If you've heard a lot of hype recently about Tallinn, Estonia, there's good reason for it, and I'm about to tell you why.
As a West Coast kid, Estonia was always just a place I confused with Astoria, a town in our neighboring state of Oregon. These days, it's made quite a name for itself as a capital city in the Baltic that remains largely untouched by the masses of tourists that visit the surrounding area. As with any "hidden gem," of course there are tourists there—every city has them—but compared to other places like Helsinki and St. Petersburg, this quiet little city tends to remain that way. The Regal Princess is one of the largest ships that dock in the port!
My fellow "cruise queen" (a nickname given to us by a fellow cruiser) travel buddy Tamara and I came away completely enchanted by the pastel tones, hidden corridors, charming people and colorful buildings that make Tallinn feel so magical.
We began our day around 9 A.M. with an organized shore excursion from the Regal Princess. Tour guides can be hit or miss, but the experiences I've had with Princess are a great time. I'm always amazed at the extensive knowledge that tour guides have—they can list off every fact about a city without hesitation...unless they can't think of the word they're looking for in English! Margit, our sweet Estonian guide, had the loveliest accent and even taught us a few words and pronunciations in Estonian.
Our first stop was Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was the biggest draw on Toompea Hill, which is the "upper level" of Old Town. It was right across from Estonia's Parliament building located in Toompea Castle, which is a bright baby pink and slightly reminded me of The Grand Budapest Hotel!
