If you want to travel to Estonia, you should find out about entry requirements, travel options, accommodation or local health care in advance – we have therefore compiled the necessary information here.
getting there
BY FLIGHT
The largest international airport is located in Tallinn and is called Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport. For example, Air Baltic (including from Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hamburg with a stopover in Riga), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt) or Finnair (including from Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart via Helsinki) fly to Tallinn. LOT (via Warsaw), SAS (via Stockholm or Copenhagen) and Ryanair also offer connections.
WITH THE FERRY
Due to its location by the sea, Estonia can also be easily reached by ferry. Ferry connections are offered by Tallink, Viking Line * and Eckerö Line, for example. Tallinn is only served from Sweden, Finland and Russia, there are no direct connections from Germany. If you want to travel from Germany to Tallinn by ship, you have to plan a stopover in Helsinki. The passage from Travemünde or Rostock to Helsinki is offered by Finnlines and takes about 28 hours. From there it takes two to three hours to Tallinn with the ferry companies Tallink, Viking Line or Eckerö Line.
If you want to travel further east: There is a ferry connection between Tallinn and St. Petersburg. SSC Ferries’ ferry from Ventspils in Latvia to Saaremaa Island in Estonia has been discontinued.
The Tallinn Ferry Terminal is only a ten-minute walk from the Old Town. There are three passenger terminals (A, B, D). Tallink’s ferries are handled at Terminal D (arrival and departure). More information on the Tallinn Port website.
Here is a brief overview of the possible ferry connections:
Helsinki – Tallinn: Viking Line , Tallink , Eckerö Line
Stockholm – Tallinn: Tallink
Travemünde – Helsinki: Finnlines
OVER LAND
If you want to travel overland to Estonia by car or mobile home, you have to travel via Poland, Lithuania and Latvia (and possibly via Kaliningrad) and thus cross numerous borders. However, all states (except the Kaliningrad region) belong to the Schengen area. The “Via Baltica” (E 67) leads from Prague via Wroclaw, Kaunas and Riga to Tallinn and is very well developed in parts. To get there, you should bring your passport or identity card, vehicle registration document and driver’s license with you. The green insurance card is strongly recommended, as is a power of attorney if you are not the owner of the vehicle you are using.To the Estonian IslandsThe journey to Saaremaa is usually made by ferry from the Estonian mainland, but flights from Tallinn are also possible. If you want to use the ferry by car, you should reserve this in advance, especially in the high season, for cultural events and on St. John’s Day. Saaremaa is connected to the neighboring island of Muhu by a dam that allows you to pass by on foot, by bike or car. Hiiumaa Island can be reached by ferry from Rohuküla on the Estonian mainland or by flight. There is also a ferry connection to Saaremaa. During particularly cold winters, the island is even connected to the mainland by an ice road. There is also a ferry connection to Saaremaa. During particularly cold winters, the island is even connected to the mainland by an ice road. There is also a ferry connection to Saaremaa. During particularly cold winters, the island is even connected to the mainland by an ice road.
Travel time
Estonia is a year-round destination, so both summer and winter have their appeal. While the summer is ideal for nature holidays, cycling trips, camping and round trips, autumn and winter are a good time for city trips or winter sports holidays.
From June to August is the main travel season, the summers are warm and mild and especially in June the visitor can admire the “White Nights”. Then the sun hardly sets in Estonia, the nights remain twilight and festivities take place in many places.
In the summer months, Estonia is particularly suitable for a holiday in nature: as a cyclist, hiker, camper or nature enthusiast there is a lot to discover. This is also the time of the Estonian summer vacation. Still, the vacation spots never seem overcrowded. There is only one thing to consider: summer is also the time of mosquitoes. A good mosquito repellent should be in your luggage, especially for holidays in nature, especially in the wetlands.
Spring and autumn are good travel times for those who want to benefit from cheap flight and ferry prices or hotel offers and who do not care too much about changeable weather. The transitional seasons are much cooler than here, but the experience of nature is hardly clouded by it.
And in the winter? Estonia has good conditions for winter sports, even if you can hardly wait because of the flat landscape. Skiing and snowboarding is possible in the hilly landscape around Otepää in the southeast. Cross-country skiing is a tradition in Estonia. There are cross-country skiing areas, for example, in East Estonia in Kurtna or in Kääriku near Otepää. And if you want to enjoy the winter less actively, you can admire the snow-white Tallinn as a city traveler or spend a wellness holiday with sauna and the like in the Baltic States.
Accommodations
The choice of accommodation offers something for everyone. The entire range is available from simple overnight accommodations such as campsites or holiday homes to high-class hotels. A large selection of hotels at low daily prices can be found on the “Baltic Hotels online” website. Please note that this link leads to an external website. We have no influence on the content and design of the website, nor on the processing or storage of the data collected.
If you want to travel close to nature, you may prefer camping sites as accommodation. There are around 300 campsites, many of which are in the national parks. Often you can stay at the campsites not only with tents and caravans or mobile homes, but small huts and log houses are also often rented out. The infrastructure (washing facilities, barbecue areas, internet … but no shops like in Germany) is mostly good, and there is often even a small sauna available. You can find more information on campsites in Estonia and a camping map on the website of the Estonian Tourist Office. Please note that this link leads to an external website. We have no influence on the content and design of the website, nor on the processing or storage of the data collected.
If you are traveling with a small travel budget but do not want to camp, you can fall back on holiday homes, bed & breakfast accommodations or small guest houses. The range of hotels ranges from small two- or three-star hotels to first-class five-star hotels that leave nothing to be desired.
Estonia is known for its manor houses and mansions, which have been lovingly restored in many places and converted into comfortable hotels. They are often embedded in a beautiful (park) landscape. This particularly stylish type of overnight stay is possible, for example, in the Hotel Vihula Manor in the Lahemaa National Park or in the Ammende Villa in the seaside resort of Pärnu.
Health
Anyone traveling to Estonia should make sure in advance that they already have the European Insurance Card. Nevertheless, additional payments may have to be made on site, so that it is advisable to take out private travel health insurance, which is usually very inexpensive. You can find more information on the ERV website. Please note that this link leads to an external website. We have no influence on the content and design of the website, nor on the processing or storage of the data collected.
Health care is good in Estonia, although the range of pharmacies and hospitals in the sparsely populated countryside is of course much smaller than in the cities. If you travel close to nature and in remote areas, you should stock up on the most necessary medication in advance. In addition, a good mosquito and tick repellent should also be in the first-aid kit. Vacationers should think about a vaccination against the tick-borne disease TBE (early summer meningoencephalitis) and seek advice from their family doctor.
Shopping / souvenirs
You should definitely bring a nice souvenir from your trip to Estonia. Handicrafts made of wood, wool and linen, ceramics and the herbal brandy Vana Tallinn are popular. A lot of amber is also sold, although this is often not from Estonia, but from Lithuania.
The markets are worth exploring. You can buy very attractive souvenirs, especially in Tallinn. At the wool market on the city wall (Mürrivahe), woolen items and wooden handicrafts are for sale at stalls. The nearby Katharinengasse is also worth a detour. There are also many attractive shops in the city that sell wool and linen items, pottery and leather goods, art and so on. In addition to these traditional products, Tallinn also offers a wide range of modern boutiques. Baltman, Bastion or Ivo Nikkolo are the names of Estonian designer shops that are worth visiting. A large shopping center is located outside the city wall on Viru väljak.
Road traffic
The road conditions in Estonia are good, even if the roads in remote regions do not necessarily correspond to “German standards”. For example, while the “Via Baltica” (E 67) from Tallinn towards Latvia / Riga is well developed (and heavily traveled), sometimes small coastal roads and slopes in remote areas or along Lake Peipus are a bit narrow and bumpy.
The speed limit is 50 km / h in cities and populated areas and 90 to 100 km / h on expressways and motorways. Petrol is relatively cheap and widely available, and many petrol stations are open 24 hours a day. Driving with dipped headlights is mandatory, as is driving with winter tires between December 1st and March 1st. It is compulsory to wear seat belts. Telephoning while driving is prohibited, in which case a hands-free device must be used. Attention: The zero alcohol limit applies in Estonia!
As an EU member country located in norther Europe featured by COUNTRYAAH.COM, Estonia is a great country for a round trip, so you can combine nature and culture. Those who like to travel individually should book a rental car tour.
Accessibility
Vacationing in Estonia can be difficult for people with physical disabilities. Estonia is on the way to improve this situation and to make hotels or public buildings handicapped-friendly, the Estonians are also very open-minded and helpful, but a city trip to Tallinn in particular can prove to be difficult. The old town of Tallinn is characterized by cobblestones and high and narrow curbs, there are many steps or climbs. People with walking difficulties or in wheelchairs, but also families who travel with a stroller, are restricted here. In addition, buses and trams are often inaccessible. But: The airport, the port and many museums are designed to be barrier-free.
