Year-round
Dates
4h
Duration
2+
Min group size
Tour in Tallinn and its surroundings: the Soviet Estonia
- Discover the Soviet secrets from behind the former Iron Curtain in Tallinn and its surroundings
- Visit the Olympic Center built in Tallinn for the Moscow Olympics
- Visit the abandoned soviet air-defense base and Coastal Folk Museum’s exhibition
- Drive along Tallinn’s coast and admire the postcard views from Tallinn TV tower
On the Soviet Estonia tour we see the legacy of Soviet occupation in Tallinn and its surroundings. The tour reveals all the Soviet secrets there were behind the former Iron Curtain.
On the tour we take a spectacular drive along Tallinn’s coast to get a feel for the area’s natural beauty and fascinating maritime and soviet history! You’ll visit the Olympic Center built in Tallinn for the Moscow Olympics. You’ll hear how the yachting competitions were organised during soviet times.
On the Viimsi peninsula, you’ll visit the secret abandoned soviet air-defense base and Coastal Folk Museum’s exhibition. It introduces stories about time behind the iron curtain. Admire the picture-postcard views of the Old Town skyline from Tallinn TV tower.
Read more about 9 Soviet sights to visit in Tallinn.
PRICE INCLUDES: personal pick up and return at your hotel, guide service, transport and entrance fees to museums.
FOR EXTRA CHARGE: Lunch or coffee break is available on request in restaurants of Viimsi or in TV tower.
PICK UP PLACE AND TIME: hotel or Tallinn Tourist Information Centre
LANGUAGES: English, Spanish
1
Learn about the historical background of soviet times at Freedom Square
Starting from the end of the story, we provide an introduction to the historical background of the soviet occupation of Estonia at the symbol of Estonian independence, the “Statue of Liberty”, centrally located in Freedom Square. On the Soviet tour we will tell you about dramatic and humorous issues and memories (including pictures from the time) which will stay with us for the whole tour.
2
See soviet architecture in Tallinn city centre and visit the place where the Estonian people sang themselves to freedom
Heading towards the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds we pass the former Headquarters of the KGB at the legendary Hotel Viru and buildings that represent Stalinist architecture in Tallinn. Stopping at the Song Festival Grounds we will try to give you a feeling of the emotions that filled the stage in the late 1980s when the Singing Revolution took place here and the Estonian people sang themselves to freedom.
3
Visit the former Olympic Centre, home to the yachting events for the Moscow Olympics in 1980
Continuing the Soviet tour along the Eastern coast from Tallinn, we will tell you the controversial stories about the Memorial of Maarjamäe and the former Olympic Centre where the yachting for the Moscow Olympics took place in 1980. Following the coastline, which was partially closed as part of the border zone established during soviet times, we visit the Coastal Folk Museum to get acquainted with a soviet collective farm exhibition.
4
Explore an abandoned air-force base and get a best view over Tallinn from the TV tower
Ending up at the peninsula of Viimsi, we take a walk to an abandoned air force base in the forest where strategic rockets were installed until the restoration of independence in Estonia in the early 1990s. On our way back to Tallinn city centre we visit the Tallinn TV tower (also built in 1980 for Moscow Olympics) to get to know more about the unbelievable building strategies employed by the soviets, their censorship of the media, and the dangerous events when Estonia declared its independence in 1991. Our drive back to the city centre also takes us through the biggest city district built in soviet times, a high-rise area of apartment blocks named Lasnamäe.
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Optional tips to enhance your experience:
- order a yacht for 1 -2 hours to take a sailing cruise on Olympic yachting trails in Pirita;
- order a Soviet-style-food outdoor picnic;
- visit the KGB prison cells for extra 5 euros per person;
- when you are at least 6 person group, have a tour with soviet-style retrobus;
- add guided Virtual Reality tour on Harju street from the years 1939 and/or 1944.
Prices for Behind The Iron Curtain – Secrets Of The Soviets
For families with children we usually offer discounted price. Please ask more information.
| Number of participants: | Price per person: |
| 1 | 270 euros |
| 2-3 | 135 euros |
| 4 | 115 euros |
| 5-7 | 95 euros |
| 8 and more | on request |
©J. Leppmets. Maria's Hill Memorial. Tallinn Old Town in the background
©J. Leppmets. Maria's Hill Memorial in Tallinn
The memorial opened in 2018 in memory of Estonia’s victims of communism.
©J. Leppmets. We visit Tallinn TV Tower
Tallinn TV Tower
©J. Leppmets. We get to admire the beautiful view from Tallinn TV Tower
©J. Leppmets. View from 170 meters above the ground. Tallinn TV Tower
©J. Leppmets. The Olympic Center in Tallinn built for Moscow Olympics in 1980
©J. Leppmets. Abandoned Soviet air-defence base in Rohuneeme
Abandoned Soviet air-defence base in Rohuneeme
©J. Leppmets. Retrobus for rent in front of Coastal Folk Museum
©J. Leppmets. Exhibition about Soviet times at Coastal Folk Museum
©J. Leppmets. Exhibition about Soviet times at Coastal Folk Museum
©J. Leppmets. Exhibition about Soviet times at Coastal Folk Museum
©M. Laidvee. Estonia's coastline was a border zone sometimes protected by barbed wire
©T. Grepp. We hear stories about the Song Festival Grounds
©Ajapaik. Tallinn Old Town during the Soviet time
Enjoy the coastal area of Pirita with the views of Tallinn panorama.
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Tour Reviews
A nice way to see some of Tallinn outside of the medieval centre. The television tower is definitely worth visiting (so long as there is good visibility). The monument to victims of communism is also interesting. There is very little to see at the Soviet air defence base. It has nearly been reclaimed by nature so if you like discovering abandoned sites amongst the trees then you will enjoy it.
Guide’s experience and knowledge were exceptional. Well worth the time and money.
Thank you to Denis for a great tour!
Very enjoyable and well run tour.
Während unseres zweitägigen Aufenthalts während einer Kreuzfahrt haben wir den Ausflug das sowjetische Estland, Tallinn und Umgebung als private Tour unternommen. Der Schwerpunkt der Tour liegt auf den Einflüssen aus der Besatzungszeit auf das heute wieder selbständige Estland und wurde insbesondere durch unseren hervorragenden Guide Jaan maßgeblich geprägt, der zu allen Orten die passenden Fakten anbringen konnte und immer auf unsere Wünsche eingegangen ist. Ein ganz großes Danke Schön hierfür (@ Jaan Fjord -Grüße sind ausgerichtet!)! Für alle die, die insbesondere die Altstadt von Tallinn schon kennen, eine ganz tolle Alternative.
Diego was an outstanding guide with good knowledge of the tour he was providing. Highly recommend!
Behind the Iron Curtain of Tallinn – Secrets of the Soviets tour was very cool!
My 15 year old son and I very much enjoyed this tour with our tour guide Nele. We learned and saw so much about the history of Estonia gaining independence and saw some very cool and interesting places and things along the way. The Memorial to those never seen again, they were sent to Soviet gulags, rivals and possibly surpasses the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. The back stories which included personal family stories brought the history even for to life. This tour also included a trip up the TV tower built for the 1980 Olympics, a stop at a local museum and a walk in a missile silo on a former Soviet military base. Pretty darn cool!
Tallinn Soviet Tour
Such great value for money. Our tour guide Liina was so friendly and knowledgeable she was able to answer all our questions with ease. Liina picked all 8 of us up from our hotel at the agreed time then drove us around Tallinn showing us all the sites of interest. We achieved and learnt so much in the day with a beautiful lunch break up the iconic tower. Highly recommend this tour.
We took a Soviet tour with Nele. It was an interesting tour of areas of Soviet occupation and the legacy they’ve left behind. We visited the Song Festival grounds, the Soviet statues taken to the Historical museum, the TV Tower (with a fascinating exhibit), a coastal fishing town and an abandoned missile silo. We ended the day with an abbreviated tour through Old Town and a drive through Kalamaja, admiring the historical wooden houses there. We took 2 tours through Prangli Travel – The Day trip to Lahemaa and also the Soviet Tour (with a shortened version of Old Town & Kalamaja wooden houses). I don’t think we could have seen so much in 2 days, so we were happy to have had the chance to do it with Prangli Travel!
Great tour guide Liina was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information. Good selection of places to visit!
Secrets of the Soviet Tour
Had a great morning with Marit! Really enjoyed each of the sites which we would not have been able to get to so easily without her assistance – Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, Soviet Statue Graveyard, Maarjamäe Memorial Complex, Tallinn Teletorn (TV Tower) and the Rannarahva Muuseum. Would highly recommend learning a bit about the Singing Revolution in Estonia prior to the tour as it enhances what you will see.
The guide Marit was excellent, a very beautiful tour inside Tallinn!
Friendly guide with a lot of knowledge.
Thank you. Delighted with today’s tour.
Our guide Marit was excellent. Very knowledgeable and willing to answer our questions, clearly and courteously. Nothing was too much trouble.
I was particularly grateful for assisting with my visit to the print shop. I want to thank you for providing such an excellent, professional guide.
Soviet Era sights around Tallinn
We only had one day in Tallinn on our Baltic cruise and luckily we chose to spend the day with Marit learning about the Soviet Era in Estonia. Everything flowed with the expected precision. A few of the usual sites and some nice wandering off the beaten path. We loved the Telecom tower, and a trip to an abandoned missile bunker. Something for everyone, and our host adapted to our energy and mood, flexibility never provided by the usual cruise ship excursions.
Very interesting tour
Secrets of the Soviets tour with Annika was very intresting. We did learn a lot about the history of Estonia. I can only say when you visit Tallinn you surely have to go on these kind of trips to see what you normally would not see.
Im sure next time when I am in Estonia i will call Prangli Travel team to show me more nice places.
Behind the Iron Curtain
We had an excellent half day tour visiting a variety of places related to the sad days when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union – including an abandoned airbase, the television tower, the outdoor stage where people assembled as the USSR broke up. All explained much better than I can by our guide, Annika. It was a unique experience to hear first hand what it was like to live under Soviet rule, how terrible it was to live under occupation under Stalin, the liberation and subsequent success of Estonia. Would highly recommend on your visit to Tallinn!
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