Private 2.5-Hour Tour of Tallinn Old Town in a Spacious Mercedes Minivan

A Five-Star Surprise: The Gentle Tour of Tallinn with Saku Travel

Estonia wasn't even on my radar before this trip. Slotted into our Baltic cruise itinerary, I half-expected a placeholder port, maybe a stand-in for a Russian stop that's fallen off cruise routes given the war in Ukraine. I couldn't have been more wrong, and our guide Maarja Laiapea (with driver Jüri Pokk) is the reason why. Maarja's communication was outstanding, from the time I booked the trip to the time she met us outside the cruise terminal gate (the terminal only allows cruise-booked excursions past that point, so that's as close as any independent tour operator can get). She reached out to me immediately when she learned our cruise ship had made a change to our arrival time. (I learned about the change from her before I got the notification from our cruise line!) Once the tour started, Maarja didn't just show us Tallinn's sights. She made a genuine case for the country. She walked us through Estonia's long history of occupation by foreign powers, and how the Estonian people have held onto a distinct identity through it all — not through nationalistic assertion, but through something more like collective solidarity. She backed this up with the Estonian Song Festival: a 150-year-old tradition that draws tens of thousands of singers and dancers together every five years, and one that's genuinely credited with helping carry Estonia through Soviet occupation to independence. She provided the kind of detail that turns a city tour into a real understanding of a place. What made this tour a standout for our family, though, was how Maarja and Jüri handled accessibility. My son uses a wheelchair, and Tallinn's Old Town cobblestones are no joke. Rather than treating that as an obstacle to route around apologetically, they were patient and proactive, pointing out where the wheelchair would navigate best, adjusting our pace, and giving us the time we needed without ever making it feel like a burden on the group. My mother, who mostly stayed in the van with Jüri, was looked after with the same care. We came in with modest expectations for an unfamiliar port. We left with a five-star tour and a real fondness for a country we knew almost nothing about a week earlier. Highly recommend Maarja, Jüri, and Saku Travel to any family, especially those traveling with mobility needs.

via Tripadvisor

Fantastic learning experience

We had the most amazing day with Maarja . We learned so much of Estonia’s history, the neighborhoods and the people. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Response from the operator: Hi Mari, thank you very much for these kind words. I put my heart into every tour, and it is great to know that it is appreciated. Hopefully you will return to Estonia for some more exploration! Kind regards, Maarja Laiapea

via Tripadvisor

Reliable, professional and simply beautiful

We had a wonderful day in Tallinn. Monika and driver Juri picked us up at the port. Even a small bottle of water was prepared for each of us in the car. Then we hiked to the national park and through the moor. In the afternoon we went on foot through Tallinn. Everything worked out perfectly from Booking Referral to pick-up to timely arrival on the ship. Monika even led us into some regional shops (guild). There we were able to take home something regional. Thank you and full Recommendation for all interested parties.

via Tripadvisor (translated)