Weather lowdown
January falls in the middle of winter in Tallinn, Estonia, and is one of the coldest months of the entire year. Just like in Helsinki, the capital of Finland that lies across a narrow sea arm, the temperatures don't rise above freezing this time of year. The average temperature is -4°C in January, only one degree higher than the annual minimum of -5°C in February. In the afternoons, the mercury ranges around the average high temperature of -1°C, while at night, it drops to an average low of -7°C. Both those temperatures tend to decrease ever further in the course of the month. The average high drops from 0°C to -3°C while the average low falls from -4°C to -9°C. The sea temperature in January is merely 1°C, barely above freezing.
After December, the month with the least daylight of them all, the days are swiftly increasing in length throughout January. January 1 is the shortest day with only 6.11 hours of daylight, but January 31 is already much longer with 7.58 daylight hours. This means that each day in January is 3.4 minutes longer than the previous one.
January tends to be quite overcast. Cloud cover ranges around 96% and doesn't vary all that much. This makes it the second cloudiest month of the year, after December. This, of course, limits the amount of sunshine this time of yeart's a rather dark month.
All those clouds bring with them a fair amount of precipitation. The total amount of precipitation in January is 40mm, which makes it the fourth wettest month of the year along with September. There are 16 days with precipitation. You may expect some type of precipitation on about one day in two. The chance that precipitation occurs ranges between 77% in the beginning and 71% at the end of the month, which is rather high by all accounts. The vast majority of precipitation falls in the form of snow. Snow is observed on no less than 82% of the days with precipitation. The chance that it snows on any given day in January is about 60%.
Tallinn in January is a snowy and cold destination. The snow-covered cityscape makes it a beautiful city, though, and there are plenty of winter activities to enjoy.
Where to stay
The Savoy Boutique Hotel is a classy five-star hotel in downtown Tallinn. Its spectacular location at the place where the modern city centre turns into the gorgeous Old Town makes it a preferred place to stay among most visitors. Amenities are plentiful at this luxurious hotel, ranging from free Wi-Fi to a sophisticated restaurant.
A more affordable place to stay in January is Romeo Family Apartments. Ranging from studio apartments to double room apartments, this is a wonderful option for families or couples who want to have their own place and maybe even prepare their own meals.
The three-star Old Town Maestro's hotel is a cozy boutique hotel with a medieval charm that you will only find in Tallinn's Old Town. Housed in a historic building formerly used by craftsmen and merchants, this is an amazing place to stay if you want to be close to all the action and the landmarks.
Eating and drinking out
Boasting what can only be called an eclectic interior, Manna La Roosa is housed in a building that used to be the home of one of Estonia's greatest writers, Oskar Luts. This well-rated restaurant is strongly recommended, serving everything from appetisers and cold plates to full dinners and delicious sweets.
If you're in the mood for fish or seafood, head to Bocca Pescheria, a popular Italian restaurant in the heart of the charming Old Town. This is one of the greatest seafood restaurants in Estonia, using only the freshest of ingredients to prepare the wonderful dishes that adorn the menu.
Platz is situated in the always vibrant Rotermann Quarter, a former industrial area, and is a modern eating establishment with an interior that combines soft seats with its brick walls and arched ceilings. The menu features everything from salmon to lamb to pastas and woks.
Things to do
With an average temperature of -4°C in January, you might want to spend most of your visit to Tallinn indoors. Luckily, there are several wonderful museums in the Estonian capital. One particularly visit-worthy museum is the KUMU Art Museum. Unquestionably the biggest and most modern art museum in the country, the KUMU exhibits works by Estonian artists from the 18th to the 21st century.
Tallinn is not only a historic city; it's also a hub of culture, as the presence of museums like this proves. This is the main branch of the Art Museum of Estonianother branch is housed in the beautiful Kadriog Palace. The KUMU is Estonia's National Gallery as well as an important venue for exhibiting contemporary art.
Artworks include everything from classical 18th-century art, to Estonian-made art up until World War II, to art made during the Soviet Era, to contemporary art. Its magnificence is also proven by the fact that the KUMU Art Museum was awarded the title of "European Museum of the Year" in 2008hat definitely makes a statement.
