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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)

Travel by road

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 services

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.

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).

Time to city

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.

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 by boat

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 operators

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

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

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Featured Hotels

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Economy Hotel

This pleasant city-centre hotel with 40 comfortable rooms is just a short walk from the train station and the Old Town. Free Wi-Fi access and parking are also offered.

Swissotel Tallinn

Set in the city centre, many rooms in this 5-star hotel enjoy great views of the Old Town and the Gulf of Finland. The top-floor Horisont Bar is cosy while The Quarter restaurant on the 8th-floor serves up creative dishes.

Hestia Hotel Seaport

No frills but a clean and comfortable cheap Tallinn hotel right next to the D-terminal (for passengers) at the Port of Tallinn. The on-site sauna is available upon prior request.

Hestia Hotel Europa

Hestia Hotel Europa is centrally located in the historical Rotermann city block not far from the Old Town. The six-storey Tallinn hotel has 185 rooms, some of which have superb views over Tallinn Bay. There is a conference centre with a capacity of 700 as well as a fitness centre and sauna.

Hotel Telegraaf

This luxury Tallinn hotel is tucked away on Vene Street, in what is sometimes called the Tallinn Latin Quarter, in the Old Town. There are 83 stylish rooms, an excellent spa with lots of different treatments on offer, a good restaurant and conference space for up to 45 people.

Merchant's House Hotel

This slick 4-star boutique hotel lies just around the corner from Tallinn's Town Hall Square. The rooms have satellite TV and guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi and sauna access.