Our third day in Tallinn brought a mix of grand imperial history, breathtaking city views, and a highly entertaining step back into medieval times. Looking back on these final moments, we are so incredibly grateful we included this beautiful destination in our itinerary.

A Royal Welcome to Kadriorg Palace

Our morning began at the beautiful Kadriorg Palace. Built in the early 1700s by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine I, the estate stands as a lovely example of northern Baroque style.

Imagine being an orphaned peasant girl captured by enemy forces, working as a servant, and somehow ending up as the Empress of Russia.

That is exactly the incredible history our guide, Kadi, shared with us to kick off our morning at Kadriorg Palace. She is a fantastic storyteller and brought the high-stakes survival story of Catherine I to life right away. Catherine had to be exceptionally smart to navigate her new life next to Peter the Great, becoming his closest confidante and one of the very few people who could calm his legendary, violent fits of rage.

The palace itself was built in the early 1700s by the Tsar for this remarkable woman. Designed by Italian architect Nicola Michetti, the exterior is a lovely example of northern Baroque style, painted in a bright combination of red, white, and soft peach tones. It is a bit ironic that Peter built such a grand estate for her, considering he personally preferred living in incredibly humble, functional spaces, like a small log cabin.

Today, the palace houses a calm, well-preserved foreign art museum, surrounded by quiet, symmetrical gardens and peaceful woodland paths that are perfect for a slow stroll.

A few early flowers were just starting to pop up, leaving us just around the corner calendar-wise from seeing the grounds in their peak glory. Kadi mentioned that once everything is in full bloom, it becomes an incredibly popular spot for wedding photography. Walking up those pathways and hearing those personal stories was an absolute highlight and a wonderful introduction to the palace.

After exploring the Palace, we took a long hike through the wooded grounds to a beautiful Japanese Garden.

Soaring Over Tallinn at Niguliste Museum Next, we headed to the Niguliste Museum, which is beautifully housed inside the 13th-century Gothic-style St. Nicholas Church. While it is no longer used for regular worship services, it has been transformed into an incredible space where history, art, and architecture meet. They installed a sleek glass lift that glides smoothly up through the ancient church tower, opening up to a brand-new viewing platform. Stepping out at the top rewards you with an uninterrupted 360-degree panorama, looking right down at the medieval church and red rooftops of Old Town.

Medieval Flavor and a Hilarious Surprise at III Draakon

To wrap up our final evening, we decided to lean entirely into the city’s rich history. We headed to Peppersack for dinner, which features a great medieval-themed atmosphere complete with costumed staff and a ten-minute comedic sword-fight skit right on the staircase.

We enjoyed some hearty, traditional Estonian dishes, including a wonderful chickpea curry with roasted sweet potato and fresh salad.

The real comedy of the night came afterward, though. We stumbled upon the cutest little historic tavern nearby called III Draakon.

Within thirty seconds of walking through the door, the barmaid started yelling at us! She was so incredibly rude and convincing that it took us a moment to realize it was actually all part of the interactive atmosphere.

Once we caught on, we had the best time laughing about it.

Farewell to Tallinn We spent our final day doing what we loved most: exploring entirely on foot. There is nothing quite like wandering through the winding cobblestone streets, sneaking into hidden alleyways, and popping into unique local boutiques one last time before saying goodbye. While we initially thought four days would be plenty of time to take it all in, we easily could have stayed longer to keep exploring. Tallinn, you were spectacular.

For more information on our itineraries, feel free to email me at dtgainor@gmail.com or visit Global Getaways to learn more about who we are and how we work.