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At opposite ends of the city from each other, these two areas offer a perfect example of the contrast between things Soviet (Lasnamäe’s cheaply built, grey, prefabricated tower blocks, where everyone lives on top of each other) and things Estonian (Nõmme’s pretty wooden villas, with fences and gardens providing longed-for privacy). Lasnamäe, east of Kadriorg, is bisected by the Narva highway, route one to Russia; forested Nõmme is southwest of town on the way to party central, the coastal town of Pärnu. Heading west from Tallinn you will find manor houses, beaches, gentle cliffs and the wild Pakri Peninsula of Paldiski, once the Soviet Union’s nuclear submarine training base. East lies Lahemaa (Land of Bays), a national park with coastal villages, romantic manor houses and rich flora and fauna. The almost deserted island of Naissaar, until recently out of bounds because of unexploded mines, is just north of the city in the Bay of Tallinn.
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