Must-see shopping in Estonia

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    Katariina Gild

    Old Town

    The stunning medieval lane of Katariina Käik is home to the Katariina Guild, comprising eight artisans’ studios where you can happily browse the work of…

  • TALLINN, ESTONIA - MAY 1, 2011: Courtyard with cafes and souvenir shops in Old Town. Old Town is historical center of the city and a  part of the UNESCO World Heritage site; Shutterstock ID 246197989; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Masters' Courtyard

    Old Town

    Archetypal of Tallinn's amber-suspended medieval beauty, this cobbled 13th-century courtyard offers rich pickings – a cosy chocolaterie-cafe, a guesthouse…

  • Estonian Design House

    City Centre

    A fixture at cutting-edge design fairs, this collective of Estonian designers has a permanent shopfront in the Solaris shopping centre. Selling the Nordic…

  • Balti Jaama Turg

    Kalamaja & Telliskivi

    The sanitising of the train-station precinct is manifest in the supersession of the seedy outdoor market that once traded here by the sleek Balti Jaama…

  • Antoniuse Gild

    Tartu

    An array of artisans’ studios occupying three old houses set around St Anthony’s Courtyard produce ceramics, stained glass, jewellery, textiles,…

  • Karma

    Southern Estonia

    One of Estonia’s best antiques stores and a fun place to browse, even if you already have enough WWII helmets, scythes, sleigh bells, Soviet matchbooks…

  • Nukumaja

    Tartu

    On the side of Toomemägi, next to Tartu's version of the Addams Family house, this sweet, small store sells handmade dolls and toys for the young and…

  • GoodKaarma

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    Run by an English-Estonian couple from their farm outside the village of Kaarma, about 15km north of Kuressaare, GoodKaarma makes organic soaps from local…

  • Fahrenheit 451

    Tartu

    This curious trove of used books and ephemera is a wonder for lovers of rare and random titles and delightfully musty out-of-print editions. Stacks scale…

  • Maarja-Magdaleena Gild

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    The artisans of the Mary Magdalene Guild sell their wares (leather, glass, paper, weaving, felt, jewellery, pottery) from the main shop downstairs and…

  • Eesti Käsitöö Kodu

    Old Town

    Associated with the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union, resurrected in 1992 after its suppression under the Soviets, this is the biggest and best place in…

  • Solaris Centre

    City Centre

    Close to central Tallinn, Solaris hosts boutiques, an excellent bookstore, restaurants, a cheese-shop and both mainstream and art-house cinemas. The 2300…

  • Hiiu Wool Factory

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    Housed in a limestone hayshed built in 1841, this small mill uses 19th-century machines to card, rove and spin the thick wool of Hiiumaa's hardy sheep…

  • Puänt

    Kalamaja & Telliskivi

    Modern independent book shop offering fiction, non-fiction, art, academic and philosophical titles in English and Estonian, plus stationery and vinyl…

  • Stockmann Kaubamaja

    City Centre

    One of the first foreign stores to open after independence, this upmarket Finnish department store helped relegate Soviet shortages to the pages of…

  • Chado

    Old Town

    These passionate provedores specialise in tea in all of its comforting forms, sourcing many of the shop's leaves directly from Asia. Drop by to chat chai…

  • Kalev

    City Centre

    This local legend has been producing delicious chocolates and other confectioneries since 1806. This Rotermann outlet has a thousand varieties of…

  • Heltermaa Handicraft House

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    If you’ve got time to kill before the ferry docks, stop in to this collective in an old timber-topped tavern for knitted socks, honey, wooden utensils,…

  • Telliskivi Flea Market

    Kalamaja & Telliskivi

    The cool kids come to the courtyard in the midst of Telliskivi to sell their castoffs or to find new treasures. Between October and April the market…

  • Ivo Nikkolo

    Old Town

    Ivo Nikkolo, one of post–Soviet Estonia's first labels, produces women’s fashion that can be floaty and fun, or muted and professional, all made with…

  • Tasku

    Tartu

    A big, glitzy mall with a Rimi supermarket on the bottom floor, a cinema multiplex on the top and a branch of the excellent Rahva Raamat bookstore chain…

  • Lossi Antiik

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    Just before the castle, this jam-packed little store sells all sorts of antiques, from 19th-century farm tools to Soviet memorabilia. It’s a fun place to…

  • Raamatukauplus Krisostomus

    Tartu

    On the main square, this excellent bookshop offers plenty of English-language and academic titles (it's on the former site of Tartu University's bookshop).

  • Saaremaa Kunstistuudio

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    This bright gallery contains a variety of works by Estonian artists, including covetable textiles, ceramics, sculptures and paintings.

  • Viru Keskus

    City Centre

    Tallinn’s showpiece shopping centre is home to more than 100 stores, including fashion boutiques, a great bookstore (Rahva Raamat; www.rahvaraamat.ee) and…

  • Tallinna Kaubamaja

    City Centre

    Established in 1960, this is the most upmarket of Tallinn's department stores. As if to spite its Soviet heritage, it now stocks all manner of high-end…

  • Rae Antiik

    Old Town

    While it's not always cheap, 'Old Times' has plenty of treasures waiting to be unearthed, from samovars to militaria and Orthodox icons. Find the crowded…

  • Knit Market

    Old Town

    Inside the Old Town wall here are a dozen or so vendors praying for cool weather and selling woollen scarves, sweaters, mittens, beanies and socks. You do…

  • Lühikese Jala Galerii

    Old Town

    The 'Short Leg Gallery' is full of floaty textiles, jewellery, glass, ceramics and other applied art, all Estonian made. Ask to look at the natural spring…

  • Central Market

    City Centre

    Tallinn's largest market, southeast of the centre, is primarily about fresh produce and cheap clothing. Stalls and small shops on the periphery sell…

  • Kuressaare Market

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    This outdoor market has stalls selling all kinds of Saaremaa treats and tat: dolomite canisters, woollen sweaters, wooden handicrafts, smallgoods, honey,…

  • Foorum Keskus

    City Centre

    More like a contemporary arcade than a mall, Foorum has a single glitzy avenue of high-end stores. There's also a handy branch of mobile operator Tele2 if…

  • Tartu Kaubamaja

    Tartu

    Tartu's biggest and flashest shopping centre is anchored by a branch of Tallinn's Kaubamaja department store. Expect plenty of top fashion and much more.

  • Zizi

    Old Town

    Despite the Italianate name, Zizi stocks a range of quality, Estonian-made linen napkins, place mats, tablecloths and cushion covers.

  • Tartu Open Market

    Tartu

    Near the bus station, locals come here seeking fresh flowers, cheap clothes, nonbranded sunglasses and other bargains.

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