The Viru Gates

The Viru Gate, in Tallinn

The Viru Gate is the picturesque entrance of the old town of Tallinn, often the first glimpse that the visitors have of it. The Tallinn audio-guided tour stops here to evoke these medieval towers covered with ivy, vestiges of the old fortifications of the town.

The medieval entrance of the old town

Picturesque, even enchanting, the Viru Gate is often the first glimpse that the visitors have of Tallinn when they penetrate the old town from the east. These two round stone towers, topped with pointed roofs and prettily covered with ivy, frame one of the historic entrances of the medieval town. They are the vestiges of a vaster ensemble of fortifications, which formerly included a gate with its outer gate, its towers and its defences, controlling the access to the town from the Viru road. Tallinn, a former Hanseatic town, was surrounded by a powerful wall punctuated by numerous towers, of which a large part still survives today, making the town one of the best preserved of Northern Europe. The Viru Gate, with its romantic silhouette and its flowery setting, has become one of the emblematic images of Tallinn, a must-see point of passage towards the historic heart and its cobbled alleys. A fortified vestige and an entrance gate of the old town, the Viru Gate is a must-see stop of the discovery of Tallinn.

What to see

You admire the two round stone towers topped with pointed roofs and covered with ivy, which frame one of the historic entrances of the old town of Tallinn from the east, vestiges of the fortifications of this former Hanseatic town surrounded by a powerful wall, become one of the emblematic images of the town and a point of passage towards the historic heart. The Viru Gate is a gate of the old town of Tallinn. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Viru Gate lies at the eastern entrance of the old town of Tallinn, reachable on foot. It is an open-air vestige, freely accessible. You cross it to penetrate the medieval heart and its alleys; a flower market often animates its surroundings.

What is the Viru Gate in Tallinn?

Two round stone towers topped with pointed roofs and covered with ivy, which frame one of the historic entrances of the old town from the east; vestiges of the fortifications of this former Hanseatic town, they have become one of the emblematic images of Tallinn and the first glimpse that the visitors often have of it.

Where is the Viru Gate in Tallinn?

At the eastern entrance of the old town of Tallinn, in Estonia.