GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
The national airline is called Nordic Aviation (LO). Nordic Aviation flies from Munich to Tallinn, among others.
Lufthansa (LH) flies daily from Frankfurt and Munich to Tallinn. Finnair (AY) flies from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Innsbruck, Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich (Internet: www.finnair.com). Air Baltic ( BT ) (Internet: www.airbaltic.com) also connects Germany, Austria and Switzerland with Tallinn. Also from Germany, Austria and Switzerland fly to Tallinn among others Czech Airlines (OK) (Internet: www.csa.cz), Scandinavian Airlines SAS (SK), Air France (AF) (Internet:
www.airfrance.com) and Delta Airlines (DL) (Internet: www.delta.com).
Carpatair (V3) connects Munich with Tallinn.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Tallinn: 2 hours 30 minutes; Vienna – Tallinn: 4 hours; Zurich – Tallinn: 3 hours 30 minutes
Arrival by car
The Via Baltica represents a land connection between Germany and Finland and leads over 1500 km through Poland and the Baltic States through lake and forest areas, along the Amber Coast and to Tallinn. The big cities like Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn are connected to each other via the partly well-developed Via Baltica (E67).
Several connecting roads lead along the Baltic coast via Lithuania and Latvia to Estonia; there are also road connections to the Russian Federation. Arrival by car via Poland and Belarus or Poland and Lithuania. Border crossings: Terespol (Poland) – Brest (Belarus) and Ogrodniki (Poland) – Lazdijai (Lithuania).
Long-distance bus: There are direct bus connections with, among othersEcolines (Internet: ecolines.net/de/de) from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to Tallinn. Eurolines (Internet: www.eurolines.de) connects Germany with Estonia.
Arriving by train
There are connections to the Russian Federation.
Arrival by ship
The Tallink Silja (Tel: (0451) 589 92 22 in Lübeck, Internet: www.tallinksilja.com/de/) offers a connection from Stockholm via Aland to Helsinki and the Tallink connects Helsinki with Tallinn. Superfast ferries operated by Tallink Silja also operate daily from Rostock via Helsinki to Tallinn. Since the departure is daily at 5 a.m. and on Sundays at 4:30 a.m., passengers can go on board the evening before. Superfast Ferries (Internet: www.superfast.com) connects Rostock with Tallinn via Rostock (journey time: 26 ½ hours).
Other shipping companies calling at Estonia are: Linda Line Express (Internet:www.lindaliini.ee) and Nordic Jet Line (speedboat) (Internet: www.njl.ee) and Viking Line ( Internet: www.vikingline.fi) from Helsinki. Tallinn is also served daily from Helsinki by hydrofoil.
In the meantime, cruise ships also call at Estonia more and more frequently (Internet: www.portoftallinn.ee). Further information from the Baltic Information and Tourism Office (see addresses).
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Domestic air traffic between Tallinn and the Saaremana Islands with Avies (Internet: www.avies.ee).
On the way by car / bus
The road network is good, but there are only a few motorways. There are three main routes in Estonia:
The Via Baltica leads from Tallinn in a south-west direction through Pärnu to Riga. This road is the shortest connection between Northern and Central Europe.
The Via Estonia leads from Tallinn in a south-east direction through the cities of Poltsamaa, Tartu, Otepää and Valga to Latvia.
The Via Hansa runs almost parallel to the southern bank of the Gulf from Finland to Narva and from there to St. Petersburg.
Road signs are not illuminated and are relatively small, so driving at night can be difficult. Unleaded petrol is available at international petrol stations offered nationwide. Payment is made in local currency or by credit card. Unleaded petrol (marked with “E”). The pumps are usually color-coded: green (unleaded) and red (leaded) and black (diesel). The Automobile Club of Estonia is online at www.autoclub.ee. Long-distance bus: There are extensive bus connections to almost all parts of the country. Bussi Reisid (Internet: www.bussireisid.ee) runs buses from Tallinn.
Rental Cars: Available at Tallinn Airport.
Documents:National driver’s license and vehicle registration. International driver’s license is recommended. For nationals of EU and EFTA countries, the car registration number is used as proof of insurance. Nevertheless, EU and EFTA citizens are advised to take the international green insurance card with them in order to benefit from full insurance cover in the event of damage. Otherwise, the statutory minimum liability insurance cover applies. The green card can also make it easier to record accidents.
Traffic regulations:
There is an absolute ban on alcohol.
Seat belts
must be worn, dipped headlights must be switched on at all times during every journey.
The traffic light switching is different than in Germany: Green – flashing green – yellow – red. The flashing green corresponds to yellow in Germany. When the traffic light is yellow, you are no longer allowed to drive.
Speed limits:
within built-up areas: 50 km / h,
country roads: 90 km / h,
motorway: on some parts 100 km / h, on others 110 km / h.
Traveling in the city
According to youremailverifier, there is a good bus network in Tallinn, as well as trolleybuses and trams. Taxi rides in Tallinn are cheap. In the other cities there are buses and taxis. Tickets can be obtained at ticket stands or newspaper kiosks in the shopping districts or directly from the drivers.
On the go by train
The rail network does not cover the whole of Estonia and the service has not been as good since privatization. There are daily connections between Tallinn and Haapsalu, Jöhvi, Pärnu, Narva, Viljandi, Kloogaranna, Paldiski, Tartu and Türi. The travel time between Tallinn and Tartu is 2.5 hours.
On the way by ship
Regular ferry service between the mainland and the larger islands. Saaremaa is the largest and Hiiumaa is the second largest island in Estonia. Ferries from Kuivastu to Virtsu (Saaremaa) run every hour on the hour, the journey time is 30 minutes. Ferries from Rohuküla to Heltermaa run four times a day. The journey time is 1.5 hours. The Saaremaa Shipping Company (Internet: www.laevakompanii.ee) offers a ferry service to Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
Ship traffic on the Peipus lake and the river Emajõgi.
