Believe it or not, this is a plan that lets you enjoy Estonia — a fairy-tale country in Europe — with just a three-day weekend plus one extra day off. Estonia may sound impossibly far away, but it sits right next to Finland, often called the easiest European country to reach from Japan. Its capital, Tallinn, is a compact city, so four days off is genuinely enough to enjoy it. I hope this helps you plan your next trip!
About Estonia
Estonia, one of the three Baltic states, is just a two-hour ferry ride from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Prices are lower than in Helsinki, so some Finns apparently hop over on weekends just to buy alcohol. Sure enough, on the ferry back to Helsinki I saw people boarding with piles of beer and wine (laughs).
Estonia was part of the Soviet Union until it gained independence in 1991, and you can still see traces of that — shops around town were full of matryoshka dolls.
These days, Estonia is known as a leading digital nation. More than 99% of government services are available online: with the ID card every citizen carries, you can change your address, pay taxes, and even vote over the internet. (Voting from home does make me slightly nervous about the risk of pressure from others, though.) Parents can apparently even check their children’s school grades with the same card!
It is a level of digitalization that still feels unimaginable in Japan — perhaps being a small country of about 1.3 million people makes it easier to try new things. Skype, by the way, was also born in Estonia.
The contrast with its fairy-tale old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is utterly charming! (laughs)
So here is a plan to make the most of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital (with a little bit of Helsinki, too) in a four-day break.
The Itinerary
Day 1 — Thursday
0:00 Meet at Narita Airport
We took a late-night Finnair flight. Finnair’s overnight departures leave not only from Narita but also from Kansai Airport, so travelers based in western Japan can follow a similar schedule.
Before boarding, exchange some money into euros. Estonia adopted the euro in 2011, and Finland — where we make a brief stop — is the only Nordic country using the euro as well. Since euros circulate widely around the world, you generally get a better rate exchanging in Japan. That said, credit cards are accepted almost everywhere in both countries, so a small amount of cash may be all you need.
5:30 Arrive in Helsinki
You land in Helsinki early in the morning. (Update: flights now take a little longer because aircraft can no longer fly over Russia.) With the currency exchange already done, we cleared immigration and headed straight to Helsinki Central Station by train.
7:30 Helsinki Cathedral
A short walk from Helsinki Central Station brings you to Helsinki Cathedral, the head church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. “Evangelical” and “Lutheran” struck me as an odd combination at first, but it turns out to have no particular connection to the well-known American evangelical movement.
Remarkably, about 80% of Finns belong to this Evangelical Lutheran Church. Learning more about Christianity would make traveling in Europe even more rewarding.
Sitting on the cathedral steps and soaking in the morning atmosphere of Helsinki feels wonderful.
8:30 Uspenski Cathedral (Uspenskin katedraali)
Its formal name translates rather elaborately into Japanese, but read straight from the Finnish it is simply Uspenski Cathedral.
True to Orthodox architecture, its trademark is the onion-shaped domes. Compared with Russian Orthodox churches, though, it feels solemn rather than cute. Far fewer Finns follow the Orthodox faith than the Lutheran church, yet the head churches of both are equally magnificent.
9:30 Relaxing at a café
We went back to Helsinki Central Station and relaxed at a café.
Browsing Nordic design goods in the shops around the station is fun, too.
11:30 To the ferry terminal
Our ferry with Tallink & Silja Line departed from West Harbour T2, so we took a tram there.
The departure terminal differs by ferry company — and can even change for the same company — so double-check your ticket.
And here is the best part: we managed to ride in the Comfort Lounge (a class with spacious sofas and complimentary snacks) for less than the price of economy class!
On the Tallink & Silja Line booking page I noticed a field for a promo code. Thinking “there’s no way any coupon applies to me…”, I searched anyway — and found a ferry coupon code on JAL’s website! It was a discount for the Comfort Lounge, and entering the code brought the fare below the economy price! (I was so thrilled I literally skipped.) I cannot say whether that promo code still works, but it is definitely worth searching for one before you book.
13:30 Arrive at West Harbour T2
Check in at the counter and board the ferry. The sailing we took was crowded, but the Comfort Lounge admits only a limited number of passengers, so it stayed comfortable. Bread, ham, vegetables, and soft drinks were served free of charge, and we happily helped ourselves. Our “don’t eat in Helsinki, where restaurants are painfully expensive” strategy was a complete success (laughs).
We even napped on the roomy sofas — a thoroughly satisfying two hours.
15:30 Arrive at Tallinn D-Terminal
We walked from the port to our hotel in the Old Town, but it took more than 45 minutes — longer than expected — so a taxi might be the better choice.
16:15 Arrive at the hotel
Estonia sits at a high latitude, so summer days are long and there is still plenty of daylight for sightseeing at this hour. (In winter, by contrast, the sun sets very early — plan accordingly if you visit then.)
17:00 Patkuli viewing platform
Tallinn’s Old Town is compact enough to explore entirely on foot. We walked from the hotel to the Patkuli viewing platform first. The streets along the way are lovely, but the view from the platform is truly beautiful — we lingered there long after taking our photos.
18:00 Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats)
For dinner we went to III Draakon, known for traditional Estonian food. It is remarkably affordable for dinner — excellent value. It sits right on Town Hall Square, though the staff there are, for some reason, rather haughty (laughs). A leftover of the socialist era, perhaps? Or maybe we just caught them on a bad day.
20:00 Back to the hotel
On the way back we stopped at a supermarket for the next day’s breakfast, water, and chocolate for souvenirs, then returned to the hotel.
Day 2 — Friday
7:00 Wake up
Breakfast was the bread and bananas we bought at the supermarket the day before, and off we went.
8:30 Kohtuotsa viewing platform (Kohtuotsa Vaateplats)
We climbed the hill to the Kohtuotsa viewing platform. Since our hotel was inside the Old Town, it felt like nothing more than a short morning stroll.
9:30 A café stop
We spotted an adorable cake shop and decided to go in. As you would expect of European cakes, they were on the sweet side, but delicious with a cup of coffee.
10:15 Toompea Castle
On Fridays a free guided tour starts at 11:00. Our Japanese guidebook said advance booking was required, so we arrived early hoping a spot might still be available — only to be told, “No booking needed. Just come in through the entrance next door at 11:00.” Probably because it was not busy that day, but whether reservations are actually required remains a mystery (laughs).
10:30 Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
A Russian Orthodox church with wonderfully cute onion domes. It stands right next to Toompea Castle, so we enjoyed it while waiting for the tour. What an adorable religious building!
11:00 Toompea Castle guided tour
The tour covered everything from the history of Toompea Castle to how Estonia introduced IT into its government — a full hour of commentary. It was in English, which is great for foreign visitors, though I regret not catching every word. All the more reason to keep working on your English!
12:15 St. Nicholas’ Church
It now serves as a museum.
13:00 Around Town Hall Square
We had visited the evening before, but it is so beautiful we came back again. Besides the pharmacy said to be the oldest in Europe, the square is ringed with lovely buildings.
14:30 Lunch
We first tried the restaurant with the top ratings on every review site, but it was full and we were brushed off rather coldly — so we went to “Mix,” the next highest rated. Perhaps because it was already past two o’clock, we were seated immediately on a spacious sofa, and the staff were wonderfully attentive. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, and we were so pleased that I am sharing plenty of food photos — apologies that they were taken on an old smartphone (laughs).
16:30 Viru Gate
Viru Gate is the entrance to the Old Town. Flower stalls and souvenir shops cluster around it, building your anticipation as you step into the old streets. Afterward we ventured a little way into the newer part of the city as well.
18:00 St. Catherine’s Passage (Katariina Käik)
We also visited St. Catherine’s Passage, famed for its medieval atmosphere. It is not especially photogenic, but walking through it feels like wandering into a bygone world.
19:00 Back to the hotel
To save money, we bought dinner at a supermarket that evening. Since the next night would be spent on a plane, we ate at the hotel and went to bed early.
Day 3 — Saturday
9:00 A morning stroll
With time to spare before the ferry to Helsinki, we strolled around the places we had not yet covered. The best thing about Tallinn is that every corner of the Old Town is genuinely picture-perfect.
Popping into cafés, browsing a market-like square — because the whole town is so charming, wandering with no particular destination is a pleasure in itself.
12:30 To the ferry terminal
Having learned our lesson from the long walk with luggage on arrival, this time we asked the hotel to call a taxi to the port. I forget the exact fare, but it felt quite reasonable compared with taxis in Japan.
13:30 Depart Tallinn (D-Terminal)
We rode the Comfort Lounge class on the way back, too. Bracing for expensive Helsinki, we relaxed and enjoyed the complimentary snacks.
15:30 Arrive in Helsinki
Back in Helsinki. Just as on the way out, we took the tram to Helsinki Central Station.
16:00 Kamppi Chapel
We visited this distinctively shaped chapel. Inside, the air is quiet and calming, and we lingered there for a while.
16:30 Marimekko and Moomin shops
You can buy Marimekko and Moomin goods in Japan, of course. You can — but somehow you still want to visit the real shops on their home turf (laughs).
From tourism campaigns to Finnair’s aircraft liveries and merchandise, you can feel how proudly Finland champions both Marimekko and the Moomins.
21:00 To the airport
After a light meal, we took the train back to the airport, just as we had on arrival.
24:00 Depart for Japan
Hard as it was to leave, it was time to head home. I have already resolved that next time I come to Finland, I am absolutely trying a sauna!
Day 4 — Sunday
16:30 Arrive at Haneda Airport
Thanks to the time difference, it is already this late when you land in Japan…
Get plenty of rest so the jet lag does not carry over into the next day.