Josie Copson
Published November 29, 2025 6:30am
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Tallinn turned out to be a perfect Christmas break (Picture: Getty Images)
If December were a city, then Tallinn would likely be it.
The Estonian capital has been taking the holiday season seriously since 1441, when it is said to have erected the world’s first public Christmas tree (Latvia and Germany still beg to differ).
Then, 24 years ago, the Estonians levelled up to full Clark Griswold mode by opening a market around the 14-metre spruce. Ever since, the annual festive affair has been consistently recognised as one of Europe’s best.
Strolling through the town square, I can see why.
It’s beginning to look a lot like (Baltic) Christmas
In Tallinn, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns, pastel-coloured buildings form a ring around the market, where twinkling lights and kitschy stalls make me feel I’ve just walked onto the set of a Hallmark movie.
It has everything you’d expect in a city that does Christmas like Tallinn does.
@josiecopson📍Tallinn, Estonia #estonia🇪🇪 #christmasmarket #europeanchristmasmarket #hallmarkchristmasmovies #hallmarkmovies
♬ Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Mariah Carey
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You could win a trip to explore Krakow's UNESCO-listed Old Town (Picture: Getty Images)
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Handmade decorations of wooden snow-covered cottages, jewel-coloured baubles, and intricately decorated rocking horses are proudly displayed by local sellers.
Sizzling sausages are grilled over open flames, the smoke wafting into tourists’ nostrils. It’s the ideal stomach-liner for anyone sampling the traditional Nordic mulled wine, Glogg, which, if you can stomach it, can be mixed with local 40% ABV liquor, Vana Tallinn (a delightful mix of rum, herbs and spices).
Locals tell me that one shot works like an internal body sauna, and after sampling, I realise they may be onto something.
The first public Christmas tree was in 1441, and the tradition has been continued (Picture: Metro)
It’s cheesy, but love really is in the air. Around me is a couple snapping selfies and kissing for the camera; a mum in a fur coat is watching her toddler spinning around on the carousel; groups of friends laugh over steaming cups of hot chocolate, and school-aged children dance on the stage, which, on the weekends, showcases folk ensembles, dance groups, and, with 5% of Estonians involved in choirs, they naturally feature on the schedule, too.
It’s enough to warm even the coldest heart.
Currently, the market attracts around 200,000 visitors every year — compared with the three million that descend on Winter Wonderland in London, it feels small, but that only adds to the allure.
Only 4% of Estonian tourists are from the UK (Picture: Metro)
While Tallinn may not be the obvious choice for a festive city break (just 4% of Estonia’s tourism comes from the UK each year), being here makes me feel a bit smug, like a member of a VIP club.
While I take great pleasure in my yearly trip to Hyde Park, drinking at the Bavarian Village, and always ending up in fits of laughter on the chaotic Ice Mountain, it feels a little like I’m at a more artificial replica.
Whereas, in Tallinn, with its rich history, genuine local sellers, and still functioning medieval town backdrop, it is absolutely the real deal.
However, if I had one reason to put Tallinn’s market on the naughty list, it would be the repetition.
Some of the booths could be repetitive (Picture: Metro)
As there are only 60-ish stores, ideally, each would have unique items, but I count at least four serving only Glogg and zero pulling pints of beers.
And, while several vendors can plate me up sausage, cabbage and potatoes, if I want something else savoury, it would be a struggle.
Cute knitwear for the modern Estonian is nowhere to be seen; instead, they have comedy hats emblazoned with ‘Sauna Boss’.
The county’s public broadcaster recently described the market as ‘tacky’ and ‘kitschy’, and while an oversized gingerbread biscuit is exactly what some people want, there is room for a bit more.
I am told that the tourist board have hinted that there will be a glow up, soon.
The Estonian way
The bread at Rataskaevu16 is some of the best I’ve ever tasted (Picture: Metro)
The market’s central location means that visitors are just a stone’s throw from the city’s best culinary delights.
Inside the three-floor Pegasus, which has house plants covering every spare sqm (so much so that some diners are, literally, eating under leaves), I warm up with the roasted bell pepper soup and fluffy roasted potatoes covered in spicy alioli.
In Estonia, dark rye bread is eaten almost every day at virtually every meal, and the tradition is one I happily join in on.
I ate some of the best at Rataskaevu16, which is baked fresh each morning on-site; it’s as light as a cloud, and served with a butter that could be mistaken for cream cheese.
Just a 15-minute walk from the hustle and bustle is the ibis Styles hotel, where I stay for the duration of the trip (from €75 per night).
The camera wall is a focal point (Picture: Metro)
While it’s part of one of the most famous budget hotel chains, the Estonian venue has a distinctly boutique feel; a photography theme means guests are greeted with a wall of cameras in reception (it shouldn’t work, but it does) and can play in the vintage photo booth.
Sometimes, jam-packed itineraries mean you can’t be bothered to leave the hotel once you’ve schlepped back with the shopping bags.
At ibis Styles, this is no issue as their Focus restaurant showcases some of the cosiest dishes. The duck carpaccio starter cooked in a promegrantate reduction, and served with grapefruit gel, and pistachio is one I’ll be thinking about for a while.
Chocolate hour is a fun daily occurrence in the Mövenpick Hotel (Picture: Metro)
If you want even more elevated lodgings, then the Mövenpick Hotel is its richer, older brother, with its suites, spa, wine cellar, and rooftop restaurant.
I sneak in for their ‘chocolate hour’, which runs daily from 4pm to 5pm and celebrates Estonians’ love of the dessert (they are the world’s third-biggest eater when consumption is measured per resident).
I indulge in as much chocolate fountain, brownies and biscuits as my jeans will allow.
Exploring the city
If you can prise yourself away from the market (and you should), there is plenty more to explore.
I trace the history of Tallinn on a walking tour led by Eva-Maria, who proudly tells us she was one of the people in the longest human chain, which stretched 600km and three countries, in 1989.
Two years later, they got their independence from the Soviet Union, and their tough history has meant they are rightly boastful about what makes the country so special.
The historical highlights include the world’s longest-running pharmacy, Raeapteek, which has been operating since 1422 and sells some of the early ointments, such as an almond marzipan, that is said to help with broken hearts, and the President’s 1938 Barbie-like pink palace. Anybody can stand next to the front door, even if Alar Karis is in, which feels like a novelty.
Tourists can get close to the President’s house (Picture: Metro)
But this isn’t a city that relies solely on its past; from the Kohtuotsa viewing platform, I see cranes and Canary Wharf-esque skyscrapers dotted through, and cool neighbourhoods are everywhere, such as former industrial complex Telliskivi Creative City, where the chicest people hang out drinking lattes and checking out local art at Fotografiska.
The old and new come together in Tallinn (Picture: Metro)
While the Tallinn Christmas market finishes at the end of December, decorations here stay up right until the end of February (!), so it’s the perfect country to visit in early 2026 if you’re not ready to let go of the festive spirit so soon.
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Almost 50% of Estonians do not identify with a religion, so the country has taken the season and made it its own outside of the religious connection.
Sharing it with me for 48 hours was the greatest gift they could have given.
Getting to Tallinn from the UK
You can fly direct from several major UK airports to Tallinn, with airlines including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Air Baltic and Jet2.
The cheapest return fare we could find in December is £61 with Wizz, departing from London Luton on December 2 and returning on December 4.
Josie Copson was a guest of hospitality group Accor, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything – our reviews are 100% independent.
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