TALLINN(Estonia)
TAL01 - TALLIN & OPEN AIR MUSEUM - 92 EURO
Duration: approx. 6 hours, lunch included
Join us on a fun day out of sightseeing by coach and on foot. Begin with a walking tour around Tallinn old town. Starting in the Upper town you can note the impressive Toompea Castle, presently the seat of the Parliament; visit the Russian Orthodox Church of Alexander Nevsky and the Gothic Dome Church. Enjoy magnificent views of the Lower town with its gabled roofs. Descend to the Lower town where you will continue your tour passing by highlights such as the Town hall, the XV century pharmacy, the Great Guild, the Blackheads Brotherhood House and many homes of medieval merchants. After a typical Estonian lunch, enjoy free time for shopping in an Estonian arts and crafts store. Continue to “Rocca al Mare”, the Open Air Museum for a scenic hike through the forest and to see authentic examples of the local XVIII and XIX century rural architecture. Return to the ship. Please note: this tour is not suitable for guests with walking difficulties or using a wheelchair as long walking on uneven ground is involved; there are some 12 steps and no ramp at the Orthodox Cathedral. Only 1 drink of choice included in the lunch. Conservative attire recommended for visiting sites of religious importance. Only cameras without a flash allowed inside Dome Church.
TAL02 - TALLINN HIGHLIGHT - 52 EURO
Duration: approx. 3.5 hours
Start with a drive through the cultural centre of Tallinn and then along the medieval city wall that encompasses the Old Town. Walk up to the Nevsky Cathedral to admire the panorama of the Kiek in de Kök Tower, Neitsitorn before walking downtown. Enjoy a free time shopping for souvenirs or relaxing in the Town Hall square. Then you will board a bus and drive along the main thoroughfare to the central park of Kadriog. We will stop to take photographs at the Song Festival Grounds and continue with a drive through a beautiful residential area to reach the “Pirita Marina” which hosts splendid international regattas every year and was the site for the yachting Olympics. External visit of St. Birgit’s Convent before heading back to the port. Please note: conservative attire recommended for visiting sites of religious importance. Wheelchair users can take part, as all sites are wheelchair-accessible with the exception of Nevsky Cathedral (about 12 steps). Guests using a wheelchair are advised that they must be accompanied by a paying helper to provide assistance with getting on and off the coach and that wheelchairs must be collapsible/foldable since the coach has neither a ramp nor a lift. Guests using a wheelchair who would like to participate in this tour are requested to contact the Shore Excursions’ Desk promptly once they are on board so that arrangements can be made.
TAL03 - THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF TALLINN - 52 EURO
Duration: approx. 3.5 hours
Leave the port and drive through the cultural centre of Tallinn. Proceed to the old town to admire the skyline of the Cathedral Hill before walking up to the Palace Square to view Toompea Castle, now home to the Estonian Parliament, and visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, inaugurated in 1900 and filled with an array of superb religious icons. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Tallinn Lower town from the viewing terrace. Back on the ground, we will board the coaches and drive to the exquisite Kadriog Palace for an interesting visit. Continue to the Song Festival Grounds and on to the Olympic Pirita Marina where splendid international regattas are hosted each year. On your way back to the port, you will pass the famous Estonian mermaid monument, Russalka, and the summer residence of Count Orlov. Please note: conservative attire recommended for visiting sites of religious importance. All sites are wheelchair-accessible with the exception of Nevsky Cathedral (about 12 steps) and of the third floor of Kadriog Palace. Guests using a wheelchair are advised that they must be accompanied by a paying helper to provide assistance with getting on and off the coach and that wheelchairs must be collapsible/foldable since the coach has neither a ramp nor a lift. Guests using a wheelchair who would like to participate in this tour are requested to contact the Shore Excursions’ Desk promptly once they are on board so that arrangements can be made.
TAL05 - CYCLING IN ROCCA AL MARE MUSEUM - 42 EURO
Duration: approx. 3 hours
This entertaining and leisurely biking tour through the Estonian Open Air Museum, located in Rocca al Mare a short distance to the west of Tallinn city centre, offers visitors a fascinating glimpse at life in a rural-cum-fishing village in 18th-century Estonia. After putting on your safety helmet and mounting your bike, you will follow your guide around the museum complex, which recreates how village life was back in the day with a collection of 72 buildings – 12 farmyards, a church, an inn, a schoolhouse, several mills, a fire station and a net shed – over an area of 79 hectares. Your cycling tour then continues through the lovely Estonian coastal countryside, characterised by its verdant pine trees. Following your cycling tour, you will also have some time to shop prior to your return coach transfer to the port. Please note: tour guide available in English only. As this tour involves approx. 2.5 hours of cycling, it is not suitable for guests with mobility or health problems.
TAL08 – RETRACING TALLINN’S HISTORY: SEAPLANE HARBOUR & CITY SIGHTS - 52 EURO
Duration: approx. 4 hours
A short coach drive from the port will take you to the Seaplane Harbour, a treasure trove of maritime history made up of the sort of incredible stories that only life can tell. The fascinating museum includes rare examples of Estonian navigational history such as the Lembit submarine. Constructed in 1937, the Lembit sub was the world’s oldest submarine still afloat until 2011. You will also have a chance to see the icebreaker Suur Tõll, which dates back to 1914, and the Maasilinn shipwreck which dates back to the mid-16th century. After another coach transfer to the Upper Town, a walk will take you to Nevsky Cathedral for an internal visit of the late 15th-century Kiek in de Kök artillery tower. Then it’s on to the Lower Town on a route that includes highlights such as the town hall, the 15th-century pharmacy and elegant Great Guild building, the Renaissance-style Blackheads’ Brotherhood House and many former homes of medieval merchants. You will then have some time to explore the St. Catherine’s Arts and Crafts Centre before you return you to your ship. Please note: conservative attire recommended for visiting sites of religious importance. All sites are wheelchair-accessible with the exception of Nevsky Cathedral (about 12 steps). Guests using a wheelchair are advised that they must be accompanied by a paying helper to provide assistance with getting on and off the coach and that wheelchairs must be collapsible/foldable since the coach has neither a ramp nor a lift. Guests using a wheelchair who would like to participate in this tour are requested to contact the Shore Excursions’ Desk promptly once they are on board so that arrangements can be made.
TAL09 – TALLINN TREATS: FROM SUMPTUOUS SIGHTS TO MOREISH MORSELS & ESTONIAN BEER - 72 EURO
Duration: approx. 3.5 hours
Whichever way you look at it, be it historical, architectural or culinary, Estonia’s capital of Tallinn is simply a joy to explore. A drive through the city’s modern and 19th-century centre begins your tour, before views of turreted mediaeval walls herald the old town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – just ahead. You’ll be dropped at the moat of Nun’s Gate, an imposing 13th-century stronghold, to continue on foot down the picturesque streets, which include an allegedly haunted house and the one-time home of the city’s erstwhile executioner. More fairy-tale vistas then unfold as you make your way down to All-Linn, the old town’s lower section. Look forward to outside viewings of the Gothic town hall just as the mediaeval pharmacy, merchant buildings and guild houses, after which this tour of many flavours moves on to an old brewery for a refreshing taste of three different, locally brewed kinds of Estonian beer – served with a side of tasty regional snacks. After the break, you’ll head for the St. Catherine’s arts’ and crafts’ centre, where you can browse stalls selling leatherware, patchwork items and painted glassware. You’ll have an hour to shop or just wander around before you begin to head back to the pier and your ship. Please note: all sites are wheelchair-accessible with the exception of the brewery that has no ramp. Guests using a wheelchair are advised that they must be accompanied by a paying helper to provide assistance with getting on and off the coach and that wheelchairs must be collapsible/foldable since the coach has neither a ramp nor a lift. Guests using a wheelchair who would like to participate in this tour are requested to contact the Shore Excursions’ Desk promptly once they are on board so that arrangements can be made. Soft drinks will be served to all guests minor than 18 years old.
TAL10 – DELUXE VISIT TO TALLIN - 82 EURO
Duration: approx. 4 hours
Apart from being Estonia’s capital, Tallinn is also blessed with a historical quarter so well preserved and so beautiful that it has earned itself a place on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is these magical purlieus that this walking tour will give you a chance to explore after being dropped at the 13th-century Toompea Castle, your entrance to the old town’s upper section. Fairy-tale views of gabled houses, hidden courtyards and turreted towers await you as you stroll through the cobbled mediaeval lanes en route to the 15th-century Great Guild building, which now houses Tallinn’s Museum of Mediaeval History. After an intermezzo of Estonian zither music in the foyer of the old building, you will be given some information on the museum’s exhibition and its more exotic items. A few steps across the road will then take you to the 14th-century Church of the Holy Spirit for an outside and inside viewing. Notable features include an elaborately painted late 17th-century clock, a 15th-century altar and a late 16th-century pulpit. You will then move on to Tallinn’s 15th-century pharmacy, believed to be Europe’s oldest, for a look at some mediaeval cures, before heading for the Gothic-style town hall where you will be served a drink made using a mediaeval recipe in the former prison on the ground floor. You will also have some free time before your tour wraps up with your return drive to your ship. Please note: all sites are wheelchair-accessible with the exception of the Museum that has no ramp. Guests using a wheelchair are advised that they must be accompanied by a paying helper to provide assistance with getting on and off the coach and that wheelchairs must be collapsible/foldable since the coach has neither a ramp nor a lift. Guests using a wheelchair who would like to participate in this tour are requested to contact the Shore Excursions’ Desk promptly once they are on board so that arrangements can be made.