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| General Information
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Tallinn (officially Reval until 1918) is the capital of Estonia and lies at the Finnish Bay of the Baltic Sea, approximately 80 km from Helsinki. Tallinn was founded as an Estonian settlement with the name Lindanise. In 1219 it was conquered by the Danish and expanded into a city. Where the name Tallinn comes from is not yet known. It might come from the old Estonian word "taani linna" (castle of the Danish) or "tali linna" (castle of the winter). The term "Reval" comes from the old Estonian word for region, "Rävala". In 1285 Reval became a member of the Hanseatic League and gets included into the trading of the Baltic Sea.
At the historical heart of the city is the hill of Toompea, covered in cobbled streets and filled with medieval houses and alleyways. The lower town spreads out from the foot of the hill, still protected by the remnants of a city wall. Around the city wall is a series of well-maintained green parks, great for strolling. While the old town has been astonishingly well-preserved and is now in better shape than ever, the new town sprawling all around is largely built in typical concrete Soviet style. Recently, Tallinn has received a boom in tourism, especially by daytrippers from Helsinki.
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| Weather
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The climate in Tallinn is characterized by a fairly cold winter, a cool spring with little precipitation, a moderately warm summer and a long and rainy autumn. However, some summers have weeks at a stretch of temperatures around +30°C, and a warm, sunny summer can keep autumn at bay until mid-October.
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| Language
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Estonia's official language is Estonian. Russian, Finnish, English and German are also understood and widely spoken.
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| Religion
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The largest denomination is Lutheran (30%) followed by Russian Orthodox (28%), and Catholic (3%). However, only about 20% of Estonians practice any religion.
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| Currency
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The national currency of Estonia is the Estonian kroon (EEK), made up of 100 cents. The smallest currency in common use, however, is 1 kroon. Notes come in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 kroon. 1 EUR= 15.65 EEK.
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| Tipping
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Tips for waiters are already included in restaurant bills, but if you feel like it you can give an additional tip if you are very happy with the service. The prices for taxi drivers are also already including tips, so additional tipping is unnecessary but optional.
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| Taxes
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Travellers coming from outside the EU are able to buy products from the tax-free shops without VAT. Exemption from VAT can be applied for when the total price of the purchased goods extends to an amount of 2500 EEK or more. When buying, travellers are supplied with a certain document that confirms the purchase, and which must be handed over to Customs when leaving the EU. The buyer has to export the purchased products within three months. Unwrapping of the goods is not permitted before leaving the EU. On request the goods need to be presented to customs for inspection. The local customs office provides further information: +372 696 7435.
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| Telephone
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To call Tallinn from abroad, dial your international access code and 372 for Estonia and then the telephone number. Within Estonia, you can make local and international calls from card-operated public payphones. Telephone cards costing 50 and 100 EEK are sold at newsstands, post offices and tourist information centres.
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| Internet
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Public internet access points have been set up all over Estonia. They are often located in local libraries and post offices. There are also over 100 free wireless Internet zones around the country, many of them in rather unexpected places - beaches, Old Town squares, stadiums, and concert halls.
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| Emergency Numbers
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Police: 110
Fire Brigade: 112
Ambulance: 112
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| Opening times
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Banks are plentiful and easy to find in Tallinn. Most are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, while some offices are also open on Saturday mornings. All banks offer currency exchange services. Exchange offices can also be found in larger hotels, the airport, harbour, railroad station and major shopping centres. The Central Post Office in Tallinn is located in Narva maantee and is open from 7.30 am – 8 pm during the week and from 9 am – 6 pm on Saturdays and from 9 am – 3 pm on Sundays. The Toompea Post Office in the Old Town is open on weekdays from 9 am – 5 pm. Opening hours for shops are from Monday to Friday 10 am – 6 pm and Sundays 10 am – 4 pm. Most of the city’s markets are open every day.
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| Public Holidays
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1 January New Year''s Day
24 February Independence Day: the 88th anniversary of the declaration founding the Rebuplic of Estonia (1918)
14 April Good Friday
16 April Easter Sunday
1 May Spring Day
4 June Whitsunday
23 June Victory Day
24 June St. John''s Day
20 August Day of Restoration of Independence: Estonia regains independence after Soviet times
24 December Christmas Eve
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day
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| Safety
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In general the capital of Estonia is a relatively safe city which has some minor crimes that are especially high during the summer months when tourists populate the city. Pick pocketing is a common crime that can easily be prevented by carrying your belongings in a safe way or leaving them at the hotel.
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