snow.
Tallinn Christmas Market is the home to one of Europe's oldest holiday traditions. Ceasar is standing in front of the Christmas tree in Tallinn.
A big Christmas tree next to the Tallinn Town Hall is also worth seeing. It is said that a similar tree has been staying there already in 1441. The market has a truly long history that many other Christmas Markets in Europe are missing.
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Estonian Hospitality Meets the Christmas Market
Estonians are friendly people. Some Estonians may have similar facial features as Eastern Europeans though there is quite a difference between them in terms of personalities. Estonians like Finns love sauna and they don't talk unless they have something important to say. Don't take it as unfriendly, because it is just a part of their culture. Travellers might find it quite rude but once you befriend a local then you will realize, they are very nice. While visiting Tallinn Christmas Market, you'll expect fast and customer service. People love travellers and want to serve them well in a local way.
Young Estonians speak good English. With older people, you may need to communicate in Estonian, Finnish or Russian.
Weather in Tallinn
Visiting Tallinn in the winter is expected to be cold. Still, visiting there is the best enjoyed by walking around especially at night when the corners of Tallinn Old Town are beautifully lighted such as this.
In winters, the weather in Tallinn is cold. The temperature is normally between 0 and +5 degrees but if you are (un)lucky, you may experience even -20 degrees. There are countless cosy cafes and restaurants spread in the Old Town where you can enjoy Estonian food and hot drinks perfect for the cold weather.
One thing is sure, the sun rises late and sets early in the winter.
Prices
The price level in Tallinn Christmas Market is about half cheaper than in Helsinki. Especially, food and drinks are affordable. Souvenirs may be more expensive but we are not recommending travellers to buy any unnecessary items. Spending money on services is more environmentally friendly than buying material things.
Where to Stay near the Christmas Market?
There are numerous small hotels inside the Old Town near the Christmas Market. The hotels inside the Old Town are not as good as other hotels in the city centre. Check out the hotel selection in the Old Town on Booking.com.
If you prefer staying outside the Old Town in a modern hotel, we have a few recommendations:
Original Sokos Hotel Viru is a Finnish 4-star hotel in the centre. Sokos is a hotel chain with stable good quality.
Radission Blu Hotel Olümpia is a tall 4-star hotel withing 15 minutes walking distance from the Old Town. Ask for an upper floor room and enjoy the view!
Kalev Spa is an Estonian hotel with a nice spa, saunas and pools. The hotel is affordable but just renovated. The location near the Old Town is perfect.
If only the best is enough, just head to a 5-star Swissotel. The hotel is just in the centre and you won´t get disappointed.
Our Day Trip to Tallinn Christmas Market
In an earlier year, we visited Tallinn for a few hours on 10th Dec. There were two reasons for our visit: We wanted to update this article with photos but we also love visiting Tallinn. The city has its charm in every season.
Our trip to Tallinn from Helsinki was simple, fast and very affordable. The ferry cruise had a great bargain, less than 5 euros/person. We took a modern ferry, Viking XPRS, which is one the newest ferry of Viking Line. The crossing of the Baltic Sea took only 2,5 hours oneway so we had four hours to spend in Tallinn. That was enough for a short visit.
We had time only to visit the Old Town. Firstly, we enjoyed the spirit of the Christmas Market but we had also time to climb up to Toompea hill to enjoy the scenic view over the city. And of course, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Old Town with a local beer.
If you are based in Helsinki, like us, we recommend you to read our article about ferries between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Ways to Travel to Tallinn
Tallinn lies in Northern Estonia below the Gulf of Finland. The location is not central from the European perspective but reaching Tallinn is still simple and fast.
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To Tallinn by a Ferry
The most comfortable way to reach Tallinn is by a ferry. There is a daily ferry connection from Stockholm to Tallinn and many daily connections from Helsinki. Why not to visit Helsinki Christmas Markets first and then continue to Tallinn?
Tallinn by a Low-cost Airline
The fastest and cheapest way to reach Tallinn is to have a direct flight by a low-cost airline. EasyJet and Ryanair have flights to Tallinn from many countries.
Tallinn Airport is small but modern. It is close to the city centre and it takes only 15 minutes to reach a central hotel from the airport by taxi.
Tallinn by a Standard Airline
If you are reaching Tallinn outside Europe or coming from a destination from where there are no direct flights to Tallinn, we recommend flying via Helsinki Airport. Finnair has a global network with many connections to Helsinki and the airline operates also a route between Helsinki and Tallinn multiple times a day. It could also be a nice idea to have a stopover in Helsinki.
Check out Tallinn hotels on Booking.com.
Other Transportation Options
You can reach Tallinn also by bus via the Baltic countries. However, the journey time would be long and riding a bus will easily become uncomfortable. For example, from Berlin, there are bus routes to Tallinn that take more than 24 hours.
Bottom Line
We bet you will love Tallinn Christmas Market. The market is beautifully unique in the whole of Europe. Tallinn has also many other things to see and to do so spending a few days in the city is recommended. And the best part is that the city is affordable.
Tallinn lies close to Helsinki, so combining a journey to Helsinki and Tallinn is simple. A ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki or vice versa takes less than 2 hours. And from Helsinki, it is easy to continue to Stockholm.
Have you visited Tallinn Christmas Market? What did you like the most?
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