The Estonian Open Air Museum spreads across 79 hectares of coastal forest at Rocca al Mare, in Tallinn’s western Haabersti district. Around 70 original buildings, relocated from every corner of Estonia, recreate two centuries of rural life. Visitors come here to walk through the country’s farming and seafaring past at their own pace.
Paths wind between thatched farmsteads, a windmill, a village school, a chapel and a fishing village on the shoreline of Kopli Bay. Fourteen farms show how families from different social classes lived between the 18th and 20th centuries (Visit Tallinn). In summer, costumed staff demonstrate traditional crafts inside the buildings (Tallinn Trip). The village tavern serves hearty Estonian fare between farmyards.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Allow at least half a day and wear sturdy shoes. From September 29 to April 22, the museum opens Tuesday through Sunday and closes on Mondays. In December it opens daily, but it closes on December 24–25, December 31 and January 1 (EVM). Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit.
Tallinn Zoo is close by, and a combined annual family ticket for the zoo and the museum costs €170 (EVM). The museum is about a 15-minute drive from the city centre. City buses also run from Balti jaam station.
