Swissôtel Tallinn

Rooms and decor

Picture taking the lift up to the 25th floor of the tallest building in the country, opening your door, and meeting a floor-to-ceiling glass wall with nothing in the way. Below is the UNESCO-listed Tallinn Old Town, red-tiled roofs running all the way to the blue dome of Alexander Nevsky cathedral, and beyond that the Gulf of Finland stretching to the horizon. That is the first morning at Swissôtel Tallinn. The 238 rooms across the 30 storeys run modern Scandinavian in a warm key — light wood against grey-brown fabrics, with beds soft enough that several reviews say they slept so well they did not want to get up. The marble bathroom separates the shower from the tub, and reviewers single out the toiletries as genuinely 5-star to the touch and scent. What brings people back is the light: golden early sun off the Gulf of Finland fills the room, and by evening the yellow lights of the Old Town below turn the same view into a fairy-tale postcard you can stare at for ages. Some suites add a wide sofa by the window for sipping wine and watching the water all night.

Food and amenities

If the hotel has a second heart beyond the room views, it is Horisont on the 30th floor, at the very top of the tower. Step out of the lift into a room ringed by glass on all sides — the Old Town on one side, the Gulf of Finland on the other, the skyline running out as far as you can see. The kitchen serves contemporary Nordic-Scandinavian food that reworks Estonian ingredients, and standouts like the local smoked salmon and the venison steak have many reviews calling it the most memorable dinner of their Tallinn trip. Sunset here is deeply romantic, so reserve a window table on the Old Town side well ahead. Down on the 7th floor, the Pürovel Spa & Sport is just as much of a draw: a roughly 16-metre indoor pool with big glass windows over the city, a real Finnish sauna, a steam room, and treatment rooms where reviewers say the therapists go light or firm as you like. The Amber Lobby Bar downstairs is the spot for a cocktail and a snack after a day in the Old Town, and the breakfast buffet at Café Swiss on the ground floor draws praise for its spread of Estonian sweets, fresh-baked bread, and cooked-to-order cheese and eggs — generous and good value for a 5-star European capital.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits in the heart of Kesklinn (City Center) on Tornimäe street, in the newer side of Tallinn full of office towers, big malls, and modern nightlife. Right next door is the Solaris Center, with a late-opening supermarket, restaurants, a cinema and cafés — handy when you want a snack or gifts to take back to the room. Walk through it about 5 more minutes and you reach Viru Gate, the entrance to the UNESCO Old Town, for a total of roughly 8–10 minutes on foot from the hotel. Inside you will find cobbled lanes, golden amber shops, medieval churches and Town Hall Square at the center. Tallinn Airport (TLL) is just a 10–15 minute drive — among the closest of any European capital — and the ferry to Helsinki is a short taxi or bus ride to the port. It is the kind of base business travelers flying in for meetings and couples wanting a smart spot near both the Old Town and modern conveniences both go for.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The first thing many reviews flag is that the tower stands outside the Old Town walls, not in the cobbled lanes themselves — anyone dreaming of stepping out the door into the medieval quarter may find the 8–10 minute walk along a main road and through the Solaris mall farther than expected, and a hotel inside the Old Town might suit them better. Second is that the views are not equal across rooms: lower floors and the sides that do not face the Old Town get office towers and streets instead, and the standout view everyone talks about is the high floors on the Old Town side only. Put "high floor, Old Town view" in the special-requests box or you may be let down. Third is seasonal pricing: even though rates start around $120 a night — good value for a 5-star European capital — they climb fast in the summer high season and around Christmas, and high-floor Old Town rooms cost noticeably more than standard ones, so book months ahead for the best of both. Finally, Wi-Fi and a few other items may carry extra fees on the cheaper packages, so check the terms closely when you book.

Our take

After reading hundreds of real reviews, Swissôtel Tallinn is the hotel that sells the best view in town and earns it — floor-to-ceiling glass from a 30-storey tower over the UNESCO Old Town and the Gulf of Finland is an experience no other hotel in Tallinn can match. Add Horisont on the 30th floor for a memorable dinner, the Pürovel indoor pool that is heaven in winter, and a price clearly below other 5-star European capitals. If your mental picture of the trip is waking up to the Old Town spires with hot coffee from a high floor, walking 10 minutes into the Old Town, coming back to the indoor pool and sauna, and ending the day with dinner on the 30th floor as the sun drops behind the Gulf of Finland, this is about as right as it gets. If you plan to spend most of your time in the cobbled lanes and want to walk out into the medieval quarter immediately, a hotel inside the Old Town may suit you more. Overall we give it 9.0/10, best for couples, luxury travelers, and business guests who value a standout view, a special dinner, and a spa and indoor pool as the highlights of the trip.