Museums and galleries in Tallinn

Museums and galleries in Tallinn

1. See

   Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM)

   Eesti Kaasaegse Kunsti Muuseum

   Already when entering, this place plays with what a museum should look like: you enter into a café. The exhibition rooms are diverse, as they make use of old industrial space. The shows are prepared by artists, hence the place builds a bridge between the upcoming and the established scene.

   April to December: Tue–Sun 12:00–19:00 (you may want to double-check online)·Free admission, donations very welcome

2. See

   Estonian History Museum

   Great Guild

   The History Museum's main location is the medieval Great Guild Hall. Here, the permanent exhibition takes you through 11,000 years of Estonian history by means ranging from striking exhibits of artifacts to interactive "time capsules". Topics covered include a surprisingly wide range, from coinage and wine to the history of the Great Guild building itself. On top of that, there are always some temporary exhibitions which usually serve as a link with present-day Estonia and Tallinn.

   Daily 10:00-18:00 (1 May - 30 Sep); Thu-Tue 10:00-18:00 (1 Oct - 30 Apr)·€14; discounted €9

3. See

   Estonian Maritime Museum

   Fat Margaret

   The Maritime Museum dates back to 1935 and is housed inside the largest of the Tallinn city wall towers, aptly named "Fat Margaret" (Paks Margareta). Visiting the museum allows one not only to see the potpourri of maritime-themed artifacts, but also the 16th-century cannon tower and experience the view from the cafe on its roof. While the museum is the original location of the Meremuuseum, you absolutely cannot miss their second location in the Seaplane Harbour, where the ships and airplanes are stored (see below). Next to the museum, facing the sea, is the Broken Line (Katkenud liin) monument to the 1994 MS Estonia shipwreck.

   May–Sep: daily 09:00 – 18:00; Oct–Apr: Tue–Sun 10:00 – 18:00·€15, combined ticket with Seaplane Harbour - €30

4. See

   Estonian Open Air Museum

   This museum includes 72 buildings of Estonian vernacular architecture and village milieu of the Tsarist time of rule in a dark, dense forest. This museum provides a picture of the life and its hardship in the old times. The Folklore Society Leigarid gives free dancing performances here at 11:00 each Saturday and Sunday. The museum organizes special events during Easter, which provide more insight on Estonian traditions and culture. Also they organize a big party on June 23rd at night, the day before Jaanipäev (Saint John day), there are big fires, music and dancing to celebrate the shortest night of the year.

   Tue-Sun 10:00 - 19:00·Winter (September 29 – April 22): Adult €12, Concession €10, Family €25, Evening (1600-) €6, Evening Family (1600-) €12. Summer (April 23 – September 28): Adult €16, Concession €10, Family €28, Evening (1800-) €8, Evening Family (1800-) €16

5. See

   KGB Prison cells museum

   Now the Interior Ministry and not generally open to the public, this is where the KGB detained and tortured suspected dissidents. A Soviet-era joke says that this was the tallest building in Estonia: even from the basement, you could see Siberia. Interrogations were indeed conducted in the basement and you can see even today how the windows were crudely bricked up with concrete to mute the sound.

   Ticket 10 €, concession 8 €

6. See

   National Art Museum KUMU

   Opened in 2006, this is the largest government-built building since the liberation and it is an almost 50,000 m² (538,196 ft²). The museum, whose architecture is by itself enough to justify the visit, houses a cyclopic house, partly cut out of limestone rock. Permanent exhibition is obviously focused on Estonian art in a wide interval of time. Quality of many pieces is very good and well worth a visit. Also very interesting is the (not too spontaneous) turn of interests of artists toward socialist themes during the USSR period. Exhibitions of modern art, mixed with net/social applications, are often surprising and amusing. Not to be missed or overlooked.

   €14/28/9 adult/family/discount

7. Do

   Saku Suurhall

   Rocca al Mare. Estonia's largest concert and exhibition space, the venue for the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest. The hall and its facilities include an excellent shopping centre that can easily be reached by trolleybus 6.

8. See

   Seaplane Harbour

   Lennusadam

   Lennusadam, literally "air port", was constructed in 1916 for the purpose of serving the seaplane fleet with a spectacular, three-domed concrete hangar. Today, it serves as an outpost of the Maritime museum, serving its large collection of complete ships, aeroplanes and maritime and military equipment too large to fit the Fat Margaret. Inside the hangar, the highlight is the complete submarine Lembit, whose interior can be visited as well, a shipwreck from the 16th century and a collection of smaller boats and seaplanes. The crown of the collection moored outside in the harbour is the steam-powered icebreaker Suur Tõll. Throughout the museum, a number of state-of-the-art technologies and solutions are employed for a more engaging and enjoyable visit, and the museum has a wide range of activities and tours on offer. As the Seaplane Harbour is a bit out of the way, those getting peckish can enjoy a meal at the museum's restaurant Maru inside the hangars.

   May-Sep: daily 10:00 to 19:00; Oct – Apr: Tue-Sun 10:00 to 18:00·€20, combined ticket with Fat Margaret €30

9. See

   St. Nicholas church

   Niguliste kirik

   St.Olaf's lookalike is at the other end of the Old Town. Heavily damaged in World War II and a fire in the 1980s, it is now an art museum and houses Bernt Notke's famous Danse Macabre from 1633.

   Wed-S 10:00-17:00·adults €3.50, concessions €2

10. See

    Town Hall

    Raekoda

    Tallinn Town Hall, built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, is the oldest town hall in the Nordic countries and Baltic states. Its heavy stone structure dominates the square. Nowadays it's used as a museum where smaller concerts are held. The weather vane on top of the spire is called Vana Toomas ("Old Thomas") and it has become a symbol of the city.

11. See

    Vabamu

    Museum of Occupations and Freedom

    Educates and involves the people of Estonia and its visitors and encourages everyone to think about the recent past, to sense the fragility of freedom, and to stand for freedom and justice.

    Daily 10:00-18:00·Adult €15; concession €10; family €30

12. See

    Estonian Firefighting Museum

    Raua 2

    Mon–Thu 09:00 – 17:00, Fri 09:00 – 15:30

13. See Not mapped

    Kiek in de Kök

    An artillery tower, which is today a museum.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Tallinn (CC BY-SA 4.0).