Malls, Tallinn

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Viru Keokus / Tallinna Kaumbamaja are 2 big malls in Tallinn. You will find various shops up here. It is really nice to walk around and see it all.

The 2 malls are next to each other and are connected to each other. So, you don't have to go outside the building to go to the other. It is all under one roof.

There is also an area where you can leave your kids behind while you can shop around. Really lovely to see these little kids playing around.

Rotermann Kaubamaja is the newest addition in Tallinn's growing collection of consumerism shrines. It is located conveniently next to the Viru Keskus and Foorumi shopping centers, near the old town. Rotermann focuses on design and fashion.

The shopping center is built on a converted area, and there are also apartments on the buildings. The shops are located in several buildings that are intraconnected with a partially underground gallery -- helps you to shop during rainy days.

The focus is on clothing, with brand stores from Adidas, Lacoste, Matinique and so forth. There is also a good home decoration store, a few multibrand fashion stores, and a good café. As the economy is swindling in Tallinn, some shops had been closed and new tenants were yet to be found. This is bound to change when the economy is growing again, the location is so good.

Adjacent to the big Viru Hotel, you will find the Viru Centre shopping mall. Before visiting Estonia, I thought I would have a short escape from the consumer culture in the United States. The Viru Centre Mall destroyed this misconception! Seriously, it is an ultra-modern shopping mall that is similar to malls in the USA.

Within the mall, there are a few nice cafes where you can sit and enjoy a coffee. If you discover that you forgot to pack something after you arrive in Tallinn, just head over here -- this mall appears to have just about anything you might need.

This is a place that's been around for several years. Here you can find
clothes, things for the home, beauty products...
I didn't like the place though, I enjoyed Viru center more. For me, Kaubamaja
was dull and dated, at least when I was there in april 2007...

At Viru Center you can find pretty much anything you'd like when
it comes to fashion. If you enjoy shopping, you can easily spend
hours here, it's a really big place. Luckily, you can boost your energy
in one of the many cafés.

It happens quite often that people are forced to spent more time at the airport than planned at first. Tallinn has a nice small airport, but that means that the facilities for shopping and eating are not that large. In the public area, you won't find anything else than a restaurant and a kiosk where you can get some snacks. If you need something beyond that or just want to kill some time, got to Ülemiste shopping center. It is open 10 - 21 (supermarket until 23) and just a short walk away from the airport.

What to buy: Well, everything you can find in a normal shopping center. The main shop is a hypermarket (Rimu), but a couple of other shops are also here.

Kristiine shopping center has about 130 stores and restaurants under one roof, so it is an ideal place to shop on rainy days. The center is located a few kilometers from the old town, and the route there is not a scenic one. It is not dangerous, but plain dull. You can walk there, if you like, but in my opinion everyone is better off with a taxi.

Don't expect finding too many stores that are not present in the city centre, too. Most of the outlets are chain store franchises. There is also a big supermarket, Prisma, that has excellent selection of food and drinks, and large but cheapish looking collection of garments, shoes and other such stuff.

The cafés are nice, just like every shopping center café. I would recommend Wayne's Coffee inside the bookstore, it seems to be more quiet than the others.

Viru Keskus is the most centrally located shopping center in Tallinn, located just a block from the entrance to the old town and overlooking the central park. All other bigger shopping centers are located on the outskirts of the city.

The stores in Viru Keskus are a bit more upscalish, too. There is Kaubamaja department store, Hugo Boss, Zara, Diesel and Marc O'Polo stores, to name a few. A grocery store is on the Kaubamaja basement.

Several cafés and restaurants help you to keep on going from shop to shop. The prices are decent, as everywhere in Tallinn.