Peep into the kitchen

1. Enjoy the stunning views from Toompea Hill that stretch out as far away as Tallinn's harbour. From here, the row of intact bastions and towers and the fascinating mix of architectural beauties that line Pikk street, Aia street and Raekoja plats are postcard-pretty.

2. Lossi plats on Toompea Hill is a panoramic square which offers more than a couple of attractions. The highlight is unquestionably the 19th-century Orthodox-style Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a massive multi-domed structure that was meticulously restored to its former grandeur. Don't miss its artistic iconostasis.

3. A stroll along the cobbled streets of the Old Town is one reason why you should come here. Viru gate marks the entrance to the Old Town. From here, Viru street runs straight towards Raekoja plats, the Town Hall square and the centre of Tallinn life since the 11th century. From the square, numerous atmospheric streets which have retained their original Old Town charm and character are awaiting visitors.

4. Visit Tallinn's outdoor central market, located on Lastekodu tanav. Called the Keskturg, it can be reached by taking Tram 2 or 4 to the Keskturg stop. The bustling atmosphere and the vast displays are excellent; the prices are dirt-cheap.

Quick Tips:

1. Tallinn can best be enjoyed in summer, the best months being July and August when the average temperature is 20 degrees. In winter, it's awfully cold with a lot of snow and biting winds. Winter days are short with only a few hours of daylight.

2. Exchange offices are everywhere along the Old Town, but before changing your money, check carefully the rate and commission charges. Monex with offices at Sadama 25 near the harbour and at Viru 20 in the Old Town offered the best rates when I was there. Some branches of Hansapank and a couple of top end hotels offer ATM facilities.

3. Tallinn has lately become a haven for food lovers with restaurants cropping up everywhere. The best bet to taste local cuisine is inside Eesti Maja on Lauteri 1. Authentic Estonian meals served here are delicious, tasty and cheap. For the best Italian food, head to the city's most picturesque restaurant. Located midway along an atmospheric alleyway which leads from Vene to Muurivahe, Controvento serves the best pasta dishes in town. A vast range of Italian soups, homemade ravioli and Italian-style sweets complete the menu.

Best Way To Get Around:

1. Bus 2 runs from Tallinn's airport to the bus station on Viru valjak, just opposite the Viru hotel. The service runs daily from 6am to midnight. From Tallinn's harbour to the city centre, take Tram 1 or 2. Both go around the Old Town, passing through different routes.

2. Transport tickets are sold from street kiosks or from the driver. Visitors who are staying in the city for more than a week are advised to buy a 10 day pass suitable for buses, trams and trolleybuses within the city limits. For longer stays, 30 day passes are also available.

3. The Tallinn Card available from the Tourist Information Office on Raekoja plats and from top end hotels entitles visitors for free admission to all museums in the city, free public transport and a guided tour of the Old Town. You can opt for a 1 day, 2 day or 3 day Card.

4. Most streets within the Old Town are pedestrianised and the only way to see the attractions is on foot. This gives you the opportunity to discover for yourself Tallinn's secret treasures and architectural beauties, its fascinating medieval courtyards and its winding streets and alleys.

The most conveniently located place of accomodation in Tallinn is Hotel Viru, an enormous 22-storey block which occupies one complete side of Viru valjak. This busy square only a short distance east of Viru gate and the Old Town is the business heart of Tallinn's new city centre. Behind the hotel, a lovely forested area known as Tammsaare is dotted here and there with numerous spots ideal for relaxation or leisure.

The first thing that strikes you once you make your way inside Hotel Viru is the vastness of the main foyer and reception area. Crowds of eager Scandinavian tourists who come here for short breaks by ferry from Helsinki or Stockholm seem to create a constant commotion. Some are pushing themselves towards the row of elevators to reach a desired floor. Others are just looking around trying to locate the ground floor restaurant or the bar of their choice. An extravagance of souvenir shops, elegant boutiques and beauty parlours join the couple of travel agencies and exchange bureaux to fill up the remaining space on the ground floor.

Don't expect a warm or friendly welcome. Neither should you expect a personalized or intimate atmosphere. The large number of tourists accomodated here makes this impossible. It's enough to remember that most clients are here for only a couple of days and so faces change rapidly. However, everything is organised in such a way that you'll find no problems once you're handed the electronic door key to your room. Before taking the elevator, be sure to pick your free copy of 'Tallinn this Week' from the stand which adjoins the reception desk.

We were allotted a double room on the 16th floor. Nothing extraordinary or luxurious but the room decor was much better than expected from a three-star hotel. The practical light-wood furniture carefully chosen to fill in all the empty spaces was complemented by decorative flower vases and a couple of wall-hanging paintings. The wall-to-wall curtain made from the same material as the bed coverings was patterned with rows of ornamental flower motifs. The big surprise came on drawing the curtain allowing natural light to come through. The front view was superb stretching out towards Tallinn's harbour. A side view of the Old Town helped us to get oriented with Tallinn's most important landmarks.

A booklet with photos placed on a side desk in our room gave us a clear picture of what the hotel offered. The easy-to-follow plan displayed on the front page leads clients towards the hotel's numerous amenities. You can use it to find your way towards the breakfast room, the coffee shop or the nightclub. You can use it to locate the sauna and fitness centre or any one of the three bars available.

Hotel Viru lacks the informal atmosphere and intimacy often found inside smaller hotels. This is however compensated for by numerous other benefits which can be summed up by quoting the hotel's motto: You name it, we have it.

Controvento is a bar-restaurant complex housed inside a restored 13th-century granary that still retains much of its original charm and character. Located along a medieval walkway between two picturesque streets in Tallinn's Old Town, it is the place to be if you're after genuine Italian dishes.

From Raekoja plats, walk east until you see the recently restored corner block which houses the Demini Shopping Gallery. This is bordered by two busy streets. Take Vene and walk northeast past numerous tiny shops and character buildings until on your right you reach the entrance to Katariina Kaik, an alleyway marked number 12. Meander along Katariina Kaik for about 50 metres and you'll find Controvento on your right.

The bar housed on the ground floor of the complex opens daily at 11am. On week days, it never closes before midnight; on Saturdays, Sundays and special days when the atmosphere is enhanced by live music, it carries on with business until 1am. The entertaining atmosphere inside is made better by the excellent service offered by each member of the staff. Don't hesitate to ask about unusual cocktails and Estonian liqueurs. Prices are cheap, so cheap that tourists are often tempted to drink too much.

The same can be said of the restaurant on the first floor where the cosy and friendly atmosphere is something you'll surely talk about at home. A stone-vaulted ceiling, a row of stained glass windows and an abundance of century-old furnishings add up to create an atmosphere of days past.

No other restaurant in Tallinn provides such a vast range of Italian fare. Specialities include homemade pasta, vegetable soup with vermicelli and cheesecakes for vegetarians. Controvento's pizza baked in a traditional wood-heated brick oven is unarguably the best pizza in town.

The sweets and the cappuccino are reminiscent of an eatery in Napoli. It can't be otherwise since both the owner and the chef are Italian. You can ask for a menu in English although menus are available in other languages as well. Don't hesitate to ask: the Estonian waiters and the Italian pizzaiolo are the friendliest I've come across in Tallinn. A full meal for two complete with Italian wine or local beer sets you back about US$30. With regard to wine, you can opt for familiar Italian wines or you can try a local variety which comes of course much cheaper. You can even try Wana Tallinna, a local alcoholic drink that you'll soon find out it's more than wine. Try Saku beer on draught, the best Estonian beer and yet so cheap, less than US$1 for a litre.

Spaghetti is always spaghetti, but Controvento's spaghetti carbonara is creamy and tasty, their penne al pesto is delicious and their pizza peperone is unquestionably the best of the range. Or if you are after something light yet tasty, why don't you try their thick pasta e fagioli? End up with a delicious slice of Controvento's tiramisu and a frothy cappuccino.

Medieval Tallinn is a fairy tale of narrow walkways, alleys, winding cobbled streets, tower ramparts, church spires and 14th-century buildings. Kept effectively hidden from the eyes of the West for more than half a century, it has finally reappeared as one of the most picturesque and best preserved medieval cities in Europe.

Surrounded by 2.5kms stretch of defensive walls, most of which are still intact, Tallinn's lower town revolves around the Town Hall square named Raekoja plats. From here, Viru street, today a pedestrianised shopping mall and the centre of Tallinn life runs east towards Viru gate. This simple medieval structure, partly hidden by dense foliage is one of the six former gates which were once used as the entrances to the lower town.

Vene street leads roughly northeast past a cluster of tiny craft shops and numerous medieval courtyards. Pikk street which like Viru and Vene emerges out of Raekoja plats runs north towards the Great Coast gate and the Paks Margareeta, a round 16th-century thick-walled bastion which formerly protected this entrance to the Old Town.

While walking along Pikk, don't fail to inspect the splendidly restored medieval houses that line both sides of this particular walkway. Of special mention for their architectural beauty are the red-roofed corner building at Pikk 4 and the huge green and white elaborate structure at Pikk 26. The buildings at Pikk 17 and Pikk 20 are valuable more for their historical significance than for their architectural beauty. The former which is now occupied by the Estonian History Museum was owned in the past by the Great Guild, an association to which important 15th-century tradesmen once belonged. The latter which is externally adorned with statues of Martin Luther and St.Canutus was owned for several centuries by a German association of master artisans and craftsmen. Walking further north along Pikk, you will finally reach the 11th-century Oleviste Church. There's nothing interesting inside but its 120 metres high tower is one of Tallinn's most important landmarks.

From the lower town, the easiest way to reach Toompea Hill is from the west end of Pikk street where the Pikk Jalg tower dominates the picture. If you continue straight ahead along Pikk Jalg, you'll soon reach Lossi plats, the beautiful square on Toompea dominated by Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on one side and Parliament House on the other. Both meticulously restored to their former grandeur about five years ago, they look wonderful, although their architectural styles are contrasting. The Russian Orthodox multi-domed Cathedral has typical Russian-style architecture while the pink-coated Parliament has a simpler classical exterior. Next to Parliament House, you can still see three of the four corner towers built by the Knights of the Sword in the late 13th century.

Continue north on Toompea past Toomkirik, Estonia's oldest church, until you reach one of the three lookout points that overlook the lower town. One such lookout point is next to a restaurant that has tables outside, from where you can enjoy a superb view while taking a drink or a snack. The gorgeous view from any lookout point reaches as far as the harbour and the ferry terminals. Don't forget to bring a camera along with you to take aerial photos of the medieval red-roofed buildings and the round defensive towers that line Lai, Pikk, Uus and Aia streets in the lower town.

Estonia is the cheapest of the Baltic countries and when compared with nearby Helsinki, it comes less than half the price. That's why in summer so many Finns flock to the ferry terminal in Helsinki's harbour on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings to take one of the regular ferries across the Baltic. The convenient 5pm trip every Friday on the 'Wasa Queen', operated by the Silja Line is usually invaded by Finns who come over to Tallinn for a drinking spree on Friday night and cheap shopping on Saturday morning.

There's nowhere cheaper in Tallinn than the Keskturg. Located on Lastekodu tanav and reached from the city centre in less than 10 minutes by Tram 2 or 4, it is a daily outdoor central market which is always crowded with locals who come here from all surrounding areas. It is mostly a paradise of food stalls which specialize in fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy products, pastries and more. There's also a wide range of clothes, shoes and bags for sale; you'll not find however, the designer fashion clothing you may be looking for. Even if you do not intend to buy, come here at least once, push yourself against the bustling crowds between rows of market stalls and see how the locals bargain to get their money's worth. There are also two other similar but smaller markets not far away from the city centre: the indoor Kadaga market and the Balti Jaama Turg, next to the railway station.

Don't think that shopping in Tallinn is limited to markets only. Since the fall of Communism, numerous department stores, fashion boutiques and beauty parlours have emerged everywhere and made shopping more fun. Tallinna Kaubamaja at Gonsiori 2 occupying a whole block in the new city centre behind the high-rise Viru Hotel is a big department store keeping with West European standards, while the excellent Stockmann at Liivalaia 53 near Hotel Olympia renowned for its wide range of imported products compares well with Helsinki's Stockmann, though prices are much cheaper.

If you are looking for something special with the touch of Estonia to take back home, visit one of the numerous shops that line the streets of the Old Town, particularly those along Vene, Viru and Harju streets. The top place to go for designer clothes and handmade garments is Demini, the beautiful four-storey corner building at Viru 1. With three full floors displaying the widest range of designer fashion clothing in Estonia, Demini Shopping Gallery opens 7 days a week with shorter hours on Sunday. Likewise, Max Mara at Harju 6 is another fashion boutique which specializes in Estonian hand-knitted garments and handmade suits. To complement Max Mara's fashion, the nearby Dolores beauty parlour at Harju 3 offers the widest range of natural cosmetics and mineral beauty products in Tallinn.

For Estonian handicrafts, ceramic souvenirs and leather products, Uljas ja Tutred on the Old Town square and Rewill at Vene 7 are the best places to go. You even have the opportunity to see how Estonian handicrafts are manufactured if you visit the small factory shop Teasponi Pesupood at Muurivahe 52/54. Decorative glass, crystal and fine porcelain, all imported but inexpensive by Western standards are sold at Luumera at Viru street 24. Susanna at Dunkri street 5 sells similar products.

Tallinn's alcohol and liqueur shops are a haven for those seeking top-quality vodka and local or imported wine and beer. There are many shops selling alcoholic drinks and tobacco products both in the Old Town and outside. Near the Old Town square, Ararat at Suur-Karja 17/19 and Alkoholimyymala at Suur-Karja 2 have the widest range of alcoholic drinks in Tallinn. Try Davai or Ulemiste Vodka, both made in Estonia and much cheaper than the widely available range of Dovgan Classic Russian Vodka. Or why don't you buy a bottle of grapefruit or peach gin, so unusual and yet so refreshing when chilled? If you want something lighter, there's a wide range of local beers from which to choose; however, they’re not as light as you may think. The 2 picks are unarguably the blue-canned Saku or the red-canned Koff lager. If you really want to go back home with a taste of Old Tallinn, don't leave before buying a bottle of 'Wana Tallinna', a local liqueur with a high alcohol content.

Enjoy Tallinn's wonderful shopping scene!