The coast west of the capital is dotted with coves, sandy beaches and pine forests. Lured by the slogan “buy a house for the price of a flat”, many Tallinners are moving to the area’s spreading suburbs. Beyond, 50 km from Tallinn, lies Paldiski, a bizarre blend of natural beauty and degenerating tower blocks, once home to the Soviet navy’s nuclear-submarine training base. Retreating troops vandalized the military installations in the mid-1990s and this shell of a town served as the grim backdrop for Lucas Moodysson’s harrowing film Lilja 4-Ever (2003), about a Russian girl tricked into prostitution. Not far away either is the romantic antidote of Lohusalu, a pine-coated peninsula sprinkled with summer cottages and small beaches. SightsKakumäe beach Bus 21b from Balti jaam to the Kammelja stop. Located just before Tabaslu and west of Rocca al Mare, this is a well-tended beach in a pretty village of modest cottages and immodest modern villas surrounded by high fences. Holocaust Memorial Just beyond Klooga. Bus 12, 107, 108, 109, 110, 126, 136, 147, 156, 157 or 241 from Balti Jaam to Klooga. From Tallinn, take a left turn after the town of Klooga, following the Holokausti signs. A small road leads to an eerily silent clearing in the pine forest, with a grey stone memorial commemorating the spot where 2000 Jews, many transported here from Russia, were massacred by retreating Nazi troops on 19 September 1944. Türisalu 25 km from Tallinn, just past Väänna Jõoesuu. The Russian version of Hamlet was filmed here and the observation platform offers an uplifting view over gentle white cliffs and the bay and beaches below. Lohusalu You need a bit of imagination to hear the voice of the beach at romantic Laulasmaa (’Singing Sands’) beach. It supposedly whistles under your feet when it has been baked by hot sun following a rainfall. At the peninsula’s northern tip is the old fishing village of Lohusalu, with a modern marina and a pub. Paldiski Buses 157 and 241 from Balti jaam; electric train from Balti jaam. This sprawling town, 52 km from Tallinn was the site of the Soviet Union’s nuclear-submarine training base and was out of bounds for 50 years. It was the first and last place in Estonia to witness a Soviet military presence. If you’ve never visited a Soviet town, the shoddiness of the lumpen prefabricated housing and the crumbling hulk of the submarine training school are depressing. Eastern Europe veterans, however, will be heartened by the absence of aimless, angry young men on the streets, the beautifully kept flowerbeds and trim patches of greenery all over town and the children running happily in the playgrounds. Pakri peninsula Peetri tee. The pretty wooden train station recalls the days when Paldiski was a fashionable resort favoured by artists – hard to believe until you reach Pakri Peninsula, 3 km west of the town centre, towards the lighthouse. The flora and fauna in this long untouched area are flourishing, with butterflies breezing around wild flowers, ducks bobbing in the sea below and seabirds wheeling overhead. It’s a wonderfully windswept spot for a walk, but stick to the paths, because the cliffs are dangerously crumbly.
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Tallinn - £7.99
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