The Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) on Tallinn’s seafront is the mainland sibling of Naissaar’s batteries. Its three great concrete domes were built in 1916–1917 as hangars for the seaplanes of Peter the Great’s Naval Fortress — pioneering thin-shell structures that are monuments of engineering in their own right.
Restored and opened as a branch of the Estonian Maritime Museum, the hangars now hold the submarine Lembit, built in Britain in the 1930s for the Estonian navy, along with boats, sea mines and guns. At the quay outside lies the steam icebreaker Suur Tõll. In recent seasons the boats to Naissaar have left from the piers right beside it.
Top things to do: Seaplane Harbour
Go aboard the Lembit
You can climb down into the submarine and walk through its cramped compartments — the star exhibit for most visitors.
Explore the icebreaker
Suur Tõll, launched in 1914, is moored outside. Engine rooms, cabins and the bridge are open to visit with the museum ticket.
Read up before the island
The museum’s displays on the naval fortress, sea mines and coastal defence are the best possible preparation for Naissaar’s batteries and mine depot.
Walk the seafront
A waterfront path links the harbour with the Patarei sea fortress and the wooden-house district of Kalamaja. Guided seafront and maritime tours cover the same ground.
How to get to Seaplane Harbour
- On foot: about 20–25 minutes from the Old Town through Kalamaja.
- By public transport: city buses run to the Lennusadam stop; check the current route numbers.
- For the island boat: confirm the exact departure pier with the boat operator — it has changed between seasons.
Insider tips
- If your boat leaves from here, arrive early and see the outdoor exhibits first; if it returns here in the afternoon, the museum makes a good end to the day.
- Allow two to three hours for the hangars and the icebreaker.
- The museum café is a convenient last stop for coffee before a day with no shops.
Best tours & tickets: Seaplane Harbour
These experiences are the easiest way to see Seaplane Harbour:
Museum tour from €42 Tallinn: Maritime Museum and History Tour
A guided look at Tallinn’s seafaring past, as a museum tour or combined with a city walk. Useful background for the sea fortress that Naissaar was part of. Only one review so far.
- Guided visit to Tallinn’s maritime museum
- Option to combine the museum with a city walk
- The city’s story told from the sea
Walking tour from €25 Tallinn Seafront Walking Tour
A guided walk along the city’s waterfront, the stretch of shore that island boats have used in recent seasons. Only one review so far, but a fitting warm-up the day before you sail.
- Tallinn’s relationship with the sea, past and present
- The waterfront rather than the Old Town
- Easy two-hour walk
Walking tour from €30 Hidden Tallinn: Soviet Walking Tour
A well-reviewed, inexpensive walk through the Soviet layer of the city. It is the natural companion to Naissaar, which spent the same decades as a closed military island that ordinary Estonians could only look at from the shore.
- Soviet-era architecture and everyday spaces still in use
- Stories from the occupation years
- Beyond the usual Old Town route
