Estonia Air (www. estoniaair. ee) and Air Baltic (www. airbaltic. com) fly direct from Dublin to Tallinn. Once there, the airport is about 15 minutes by taxi from the old city.

So what's to see then?

The medieval city is really beautiful . . . real Grimm's fairytale stuff with red-tiled rooftops, tall, narrow buildings and cobbled streets. It's not vast, so you'll easily see the main sights in a weekend. Outside of the old part it's largely a rather grim Soviet-bloc look although the opera house is located here and is worth a visit.

In Toompea (the old city) the focal point is Raekoja Plats, Town Hall square, a huge cobbled area that's home to a number of cafes and restaurants . . . and a pharmacy that has been operating since 1422. Up the hill from here you'll find two impressive churches . . . St Mary's cathedral, the city's Lutheran landmark, and nearby the more elaborate Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky cathedral, a reminder of the power that controlled Tallinn for so many years.

And that juxtaposition is still here in its Russian/Estonian populations, Russian/Estonian restaurants etc. . .

And accommodation?

Stay in the old city if you can . . . it's streets ahead on atmosphere. Hotel Schlossle is a small, sumptuous, five-star hotel that prides itself on its service and attention to detail while its sister hotel, the St Petersbourg, is less pricey and still very comfortable. Both are perfectly located. Check out www. schlossle-hotels. com Roslyn Dee