Tallinn: An overview - Part 5

ARRIVAL IN TALLINN

Arriving by sea

Tallinn has four terminals lettered A through D, a fifth one called Linnahall which is used only by the fast Linda Line boat, and a dedicated cruise terminal. The A, B, and C Terminals are clustered together; the cruise terminal is just to the north; D-Terminal is a 10-minute walk to the east and is the farthest from Old Town. The Linnahall terminal is a 10-minute walk to the west over a large stairway. If you are on a return ticket ferry be sure to confirm which terminal your return boat will use. The main cruise pier can accommodate two large ships; when more are in town, they may use one of the other terminals and then bus their guests into town.

If you have no luggage, you can walk 15 minutes to reach the centre of town. You just need to follow the signs to the city centre and look for the tallest spire in the distance. If you would rather first visit the Seaplane Harbour then look for a red-gravel path as you leave the cruise port it is marked Kultuurikilomeeter. This will take you there on a long, scenic, walk which is mostly by the sea.

If you are staying in town and have bags then it’s best to grab a taxi as I don’t think any make of rolling case has been built that will survive the cobbles. The legitimate taxi fare to anywhere in or near the Old Town should be less than €5, however, some cabbies may try to charge double or triple this amount and I will give you a tip about how to avoid this later.

If you want to use the bus, you have several options. Public bus #2 goes from A-Terminal and D-Terminal directly to the A. Laikmaa stop which is behind the Hotel Viru and the Viru Keskus mall, just south of the Old Town it then continues on to the airport. Cruise lines sometimes offer a shuttle bus into town but as it’s so easy to just stroll from the port into town this isn’t worth paying for unless you want to save your strength for shopping.

Arriving by plane is possibly one of the most convenient things in the whole of Europe with Tallinn airport just three miles southeast of downtown. It has a small information desk where you can pick up maps and other local information desks. A taxi to the Old Town should cost about €10. Public bus #2 runs every 20-30 minutes from the lower entrance into town. The seventh stop, A. Laikmaa, is behind the Viru Keskus mall, a short walk from the Old Town.

Tallinn has a sleepy and pretty little train station called Balti Jaam, few short-stay tourists will ever need to use it. The station is a five-minute walk across a busy road from the Old Town. Tallinn’s long-distance bus station is midway between downtown and the airport and served by bus #2 and trams #2 and #4.

Continued in part 6