The Best Hostels in Tallinn, Estonia

At first glance this rustic two-storey villa seems an unlikely hostel, but it and similar houses are reminders of the grand old days when the Kadriorg quarter was Tsar Peter the Great’s summer seaside playground. His nearby palace and park survive intact, while the heady genteel days this villa once enjoyed are long gone. Now, plainly furnished rooms and dormitories share bathroom facilities and are a mishmash of brown carpets, patterned wallpaper and the odd chandelier – but it’s all reasonably well kept.

In a quiet old town street, the Imaginary has a big-windowed, high-ceilinged lounge and kitchen that have retained period features befitting a row of venerable townhouses; meanwhile, the aquatic-themed corridor murals lend an almost playful atmosphere. The rooms – most with cornicing and dados intact – are plainly furnished, and filled with bunks in designated dorms. The spacious loft is sometimes used for movie nights, live music and parties.

Down a cobbled lane in the old town, Munkenhof offers cheery singles and doubles, along with four- and six-bed dorms. Much of that cheer comes from the vibrant decor: green walls, pink floors and faux-Persian rugs. It’s well maintained and common areas have free wifi. There’s also a kitchen, and a games room with a PlayStation and chess.

Draper is part of a small but globally expanding chain of hostels aimed at entrepreneurial digital nomads; the big idea, apparently, is to foster connections through an accommodation and co-working ecosystem. Here in the old town, this child-free hostel occupies a typical pale-yellow townhouse and offers sparingly furnished rooms and dorms with shared facilities.

Just north of the old town, near the railway station, Sesoon stands amid a cluster of light industrial units. The building faintly resembles a rustic farmhouse; the neat, plain rooms with shared facilities feature pine beds and basic furniture. There’s also a pleasant cafe serving enormous breakfasts and decent lunches that draw in a non-resident clientele.

In keeping with the open-minded e-culture of Estonia, where the internet is officially a human right, the first Japanese-style capsule hotel in the Baltics is in Tallinn, around 2km (1.2mi) south of the old town. It’s a distinctly space-age take on the concept; the 46 pods are divided among four named rooms (such as Planeet Maa and Meteoroid) and have futuristic moulded interiors with TVs and headphones. Canny blue-tinged lighting amplifies the sci-fi movie set feel, while a conventional kitchen keeps you tethered to planet earth.

Wedged between the old town and Tallinn port, the four-storey Fat Margaret building resembles a small mansion. Rooms and dorms are standard hostel fare, but add the sauna, a small plunge pool, a glass-walled communal kitchen and a lounge with table tennis, and it gains quite some ground. Exposed brickwork, arched windows and a handsome stairwell boost the all-round good vibe and make it a place to linger.