St Olaf's Church

Oleviste has burned down and been rebuilt more times than any other building in Tallinn - lightning has struck the spire at least eight times. In its medieval maximum the spire is thought to have reached around 159 metres, which would have made it the tallest building in the world at the time. Today it stands at about 124 metres, still enough to define the skyline from the sea.

What you actually see

• The interior - tall, austere Gothic with very little decoration, whitewashed and plain by cathedral standards.
• The height - the effect the building works by, rather than ornament.
• The tower stair - a tight spiral of 232 stone steps.
• The external walkway - a narrow gallery around the base of the spire, with the old town roofscape, the port and the Gulf of Finland from it.

When to go

April to October the tower is open; outside that season it closes. Early morning or late afternoon avoids the congestion, because the stair is single-file and jams in the middle of the day. Clear days matter: the walkway is exposed and pointless in fog.

Honest expectations

The climb is genuinely tight, unlit in places, and there is no way to pass someone coming down comfortably. Anyone uneasy with confined spaces or heights should skip it - the walkway is narrow with a low railing.

The church interior itself is plain and takes ten minutes. Do not travel for the building alone.

Nearby

The Fat Margaret maritime museum and the Great Coastal Gate are two minutes north. Telliskivi is a fifteen-minute walk through the Balti Jaam area.