When to Visit Tallinn

the heart of winter, with highs around 0°C (30°F) and lows dropping to -5°C (22°F). Snow is likely. The Old Town looks theatrical under it. The city is quiet enough that you can hear your own footsteps on the cobblestones.

statistically the coldest month, with highs dipping slightly to -1°C (30°F) and lows reaching -6°C (20°F). Daylight is still short but noticeably lengthening. The weekend sauna culture reaches its peak as locals look for ways to stay warm. Rainfall is the lowest of the year at 41mm, often falling as snow.

starts to feel like the edge of something changing, though temperatures in Tallinn remain firmly wintry: highs around 2°C (37°F) and lows at -3°C (25°F). You'll get the occasional sunny day that feels almost warm in the sheltered courtyards of the Old Town. Don't leave the thermal layers behind.

the month of stubborn hope. Highs climb to 9°C (49°F) and lows reach 0°C (33°F). There are days when a jacket alone feels sufficient. These are followed immediately by days when it snows. Rainfall is the lowest of any month at 36mm, which makes it a reasonable time to walk the city walls.

when Tallinn properly wakes up. Highs reach 15°C (59°F), lows stay around 5°C (41°F), and the terraces outside the Old Town cafes start filling in. The light extends noticeably into the evening, giving the city a different texture from its winter self.

brings the white nights. Not quite as extreme as in Helsinki or Tallinn's near-neighbor St. Petersburg. But close enough that you'll be pulling curtains at midnight and finding the sky still faintly luminous. Highs average 19°C (66°F) with lows at 9°C (49°F), and rainfall rises to 69mm, usually in quick evening showers.

the warmest month and the peak of Tallinn's summer season, with average highs at 22°C (71°F) and lows around 13°C (55°F). It's also the month when the city feels most alive. Outdoor concerts happen. The Pirita beachfront is in use. Old Town lanes stay busy until late. Rainfall is 81mm. But it comes in bursts rather than sustained periods.

holds much of July's character, with highs at 21°C (69°F) and lows at 12°C (54°F). Statistically it's the wettest month of the year at 84mm, though you'd rarely notice given how quickly the skies clear after a summer shower. The tail end of August hints at autumn, and some of the crowds begin to thin.

in Tallinn tends to be one of the more underrated months. Temperatures are still comfortable at 16°C (60°F) during the day with lows around 8°C (46°F). The amber and ochre in the Old Town's limestone walls seem to deepen with the lower autumn light. You'll find accommodation easier and restaurants less hectic. Rainfall is 58mm.

Turns noticeably colder and wetter, with highs at 9°C (49°F) and lows at 3°C (38°F), and total rainfall reaching 79mm, making it one of the damper months of the year. The city shifts indoors. The wine bars and basement restaurants of the Old Town come into their own.

Settles into full Baltic gloom. Highs reach only 4°C (39°F) and lows hover at 0°C (31°F), with 66mm of rain and increasingly short days. That said, Tallinn handles the darkness with some grace. The first Christmas lights tend to appear mid-month. The Advent markets begin transforming Town Hall Square.

Is cold, dark, and, for a certain kind of traveler, atmospheric. Highs average 1°C (34°F) and lows -3°C (26°F), and there's a reasonable chance of snow, which the medieval Old Town handles with particular photogenic conviction. The Christmas market draws visitors from across Northern Europe. The very center gets busy in the lead-up to the holiday.