- Travelling to Estonia
- Travelling to Tartu from Tallinn
- Transport in Tartu
- Entry to Estonia – visa information
You can find most of the necessary information on the Visit Estonia website. This is Estonia’s official tourist information website.
Arrival by air
The Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is situated in Tallinn, which is 2.5 hour bus ride or 2 hour train ride from Tartu. The Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport has direct international flights to and from 30 destinations. The bus to Tartu stops at the airport every hour, making the journey convenient.
The airport's information service point is located in the departure hall. It opens 2 hours before the first flight and closes after the last arriving flight.
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport: Ph. +372 605 8888
Another close international airport is Riga Airport in Latvia. Riga Airport has nearly 100 direct international destinations, including many flights to Tallinn Airport. Riga Airport has a bus connection with Tartu (journey time 4.5 hours), although there are only two departures a day, making this option less convenient.
Arrival by sea
Ships from Helsinki bring thousands of travellers to Tallinn's busy passenger port each day. There is an overnight ferry link with Stockholm. Large cruise ships stop in Tallinn from spring until autumn. Tallinn also welcomes visitors arriving by yacht.
Ferries cross the Gulf of Finland between Tallinn and Helsinki sail several times a day, covering the distance in roughly 2 to 3 hours. From late spring to late autumn high-speed vessels also operate on the route, reducing travel time to just 1.5 hours.
Ferries between Tallinn and Stockholm depart every evening, with the trip taking approximately 15 hours.
Port of Tallinn: ph. +372 631 8550
Arrival by bus
Three international bus lines offer connections to Tallinn from several other European cities, and some connections to Tartu. Services connecting Tartu and Tallinn with Riga, Vilnius and Warsaw operate several times a day.
International connections are provided by Lux Express, Ecolines and FlixBus.
Domestic bus lines, fares and timetables can be found here.
International and intercity buses arrive and depart via the Tallinn Central Bus Station (Tallinna Autobussijaam) or Tartu Bus Station.
Travelling to Tartu from Tallinn
Arrival by bus
The most convenient would be to take the Lux Express coach from Tallinn Airport. The buses leave every hour, from Tallinn Coach Station (address: Lastekodu 46, 10144, Tallinn) to Tartu Coach Station (address: Turu 2, 51014, Tartu). The journey lasts for 2.5 hours, but time flies when you are seated in the lounge area. The coaches have free WiFi, hot beverages and an entertainment system onboard. The bus also stops at the Tallinn airport when going to Tartu, and again on the return journey. Bus tickets, which costs about 15 €, can be bought here and at Tallinn Coach Station.
Arrival by train
The Elron train service has regular trips between Tallinn and Tartu a few times a day. The train leaves from Balti Jaam in Tallinn (address: Toompuiestee 37, Tallinn, near the ship port) and arrives at Tartu Railway Station (address: Vaksali 6, Tartu). Tartu Railway Station is located in a historical station building 1.5 km from the city centre. The journey lasts from 2 hours. Train tickets can be bought here, at the station or on the train.
Transport in Tartu
- For more on public transport in Tartu.
- The bike share system Tartu Smart Bike is comprised of 750 bikes in 94 bike share stations across the city and nearby municipalities.
- For taxi service, the Bolt app is very popular; we also recommend electric taxies (call +372 5749 5749 or +372 5685 8954 to order) or the Tartu Taxi company (call +372 730 0200 to order). Taxis are safe and, by using Bolt, always available.
Entry to Estonia – visa information
Nationals of the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area and any third-country national who is a holder of a residence permit of a Schengen State do not need a visa to enter Estonia.
Non-EU citizens are advised to check the requirements at the web site of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Estonia does not have embassies in many countries. In some cases, embassies of other Schengen States represent Estonia in visa procedures. If there is neither an Estonian embassy nor a representative embassy in a specific country, the visa applicant must visit the nearest Estonian embassy. It is advisable to start the visa application procedure well in advance.