6 arriVing arriVing BasiCs As European capitals go, Tallinn is a remarkably easyaccess city. The passenger port and train station are both within shouting distance of the Old Town/centre, while the airport and bus station are a quick, cheap 10 - 15 minute taxi ride away. By plane Tallinn’s airport may be a super-modern affair, but it’s so small you’re never in danger of getting lost. Once past the luggage receiving area, you’ll find ATMs and currency exchange in the centre of the hall; toilets and car rental offices are downstairs. Getting to town A taxi ride from the centre roughly costs €10 and takes between 10 and 20 minutes. You can also take bus N°2 (marked Lennujaam - Mőigu) from the ‘A. Laikmaa’ stop, just outside the airport to the down town Viru Centre. Alternatively, the 90K Hansabuss-operated airport bus (see the listing on right). There’s also a separate shuttle that will take you and other passengers anywhere within Tallinn’s city limits for the low price of €5. By helicopter Copterline, the 18-minute helicopter service from Helsinki, lands at the Linnahall harbour. See the ‘By ship’ section for details of how to get into town. By ship Most ferries and catamarans arrive at the Passenger Port (reisisadam), terminals A, B and D. Left Luggage and a helpful information booth can be found in the main hall of terminal A. Exchange offices are plentiful but not always economical. ATMs are just as easy to find. Terminal D, located just across the small neck of water, has similar services. Lindaline’s boats arrive at the neighbouring Linnahall Speedboat Harbour, where a currency exchange booth is open whenever boats are arriving. Rates here are decent. Getting to town You can just head for the spires of Old Town on foot, but a taxi from the Passenger Port or the Linnahall should cover the short ride to town for €3.80 - 4.50. By car Crossing the border from Latvia is completely hassle-free now that the Baltics belong to Schengen. Getting over the border from Russia will take quite a bit longer. <strong>In</strong> both cases, be sure to bring your car’s registration papers and a valid insurance policy, such as the international green card. You can also buy insurance right at the border station. Please note that the speed limit on highways is 90km/h, in the cities 50 km/h, unless otherwise noted, and the headlights have to be always turned on. For fares and regulations on bringing a car by ship from Finland or Sweden, contact the ferry companies in the ‘Getting around’ section of the guide. Transportion in style Bus 90K tel. (+372) 627 90 80, www.hansabuss.ee. Operated by Hansabuss on behalf of the airport, the 90K costs only €2 per ride. You can hop on or off anywhere along the route Airport - Central Bus Station - Hotel Olümpia - Freedom Square - Mere pst - Balti jaam - Hotel Tallinn - Freedom Square - Estonian Academy of Arts - Central Bus Station - Airport. The comfortable and roomy bus runs every 20 minutes from 7:20 - 18:40 daily and also offers free WIFI. By bus Buses arrive at the bus station (autobussijaam), (H-4), just off the main highway from Tartu, but Eurolines passengers coming in from Riga or Vilnius should strongly consider hopping off at the much more central Viru väljak stop (ask other passengers where), rather than continuing on to the bus station itself. Once at the station, you’ll find left luggage in the basement. The cash-only currency exchange takes all major currencies, including Russian roubles, but gives appallingly bad rates. The ATM by the main entrance is probably a better bet. Getting to town The city centre is just 1km away, down Juhkentali tänav from behind the station. Buses N°17A, 23 and 23A leave directly from the coach area near platform 1, heading to Vabaduse väljak (4th stop) in the centre, while trams N°2 and 4 run from nearby Tartu maantee to Viru väljak (4th stop), also in the centre. A taxi to Old Town should cost about €5.75. By train Arriving by train at Tallinn’s Balti Jaam (B-1) puts you just a couple hundred metres from the walls of Old Town. Since renovations the station itself is no longer a Soviet-era relic and now includes a nice restaurant and even a day spa, in case you need to unwind after your journey. Left luggage is in the back of the main hall, just off the breeze-way that leads to the platforms. The exchange booth (across from left luggage) offers decent rates on all Scandinavian, Baltic and Russian currencies. ATMs are just next to the front doors. Getting to town Just cross the street at the underpass and walk up Nunne tänav into Old Town, or take trams N°1 or 2 from behind the station three stops to the Mere pst. stop. Avoid the taxis that wait here. Using taxis in Tallinn Tallinn's taxis are notorious for overcharging - even the mayor got ripped off! (Granted, he was, pretending to be an Italian tourist at the time.) Drivers either set high mileage rates or fix their meters to run at light speed. There's no sure-fire way to avoid the cheats. but there are precautions you can take. Get to know the average rates, and try to order a taxi by phone, rather than getting one off the street. Turn to the ‘Getting around' section for phone numbers and fare details. Barring that, you can ask the driver for an estimate of how much the ride will be beforehand. Also see ‘Arriving' for estimates of how much rides should cost from the bus station, airport, etc. To report a cheat, call the 24-hour hotline, tel. 1345. Basic data Tallinn Population: 417,150 (as of 01.09.2012) Density: 2,618.6 inhabitants/km2 Ethnic composition: Estonians 52.5%, Russians 38.5%, Ukrainians 3.7%, Others 5.4% Estonia Population: 1,294,236 (as of 31.05.2012) Density: 28.6 inhabitants/km2 Ethnic composition: Estonians 68.7%, Russians 24.8%, Others 6.4%. Territory: 45,227km2 Elevation: The highest point in Estonia (and the Baltics) is Suur Munamägi (318m) in Võru County Islands: 1,521. The three largest are Saaremaa 2,673km2, Hiiumaa 1,023km2, and Muhu 206km2 Lakes: Lake Peipsi, on the Russian border, covers an area of 3,555km2, of which 1,529km2 is in Estonia. It also holds the title as the 4th largest lake in Europe. Rivers: Estonia’s longest rivers are the Võhandu 162km, Pärnu 144km, and Põltsamaa 135km. Other cities: Tartu 98,670, Narva 64,435, Pärnu 42,625, Kohtla-Järve 40,330. Local time: Estonia is in the Eastern European Time Zone (GMT+2hrs). Summer time (GMT+3hrs) is in effect from the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October. Borders Estonia belongs to the Schengen visa area, which includes 22 EU countries, Norway and Iceland. It means that if you are travelling to Estonia from within the Schengen border control-free area, you will not be required to show any documentation when you arrive in Estonia, whether it be by ship, plane or by car. <strong>In</strong> fact you will not have to go through customs at all, but each individual country still maintains the right to perform intermittent checks. Of course if you arrive in Estonia from outside the Schengen zone you will still be required to show your passport or EU identity card if applicable. For more information on Schengen and how it might apply to your trip to Estonia, logon to the Estonian Foreign Ministry’s website at www.vm.ee. Customs European alcoholics rejoice! When you leave Estonia headed to another EU country, you can take out as much booze as you can carry (or convince inspectors is for your personal use). Coming into Estonia from another EU country, each individual aged 18 and over may carry in duty-free 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer and 10 litres of hard alcohol (over 21%alc/vol), 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars and 1kg of pure tobacco. When leaving, beware of stricter tobacco restrictions if you’re headed to the UK, Sweden or Finland. Relatively unlucky travellers from non-EU countries can carry in a measly 4 litres of wine (not exceeding €175 in combined value), 2 litres of beverages up to 21%alc/vol and 1 litre of hard alcohol; 40 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 50g pure tobacco. How much booze and smokes you can take home depends on your own country’s restrictions. For more information, contact the Customs Department, Narva mnt. 9j, tel. 880 08 14, tolliinfo@emta.ee, www. emta.ee. National holidays January 1 New Year’s Day February 24 <strong>In</strong>dependence Day (1918) March 29 (2013) Good Friday March 31 (2013) Easter Sunday May 1 May Day June 23 Victory Day (1919 Battle of Võnnu - Cēsis) June 24 St. John’s Day (Midsummer) August 20 Day of Restoration of <strong>In</strong>dependence (1991) December 24 Christmas Eve December 25 Christmas Day December 26 Boxing Day Electricity The electrical current is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Sockets take the standard, round-pinned European plugs. Ethnic groups About 68% of Estonia’s population is made up of ethnic Estonians, descendents of Finno-Ugric tribes that settled this area about 5,000 years ago. The largest minority in today’s Estonia is by far the Russians, at roughly 26% of the national population. Along with Ukrainians and Byelorussians, thousands of Russians moved or were sent here during Soviet times, and chose to remain after independence. Though some integration is taking place among the younger generation, language and cultural barriers tend to keep Estonians and Russian-speakers apart. Getting cash You should have no problems filling your wallet in Tallinn - cash machines (ATMs) are never hard to find. Big banks are usually your best bet for exchanging currency. At night and on weekends, however, decent exchanges are more elusive. Tavid at Aia 5 has good rates and also runs an all-night exchange window that will do in a pinch. Their night rates aren’t as good as what they are during the daytime. Another place that offers very good rates is Eurex at Estonia pst. 7. Beware of bright blue and yellow Monex exchanges around town. These have convenient locations and working hours, but generally give unfavourable rates and even charge a €3.20 - 6.40 commission on each transaction - even when they state in big bold letters ‘No Commission’. Tallinn <strong>In</strong> <strong>Your</strong> <strong>Pocket</strong> tallinn.inyourpocket.com tallinn.inyourpocket.com October - November 2012 7