Estonia Travel Guide - Going Out

Hors d'oeuvres are very good in Estonia and often the best part of the meal.

National specialities:
• Sült (jellied veal).
• Täidetud vasikarind (roast stuffed shoulder of veal).
• Rosolje (vinaigrette with herring and beets).
• Braised goose stuffed with apples and plums.
• Estonian wild mushroom soup.

National drinks:
• Saare beer (dark and heavy yet tasty).
• Mulled wine.
• Vana Tallinn (a local liqueur that's probably best left to the locals to sip).

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: Restaurant bills include a tip.

Tallinn is used to entertaining daytrippers from Finland and, increasingly, stag-parties from the UK. There is a wide range of restaurants, cafes and cosy bars, as well as livelier nightclubs that sometimes feature live bands. Socialising is at its most active Thursday-Saturday nights, between 2300-0300. For culture vultures in Tallinn, there is the Estonia National Opera, the Estonia Concert Hall (tel: (6) 147 771; website: www.concert.ee), the Vanemuine Theatre (tel: (7) 440 100; website: www.vanemuine.ee), and for children, the Estonian Puppet Theatre. For further details on cultural events, contact the Estonian Institute (website: www.culture.ee).

Amber, ceramics, glassware, leather-bound books and local folk art are good buys, as are traditional hand-knitted thick wool jumpers. There is a good knit market by the Old Town walls on Müürivahe in Tallinn.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1800; some on Sat 1000-1700; department stores: daily 1000-2000.