The 20-minute coastal ride to Pirita, beside windswept pines and the silvery Bay of Tallinn, is one of northern Europe’s most uplifting, with bracing sea air and unforgettable views of the compact city skyline. Pirita took shape as a resort in the early 20th century. The atmosphere of leisure and innocence, soon to be destroyed by the 2nd World War, is beautifully captured in Jaan Kross’s short story The Wound, in which a farewell dinner takes place in a Pirita restaurant against a backdrop of “the bay and the city lights beyond in the misty darkness”. Today, the rich and famous, including supermodel Carmen Kass, buy, build or renovate villas here. One of the loveliest sights is the soaring gable of the 15th-century St Birgitta Convent, a ruin now, but far more aesthetic than the showcase marina complex built for the 1980 Olympics. Under Soviet occupation, the beach was a forbidden zone at night, carefully surveyed to ensure that nobody tried to escape to the west. Today, Pirita is a popular place for cycling, roller-blading and even surfing, while the Pirita valley offers delightful forest walks and rides. Getting there: Bus numbers 1, 1a, 8, 34, 34a, 38 and 99. Maarjamäe Loss (Maarjamäe Castle) Pirita tee 56, T 601 4535. Wed-Sun, 1100-1800. Closed Mon-Tue. Entry 10 EEK, free with Tallinn Card. Built on ‘Mary’s Hill’ in 1874, the eccentric-looking summer house of a Russian count, Anatoli Orlov-Davydov, houses the 20th-century section of the Estonian History Museum. The main focus of the exhibition is the Estonian resistance movement and the Estonian Independence War, with plenty of photographs and newspaper clippings on show, although few captions in English. Soviet War Memorial Maarjamägi (next to the history museum). This extraordinarily pompous concrete memorial (1975), with its soaring 35-m obelisk, is a mighty symbol of Soviet power and, as such, is hated by many Estonians. It commemorates the Soviet soldiers of the 1st and 2nd World Wars but is also the site of a Nazi cemetery, which has been restored with funds from Germany. Climb to the top to appreciate the sheer scale of the place, as well as the superb vistas out to sea. Now sinking into a state of neglect, it has a certain romantic attraction for young couples and has even hosted very un-Soviet punk gigs. Olympic Center Regati puiestee 1. Built to host the yachting regatta of the 1980 Olympics, this hulking complex includes a monumental and rather ugly spa hotel and a yacht harbour from where you can take a boat to the islands. Pirita beach The official beach, 6 km east of Tallinn, lies just north of the mouth of Pirita River and is backed by a shady forest of lofty, slender- stalked pines. Forever in search of silence, many Estonians shun Pirita, as it is the city’s most popular beach, but don’t let that put you off. There is plenty of space and shallow water up to 500 m out makes it ideal for children and first-time surfers. (For details of surfing, bicycle and skate rental, or Pirita Marina.) From the beach, you could spend hours gazing at Tallinn’s spiky skyline or watching the cruise-ships come and go from Stockholm and Helsinki. On the beach, there are volleyball nets and swings but, bizarrely, few other facilities; alcohol is prohibited on the beach, so nobody is prepared to open a kiosk. Pirita River Valley Drift upstream alongside willows, rustling reeds, ducks and pines, and enjoy the views of Saint Birgitta’s noble gable and the brilliant white cross atop the modern convent next door. Rowboat and pedalo hire is available from Barrel BG Boats, Kloostri 6a, opposite the Olympic complex, and boat trips are free to holders of a Tallinn Card. St Birgitta (Convent of St Bridget) Kloostri 9, T 605 5044. Summer daily 1000-2000, Sep-Mar daily 1200-1600. 20 EEK, free with Tallinn Card. The distinctive skeletal silhouette of this ruined convent is a spectacular sight. Founded in 1407 by a trio of widowed merchants and completed in 1436, its 35-m-high gable was a useful orientation point for seamen. Badly damaged by Ivan the Terrible’s troops during the Livonian War, it was reduced to ruins by the end of the Northern War, when its stones were easy plunder for locals in search of building material. The remains have at last been carefully restored and the Brigittine nuns now live in a modern, award-winning building that also houses a guesthouse. Metsakalmistu Cemetery (Forest Cemetery) On Kloostrimetsa tee, where the road forks. Bus 34a, or 38 from Viru Väljak. Estonians bury their loved ones under trees and this peaceful, sprawling cemetery, filled with the fragrant scent of pines and paths strewn with needles and cones, is a quintessential resting place. Here you will find the graves of poetess Lydia Koidula (her remains were brought over from Kronstadt in 1946), chess champion Paul Keres, writer A.H. Tammsaare and the deported pre-war president, Konstantin Pats, reburied here in 1990. Botanical Gardens 52 Kloostrimetsa tee, T 606 6666, http://www.tba.ee. Daily 1100-1600. 40 EEK, pensioners 20 EEK, children under 7 and disabled free, family 60 EEK. No charge for the gardens. Opened in 1961 on what was formerly President Pats’ family farm in the Pirita valley, this is a must-see for the romantic gardens alone. The woodlands, meadows and flower gardens have been beautifully maintained and wandering here is a great way to recharge if you are tired of town. The only discordant note is struck by the inescapable Television Tower. Teletõrn (Television Tower) Kloostrimetsa 58a, T 623 8250, http://www.teletorn.ee. Daily 1000-0100, Galaxy restaurant 1200-1000. 50 EEK, free with Tallinn Card. Buses 34 and 38. Somewhat dilapidated at its base, this soaring space-age tower opened on Revolution Day (7 November) in 1980 and is unmistakably Soviet. In August 1991, it was the scene of a tense stand-off between Soviet troops, who wanted to seize the tower, and Estonians. The Soviets eventually withdrew. Take the wobbly-feeling lift up to the Galaxy restaurant, on the 170-m-high viewing platform, so dingy it almost hurts your eyes. Turn instead to the panoramic view where telescopes zoom in on the Old Town, St Birgitta, the villas of Pirita and the vast spread of Lasnamäe. In fine weather, you should be able to see all the way to Helsinki.
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