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Finding day trips from Tallinn that are quick and easy is more challenging than it sounds. So many require lengthy journeys or aren’t too public transport-friendly. Even exploring Lahemaa National Park for the day has its challenges. One that takes you just out of the city and treats you to superb coastal scenery though is a day trip to the Pakri Peninsula. Setting out from the town of Paldiski, you can stretch your legs and really enjoy this powerful nature destination.
Like is so often the case, I cannot remember what exactly drew me to this pocket of Estonia. Maybe it was seeing Paldiski on a local train board in Tallinn. Perhaps it was an errant photo of the Pakri Cliffs falling into the Baltic Sea.
Whatever the reason, I couldn’t resist investigating this interesting place near Tallinn during my last visit to the city. While not the perfect trip, I’m glad I made time to fit into my itinerary. So once you’ve finished sightseeing in Tallinn, be sure to consider paying a visit to the Pakri Peninsula and Paldiski.
The Town of Paldiski
Let’s start with the small port town of Paldiski, since it’s a logical starting point for a visit here. Paldiski is a former Russian naval base and modern industrial port a short distance from Tallinn. The town is the gateway to the Pakri Peninsula, as well as the nearby Pakri Islands. But in terms of being a tourist destination on its own, there isn’t a huge amount to see or do here.
Part of that is due to the town’s history, as it was originally home to Swedish settlers before the Russian Empire took control. The main historical landmarks to visit here are several old churches like St Nicholas’ Church and St George’s Orthodox Church. The biggest tourist attraction in Paldiski is the Amandus Adamson Studio Museum dedicated to the local Estonian artist. Probably my favourite sight in town was actually the old train station, as it just had so much character to it.
Pakri Peninsula Walk
But Paldiski isn’t the reason you should come to this part of Estonia on a day trip from Tallinn. No, that reason is the rest of the beautiful Pakri Peninsula. It’s one of the countless beautiful spots along the country’s Baltic coast and perfect if you want a scenic walk.
After realising that there wasn’t much in Paldiski to keep me busy, I decided to venture north to find the Pakri Cliffs. First, though, I had to work out where the supposed coastal trail began that would bring me to them. Wandering along the main road out of town and turning off it towards the water, I eventually found an information board with answers.
The board sat by an old bastion outside a barren car park and fenced-off port entrance for trucks. Hardly a prominent place for that kind of information, but it did do the trick. A short walk from there through the lower of two vast gravel car parks I was on the start of a small trail.
At first, the path along the peninsula coast isn’t too appealing as you gently climb up the rocky coastline. But soon enough you reach flat meadows full of wildflowers and it’s quite a pleasant place to stroll through. The further along the peninsula you walk here, the higher the cliffs get, but it’s a fairly gradual rise and therefore not too strenuous.
While the early coastal scenery was pleasant, what really got me onboard here was once I started passing old abandoned military bunkers in the fields. These squat concrete relics sat crumbling in the fields, immediately lending the area some character and history. Seeing them look out over the water reminded me of the ruins at Karosta in Latvia, another fascinating place on the Baltic Sea.
Baltic Coastal Hiking Route
It’s worth talking a little about the trail that runs around the Pakri Peninsula as I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before. The trail here is just one small stretch of an international hiking route called the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route. Hiking the full 1200km route takes you from the Latvia/Lithuania border all the way to Tallinn. Learning of this route immediately had me thinking of one day attempting the whole thing.
Unfortunately, I had to content myself with just completing the small stretch up to near the Pakri Lighthouse. For those seeking to follow the route, look for the white and blue markers seen above. No idea if they’re a different colour in Latvia, but these will at least help you hike the Pakri Peninsula.
Pakri Cliffs
Walking along the windswept coastal route you’ll eventually reach the highest sections of the Pakri Cliffs. At their highest, the cliffs reach 24 metres, but they’re still quite special in other places as well. The Pakri Cliffs are such an iconic place in Estonia that they used to feature on the 100 kroon banknote before the adoption of the Euro.
While walking along the Pakri Cliffs does give you a sense of their size, they’re even more impressive from down below. The easiest way to experience the cliffs from below is to take the meandering staircase down to one of the stone beaches. There among the slate rocks that have tumbled down you can fully appreciate just how eroded the cliffs are. And while the cliffs have a rather dull grey appearance to them, the beaches are far more colourful than you’d expect them to be.
Returning to the top of the cliffs, it’s best to continue on the trails and make your way to Pakri Lighthouse at the end of the peninsula. Because I was uncertain about the timing of transport and walking, I rushed this section of my visit. Safe to say it wasn’t necessary and I should have stuck around longer.
While I caught plenty of views of the Pakri Lighthouse, I would have liked to have seen it up close, given that this 1889 lighthouse is the tallest in Estonia. Other things I missed here include the actual highest point of the cliffs, as well as Pakri Juga, a cliffside waterfall further east.
Tips for Visiting Paldiski and the Pakri Peninsula
The good news is that getting to Paldiski and the Pakri Peninsula is super easy. Simply take the train from Tallinn and an hour later you’re there. Buses also run between Paldiski and Tallinn if you miss the hourly train. Train tickets are around 3€ one way depending on whether you buy in advance or on the train.
Have you ever visited Paldiski or the Pakri Peninsula? What other places on the Estonian coast would you recommend to visitors? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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