Save with Tallinn Card on your next family holiday
10.05.2020
Wondering what to do with kids in Tallinn? The city offers endless opportunities for sightseeing with kids and for an active family holiday. Keep on reading and you'll be sure to have a great family holiday with these attractions in your itinerary.
With Tallinn Card in your pocket, you'll guarantee a convenient, enjoyable and affordable stay in Tallinn. With one adult card you can bring along two children under the age of seven for free, and special child discounts apply for kids up to 17 years of age.
Museums in the Old Town to visit with kids
Unesco World Heritage Site – Tallinn's Old Town is a sight to visit itself, but it’s also a home to many more things to see and do. You are sure to have a great family time in these two favourite museums of Estonian families:
- Estonian Health Care Museum’s interactive exposition brings you fascinating discoveries about human anatomy, the history of medicine and various aspects of health care – test your own physical attributes like the strength of your grip or your posture.
- The Estonian Museum of Natural History tells visitors all about Estonia's magnificent biodiversity. Meet the rare flying squirrel; see the biggest mammal found in forests, the moose, measure up to the biggest fish caught in Estonia and touch, hear, see, and smell the world the way animals do.
The Old Town is also known for its towers. If you’re in town with kids old enough to climb some steep stairs, we recommend visiting the Kiek in de Kök Fortifications Museum which takes you back to medieval times and presents the history of the city defences. For tremendous views, also visit Hellemann Tower and Town wall and Tallinn Town Wall.
Family attractions near the Old Town
The Seaplane Harbour offers a lot to discover for both adults and children. There is a real-life submarine from the 1930s, boats and yachts, the century-old steam driven ice-breaker, a seaplane, mines, cannons and many other life-sized exhibits. Additionally, you’ll find a great playground for kids outside the museum.
PROTO Invention Factory brings together virtual reality, science and the world of fantasy. The family-friendly centre is both entertaining as well as educational: thanks to the hands-on exhibits, you can explore physics and technology from an entirely new angle and experience things that you might not dare to try in real life!
The Energy Discovery Centre is a science centre based in a former Tallinn power plant that seeks to inspire children to learn about science. The centre has over 100 exhibits which let children create real lightning, create different sounds, take part in a space adventure, and much more.
Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom inspires visitors to reflect on the fragility of freedom and the importance of universal human values. Clearly, this is not your usual “family museum”, but as it tells you the stories about Estonian families and their struggles, it provides a great way to learn, and to teach your children, about history.
Museum of Estonian Architecture has opened a new permanent exhibition especially for children and young people which shows how to experience space and grasp the importance of good architecture. Various display items direct children to identify different building materials and constructions, think about the ‘circulatory system’ of a house, and the specific smells that relate to various rooms. There are tubes to crawl through and an animated book where rooms, streets and the entire city come alive as the pages are turned.
Family time in Kadriorg and Pirita
Children’s Museum Miiamilla located in the lovely Kadriorg Park is your go-to place when in town with younger children. Miiamilla was created for children aged 3 to 11 and is a place to play and explore.
Maarjamäe Palace's exhibition ‘My Free Country’ takes you on an interactive journey over the course of 100 years, from the birth of the Republic of Estonia to the present. Children can even build their own country in the educational and fun ‘Children’s Republic’ playroom. In Maarjamäe Palace’s park, you’ll find a playground and the Estonian Film Museum, where you can sneak a peek behind the scenes to see how movies are made.
Tallinn TV Tower is the tallest building in Estonia, reaching 314 metres into the sky. In addition to amazing views of Tallinn, the TV Tower offers many exciting experiences. For example, on the 21st floor, you’ll find an interactive exhibition about genes. You can find out how genes determine our appearance and also partly what our health will be like during our lives.
Rocca al Mare offers outdoor activities for the whole family
Tallinn Zoo invites the whole family to meet other creatures from the animal kingdom, and to learn about how they live, and how to protect them. A children’s petting zoo allows smaller domesticated animals to be touched, and the Zoo also has a large children’s play area, and picnic spots.
At Estonian Open Air Museum, you can travel back to the rural Estonia of 18-20th centuries. In addition to numerous thatched farm buildings and other historic buildings from Estonian villages, Estonian Open Air Museum offers a relaxing environment for a family picnic. If you’re in town during a national holiday, you might find yourself at a fun, family-oriented theme fair, where traditions are passed on to the younger generation through games, songs and dances.
Entertainment and tours for the whole family
The brightly-coloured double-decker Tallinn City Tour buses are definitely eye-catching for children, but they’re also a comfortable and interesting way to get from place to place. Nearly all of the attractions named here are on the Tallinn City Tour route, so you can just hop off, visit the museum and hop back on the next bus to continue your journey. Along the way, you can listen to stories about Tallinn on an audio guide available in 10 different languages.
Tip: For Tallinn Card PLUS holders, Tallinn City Tour is free!
During summer time you can also enjoy Tallinn from the sea. Sunlines is a tour operator offering cruises on Tallinn Bay as well as to Naissaar island.
New family attractions in Tallinn are Super Skypark and Skywheel of Tallinn. Super Skypark is an indoor family entertainment centre located inside T1 Mall of Tallinn. You’ll find a play centre with the largest trampoline area in Europe, and a climbing area with thrilling slides. There’s even a safe play area where smaller guests will feel at home. Next to Skypark is the hands-on science centre SkyLab, where everyone can experience the magic of science and technology. Skywheel of Tallinn ferris wheel brings you a totally new perspective on Tallinn.