Tallinn scouted

An expert who's visited every nation on the planet tells AMY JONES why Estonia's capital has his heart

- AMY JONES

Henrik Jeppesen has travelled to all 193 nations in the world and has racked up more than 2,000 destinations on an ever-growing checklist - but there is one unassuming European city he has hailed the best in the world: Tallinn.

“The best city in Europe, in my opinion, is the capital of Estonia,” Henrik says. “Tallinn is very much overlooked for people coming to Europe, and many people who have travelled have never been there.

“Even if they've been to Europe two or three times, they usually go to London, Rome, Paris and Berlin, those kinds of places, so in that sense I think it’s highly underrated.”

Aged 37, Henrik has been exploring the globe since he was 17, and has a wealth of inside knowledge and an extensive list of recommendations. Hailing from Thy, in northwest Jutland in Denmark, the father of one is very familiar with Europe.

Explaining what makes Tallinn so special, he says: “First and foremost, it’s a lot cheaper than the cities I mentioned - in comparison, it’s fantastic value. Then you have the Old Town, which I think is the best old town in the entire world, and I've travelled a lot. You can step out the door, and it’s like you're stepping into a new world with well-preserved old buildings and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else I've been.