James Oates: what is to be done with Tallinn’s Old Town?

Tallinn’s Old Town should be the city’s jewel; instead, too much of it feels hollowed out: overpriced, underused and increasingly outshone by Vilnius. Spring – not fool’s spring, late winter or a mere thaw – is blowing through the streets of Tallinn’s Old Town. Terrace season is back, and the air seems fresher and clearer after the long winter fug. But all is not well in the picturesque corners and quiet cafés of the Old Town. Businesses, even long-standing bars and cafés, have closed; empty premises dot the cobbled streets. Instead of elegant boutiques, there are souvenir shops selling generic Chinese tat. Continue reading James Oates: what is to be done with Tallinn’s Old Town? at Estonian World.