A weekend in Tallinn
A medieval old town and the Lennusadam maritime museum: the farthest trip of all, for those who treat the bus ride as half the adventure.
Contents
Tallinn in brief
Tallinn is our farthest trip: it is 599 km from Vilnius, and the bus journey takes about 8.5 hours one way. So over a weekend you get one full day in the city, not two. The old town, the Lennusadam maritime museum and the Kumu art museum offer more than fits into that day.
The best time depends on the goal. At the end of November the Christmas market opens in Town Hall Square, and the museums are open all year. You will find the differences between seasons in the section “What to do by season”. If 8.5 hours on the road is too much, look at the Riga page.
Tallinn Old Town
Tallinn old town with its towers and roofs, wrapped in morning mist.
How to get there
From Vilnius. FlixBus states 8 services a day, 599 km, the fastest service 7 h 50 min and a fare from €22.48 per person (FlixBus, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). On Friday, 6 November, 6 direct services leave Vilnius bus station: 07:55 (arriving 17:10), 11:40 (20:25), 13:10 (21:50), 16:20 (00:50), 20:50 (05:35) and 23:05 (07:55). On Sunday, 8 November, 7 services run from Tallinn bus station to Vilnius bus station: by day at 07:05 (Vilnius 15:40), 09:40 (18:25), 10:40 (19:25), 12:15 (20:50) and 14:45 (23:20), plus night ones at 01:25 and 23:40 (FlixBus timetable, checked 2026-10-29). More: Vilnius to Tallinn by bus (in Lithuanian).
From Kaunas. FlixBus shows 10 services a day, 582 km, the fastest service 8 h 15 min and a fare from €26.98 (FlixBus, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). We did not make a dated search, so we do not write specific times. Buses leave from Kaunas bus station, Vytauto pr. 24, or from the Ninth Fort: read about the station in the guide to Kaunas stations.
From Klaipėda. FlixBus shows about 6 services a day, 743 km, the shortest journey 13 h 5 min and a fare from €51.48 (FlixBus, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). Such a journey does not suit a weekend, so from Klaipėda choose Riga or another direction.
In Vilnius the services leave from several stops, which we describe in the guide to Vilnius stations. In Tallinn the buses arrive at the bus station (Lastekodu tn 46) or the harbour terminal. Estonia and Lithuania are on the same time.
A second option. Lux Express goes via Riga and Pärnu (Lux Express, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). We did not check its prices and times. The Pärnu page: Pärnu.
Getting around the city
The old town is walkable. From the bus station to Town Hall Square it is about 2.3 km (about 31 min on foot) by the OpenStreetMap pedestrian route (checked 2026-10-06).
On public transport a one-hour ticket costs €2.00 and is valid on trams, trolleybuses and buses. You can pay with a contactless bank card by holding it to the validator (Visit Tallinn, checked 2026-10-08). A QR ticket can be bought in the Pilet.ee app, and one code covers up to 10 tickets. With one card you can buy a ticket for yourself and up to five fellow passengers (ticket system, checked 2026-10-08). In more detail: public transport in Tallinn (in Lithuanian).
Districts and where to stay
The official sources we checked have no descriptions of the districts, so we do not describe them. We checked two main choices.
Accommodation. As an example, look at Zinc Hostel: on its website a private room with two beds is shown “from €55.00” a room (zinchostel.ee, checked 2026-10-08).
Telliskivi and Balti jaama. The creative quarter and the market are side by side (see “What to eat”). We did not check accommodation here.
Kadriorg. The district has the Kadriorg Art Museum in a Baroque palace (Weizenbergi 37). We did not check accommodation prices here, but this district is worth choosing if museums matter more to you than the streets of the old town.
Pirita. Here, at Kloostrimetsa tee 58 A, stands the Tallinn TV Tower. We did not check accommodation near it. How to choose: the guide to accommodation for a weekend (in Lithuanian).
What to see
The old town and Town Hall Square. On the first evening it is enough to walk the streets; no ticket is needed. You will find a view of the roofs and towers on the Kohtuotsa viewing platform.
Kohtuotsa viewing platform
A viewing platform with a view of the roofs and towers of Tallinn old town.
Kiek in de Kök. An artillery tower and a fortifications museum, Komandandi tee 2. Open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–18:00. The ticket takes you into the bastion tunnels with the exhibition “The History of Estonian Civil Defence” and into the Maiden Tower (museum, checked 2026-10-08). We did not see prices on the website.
Kiek in de Kök
An artillery tower and fortifications museum in Tallinn old town, Komandandi tee 2; tickets can be bought online.
Lennusadam. A maritime museum in a seaplane hangar. An adult ticket costs €22, for students €11, a family ticket €40 (price list, checked 2026-10-08). Plan at least two hours.
Lennusadam Maritime Museum
A branch of the Maritime Museum in the seaplane harbour in Tallinn.
Kumu. The Art Museum of Estonia. Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 10:00–18:00, Thursday 10:00–20:00. Closed on Monday. An adult ticket costs €16 (opening hours, tickets, checked 2026-10-06).
Kumu Art Museum
One of the five branches of the Art Museum of Estonia in Tallinn.
The Kadriorg Art Museum. The palace was built more than 300 years ago as a summer residence by the Russian tsar Peter the Great. The permanent exhibition shows foreign art: Western European and Russian painting, sculpture and applied art from the 16th to the 20th century. The museum is open Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday 10:00–18:00, Wednesday 10:00–20:00. From October to April it is closed on Monday. An adult ticket costs €15 (museum, opening hours, tickets, checked 2026-10-07).
The Niguliste and Mikkel museums. The Niguliste Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00, and from October to April it is closed on Monday. An adult ticket costs €15. An adult ticket to the Mikkel Museum costs €10 (Niguliste opening hours, tickets, checked 2026-10-07).
The Niguliste Museum is in a former church and keeps the most valuable part of Estonia’s medieval and early modern church art. The most famous exhibit is the “Danse Macabre” in St Anthony’s Chapel, considered the best-known and most valuable medieval work in Estonia. On Saturdays and Sundays from 16:00 organ music is played in the museum (Niguliste Museum, checked 2026-10-07).
The Tallinn TV Tower. The viewing platform is 170 m up and shows the city panorama from all sides. An adult ticket costs €18–19 (the website gives two prices), for children, students and pensioners €13–14. Every day 17:00–19:00 an evening ticket is sold for €10. On a day of poor visibility the ticket stamp lets you come again free of charge within 2 months (tower, prices, checked 2026-10-07).
You will find all the places in the categories: what to see in Tallinn and what to do in Tallinn.
What to do by season
Winter and Christmas. The Tallinn Christmas market in Town Hall Square will run 20 November–6 January 2027 daily 10:00–20:00. Hot drinks are sold until 22:00, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 23:00 (organiser, checked 2026-10-06). Programme and prices: Tallinn Christmas market 2026 (in Lithuanian).
October–April. Lennusadam is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00, closed on Monday. May–September: daily 10:00–19:00 (opening hours, checked 2026-10-06).
Spring and autumn. We found no events with an organiser’s source for these seasons, so we do not write them.
What to eat
The Balti jaama market (Kopli 1) is open Monday to Saturday 9:00–19:00, Sunday 9:00–17:00. The website advertises the largest street-food zone in Tallinn, with more than 40 places. It also names its neighbour, Telliskivi (market, checked 2026-10-08).
The Telliskivi Creative City (Telliskivi 60a) is a former locomotive workshop with about 250 businesses, cafés and shops. The shopping streets are open Monday to Friday 11:00–19:00, Saturday 11:00–17:00, and on Sunday A1 Street is partly closed. A2 and A3 Streets are open 11:00–17:00 (Telliskivi, checked 2026-10-07). In December look for food and hot drinks at the Christmas market: the Christmas market guide (in Lithuanian).
Practical information
Currency and language. Estonia has used the euro since 1 January 2011, and the official language is Estonian (EU portal, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06).
Tourist tax. Estonia’s local taxes act provides for no accommodation tax (Riigi Teataja, checked 2026-10-06), but before you book read the tourist tax guide.
Documents. Before you travel read documents for travelling in the Baltic states (in Lithuanian).
Weekend plan
Friday. Leave Vilnius at 13:10, and you will be in Tallinn at 21:50. Settle in the old town and have dinner near Town Hall Square.
Saturday. In the morning visit Kiek in de Kök (from 11:00), in the afternoon Lennusadam (until 18:00). If you want fewer museums, go to the Balti jaama market and Telliskivi.
Sunday. Leave Tallinn at 09:40, and you will be in Vilnius at 18:25. More: a weekend in Tallinn (in Lithuanian).
FAQ
Is a weekend enough for Tallinn?
Not really. You will have only Saturday as a full day in the city, because the bus takes about 8.5 hours one way. If you want a shorter journey, choose Riga.
How much is a ticket in the city?
A one-hour ticket costs €2.00 (checked 2026-10-06).
Do I need to change my watch in Estonia?
No, the time is the same as in Lithuania.
Do I have to pay a tourist tax?
Estonia’s local taxes act has no accommodation tax (checked 2026-10-06).
Things to see and do in Tallinn
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By car: distance, time, fuel
By car
- From Vilnius: 591 km, 7 h 23 min one way. Fuel there and back: €149.90 per car, €74.95 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 591 km = 1,182 km; 1,182 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 76.83 l; 76.83 l × 1.951 €/l = €149.90.
- From Kaunas: 562 km, 7 h 29 min one way. Fuel there and back: €142.54 per car, €71.27 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 562 km = 1,124 km; 1,124 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 73.06 l; 73.06 l × 1.951 €/l = €142.54.
- From Klaipėda: 613 km, 7 h 44 min one way. Fuel there and back: €155.48 per car, €77.74 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 613 km = 1,226 km; 1,226 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 79.69 l; 79.69 l × 1.951 €/l = €155.48.
From Šiauliai, Panevėžys is not calculated yet: we do not have map data for this route.
This is an approximate calculation, not a price. Travel time without traffic or border queues. Fuel price: Lithuanian average, Euro-super 95 with taxes, 2026-10-19, the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin (CC BY 4.0); consumption 6.5 l/100 km. Routes: MOTIS, car profile, no traffic conditions, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extracts, calculated 2026-10-29. There are no road tolls for passenger cars in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; for Poland, see here (in Lithuanian).