Travel to Tallinn

Flying to Tallinn

Tallinn is a popular city-break destination and naturally many European airlines fly direct to Tallinn. From the UK, Air Baltic, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair operate direct flights to Tallinn. Cheap fares are available year-round. From Germany, Air Baltic and Lufthansa fly direct to Tallinn. From the Netherlands, Air Baltic, KLM and LOT fly direct to Tallinn. There are no direct flight from the USA to Tallinn.

Tallinn International Airport is about 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of the Tallinn city centre.

Flight times

From London - 2 hours 45 minutes

From New York - 10 hours (including stopover)

From Los Angeles - 13 hours 40 minutes (including stopover)

From Toronto - 11 hours 15 minutes (including stopover)

From Sydney - 23 hours (including stopover)

City Airports: 
Telephone:+372 605 8888
Website:www.tallinn-airport.ee
Location:

Tallinn Airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of Tallinn, in northern Estonia.


Money:

There are bureaux de changes in both the public area and after security control. In the secure zone, the bureau de change also acts as an ATM. There are also bureaux de change and ATMs in the public area of the terminal building. VAT refunds are subject to approval by the Tax and Customs Board.


Luggage:

Lost and found services (tel: +372 605 8313 [for items valued at less than €50] or +372 605 8430 [for items valued over €50]) are located in the arrivals hall. Luggage lockers can be found on the ground floor. A porter service is available to help guests with luggage. Clothes storage is also available for departing passengers heading to warmer climes. Baggage wrapping is also available, starting an hour and a half before flight departures.

Travel by road

Summary:

Estonia is a modern and impressive country and you can expect the roads to be well maintained too.

Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. Speed limits are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (56mph) outside towns and cities, and 110kph (68mph) on some roads in summer. Dipped headlights are required at all times.

Don't drink and drive. The legal limit for drivers is 0.02% alcohol in the blood and if you exceed that limit, the punishment can range from heavy fines to imprisonment.

Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March. You must carry a safety vest, two warning triangles, wheel chock and fire extinguisher in your car. Drivers must have the original vehicle registration document as well as insurance documents covering them for Estonia if driving into the country. EU licences are valid, otherwise an International Driving Permit is recommended.

Emergency breakdown service:

Falck (tel: 1888, in Estonia only).

Routes:

There is a good network of roads in Estonia with highways connecting Tallinn with various cities. Route 4 connects Tallinn to Pärnu in the south and from there you can drive towards Riga in Latvia. The multi-lane E20 stretches eastward all the way to St Petersburg in Russia.

Driving times:

From Pärnu - 1 hour 45 minutes; Tartu - 2 hours 15 minutes; Narva - 2 hours 30 minutes; St Petersburg - 5 hours; Riga - 4 hours; Vilnius - 7 to 8 hours.

Coaches:

The main bus station (Tallinna Bussiterminal) is located a 10-minute walk from the Old Town at Lastekodu 46. Services run to all major Estonian towns and cities as well as outside the country to Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and all of Europe.

The main operators are Lux Express (tel: +372 680 0909; www.luxexpress.eu) and ECOLINES (tel: +372 606 2217; www.ecolines.net).

Travel by rail

Services:

Tallinn Railway Station, Balti Jaam, Toompuiestee 35, is located just on the edge of the Old Town and offers services to domestic destinations such as Narva, Pärnu and Tartu. From Tartu, you can catch a train to Riga in Latvia.

Russian Railways also runs a direct service from Moscow and St Petersburg to Tallinn. The journey from Moscow to Tallinn is about 14-16 hours while the journey from St Petersburg to Tallinn is about seven hours.

Operators:

ELRON (tel: +372 673 7400; www.elron.ee) runs Estonia's domestic trains. The daily train to/from St Petersburg and Moscow is run by Russian Railways (www.russianrail.com).

Journey times:

From Pärnu - 2 hours 20 minutes; Tartu - 2 hours; Narva - 2 hours 45 minutes; St Petersburg - 7 hours; Moscow - 14-16 hours (overnight service).

Travel over water

Summary:

The ferry port of Tallinn, Sadama 25 (tel: +372 631 8555; www.portoftallinn.com) is the biggest port in Estonia and the surrounding Baltic region. It is located close to the Old Town. Tallinn ferry port facilities include tourist information, bureau de change, ATMs, bars and shops.

Ferry services:

The Tallinn-Helsinki route is serviced by three companies while two companies manage the Tallinn-Stockholm route.




Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.