TV Tower Challenge

Text and photo Stewart Johnson

This school break, take your children to the Teletorn, or TV Tower, in Tallinn. This year Tallinn is celebrating its title of European Capital of Sport, and in connection with this, the TV Tower is inviting children of all ages to actually take the steps to the top of this monumental structure just to the northeast of the capital city of Estonia.

Starting from the second floor, there are 870 steps to the top of the 21st level, where the viewing platform is. This is the equivalent of taking the stairs to the top of a 64-floor skyscraper. There is quite literally nowhere else in the Baltic States or even Finland where you can climb this many steps. There is one taller structure, the Valgjärve TV mast, but it’s just a mast…there is no internal staircase.

Completed in 1980 for the Olympics, the TV Tower has been a part of Tallinn’s skyline for nearly half a century. The viewing platform at 170 meters above sea level offers visitors plenty of walking room to cool down after climbing the stairs to the top. There’s also an elevator, just so you know. Several telescopes are available for viewing various places in Tallinn and along the coast, as well as further inland. There are also arrows on the floor pointing to major cities around the world, which also indicate exactly how far away they are. Not to mention the death-defying plexiglas portals in the floor that let you look straight down.

Immediately above the viewing platform is a restaurant and café with arguably the best view in northeastern Europe. Tickets to the TV Tower are available for purchase onsite, and there are several discounts available, which you can view here.

More information about the TV Tower Challenge is available in Estonian here.

To learn more about this and similar topics
European Capital of Sport Events in Tallinn school break Sport Teletorn TV Tower