Kadriorg Art Museum — Attraction in Tallinn

The Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn is a feast for the eyes long before you step through its doors. Housed in a baroque palace commissioned by Peter the Great, it’s a destination that balances grandeur with intimacy—and it’s absolutely worth carving out an afternoon to explore.

If you’re staying in the Old Town, do yourself a favor and rent a scooter to get there. It’s a scenic ride through neighborhoods layered with history and a surprising amount of architectural flair—Soviet blocks, Art Nouveau gems, wooden houses with ornate carvings. Tallinn reveals itself in fragments, and this route is a charming sampler.

Arriving at Kadriorg, the palace itself steals the show at first. Ornate stucco, sweeping staircases, and rooms glowing with sunlight and stories. But the real magic happens as you move deeper inside. The collection spans European and Russian art with strong curatorial choices, but there are rooms that stop you in your tracks—none more so than the marquetry room, a jewel box of hand-laid wood paneling, housing a glittering array of Tiffany glass, Fabergé eggs, and other opulent artifacts that feel both out of time and perfectly at home.

Don’t miss the formal gardens behind the palace—a manicured escape that feels like stepping into a painting—and definitely leave time for the cozy café downstairs. It’s the kind of museum that manages to be both immersive and digestible, dazzling without exhausting.

Whether you’re into art, architecture, or just want to roam a Russian emperor’s summer home,...

Extremely rude man at the entrance scolding at us! We have been on a road trip visiting different museums and palaces in Baltic countries, and this museum is on our list before travelling to Finland. We came here with a great expectation, but our good mood suddenly disappeared before even entering.

We bought three tickets from the vending machine (12 euros per person), and one of us went to the toilet. While waiting for my friend, I saw the scanner to validate tickets. I thought I would validate our tickets first (we were not ready to enter first). Then, this old man with the white hair, who must be a security guard rudely shouted and asked me to leave the coat and turned to my other friend and scolded him to put his bag in the locker. We were shocked by his attitude, but tried to comply with what he said. The first locker room we saw were small, but my friend tried to use it (we didn’t know that there were other lockers in the other room - by the way, how could we possibly know it?). Then, this man shouted again and said big ones. He sounded so angry, and I even had to talk to him “Please talk nicely!”.

We didn’t come here to be treated like criminals, and our experience wasn’t really pleasant. Is it worth to pay 12 euros to be...

This is one of the best art museums I have visited. There was a lot of good artwork, and the pieces were very well displayed. The building itself is beautiful, so even if I had not enjoyed the art, I would have enjoyed the decoration of the rooms. You must leave bags in the lockers. These are free to use. There is a small cafe. There are toilets. These were in a clean condition. There was a small souvenir shop. My only complaint is that when purchasing one of the beautiful cards, I was not provided with an envelope to go with it. I did query this and was told they do not have any to fit the card, so now I have a card I cannot post. The cashier was also rude. You have to buy tickets to enter. There is a ticket desk or a machine in the main entrance. The last Wednesday of each month has a reduced ticket price. You get free entry with a Tallinn Card. There is partial access for people who use a wheelchair. There is a lift, and portable ramps are used for some steps. The Russian art collection on the third floor is not accessible. There are accessible toilets There were tactile plans...