Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

ESTONIA 113

DOCUMENTATION

http://www.vm.ee

http://www.ec.europa.eu

VISITOR

INFORMATION

http://www.visitestonia.com

EMBASSIES

Canada

Toomkooli 13, Tallinn.

Tel 627 3311.

http://www.canada.ee

United States

Kentmanni 20, Tallinn.

Tel 668 8100.

http://www.usemb.ee

United Kingdom

Wismari 6, Tallinn.

Tel 667 4700.

http://www.britishembassy.ee

EMERGENCY

NUMBERS

Ambulance

Tel 112.

Fire

Tel 112.

Police

Tel 112.

ARRIVING BY AIR

airBaltic

http://www.airbaltic.com

easyJet

http://www.easyjet.com

Estonian Air

http://www.estonian-air.ee

Finnair

http://www.finnair.com

KLM

http://www.klm.com

Lennart Meri

Tallinn Airport

Tel 605 8888.

http://www.tallinn-airport.ee

Lufthansa

http://www.lufthansa.com

ARRIVING BY SEA

Eckerö Line

http://www.eckeroline.fi

Passenger Port

Sadama 25, Tallinn.

Tel 631 8550.

http://www.portoftallinn.com

Tallink

http://www.tallink.ee

Viking Line

http://www.vikingline.fi

RAIL TRAVEL

Balti Jaam

Toompuiestee 37,

Tallinn.

Tel 3721 447.

http://www.baltijaam.ee

ARRIVING BY

COACH

Ecolines

http://www.ecolines.ee

Eurolines

http://www.eurolines.ee

Tallinn Bus Station

Lastekodu 46,

Tallinn.

Tel 3721 2550.

DIRECTORY

TRAVELLING BY CAR

Since 2007, when the Baltic

States agreed to the Schengen

Agreement (under which sys-

tematic border controls were

abolished between Schengen

countries), there are no bor-

der restrictions for Schengen

visa holders. Crossing the

border from Latvia is easy,

especially for EU passport

holders. The border crossing

with Russia is slower and

border guards are likely to

scrutinize one’s documents.

Visitors bringing their own car

into Estonia are required to

show the Vehicle Registration

document, an international

driving permit and a valid

Green Card insur ance policy.

TRAVELLING BY COACH

International coach routes

to Estonia are provided by

Eurolines and Ecolines, which

operate connections between

Tallinn and Berlin, Munich,

Kaliningrad, Warsaw and

RAIL TRAVEL

Tallinn’s main railway station,

Balti Jaam, is a short walk

away from the Old Town. The

only international links are a

nightly train to Moscow, and

an irregular service to St

Petersburg. Tickets should be

pre-booked, since Russian visa

specifications insist on dates of

entry and exit. The Rail Baltica

route is due to link Tallinn

with Rīga and Vilnius by 2013.

ARRIVING BY SEA

Estonia is very well served by
ferry, with Tallinn’s Passenger
Port (reisisadam) handling
about 7 million passengers a
year. The main line Tallink
has routes to Helsinki
(Finland), Rostock (Germany)
and Stockholm (Sweden),
while other carriers such as
Viking Line and Eckerö Line

are accessible from Helsinki

and Stockholm. Travellers

from Helsinki are spoilt for

choice, with a range of cata-

marans, ferries and even a

hydrofoil making the cross ing

at regular inter vals. The

Passenger Port is within

walking distance of Tallinn’s

Old Town and a taxi ride

should cost between 50

and 75 krooni. Tallinn also

features on an increasing

number of Baltic Sea cruise

itineraries, although these

normally only allow for a

day’s stopover.

regular scheduled flights. In
recent years the airport has
become a regional hub,
serviced by approximately
15 airlines including major
carriers such as Finnair,
airBaltic, Lufthansa and KLM.
Founded in 1991, Estonian
Air is the country’s national
carrier. Based in Tallinn, it
offers a good standard of ser-
vice in both business and
economy class. The airline
has direct links with several
major European destinations
as well as many Estonian cities
and islands. Visitors from out-
side Europe need to catch a
con nect ing flight from cities
such as London, Copenhagen,
Helsinki or Stockholm.
As a consequence of the
EU “open-skies” policy,
which was implemented in
2004, several economical
carriers, such as easyJet,
now provide daily flights to
Tallinn from London.

St Petersburg, among others.

International coaches arrive

at the Tallinn Bus Station

(bussi jaam). From there, it is

a short taxi ride into the city

centre, or one can catch tram

number 2 or 4, or bus number

17, 17a or 23. Passengers

travelling to Tallinn by bus

from Rīga or Vilnius can get

off at the more central Viru

väljak bus stop. There are

also limited inter na tional

coach con nections with Pärnu

and Tartu. The coach net work

is effi ciently run and cheap,

and services are clearly posted

in bus stations.