Tallinn, Estonia Shore Excursions - Medieval Old Town & Kadriorg Palace

Cruise ships dock at the Old City Harbour (Vanasadam), one of the closest cruise ports to a historic center anywhere in Europe - roughly 15 minutes on foot from the edge of Tallinn's Old Town. Your private guide meets you at the terminal exit with a name sign.

Tallinn's Old Town is divided into Toompea, the upper town where the castle, cathedral, and parliament sit, and the lower town, the former merchant quarter centered on Town Hall Square. Highlights include the Gothic Town Hall built in 1404 - the only surviving Gothic town hall in Northern Europe - the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the medieval city walls and towers, and St. Olav's Church.

Kadriorg Palace is a Baroque summer palace built by Peter the Great in 1718 for his wife Catherine I, about 2 km east of the Old Town. It today houses the Kadriorg Art Museum, and our Tallinn Highlights and Kadriorg Palace tour combines the Old Town with a visit to the palace and park.

Our Best of Estonia tour is a full day private shore excursion combining a comprehensive walking tour of Tallinn's Upper and Lower Old Town with a visit to the Rocca al Mare Open Air Museum. The museum is a collection of nearly 100 traditional Estonian farm buildings spread across a 200-acre seaside park, showing farmsteads, fishing and inland villages, 18th and 19th century windmills, and a working village tavern.

The Old Town is very walkable but not entirely flat - the lower town is mostly level cobblestone, but reaching Toompea requires climbing a steep hill with uneven stone steps. Your private guide knows the most accessible routes and can adjust the walking pace and itinerary to suit your group's needs.

Our back-to-ship guarantee means that if an unforeseen delay during your private tour prevents you from returning to the cruise terminal before your ship departs, we will arrange and cover the cost of transportation to your next port of call. This guarantee applies to all private shore excursions booked through us in Tallinn. Your tour must be scheduled to return to the ship 1.5 hours prior to ship departure.