Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)
On Gingerguide's self-guided Tallinn audio tour, Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Tallinn Tallinn guide
.jpg){kind=link}
About Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)
Tallinn's cobbled medieval heart, ringed by pastel merchant houses and framed by the Gothic Town Hall and the Raeapteek pharmacy that has traded on the same spot since the 1400s.
Raekoja plats, the Town Hall Square, is the main square of Tallinn's Old Town and has served as the town's marketplace and gathering place since the Middle Ages. A town hall has stood beside it since at least 1322. The broad cobbled space is ringed by pastel-coloured merchant houses and closed on its south side by the Gothic Town Hall. As part of the Historic Centre of Tallinn, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.
On the north side stands the Raeapteek, the Town Hall Pharmacy, first documented in 1422 and often described as one of the oldest continuously operating pharmacies in Europe, having always traded in the same building. It was run by the Burchart family from about 1582 until 1911 and today combines a working pharmacy with a small free museum of historical instruments. The square hosts markets, open-air concerts, the Old Town Days festival and Tallinn's Christmas market.
Did you know? The Raeapteek's shelves once stocked remedies that read like a witch's pantry: mummy juice, burnt hedgehog powder, powdered bat and dried earthworms, all sold across the counter to paying, hopeful customers.
How much time do you need at Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)?
Around ~30 min works well for Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)?
Yes — Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) made the cut as one of 21 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Tallinn. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Tallinn
Day 2 of the Tallinn in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)
Preview the Tallinn tour free in the Gingerguide app.