Tallinn Estonia Christmas market

[SecondAttempt]

We are planning a trip to Sweden this winter to visit family and friends and to show my island girl what a real winter looks like. My Swedish friends have told me that the Christmas market in Tallinn is the best and not to be missed. Anyone been? Comments?

I'll be taking her to Norrland (Kiruna) to see the northern lights, reindeer, and hopefully some dog sledding. We hope to stay at the Ice Hotel but probably not in a cold room.

Also interested in any comments on Helsinki. I have never been even though I lived to Sweden. Nice city but there does not seem to be a lot to see in the winter. Maybe a day trip. I'm aware the ferries between Helsinki an Stockholm are party boats.

 

[cathy63]

We did this trip in the late summer so I can't comment on the Christmas market part of it.

I really loved Helsinki and Tallinn. Rick Steves has good walking tours for the historical parts of both cities and a tram tour for Helsinki, and all of those would work in the winter as well as the summer. I have also seen pictures of the Suomenlinna fortress in the winter that look really spectacular. We stayed just south of the train station in Helsinki and found it to be a good location for walking.

The ferry is definitely a party boat, so book a cabin if you like to sleep. It's pretty funny to come out of your room in the morning, well rested and ready for breakfast, to see everyone else sprawled all over the sofas with huge bags of duty free shopping all around them and looking like they've had plenty to drink. With the short winter days, you'll probably leave Stockholm and arrive in Helsinki in the dark, so you won't have much in the way of views from the boat.

We visited Tallinn as a day trip from Helsinki, which was fine, but if I were to do it again, I'd check the cruise ship schedules and try to pick a day with the fewest ships in port.

 

[foxcreek9]

Loved Tallinn, Helsinki is ok. I think most people do it wrong, stay in Tallinn and take a day trip to Helsinki.

 

[Lorenzo]

Loved Tallinn, Helsinki is ok. I think most people do it wrong, stay in Tallinn and take a day trip to Helsinki.

I have done both. Staying in Tallinn and day-tripping to Helsinki was way better. As you know, the Estonians have turned what was a grim Soviet outpost into a modern, vibrant city with a beautifully preserved old center. Tallinn is far and away the nicest of the three Baltic capitals. It's worth several days' visit.

 

[tulak]

I found Helsinki to be small and easy to explore in a day or two. We didn’t visit Estonia. We were there for hockey and our primary destination was Tampere.

Overall, visiting Finland was fine, but there’s not much history there. Finland is a relatively new country, prior to that it was part of Russia and before that, Sweden.

Before that trip, I would confuse Scandinavian and Nordic countries. Finland is a Nordic country, but it’s not Scandinavian. Scandinavian countries are Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. I’ve only been to Denmark, but I can confirm that there is a lot more historical depth there. I suspect the same is true for Sweden/Norway?

It doesn’t mean that Finland isn’t nice to visit. We had a good time and were happy to see it, but it wouldn’t be a target destination for me without a specific reason, such as northern lights, hockey, or on the way to another destination.

As for the Baltic countries, those are high on my list to visit. I’d like to start in Estonia and then visit Latvia/Lithuania, possibly ending in Poland or maybe further south.

Whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll have a good time. Visiting Christmas Markets is high on my experience list, but I can’t seem to make it work. I was hoping this year, but it’s not going to happen. Maybe next year.

If you visit, please share your experience. I always enjoy first hand travel accounts. Happy travels!

 

[skyking1]

I've not been to Helsinki, but we stopped at Talinn on a cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Before that trip, I would confuse Scandinavian and Nordic countries. Finland is a Nordic country, but it’s not Scandinavian. Scandinavian countries are Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. I’ve only been to Denmark, but I can confirm that there is a lot more historical depth there. I suspect the same is true for Sweden/Norway?

Thanks for the comments so far!

Denmark is culturally Scandinavian but not geographically. Scandinavia usually refers to the peninsula where Sweden and Norway are. By that definition the northern part of Finland is Scandinavian. Not being pedantic, just adding context. Those that live there avoid the conflict entirely. They refer to the entire area as "Norden" - "the north"...except the Finns who call it "pohjoinen."

I speak Swedish all but fluently and have no trouble talking with people in Denmark or Norway. I speak Swedish with a smattering of Norwegian or Danish common words that I've learned. Of course they all speak English too but my Swedish must be good enough because they rarely switch to English if I start in Swedish.

But Estonian is COMPLETELY different but I am aware that English is widely spoken.

One of our stops is in Karlskrona Sweden to visit a friend. There is a ferry from a coastal town in Lithuania. I am still considering taking the train there then the ferry just to visit Latvia and Lithuania. But I'd need to be assured the train does not transit the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. I still have a lot of research to do!

 

[OldConch]

The train does not transit Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad is between Lithuania and Poland along the coast. Our T-Mobile phones switched over to the Russian Federation network when we visited the Curonian Spit out of Klaipeda, Lithuania. The border itself, however, was shut tight. We very much enjoyed our walking tour of Tallinn, and visit to the KGB museum in Riga. The Baltics are beautiful new democracies with a very tragic recent history and the Russian Bear at their back door. Loved our 10 days in the Baltics and 5 days each in Warsaw and Krakow.