Old Town, Tallin, Estonia

Tallinn has managed to wholly preserve its structure of medieval and Hanseatic origin against all the odds. Estonia, like it's Baltic neighbors, has been home. Due to its exceptionally intact 13th century city plan, the Old Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, joining the ranks of the world’s most recognised landmarks. Here you'll find original cobblestone streets dotted with medieval churches and grandiose merchant houses, barns and warehouses many of which date back to the Middle Ages. It is utterly charming, and well worth a few days exploring.

A fortified settlement existed in Tallinn from the late 1st millennium BC until the 10th–11th century AD, and there was a town on the site in the 12th century. In 1219 it was captured by the Danes, who built a new fortress on Toompea hill. Trade flourished, especially after Tallinn joined the Hanseatic League in 1285 (more on this later). In 1346 it was sold to the Teutonic Knights, and on the dissolution of the order in 1561 it passed to Sweden. Peter I of Russia captured Tallinn in 1710, and it remained a Russian city until it became the capital of independent Estonia from 1918 to 1940. Estonia was annexed to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1940 to 1991. After the Supreme Soviet of Estonia declared independence in 1991, Tallinn became the capital of the newly independent state. With the exception of an ugly demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in the wake of their invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, it is an otherwise peaceful city that hides it troubled past beautifully.