The Estonian History Museum (Eesti Ajaloomuuseum) in Tallinn is open five or six days a week, depending on the season, from 10:00 AM to 06:00 PM. From May 2 to September 30, the museum welcomes visitors Tuesday through Sunday. For the rest of the year, you can visit it from Wednesday to Sunday.
The museum is closed on public holidays, including Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Spring Day (May 1), Victory Day (June 23), Midsummer Day (June 24), and Christmas holidays (December 24, 25, and 26).
The ideal time for indoor activities, such as visiting museums, in Tallinn is in November, January, February, and March, when the weather is quite cold and tourist flow is the lowest.
However, one of the Estonian History Museum's locations — Maarjamäe Palace — is nestled along the shores of Tallinn Bay and surrounded by a picturesque park with outdoor exhibitions. It is an excellent place to explore on a warm summer day.
The museum is worth visiting if only because of its buildings. One of them is the over-600-year-old Gothic-style Great Guild Hall, one of Tallinn's most impressive medieval buildings. Through the centuries, it has been used for feasts, weddings, theater performances, and court hearings. Now, it gives an opportunity to learn more about the history of the country and this particular building.
The museum's permanent exhibition covers 11,000 years of Estonia's past. Its collection includes weapons and army uniforms from various periods, historic coins, recreations of domestic interiors, and many more. Interactive displays and films help to understand how Estonian people lived, fought, and survived.
Another museum's location, the Maarjamäe History Center, takes visitors on a journey of 100 years from the birth of the Republic of Estonia to the present day. In addition, there is a great outdoor exhibition of Soviet-time monuments. The collection consists of more than 20 big statues created between 1945 and 1990.
Great Guild Hall is located in the historic center of Tallinn at Pikk 17. The Old Town is a mostly pedestrian area, so be ready for a 10-minute walk from the bus or light rail stop. The nearest ones are Viru and Vabaduse väljak.
Maarjamäe History Center is situated on the shore of Tallinn Bay at Pirita tee 56. To get there, take bus routes 1A, 5, 8, 34A, or 38 and get off at the Maarjamäe stop.
Admission to Great Guild Hall costs €12 for adults, €8 for seniors, students, schoolchildren, and holders of ISIC, ITIC, and IYTC cards, and €24 for families (2 adults and children). Tickets to the Maarjamäe History center cost €15, €10, and €30, respectively.
Entry is free for children up to and including eight years old, people with a profound disability with a companion, journalists with press cards, employees of Estonian museums, ICOM members, and holders of Tallinn Card.