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TALLInn - In Your Pocket

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6 arriVing arriVing BasiCs<br />

As European capitals go, Tallinn is a remarkably easyaccess<br />

city. The passenger port and train station are both<br />

within shouting distance of the Old Town/centre, while the<br />

airport and bus station are a quick, cheap 10 - 15 minute<br />

taxi ride away.<br />

By plane<br />

Tallinn’s airport may be a super-modern affair, but it’s so<br />

small you’re never in danger of getting lost. Once past<br />

the luggage receiving area, you’ll find ATMs and currency<br />

exchange in the centre of the hall; toilets and car rental offices<br />

are downstairs.<br />

Getting to town<br />

A taxi ride from the centre roughly costs €10 and takes between<br />

10 and 20 minutes. You can also take bus N°2 (marked Lennujaam<br />

- Mőigu) from the ‘A. Laikmaa’ stop, just outside the<br />

airport to the down town Viru Centre. Alternatively, the 90K<br />

Hansabuss-operated airport bus (see the listing on right).<br />

There’s also a separate shuttle that will take you and other<br />

passengers anywhere within Tallinn’s city limits for the low<br />

price of €5.<br />

By helicopter<br />

Copterline, the 18-minute helicopter service from Helsinki,<br />

lands at the Linnahall harbour. See the ‘By ship’ section for<br />

details of how to get into town.<br />

By ship<br />

Most ferries and catamarans arrive at the Passenger Port<br />

(reisisadam), terminals A, B and D. Left Luggage and a helpful<br />

information booth can be found in the main hall of terminal<br />

A. Exchange offices are plentiful but not always economical.<br />

ATMs are just as easy to find. Terminal D, located just across<br />

the small neck of water, has similar services. Lindaline’s<br />

boats arrive at the neighbouring Linnahall Speedboat Harbour,<br />

where a currency exchange booth is open whenever<br />

boats are arriving. Rates here are decent.<br />

Getting to town<br />

You can just head for the spires of Old Town on foot, but a<br />

taxi from the Passenger Port or the Linnahall should cover<br />

the short ride to town for €3.80 - 4.50.<br />

By car<br />

Crossing the border from Latvia is completely hassle-free<br />

now that the Baltics belong to Schengen. Getting over<br />

the border from Russia will take quite a bit longer. <strong>In</strong> both<br />

cases, be sure to bring your car’s registration papers<br />

and a valid insurance policy, such as the international<br />

green card. You can also buy insurance right at the border<br />

station. Please note that the speed limit on highways is<br />

90km/h, in the cities 50 km/h, unless otherwise noted,<br />

and the headlights have to be always turned on. For fares<br />

and regulations on bringing a car by ship from Finland<br />

or Sweden, contact the ferry companies in the ‘Getting<br />

around’ section of the guide.<br />

Transportion in style<br />

Bus 90K tel. (+372) 627 90<br />

80, www.hansabuss.ee. Operated<br />

by Hansabuss on behalf<br />

of the airport, the 90K costs<br />

only €2 per ride. You can hop on<br />

or off anywhere along the route<br />

Airport - Central Bus Station - Hotel Olümpia - Freedom<br />

Square - Mere pst - Balti jaam - Hotel Tallinn - Freedom<br />

Square - Estonian Academy of Arts - Central Bus Station<br />

- Airport. The comfortable and roomy bus runs every 20<br />

minutes from 7:20 - 18:40 daily and also offers free WIFI.<br />

By bus<br />

Buses arrive at the bus station (autobussijaam), (H-4), just off<br />

the main highway from Tartu, but Eurolines passengers coming<br />

in from Riga or Vilnius should strongly consider hopping off at<br />

the much more central Viru väljak stop (ask other passengers<br />

where), rather than continuing on to the bus station itself. Once<br />

at the station, you’ll find left luggage in the basement. The<br />

cash-only currency exchange takes all major currencies,<br />

including Russian roubles, but gives appallingly bad rates. The<br />

ATM by the main entrance is probably a better bet.<br />

Getting to town<br />

The city centre is just 1km away, down Juhkentali tänav from<br />

behind the station. Buses N°17A, 23 and 23A leave directly<br />

from the coach area near platform 1, heading to Vabaduse<br />

väljak (4th stop) in the centre, while trams N°2 and 4 run<br />

from nearby Tartu maantee to Viru väljak (4th stop), also<br />

in the centre. A taxi to Old Town should cost about €5.75.<br />

By train<br />

Arriving by train at Tallinn’s Balti Jaam (B-1) puts you just a<br />

couple hundred metres from the walls of Old Town. Since<br />

renovations the station itself is no longer a Soviet-era relic<br />

and now includes a nice restaurant and even a day spa, in<br />

case you need to unwind after your journey. Left luggage<br />

is in the back of the main hall, just off the breeze-way that<br />

leads to the platforms. The exchange booth (across from left<br />

luggage) offers decent rates on all Scandinavian, Baltic and<br />

Russian currencies. ATMs are just next to the front doors.<br />

Getting to town<br />

Just cross the street at the underpass and walk up Nunne tänav<br />

into Old Town, or take trams N°1 or 2 from behind the station<br />

three stops to the Mere pst. stop. Avoid the taxis that wait here.<br />

Using taxis in Tallinn<br />

Tallinn's taxis are notorious for overcharging - even the<br />

mayor got ripped off! (Granted, he was, pretending to<br />

be an Italian tourist at the time.) Drivers either set high<br />

mileage rates or fix their meters to run at light speed.<br />

There's no sure-fire way to avoid the cheats. but there<br />

are precautions you can take. Get to know the average<br />

rates, and try to order a taxi by phone, rather than getting<br />

one off the street. Turn to the ‘Getting around' section<br />

for phone numbers and fare details. Barring that, you can<br />

ask the driver for an estimate of how much the ride will be<br />

beforehand. Also see ‘Arriving' for estimates of how much<br />

rides should cost from the bus station, airport, etc. To<br />

report a cheat, call the 24-hour hotline, tel. 1345.<br />

Basic data<br />

Tallinn<br />

Population: 417,150 (as of 01.09.2012)<br />

Density: 2,618.6 inhabitants/km2<br />

Ethnic composition: Estonians 52.5%, Russians<br />

38.5%, Ukrainians 3.7%, Others 5.4%<br />

Estonia<br />

Population: 1,294,236 (as of 31.05.2012)<br />

Density: 28.6 inhabitants/km2<br />

Ethnic composition: Estonians 68.7%, Russians<br />

24.8%, Others 6.4%.<br />

Territory: 45,227km2<br />

Elevation: The highest point in Estonia (and the Baltics)<br />

is Suur Munamägi (318m) in Võru County<br />

Islands: 1,521. The three largest are Saaremaa<br />

2,673km2, Hiiumaa 1,023km2, and Muhu 206km2<br />

Lakes: Lake Peipsi, on the Russian border, covers an<br />

area of 3,555km2, of which 1,529km2 is in Estonia. It<br />

also holds the title as the 4th largest lake in Europe.<br />

Rivers: Estonia’s longest rivers are the Võhandu 162km,<br />

Pärnu 144km, and Põltsamaa 135km.<br />

Other cities: Tartu 98,670, Narva 64,435, Pärnu<br />

42,625, Kohtla-Järve 40,330.<br />

Local time: Estonia is in the Eastern European Time Zone<br />

(GMT+2hrs). Summer time (GMT+3hrs) is in effect from the<br />

last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October.<br />

Borders<br />

Estonia belongs to the Schengen visa area, which includes<br />

22 EU countries, Norway and Iceland. It means<br />

that if you are travelling to Estonia from within the Schengen<br />

border control-free area, you will not be required to<br />

show any documentation when you arrive in Estonia,<br />

whether it be by ship, plane or by car. <strong>In</strong> fact you will not<br />

have to go through customs at all, but each individual<br />

country still maintains the right to perform intermittent<br />

checks. Of course if you arrive in Estonia from outside<br />

the Schengen zone you will still be required to show<br />

your passport or EU identity card if applicable. For more<br />

information on Schengen and how it might apply to your<br />

trip to Estonia, logon to the Estonian Foreign Ministry’s<br />

website at www.vm.ee.<br />

Customs<br />

European alcoholics rejoice! When you leave Estonia<br />

headed to another EU country, you can take out as much<br />

booze as you can carry (or convince inspectors is for<br />

your personal use). Coming into Estonia from another EU<br />

country, each individual aged 18 and over may carry in<br />

duty-free 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer and 10<br />

litres of hard alcohol (over 21%alc/vol), 800 cigarettes,<br />

400 cigarillos, 200 cigars and 1kg of pure tobacco. When<br />

leaving, beware of stricter tobacco restrictions if you’re<br />

headed to the UK, Sweden or Finland. Relatively unlucky<br />

travellers from non-EU countries can carry in a measly 4<br />

litres of wine (not exceeding €175 in combined value), 2<br />

litres of beverages up to 21%alc/vol and 1 litre of hard<br />

alcohol; 40 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 50g<br />

pure tobacco. How much booze and smokes you can<br />

take home depends on your own country’s restrictions.<br />

For more information, contact the Customs Department,<br />

Narva mnt. 9j, tel. 880 08 14, tolliinfo@emta.ee, www.<br />

emta.ee.<br />

National holidays<br />

January 1 New Year’s Day<br />

February 24 <strong>In</strong>dependence Day (1918)<br />

March 29 (2013) Good Friday<br />

March 31 (2013) Easter Sunday<br />

May 1 May Day<br />

June 23 Victory Day (1919 Battle of Võnnu - Cēsis)<br />

June 24 St. John’s Day (Midsummer)<br />

August 20 Day of Restoration of <strong>In</strong>dependence (1991)<br />

December 24 Christmas Eve<br />

December 25 Christmas Day<br />

December 26 Boxing Day<br />

Electricity<br />

The electrical current is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Sockets take<br />

the standard, round-pinned European plugs.<br />

Ethnic groups<br />

About 68% of Estonia’s population is made up of ethnic Estonians,<br />

descendents of Finno-Ugric tribes that settled this<br />

area about 5,000 years ago. The largest minority in today’s<br />

Estonia is by far the Russians, at roughly 26% of the national<br />

population. Along with Ukrainians and Byelorussians, thousands<br />

of Russians moved or were sent here during Soviet<br />

times, and chose to remain after independence. Though<br />

some integration is taking place among the younger generation,<br />

language and cultural barriers tend to keep Estonians<br />

and Russian-speakers apart.<br />

Getting cash<br />

You should have no problems filling your wallet in Tallinn - cash<br />

machines (ATMs) are never hard to find. Big banks are usually<br />

your best bet for exchanging currency. At night and on weekends,<br />

however, decent exchanges are more elusive. Tavid<br />

at Aia 5 has good rates and also runs an all-night exchange<br />

window that will do in a pinch. Their night rates aren’t as good<br />

as what they are during the daytime. Another place that offers<br />

very good rates is Eurex at Estonia pst. 7. Beware of bright<br />

blue and yellow Monex exchanges around town. These have<br />

convenient locations and working hours, but generally give<br />

unfavourable rates and even charge a €3.20 - 6.40 commission<br />

on each transaction - even when they state in big bold<br />

letters ‘No Commission’.<br />

Tallinn <strong>In</strong> <strong>Your</strong> <strong>Pocket</strong> tallinn.inyourpocket.com<br />

tallinn.inyourpocket.com<br />

October - November 2012<br />

7

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