Living in Uus Maailm, Tallinn

Uus Maailm - literally "New World" - is a small asum just south-west of the centre, and it is one of the neighbourhoods with the most character in Tallinn. Streets of wooden houses built between the late nineteenth century and the 1930s, a strong sense of community and an atmosphere that Estonians themselves describe as the most bohemian in the city. The name comes from the area's "America" streets, such as Suur-Ameerika and Väike-Ameerika, named after an old nineteenth-century inn called "America".

Who lives here

Uus Maailm has a reputation for attracting people a little outside the box: creatives, open-minded people, residents who care about neighbourhood life more than the more reserved Estonian average. There is a mix between those who have always lived here in the wooden houses and those who arrived for the atmosphere. It is central but lived in like a village, with a real neighbourhood community - there is even a local society, the Uue Maailma Selts, that animates local life.

What it's like during the day

During the day it is quiet and residential: calm streets of wooden houses, little through traffic, the slow rhythm of a district that sits a short walk from the centre but does not suffer its chaos. You go everywhere on foot - the Old Town and Freedom Square, Vabaduse väljak, are very close - and the scale stays human, that of a neighbourhood.

What it's like in the evening

In the evening Uus Maailm stays calm and residential. The high point of the year is the Uue Maailma street festival in summer, organised by the community, which fills the streets with music and people. For the rest, anyone after venues and nightlife heads into the centre, a few minutes away; the neighbourhood itself is a place to come home to, not to go out late in.

Getting around

The strong point is its central location: you do almost everything on foot, with the Old Town and the centre about ten minutes' walk away. The nearest tram stops are on the edges of the neighbourhood, towards Tõnismägi, and several bus lines pass nearby. For those who live here, though, the main means of transport are your feet and your bike.

Eating and shopping

The local offering is that of a small district: a few neighbourhood venues and cafés, with the centre a very short distance away for everything else. For shopping there are supermarkets nearby. It is a neighbourhood where you live the village scale and use the nearby centre for variety.

When NOT to pick it

The houses are largely old wooden structures: plenty of charm, but apartments that are often smaller and dated, and fewer services within the neighbourhood. The strong sense of community is a value for many but can feel too involving for anyone after anonymity. If you want a modern, spacious apartment or the convenience of everything on your doorstep, it is not the most practical choice.