Tallinn · Month comparison

January vs May

May ranks #1 overall vs January at #8. Sweet spot of the year: 17 hours of daylight, lilacs in Kadriorg, hotels still under EUR 150, no cruise volume yet.

Tallinn Old Town rooftops under January snow with church spires

January

#8 of 12 months

Avoid

Cheapest month: -10C nights, 6 hours of daylight, but the Old Town under snow with empty streets is unreal.

  • ↑Hotel Telegraaf and St Petersbourg from EUR 65/night vs EUR 220+ in summer
  • ↑Empty Tallinn Town Hall Square for snow-Christmas-postcard photos
May lilac blooms framing Tallinn Old Town walls in late spring sunshine

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Sweet spot of the year: 17 hours of daylight, lilacs in Kadriorg, hotels still under EUR 150, no cruise volume yet.

  • ↑Kadriorg lilacs and chestnuts bloom mid-month
  • ↑Sunset at 22:10 enables walking-tour evenings
FactorJanuaryMay
Weather score
2
8
Value score
10
7
Crowd score
10
6
Events score
4
7
Atmosphere
7
9
Avg high temp-2°C15°C
Monthly rain55mm35mm
Daily sunshine1hrs8hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓Sub-zero temps daily, often -15C, slippery cobblestones
  • ↓Only 6 hours of daylight (sunrise 09:15, sunset 15:30)
  • ↓Many Kalamaja cafes close 1-2 weeks for staff holidays

May trade-offs

  • ↓Baltic still cold for swimming (10C)
  • ↓Pre-summer thunder showers can be heavy
  • ↓Last week sees first cruise ship arrivals — 2,000 day-trippers
See all 12 months for Tallinn →January in detail →May in detail →
Scores compare months within Tallinn. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →