10.8.2022 | Estonia

How to travel easily and comfortably in Tallinn

Text Petri Saraste
Photos Petri Saraste, Andrei Chertkov

Local trains are an important means of public transport in Tallinn.

Visitor to Tallinn are increasingly heading out of the Old Town and the city centre to visit the many restaurants and attractions in other parts of the city.

But what are the best ways to get around Tallinn quickly and affordably?

Buses and trams

Buses and trams operate daily in Tallinn from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with some lines running until midnight. Ticket prices vary depending on the time period: an hour ticket costs 1.50 euros, a day ticket (24 hours) 4.50 euros, a three-day ticket 7.50 euros and a five-day ticket 9 euros. You must be able to show a valid ticket to an inspector, but you do not have to show it to the driver. If you do not have a ticket you can be fined 40 euros.

Trains

On trains, you can still buy a ticket from the conductor, as well as from contactless payment machines. The Ülemiste shopping centre can be reached in under 10 minutes from the main Balti jaam train station.

Pensioners who are not registered as residents in Estonia, are required to pay the full adult price.

Taxis

The starting fees and prices of taxis are cheaper than in Finland and other countries in Scandinavia and western Europe. The minimum fee in Tallinn is at least half and often even four times cheaper than in Helsinki. About a dozen reliable taxi companies operate in Tallinn. Sometimes illegal taxis mistakenly resemble more reliable taxis in colour and logos, so you should be careful, because the prices of illegal taxis can be many times higher. The price list must also be displayed on the window of the taxi door.

Taxi apps

Bolt is a convenient Estonian taxi application that can be downloaded to a smartphone. The application gives the price of the trip in advance. The payment is made either in cash or the application charges the amount from the debit or credit card entered into the app by the customer.

There are many different options available depending on the size of the car. For example, on a weekday evening, a trip from Viru Keskus to D Terminal costs 1.6 euros at the cheapest and only 3.3 euros at its most expensive. The waiting time is also only a few minutes. The application informs you of the estimated time of arrival and you can follow the car’s movement on the phone screen. The application also informs you when the car has arrived at the pickup location. Uber and the new Estonian company Forus also operate in Tallinn.

More and more travel can be achieved with electric scooters.

Bicycles, electric bicycles and electric scooters

Bicycles and electric scooters can be rented mostly through the Bolt and Tuul apps. You must be at least 18 years old to rent them. When you rent these, remember that they must be left in the areas specified by the service providers, otherwise you may be fined.

You can park your bicycle free of charge at Bikeep racks, which are located in Tallinn, for example, on Vabaduse väljak, at the intersections of Vana-Viru and Viru streets, as well as at Viru Keskus and the Solaris shopping centre. The bikes are locked using the app, provided that a payment card is registered online.

You can rent a bicycle for different periods of time from bicycle rental companies. Some of these companies also organize guided bike tours.

CityBike’s bike park has more than 200 different models. In addition to cars, Tallinn Car Rent also rents bicycles and electric scooters. The vehicles can be delivered to a suitable location. Located in Kalamaja, Waypoint offers bikes for groups and independent cyclists.

An electric bicycle can be rented for different periods of time through the Bolt and Tuul apps, in the same way as an electric scooter. The price is based on the minute from the moment the bike is unlocked.

Car rental

Almost all international car rental companies (Avis, Alamo, Budget, Europcar) operate in Estonia, in addition to local rental companies. It is recommended to book the car well in advance during holiday periods and agree on pick-up and drop-off locations in advance. For example, it can be difficult to find a car you like in July.

In an example week in July, seven-day prices ranged from around 208 euros to 470 euros. In medium-sized cars, the Skoda Fabia and Toyota Auris were at the cheapest end of the price spectrum, and VW Polo and VW Golf are at the most expensive end. For example, the price of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon station wagon for the same week was 315 euros. The weekly price of the Toyota RAV4 SUV was 378 euros.

Car-Sharing

The Bolt Drive rental service was launched in the spring of last year. Through the service, you can rent a car from anywhere one is available, and you can start the car using the app. After driving, you can leave the car anywhere the application allows. You do not have to worry about parking fees or refuelling. The payment depends on the length of the trip and the rental period. For example, renting a Toyota Yaris for 15 minutes and a distance of five kilometres costs about two euros. The price is based on minutes and kilometres.

Tallinn has a good tram network. The airport can also be reached by tram.

There are many different ways to buy a ticket for public transport:

You can still buy a paper ticket from machines. You can get one, for example, from the ticket machines in the entrance lobbies of the A and D terminals at the port.
You can download a QR code ticket to your mobile phone in advance. The QR code can be purchased online from the website tallinn.pilet.ee or from the mobile application pilet.ee. A QR ticket menu opens on the page, where you enter your email address and the number of tickets to be purchased. One QR ticket is valid for one hour. It can be scanned on the orange ticket reader device on the tram, bus or trolleybus by placing the QR code that appears on the phone’s screen against the reader at the bottom of the device. The ticket must be scanned again if you change vehicles. QR tickets can also be purchased for several people and are valid for one year.
The green Estonian travel card (ühiskaart) can be loaded with money and time. You can buy a travel card at R kiosks and it costs two euros. You can load 1, 3, 5, and 30-day tickets to the travel card at all travel card sales points, which are, for example, at Tallinn’s bus station, port, airport, and train station. You can also load money onto the travel card online (tallinn.pilet.ee). You scan the travel card on the ticket reader device on each tram, bus or trolleybus you enter.
Payment can also be made with a debit or credit card when boarding the public transport vehicle. Scan the card (Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, Visa Electron) with the reader device, and select the number of passengers with the arrow keys. Then press the ok button and confirm the purchase by scanning the payment card. A one-hour travel ticket for one person costs 1.50 euros.
You can also buy a ticket for Helsinki regional transport https://tallinn.pilet.ee/buy. The payment is confirmed via an online bank payment, after which the ticket is loaded onto the travel card.
The Tallinn Card sightseeing card is also a valid ticket for public transport.