A three night city break in Tallinn, Estonia

It was early April when we arrived in Tallinn, Estonia's picture perfect capital city. We'd disembarked from our flight with Ryanair at Tallinn's lovely little airport. Situated only 4km from the centre, it was remarkable to think that this cute airport was the largest in Europe when it was built in 1936.

Our good impression of Estonia only got better as we arrived at the splendid Palace Hotel, our base for the next three days. Located across the street from Freedom Square and on the edge of this fine walled medieval city.

For those of us used to the hustle and bustle of other European cities, Tallinn is an absolute gem. The old town, with its cobbled streets and grand squares is almost entirely devoid of traffic and people. This makes a stroll around its narrow streets and alleyways a real pleasure. Be sure to pack a pair of comfortable walking shoes as the cobbles are everywhere in old town!

Museums, churches, cafes and restaurants abound with culture and cuisine to suit every taste. With so much on offer, it's easy to exhaust yourself so we made sure we had plenty of café stops - for research purposes, naturally.

Climbing the narrow spiral staircase to the top of Oleviste church tower is a must - with its commanding views over the whole of Tallinn. When the spire was added in 1500 it was then the world's tallest building.

There are many sights outside of the city walls of old town and easily reached by taxi or on foot if you prefer. The Seaplane Harbour Museum is worth a visit as are the historic ships moored on its quayside. The walk there from the old town takes you beside the shore of the Baltic Sea.

Along the way you happen upon the crumbling Patarei Prison Museum. The prison was in use until 2004 and even when the museum isn't open you can still peer through the broken windows into the cells. The decay and sense of despair is acute as you walk past the high walls, razor wire and watchtowers. Perhaps not to everyone's taste but fascinating nonetheless.

Three days in Tallinn is probably just enough to enjoy all this quaint city has to offer. And if you go in early spring as we did, you should have reasonable weather without the crowds that flock here in July & August.

Thank you Estonia for providing us with such a delightful city break and the warmest of welcomes. We'll be sure to return soon.