This pastel-coloured city with its cobbled streets is like escaping to a fairytale.
As the first signs of spring start to appear, you’re likely to be considering coming out of hibernation and stepping out into the world again for the first time since Christmas.
If that is the case for you, then a weekend getaway could be on the cards just to tide you over until the freedom of summer.
While this particular location is guaranteed to be quite a few degrees colder than Britain, we think the cheap beer and reasonable flights could make it a tempting prospect.
Estonia’s capital city does not usually get a mention in the conversation around enticing city breaks, but Tallinn is making itself known as an Eastern European frontrunner thanks to it’s old-world feel and unique affordability.
Tallinn’s historic old town was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1997. It’s medieval buildings and cobblestoned laneways weave around a 13th-century wall that has been preserved impeccably.
The town is a particularly magical site during the winter months, when consistently heavy snowfall covers the ancient roofs and makes the whole place look like a scene from Disney’s Frozen.
The people of this Baltic country have an obsession with temperature tennis and one of the most popular things to do as a visitor to the country is to submerge yourself in the Baltic Sea and experience the incredible health benefits of a cold plunge.
If you need motivation to do so, just know that you can warm up afterwards in one of Tallinn’s sauna parks and then go and get your blood pumping by grabbing a £3.80 beer and dancing the night away at one of the open-air raves that take place in the remote forests just outside of the city.
If you’re looking for a more active break, the Sportland hiking and skiing resort is located just a 40-minute drive from the city in the town of Korvemaa.
You’d have plenty of funds for the massage treatments and Nordic food considering you’d only have spent €40 on your round-trip flights. Tallinn also has a strong arts and cultural scene, with St Nicholas Church in the centre of the city offering exhibitions that delve into the medieval history of the area.
If modern art is more of your thing, then head to the PoCo pop-art museum instead, which houses works from Banksy and Warhol. If that isn’t enough culture for you, the city of Tartu was launched as the European Capital of Culture for this year.
It’s a two-hour drive south of Tallinn and the city has gone all out with street art and sculptures to celebrate their new status. Much like their love for hot and cold, Estonia is a country of contrasts and can appeal to a wide range of tourists and holidaymakers.
Whether it be modern cuisine, art and ski slopes, or history, old architecture and ice baths that tickles your fancy, the city of Tallinn has something to offer everyone.
Alternatively, if cheap flights and cheap beer are enough of a sell for you, there’s nowhere else offering more bang for your buck in Europe right now.
