We have a day off of a cruise ship to see this city. Is it easy to navigate? Should we hire a tour guide?

I would do your homework about the streets in Tallinn and how to get around.

There is an Upper Town and a Lower Town.

It helps to know where you are walking to.

Make a list of the place you want to see.

What time are you off the cruise ship when you arrive in Tallinn ?

Very easy. No need for a guide if you have a decent guide book. Certainly no need for a ship's tour.

Thanks. I believe we arrive early a.m.

We did it easily on our own.

The old-town area of Tallinn is very compact, although the medieval streets are winding and can be a little confusing. Lots and lots of souvenir shops! On days when there are more than one cruise ship in port, it is terribly crowded - really hard to see much of anything because of the massive crowds.

Is there any way to know when those days with more than one cruise ship will be in port occur? I'd like to time our visit to avoid those massive seaborne invasions, if possible.

We visited during a cruise. The ship dropped us off in the old town for no charge and we wandered around by ourselves.

nukesafe - Well, a little online searching turns up this:

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/E...llin/May_2015/

And this:

http://www.portoftallinn.com/static/...%20Tallinn.pdf

In the past I found the equivalent data useful for Dubrovnik, it's probably worth doing a search any time you're visiting a popular cruise destination.

Thank you very much, Thursdaysd! We don't usually vacation in seaside locations, so I was not aware of these resources. Very helpful. Next year, however, my Wife wants to visit relatives in Estonia, so ----

nukesafe - you're welcome. If you're going to Estonia, can I put in a good word for Latvia as well? I really liked Riga - more than Tallinn.

See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...a-art-nouveau/ and the following post.

My daughter and I did Tallin on a cruise stop last summer. We did it on our own, following the information in the Rick Steve's European cruise port guide book. He had a walking tour in it and it was easy to follow. It was fairly crowded when we were there but still a good day. Lots of shops,mplaces to eat etc...