Tallinn has a lot of history, especially with the Old Town that is dating back to 1219. Tallinn's Old Town is perceived to be one of the best
preserved cities in all of Europe and has been under UNESCO's World
Heritage Protection since 1997. But you probably knew all of that already. Okay! So today I make it my mission to show you some of the best sights and attractions that will be worth your time whilst you're here in Tallinn. Let's go! It's going to be a beautiful one. Welcome! Walking along the wall all the way to the Kiek in de Kök tower. We're currently standing on the Town Hall square where back in the medieval times all the hustle and bustle used to take place. And as you can see, it's
pretty much the case nowadays as well. This year is so very special as the building behind me, the Town Hall, is celebrating its 700 year anniversary. But we are here to see the Town Hall Pharmacy. This is the antique portion of the pharmacy, and it's literally full of the small, intricate antique medicines. From what I gathered back in the medieval times, they used to use medicine on the principle of similarity, meaning that if you have a headache, hey will give you animal skull powder. Or if you have a stomach ache, they will give you a wolf guts, which I find rather fascinating. And spending some time walking around
this small room has been so interesting. However, we are here for one specific thing only. Let's go and get it now. Also, there is a story that I read
about a couple of days ago, and I've been so fascinated and so looking forward to coming here and seeing it with my own eyes. There is a bottle that has sun dried dog feces inside. And it was believed that back in medieval
times, a piece of that will cleanse your body and restore your microflora that will help you against the plague. Who are we here to judge and question that. But this is what I'm seeing right now. And I saw it. Mission accomplished. Here is just one thing that we need to go and buy. Let's do it right now. Right. Back in the medieval times, pharmacy was also a place where all the important people would gather and meet up. They would chit chat, make important trading decisions, and they would drink this wine. This is called claret and it's sugared and spiced, red wine. And it's amazing that from this pharmacy,
you can buy this bottle and taste a little bit of history or bring a little bit of history with you back home. So, yeah, exciting. And if you are a holder of Tallinn Card, you get a small little gift
from this pharmacy. Back in the medieval times, marzipan was used to cure heartache. And it's also very delicious. Almonds. Tallinn is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the world. It is kind of like a crystallized form of what a town was in the 1400s, basically. If you're in Tallinn for a short period of time and you want to experience
the medieval side of it kind of in one place and in one go, this place is for you. It is called Kiek in de Kök Fortification Museum and it has three places to offer: a walk alongside a fortified wall, a visit to the artillery tower. And you even get to explore the underground passages. My pro-tip here is to start your visit by climbing the Maiden's Tower first, walk alongside those medieval walls all the way to the Kiek in de Kök museum. Explore the museum and leave the Bastion passages to the very end. This way, there is a natural flow to your visit. A pro-tip here or things to note is that in order to visit all three places, you'll probably need two to two and a half hours and the tickets to all three places
will cost you around €30. However, if you have purchased Tallinn Cards, then entry to all three places
will be free of charge. Which I find rather amazing as you get to save the money already on top of all the perks that you can get whilst using this card.. For now, let's get it. What a view! Honestly, climbing up the Maiden's Tower where we are right now is definitely so worth it. I haven't seen Tallinn from this
like side never before. So it's really, truly spectacular. So if you have a chance, definitely come in here. From what I've learned, back in the medieval times, there used to be 46 towers that lined the city wall. Nowadays, 24 of them have survived, and most of them are available to public, such as this one here. So definitely pop in here, enjoy the view. Imagine how it used to be walking here
back in the medieval times and just Yeah. Soak it all in! It's been a lot of up and down today. We are in the Kiek in de Kök tower, And honestly, if you are into medieval
walls and towers and cannons and gunpowder, this place is specifically for you. Personally, this floor map here of 46 towers that used to line the city walls of medieval Tallinn is the reason why we came here. I've seen this picture when I was doing the research and I knew straight away that I want to see it and I'm seeing it now and it's it's awesome. I'm so happy right now. So we'll take you back to the 1200s
when Tallinn begins. The official starting date is 1219. There was stuff here before we just don't quite know
how old it is and different dates. But 1219 is basically considered the baseline. In the 1200s you have a
a very rigid class society in Europe. And basically the cornerstone of Europe at
the time is Christianity. Every political system around is arranged by it. So the clergy is the most important. Then comes the nobility, including royalty. They divide the lands, conquer territories, and basically make sure that death and taxes can always be relied upon. And then there's the majority of the people, you know, the peasants, and they do all the hard labor. They grow the food. The understanding is that he who is born as a peasant should die as a peasant, and it shouldn't be in your interest to try to resist the system in any way. Because after all, this is how God has deemed it and this is the natural order of things. So the highest thing that you can do in your life is to just serve your God given purpose. Two skulls in the walls. This is spooky. I'm scared of them. These are the infamous Bastion passages. And what is super cool about them is that you literally walk back through the history as you go deeper and deeper into those tunnels. I really don't want to spoil your exploration, so I'm just going to highlight two things. First of all, these tunnels are located ten meters underneath the ground. And to this time or to this date, nobody really knows the exact length of them. Secondly, since we are underground, the temperature here is 10 to 12 degrees throughout the year. So make sure you wear something nice and warm, a hoodie or a jacket during your exploration and enjoy. It's pretty dope. Get lost on the streets of Old Town. Tallinn's Old Town has this unique feature as if it's been built in layers. And making your way up to the Upper Town and enjoying the view from one of the many viewing platforms is a thrilling experience in itself right. And if you would like to experience the Old Town with a little bit more fun and context, I highly recommend Tales of Reval. These guys offer 90 minute
guided tours of the Old Town. They wear those medieval outfits that are quite authentic
and they put on quite a show. The meeting point is literally just outside
of the Tallinn's Info Centre and the tours are free. So sign up! You will really enjoy. Currently I'm walking on St Catherine's passage. It is literally one of the oldest streets in the city and it is believed to be over 700 years old. As with everything, I will leave a little bit of mystery for you to explore this place by yourself. But now - an ice-cream stop! This place was highly recommended by Visit Tallinn team and oh my God, it was totally worth the visit. Gelato ladies have a great selection of ice creams. I went for mango and Pistachio, both of which were absolutely fantastic. Exploring their Old Town with my ice cream was very fun and kind of made me even hungrier. Speaking of food... In my opinion, food is the best way to explore and strengthen the connection to something. And in our case, it's a time long past. And trust me, we have looked Olde Hansa is the best place for that. If you would just teleport like a guy from the 14th century and show him this platter, he would be "yeah, okay I get this" Olde Hansa this medieval restaurant that is mimicking the life from the 15th century. What I find really, really cool is that all the dishes are made from the ingredients that you will be able to find in a medieval pantry. So this is basically made as a like a tasting platter that would contain all of the elements that you would find on the table of a nobleman or a merchant. But like the portions and the setting is made to be so that you just get an overview of it. Now, I'm not here to tell you how big of a feast you should have, but I highly recommend
you try one of their herb beers. Cheers! Honestly, sitting here,
the atmosphere is one of a kind. And I have to give a shout out to the staff who is so super knowledgeable and speaks three plus languages which is just mind blowing. and works really,really hard to keep the illusion going. Just wait till you start paying with your cards. Cheers! Proper medieval times! If you are watching this video and you go to the tips and tricks part, thank you, you guys are my favorites! First of all, there is a medieval festival that takes place in July every single year. There are plenty of medieval performances and exhibitions that take place on the streets of the Old Town. So plenty of good times guaranteed! Plus, who wouldn't like to see a duel
between two knights? I know I would. And I will definitely be exploring
that this year. Here are a couple of places to pin on Google Maps. First of all, the Fat Margaret Tower. It is twenty meters tall and has five meter thick walls. It's kind of like a two in one combo. First of all, you get to see
a maritime museum, which is amazing. And you also get access
to the rooftop terrace, which offers some of the best views on the harbor and on the town. The Maiasmokk Cafe which basically means "sweet tooth" in English. This cafe has been operational since 1864, which makes it the oldest cafe in the city. Plus, they offer hand
painting sessions on marzipan, which I find rather cool. Last but not least Chocolaterie de Pierre. Pardon my French pronunciation. Long story short, this cafe
is this bohemian French 1920s vibes. It offers some of the strongest coffee
and some of the best selection of cakes. And I never miss an opportunity to come here every single time I'm in town. If you do have any questions in regards to the Old Town, please check out the official Visit Tallinn website
for more information. I'll leave some relevant links in a description box below. Go and check it out! And if you have enjoyed this video please consider subscribing as we will be enjoying more of this beautiful town together in the upcoming months. Welcome to Visit Tallinn and I will see you in the next video.
