Tallinn TV Tower (Tallinn, Estonia)

The queue-managing system for the Tallinn TV Tower works well: upon arrival you’ll be informed very quickly of your waiting time, and while waiting for your turn to get upstairs, you may visit the café, the shop and the exhibitions on the ground floor (you’ll get an SMS before your ticket number is called for the elevator). That’s due to a 100-people limit on the Sky floor, which prevents visitors crowding in front of the glass or information desks and creates a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy the city views. There are screens where you can check the actual number of people on the Tower at every moment.

However, the queue can sometimes take 45 minutes or more, which may be disappointing. Here’s a couple of tips to help you plan your queue-free visit:

Come to the tower on a sunny day. The Tallinn climate is specific, and clear sunny days are not common. This would bring many more visitors to the TV Tower, but also provide the best views of the city. We don’t advise you to come on a snowy or very cloudy day: though you’ll be able to avoid queuing, you probably won’t see anything from the top.

Don’t get stuck in a queue! Book your ticket online or come in the morning to avoid long lines during high season. If there’s no other way - you can purchase an Express ticket at the Tower’s ticket Office which will guarantee you a faster entrance (just 3€ extra).

Keep in mind that afternoons are usually busier, and the smallest queues are in the mornings.

Even though your ticket gives you access to a small 3D film in the room behind the ticket office and a Sky floor visit, start from the observation deck and get back to the cinema later: it makes it more interesting to identify places you’ve already visited when watching it.