Tallinn’s largest and most popular beach, Pirita is only 6km from the city. In summer, bronzed sun-lovers fill the sands and hang out in the laid-back cafes nearby. Even when it's bleak and windy there are plenty of wind- and kitesurfers to watch. It's backed by a narrow band of pine forest threaded by a bike track and there are places to buy an ice cream, a drink or lunch.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.95 MILES
Dating from the 13th century, the imposing St Nicholas' Church (Niguliste kirik) was badly damaged by Soviet bombers in 1944 and a fire in the 1980s, but…
7.33 MILES
This sprawling ethnographic and architectural complex comprises 80 historic Estonian buildings, plucked from across the country and resurrected in…
2.71 MILES
This futuristic, Finnish-designed, seven-storey building is a spectacular structure of limestone, glass and copper that integrates intelligently into the…
3.83 MILES
Completed in 1404, this is the only surviving Gothic town hall in northern Europe. Inside, you can visit the Trade Hall (whose visitor book drips with…
3.79 MILES
The Great Guild Hall (1410) is a wonderfully complete testament to the power of Tallinn's medieval trade guilds. Now a branch of the Estonian History…
2.68 MILES
Kadriorg Palace, a baroque beauty built by Peter the Great between 1718 and 1736, houses a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia devoted to Dutch, German…
3.54 MILES
When this cavernous, triple-domed building was completed in 1917, its reinforced-concrete shell-frame construction was unique in the world. Resembling a…
4.18 MILES
Once literally on the wrong side of the tracks, this set of abandoned factory buildings is now Tallinn's most alternative shopping and entertainment…
Nearby attractions
0.4 MILES
Only the massively high Gothic stone walls remain of Pirita, completed in 1436 as the largest convent in Old Livonia. The rest was destroyed in 1577 by…
1.2 MILES
Perched on the bluff next to Maarjamäe Palace, this large Soviet-era monument consists of an elegant bowed obelisk set amid a large crumbling concrete…
1.38 MILES
The 19th-century stable block of Maarjamäe Palace, one component of the Maarjamäe History Centre, has been re-created as an exhibition space, currently…
1.42 MILES
Opened in the grounds of Maarjamäe Palace in 2017, and with big plans for the future, this rust-red, semi-subterranean museum on the grounds of the…
1.45 MILES
Maarjamäe Palace, a neo-Gothic 19th-century extravagance built by a wealthy Russian, anchors this excellent cultural-historical complex, run by the…
1.5 MILES
The principal feature of the dispersed Estonian History Museum's Maarjamäe History Centre is the restored 19th-century Maarjamäe Palace, now a museum. An…
1.77 MILES
Set on 1.2 sq km in the Pirita River valley and surrounded by lush conifer woodlands, these delightful gardens boast over 8000 species of plants,…
2.02 MILES
Opened in time for the 1980 Olympics, this futuristic, 314m tower offers brilliant views from its 22nd floor (175m). Press a button and frosted glass…