- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- Perfect travel to Estonia
Russia's small Baltic neighbor is well suited as a tourist destination for a short vacation or long weekend. Traveling to Estonia does not require a lot of money or time, it is enough to plan your trip in advance, book a hotel in time and watch the special offers of airlines. Even a fleeting acquaintance with the sights of Estonia will help to diversify life and breathe new bright colors into the usual routine of working days.
Important points
- To travel to Estonia, a Russian tourist must apply for a Schengen visa. The visa fee is standard 35 euros, and the package of documents does not differ from that collected at the consulates of other EU countries.
- There is no road toll in Estonia, and the cost of a liter of 95 gasoline is one of the lowest in Europe - about 1.04 euros.
Choosing wings
Jokes about Estonian slowness were invented by those who did not use the services of the Moscow-Tallinn branded train, which departs daily from the Leningradsky railway station of the Russian capital. In just 16 hours "Baltic Express" overcomes the thousand kilometers separating the cities. The price of a one-way reserved seat ticket starts from 75 euros.
Even faster - planes, and the flight from Moscow to Tallinn will take just over an hour and a half:
- Aeroflot takes on board everyone who wants to see Estonian sights. The price of the issue is from 200 euros.
- You can get a little cheaper on the wings of the Latvian airline Air Baltic. The transit connection will take place in Riga, and the ticket price starts from 150 euros.
- Carriers from Finland and Germany will have to pay from 180 euros for the flight. Finnair and Lufthansa connect in Helsinki and Frankfurt, respectively.
Several regular buses of the Ecoline and Lux Express companies leave from Vitebsk railway station in St. Petersburg to Tallinn every day. The price of the issue is from 1100 rubles one way. The journey takes from 6 to 7.5 hours, depending on the time of day. On the way, the traveler will find free Wi-Fi, multimedia screens, hot drinks and food.
Hotel or apartment
Estonian hotels are clean and well-groomed and can answer for every star assigned to them according to the international classification. A standard room in a three-ruble note in the center of the capital will cost 30-40 euros. The price will include the opportunity to use free internet and parking, and sometimes even breakfast. Rooms in hotels with 4 stars on the facade are also not much more expensive. You can easily rent a room in such a hotel for 60 euros in the summer season and 40 euros in November and March, which are not very popular for travel to Estonia.
The cheapest way is to spend the night in hostels, where a bed in a dormitory room will cost you 15-20 euros and a little more expensive - a separate room with free Wi-Fi. The shared bathroom will be clean, and therefore will not reduce the mood of the thrifty tourist too much.
It is also beneficial for a company or family to stay in private apartments rented by Estonians on specialized websites. A night in a separate room in an apartment with the owner will cost guests 15-20 euros, and the keys to an entire apartment with one bedroom, a kitchen and everything you need for a comfortable stay will be given to you for 25-30 euros.
Transport subtleties
Urban public transport in Estonia starts at 5.30 - 6.00 am and ends at midnight. A great way to save money on travel is to purchase a Tallinn Guest Card, the Tallinn Card, which can be bought at kiosks, bus stops and at the information desk at the airport of the Estonian capital. The card gives you the right to visit four dozen city attractions for free, use public transport without restrictions and receive significant discounts in some restaurants and cafes. The card is activated on a public transport validator or a tour bus driver. The price of the card for 24, 48 and 72 hours for an adult is 32, 42 and 52 euros, respectively. Children under the age of 14 enjoy a 50% discount on their purchase.
The cheapest way to get from Tallinn airport to the city is by bus route N2. The stop is located opposite the exit from the terminal.
It is convenient to travel between Estonian cities by bus. They are air conditioned, equipped with dry closets, are very comfortable and strictly adhere to the schedule.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
As elsewhere in the world, food prices in Estonia differ significantly, depending on the status and location of the catering establishment. For example, aside from the tourist trails, lunch in a Tallinn cafe with a first, salad and a hot dish will cost 10 euros, and the portions will be very significant, and the quality of the food will delight even an outspoken gourmet. You just need to make sure that the menu includes dishes of Estonian national cuisine. In restaurants located closer to the city center, prices go up and for the same meal you will be asked for twice as much.
Estonian fast food is represented by both traditional hamburgers and pizza, and national dishes in the form of sandwiches with fish, sausages and sausages. The price of such a sandwich is from 3 euros. The quality is quite decent, and the dessert can be ordered at any pastry shop located near the street stall. You can move to a table and have a coffee and cake for 4-5 euros.
Useful details
- Tallinn Card holders have the right to skip the line to visit the city TV tower, the zoo of the Estonian capital and the ethno-complex in the open air.
- To travel in Estonia by car, you will have to take out Green Card insurance. Its price for a passenger car for up to 15 days is about 35 euros.
- For using the anti-radar device on the territory of Estonia, a fine of 400 euros and the confiscation of the device are foreseen.
- The average cost of parking in Estonia is 1-2 euros per hour. On Sundays and public holidays, you can park your car free of charge.
- It is most profitable to buy the famous Estonian liqueur Vana Tallinn in the branded stores of the company producing it Livico. The price of a bottle there starts from 5, 5 euros, depending on the type and packaging of the drink.
- There is no amber in Estonia, and therefore everything that is offered to you under the guise of a national product is either found in Latvia or is generally a fake.
Perfect travel to Estonia
The transitional climate from maritime to continental Estonia provides its inhabitants and guests with rather unstable weather with a lot of precipitation in the off-season. Average air temperatures in July and January are + 20 ° С and –4 ° С, respectively, but in summer it can be quite hot, which is what fans of beach holidays in the Baltic use. At the height of the swimming season, the water in the sea warms up to + 22 ° C, and the beach period in Estonia lasts until the first days of September.
For music and beer lovers, the best time to visit Estonia is the first days of July. At the height of summer, a festival with the unpronounced name "Ylesummer" is held at the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn. Its essence is open-air tents, a lot of music, kebabs and beer, and both novice bands and popular stars of European magnitude take part in the concerts. It is more profitable to buy tickets for the festival in advance, when the price for 4 days is only 35 euros.
