🇪🇪 Tallinn News and Events - Wed 2 July 🇪🇪

Find out the latest news and weekly events.

Jul 02, 2025

Wednesday: 🌤️ 23°/13°⏐ Sunrise 4:10 - 22:39 Sunset 🌤️

Thursday: ⛅️ 17°/9°⏐ Sunrise 4:12 - 22:38 Sunset ⛅️

Good morning Tallinn! Find below the latest news and the coolest events in the city 💛

🗞️ News For You

⭐️ Restaurant

Sten Sarap, owner of Tallinn's acclaimed restaurant 180° by Matthias Diether, shared insights on maintaining their two Michelin stars in a recent interview. His philosophy is straightforward: "don't compromise on anything" when aiming to be the best. While the restaurant retained its prestigious two-star rating this year, Sarap remains optimistic about eventually earning a third star, noting that Estonia's relatively short Michelin history may be a factor. Click here to learn more

💰 Tax

Estonia has implemented a significant tax increase, raising its value-added tax from 22% to 24% as of Tuesday, alongside a 5% increase in gasoline excise duty. The changes are part of a national defense tax package approved by the coalition government. Economic analysts warn that store prices could jump by 1.6% on average, with some predicting annual inflation could reach 6%. Click here to learn more

📂 Audit

A damning internal audit has exposed serious irregularities in Tallinn's public procurement processes for urban furniture and outdoor toilets. The city's €5.6 million bench and furniture tender was crafted with specifications so precise they effectively tailored the contract to specific companies, including millimeter-exact dimensions and specific color codes that matched products from only two firms. Even more controversial is the outdoor toilet procurement, where competitors suspect Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter may have steered a €94,000 contract toward Cramo, a company led by his Reform Party colleague. Click here to learn more

🏀 Sport

Estonia's national basketball team will conclude their EuroBasket 2025 preparations with a home game against Great Britain at Tallinn's Tondiraba Hall on August 22. The match serves as the final warmup before the EuroBasket finals begin on August 27, where Estonia faces a challenging group including Serbia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Portugal. Tickets for the Great Britain match are already available online. Click here to learn more

💡 Lighthouses

Estonia celebrates the eighth annual World Day of Marine Aids to Navigation on July 1 by offering free access to 11 historic lighthouses across the country. Last year broke records with over 94,000 lighthouse visitors, the highest in four years, with Sõrve lighthouse on Saaremaa island leading the way with 25,016 visitors. This year, visitors can explore lighthouses including Ristna, Kõpu, Vormsi, Tahkuna, Pakri, Ruhnu, Kihnu, Osmussaare, Naissaar, Vilsandi, and Narva-Jõesuu without charge, while Sõrve offers discounted entry. Click here to learn more

📈 Startup

Tallinn-based designtech startup Flowstep has secured $2.6 million in seed funding, to accelerate the global launch of its innovative AI-native design platform. The investment will fuel the company's expansion into international markets. Founded in 2023, Flowstep has developed what it calls "vibe design" - a unique approach that combines large language models, reinforcement learning, and computer vision to generate detailed design assets, user flows, and wireframes from simple prompts while preserving manual control for designers. Click here to learn more

🔨 Development

Estonian real estate developer Arco Vara has broken ground on two significant residential projects in Tallinn. The company is simultaneously launching Phase VII of the popular Kodulahe quarter in Merimetsa and a new development on Spordi Street in Kristiine district. The Kodulahe project will feature three apartment buildings with 62 units ranging from 1-5 rooms plus commercial space, targeting completion in Q4 2026. Meanwhile, the Spordi Street development comprises two buildings with 56 apartments (2-5 rooms) and underground parking, scheduled for completion by end-2026, with apartment pre-sales already underway. Click here to learn more

🚎 Trolleybus

Tallinn's public transport company (TLT) launched a significant infrastructure modernization project on July 2 to prepare the city for new battery-powered trolleybuses currently in production at Škoda's factory. The €333,300 project will replace Soviet-era low and medium-voltage cables with energy-efficient modern alternatives, targeting completion by November 2025. The first phase focuses on two key trolleybus lines: one running from Sütiste tee through Keskuse Street and Mustamäe tee, and another following Sõpruse puiestee toward the city center. Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan emphasized this upgrade as part of a broader vision to modernize Tallinn's public transport network and expand trolleybus coverage to new districts. Click here to learn more