Christmas Adventure in the Old Town

Text Stewart Johnson
Photo Andrei Chertkov

If you thought Tallinn’s historical Old Town was something straight out of a fairytale, now you get to experience first-hand that it actually is! Starting on Sunday, 30 November, eleven fairytale installations will be hidden throughout the Old Town, just waiting for you to discover them. Using a map to point you in the right direction, find each of them with friends and family, and look for the QR code at each so you can listen to the fairytales individually.

It’s advisable to start your scavenger hunt after dark, which typically means starting around 16:00 in the afternoon, because many of the installations have lights that add to the experience. As the Old Town already has the Christmas Market up and running, the atmosphere will be positively amazing. The scent of gingerbread in the air, the Christmasy sheen of holiday lights and lamps, and the crisp cold will make you want to walk and explore the entire area.

You can try to discover these fairytale installations yourself by following clues or just being curious and getting lucky, or you can download the map, which is already available here. The installations won’t be set up out in the open—you’ll have to search for them in unexpected areas, such as courtyards and medieval alleys.

A guided tour is available for a small fee here, but there are very few slots still available. The tour itself though, as well as scanning the QR codes, is free if you do it on your own or with friends and family. More information is available in Estonian here, including the names of the artists, musicians, and writers.

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Christmas Events in Tallinn fairytales family events Guided Tour scavenger hunt tour