Citizens of the EU/Schengen and most other European countries, USA, and many other countries do not need a visa to enter Estonia. Visas are however requested from citizens of Canada, Russia, the Ukraine, Belorus. Exact information on the regulations in force at any given time is available from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
There exist direct flights to Tallinn from London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Vienna, Moscow, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki. For information, see the homepages of Tallinn Airport and Estonian Air. The city is 2 kms from the airport and you reach it either by bus No. 2 or taxi. Read carefully the advice below concerning taxis.
For ferry connections, see the web pages of Tallink/Hansatee, Silja Line and Eckero Line. For international coach connections, see the web page of Eurolines.
Estonia (just as Finland, Latvia, Lithuania) uses Eastern European Time, EET, this is one hour ahead of Central European Time, CET, in other words GMT+2.
The electricity supply is 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. European-style 2-pin plugs are in use.
The currency in Estonia is Estonian crown (EEK). EEK is pegged to EUR at the rate of 1 EUR = 15.64664 EEK.
Credit cards are widely accepted in Tallinn and other cities (but not necessarily in the countryside, this including Palmse). You may be required to present your passport or driver's licence in proof of identity when paying with a card. Bank offices and currency exchange points are numerous and have very reasonable opening hours. Cash advance is also possible from ATMs. The most widely accepted travellers cheques are Am Ex and Thomas Cook.
We would not recommend trying to exchange your currency into Estonian crowns at home. All major currencies are exchanged into crowns easily here in the country and the rates are more favourable.
Postage on letters (up to 20 g) [postcards] within Estonia is 4.40 [3.60] EEK, to the Baltic and Nordic countries 6.00 [5.00] EEK by air mail and 5.50 [4.50] EEK by surface mail, to the rest of Europe and the former USSR 6.50 [6.00] (only air mail is possible), to the rest of the world 8.00 [7.50] EEK (only air mail is possible). Air mail post has to be marked with blue "Prioritaire / Par avion" stickers.
Post offices are open during the normal shopping hours. Stamps are also sold in newsstands, but the staff do not always know the tariffs.
International calls to Estonia: dial the prefix for intl. calls (00 in most countries), then the country code 372, then the trunk code excluding the initial 0, and then the subscriber's number.
International calls from Estonia: dial the prefix 00 for intl. calls, then your country code etc.
Calls within Estonia: dial the trunk code including the initial 0, then the number.
Some important trunk codes: Tallinn - 0, Tartu - 07, Rakvere and Laane-Viru (this is where Palmse is) - 032, EMT - 050, 051 and 052, Q-GSM - 055, Radiolinja Eesti - 056.
The emergency number (fire brigade, ambulance) is 112. For police only, dial 110.
Payphones are many, but take ET phonecards only. The three different cards cost 30, 50 and 100 EEK and can be bought from newsstands and supermarkets.
This is for budget-travelling students who need accommodation in Tallinn. Check these, they should offer a reasonable price / standard ratio:
For the full list of hotels in Tallinn, check the Estonian Accommodation Database.
The public city transportation system of Tallinn, consisting of bus, tram and trolleybus traffic, is quite efficient. The lines are many and are operated frequently. Most stops have timetables (affixed to the stop signpost) and many also have a map of the transport system on display (in the waiting booth). Tickets are available from drivers, from special city transportation ticket stands and newsstands, they are validated by punching. Buses, trams and trolleybuses are all in one ticket system, a special ticket or a completion ticket in addition to an ordinary one is needed in an express bus. A ticket is valid for a single journey and costs 15 EEK when bought from the driver and 10 EEK when bought from a stand; a set of 10 tickets costs 70 EEK.
The Institute of Cybernetics is reached from the center by taking trolleybus No. 1 or 2 to Akadeemia tee or trolleybus No. 3 to Keemia.
The taxi situation in Tallinn has drastically decayed during the last two years of so. Be extremely picky about taxis. There are far too many non-serious taxi drivers.
At the airport, take a taxi which belongs to Tulika takso (shiny white Opel cars, the logo is three black squares in a yellow oval shape). Ignore Linnatakso or any other companies. (There are too many fake Linnatakso cars and other companies are not even officially allowed to show up there.) There is no obligation to take the first taxi from the queue. Walk down to the first Tulika car. A ride to a hotel in the center should not cost more than 80 EEK.
Elsewhere, it is best to order a taxi car by phone. There are several reliable services. We recommend Tulika Takso, phone 1200 or (0) 612 0000 and E-takso/Takso 1700, phone 1700 or (0) 60 59 700, or Peretakso, phone 16111 or (0) 646 0006. If you need the taxi to your hotel, you can always ask the reception to order the car for you. All three charge 7 EEK per km, the minimum charge is 35 EEK. With other companies, the tariff can vary as wildly as between 5.50 and 22 EEK per km.
Never, never, never pick just an arbitrary taxi car from the street or from a taxi stand. If you are in the center of the town and need a taxi, walk to Viru hotel and take a Tulika car from there.
Internet cafes (with terminals) include: Espresso (Estonia pst 7, 15 EEK/30 mins, 2 terminals), Kohvik@Grill (Aia 3, in WW Passage shopping centre, entrance from Vana-Viru, 15 EEK/30 mins, 4 terminals). Other places: Arvutisaal (Vana-Posti 2, 2nd floor, 30 EEK/1 hr, 6 terminals), Tallinn Central Library (Estonia pst 8, free of charge), National Library (Tonismagi 2, 7th floor, 10 EEK/15 mins). Internet terminals or Internet access is offered also by many hotels.
Wireless internet access (WiFi) is available at many places, free or for money. For closer information, see www.wifi.ee.
In restaurants, the service charge is included in the bill, but a small tip (up to 10 pct) is considered polite.
For tourist information on Estonia in the Web, check the web page of the Estonian Tourist Board. For tourist information specifically on Tallinn, check the web page of the Tallinn Tourist Board. Alternatively, InYourPocket.Com's Estonia and Tallinn pages make a useful reading too.
The Tourist Information Office in Tallinn is located at Raekoja plats 10 (Raekoja plats = Town Hall square) in the middle of the Old Town.