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The Traveller's Magazine
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With Tallinn being one of Europe’s fine cultural capitals, airline tickets to the Estonian capital are hot ticket items, especially once the warmer weather rolls in. Flights from London will put you out £71 this April with EasyJet.

Discover Tallinn’s cultural side this spring with art exhibitions, underground parties, open-air cinema and special events taking place to celebrate the arts and cultural side of Estonia. The city will no doubt be crawling with tourists, locals and visitors this summer so get there ahead of the crowds and enjoy what this city has to offer.

It’s good to know a little about the culture though before you arrive. Here are the essentials, which will no doubt impress the locals.

Estonian Culture 101

  • Estonia has always straddled the east and west, caught between Russia and Western Europe.
  • Literary history didn’t begin until the 19th century, with a collection of folk poems recorded by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald.
  • The first “moving picture” in Estonia was screened in Tallinn in 1896.
  • The biggest summer festival is Jaanipäev, which included large bonfires and late nights in the countryside.
  • Blood sausage with a helping of sauerkraut is considered essential Estonian cuisine.
  • The most common greeting is “tere” (hello!).
  • Culture is passed from one generation to the next through storytelling and song, both important aspects of the local culture.
  • Generally Estonians are reserved, keep their personal space and are far less boisterous than their eastern neighbours.

Have you ever been to Tallinn?

Check out Europe’s other cultural capital as well, Turku!

Img: beginswithq, Flickr cc.

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