Comments on: Face-Off #4: Tallinn vs. Riga

By: ggggg

ggggg — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 06:33:30 +0000

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=75
has many threads about Riga under Latvia and especially Photos.

By: Ziga (Kristi)

Ziga (Kristi) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:18:58 +0000

Since Im like from there and by there I mean a communist country (as so labeled by Kristi) I vote Tallinn. Oh and I have been there and its awesome. Plus Riga in Slovene means to burp so why would you want to go to a city named after burping? Therefore there is only one reasonable choice…to do my bidding. (By the by, Kristi says hi, and she made Pumpkin bars so that yous guys would come back.)

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:41:39 +0000

I traveled to Riga, and Tallinn (in addition to Kaliningrad and Vilnius) back in 2004. Ever since my visit I’ve been quite fickle in deciding which city is my favorite. Riga and Tallinn are both beautiful cities in their own right. In my own humble opinion I think that Tallinn possesses the most aesthetically pleasing old town. Riga, as has been mentioned earlier in this discussion, is much larger than Tallinn, but it has gorgeous old town, as well. You’d be hard-pressed to argue which city is better than the other, so here’s my advice. Instead of trying to decide which city you’d rather visit, take the opportunity to visit both cities. You don’t need to visit them both in the same trip, but at least visit each of them once. After you’ve had a taste of both cities you can decide for yourself which one you like better, but I suspect, even then, you’ll have some difficulty in deciding.

By: Lena

Lena — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:29:35 +0000

Hi,
Hans and I took a cruise to Riga a couple of months ago together with some friends. The boat was very small and old. Riga is quit interesting. Particulary for a swede as we have a lot of history together and some nice old buildings are restored and owned by swedes.

Our friends had made the cruise to Tallin before. Their conclusion is that Tallin itself is much more worth seeing and the boats to Tallin are much nicer.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:46:45 +0000

Hey, These two are both on my list, maybe this coming summer if we make it to Russia. I’d have to vote for Riga if it were just one though. I’m fascinated by the history there. Latvia is a little less developed than Estonia and I certainly like the feel of the old Soviet bloc countries, particularly the ones that still have a bit of that aura, not that Riga will still have much of that. At the same time, Riga is bigger and will give you a lot of diversity in what you see. Either way, have a great time! (Jacks says that he thinks you should put aside both and go to Vilnius, as it has the most cultural history of the three. Just a thought.)

By: Birthday | Lives of Wander

Birthday | Lives of Wander — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:59:27 +0000

[...] Thanks for all the voting so far … keep em coming, we need to know, RIga or Tallinn? [...]

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:33:23 +0000

I’ve not been to Riga but spent a long weekend in Tallinn. Tallinn is wonderful. It’s a cute little town with plenty of space for wandering. It’s a great day-trip destination where you will probably feel like you’ve been able to really experience the city in a day.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:35:44 +0000

Tallinn is much smaller than Riga, but it’s the perfect size for a one day visit. Its fairy tale medieval old town is beautiful. Fat Margaret’s Tower is kind of fun as well. I heard over the weekend that the old town is full of hip cafes and restaurants now. Also, Estonians are an interesting bunch.

Like the last commenter, I’m a bit biased. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Estonia many years back and Tallinn was a pleasant escape from my village. I’m hoping to visit Estonia in the next few weeks myself.

By: .ee

.ee — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:48:17 +0000

It all depends on how long are going to stay and what do you expect to see. Surely, Riga is twice bigger and thus you’ll have probably more to see, but Tallinn has a totally lovely atmosphere and an oldtown that makes you think you’re in some sort of fairy tale (just wish for a good weather). You just can’t describe the atmosphere. Also, I have noticed that it’s much easier for an anglophone to survive in Tallinn. I would be biased to say that you should definitely go to Tallinn, but I do recommend it.

By: Gregory

Gregory — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:33:52 +0000

Essentially it comes down to Gothic vs. Art Nouveau. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of either style, but that doesn’t mean the finest examples aren’t wonderful works. They both can be a little fussy and at times gaudy. In my opinion Art Nouveau architecture is easier on the eyes and as it attempted to “humanize” the Victorian forms there will definitely be plenty of fine sculptural elements (specifically floral). So with that I voted for Riga.