Hotels near St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik)

St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik) is the most visible landmark on Tallinn's skyline, its Gothic spire piercing 123.7 metres above the lower Old Town. Between 1549 and 1625 an earlier 159-metre spire briefly made this the tallest building in the world; three lightning strikes and fires later, the current spire dates from a 19th-century rebuild. The church itself is first mentioned in 1267 and served Tallinn's Scandinavian merchant community, dedicated to the 11th-century Norwegian king Olaf II.

The core visitor draw is the tower climb - 232 narrow spiral steps take you to an observation platform at 60 metres. From up top the entire Old Town, the Baltic, the port ferries to Helsinki and the modern skyline north of Toompea all unfold in one 360-degree view. The tower is open from April to October only. Entry costs about 5 EUR in 2026. The church interior below is free and holds a memorial chapel to victims of Soviet-era deportations.

Pro Tip: Climb St Olaf's tower at 10:00 opening in June or July - the light hits Alexander Nevsky's onion domes best in morning and the queue is shortest before 11:00. Bring water; the stairs are steep and unventilated.