113. Regional Travel #2.1 - Ferry from Finland to Estonia
The easiest way to reach Tallinn from St. Petersburg is to go to Finland first. To reach Tallinn directly from St. Petersburg by bus or train would take at least seven or eight hours. Flying to Tallinn is certainly an option, but that would be too much hassle and not as fun as the best transportation method: to visit Helsinki (3.5 hours from St. Petersburg by high-speed train) gives the option of jumping aboard a ferry, which only takes two hours to reach Tallinn, straight across the Gulf of Finland. So, we combined our trip to Finland with a side trip to Estonia.
The ferry was convenient at both ends. The departure point in Helsinki was a dock approximately 30 minutes walking distance from our hotel in central Helsinki. Both countries are part of the European Union, so there is no immigration paperwork or inspection process needed to travel between them. The arrival dock in Tallinn is a 15-minute walk to the Old Town, almost entirely along the water or in the medieval walled city.
The ferry was larger than I expected, with capacity for several thousand passengers. Our tickets were for regular economy class, so we didn't have assigned seats. The ship was divided into multiple areas across three passenger floors, with a variety of seating options - a restaurant, bar, cafe, lounge, children's play area, and a more typical airplane or train-style seating area. On the outbound and inbound voyage, we found stools at the window so that we could enjoy the view.
On the way to Estonia, we tried to enter the restaurant for a breakfast buffet and were told that meals for the first 90 minutes of the voyage had been entirely "pre-sold" and we would have to wait until we were almost to Estonia before we could enter the restaurant. So we opted instead to try the more casual à la carte cafe for a more reasonably-sized meal. On the return trip, we again had breakfast in the cafe.
There are also smaller jet boats available for the Helsinki to Tallinn trip, and they take 90 minutes rather than two hours. We opted for the larger, slower ferry because the schedule was a bit more convenient (earlier departures, meaning more time for sightseeing), and the journey is less dependent on the weather with a large vessel.
The ferry was convenient at both ends. The departure point in Helsinki was a dock approximately 30 minutes walking distance from our hotel in central Helsinki. Both countries are part of the European Union, so there is no immigration paperwork or inspection process needed to travel between them. The arrival dock in Tallinn is a 15-minute walk to the Old Town, almost entirely along the water or in the medieval walled city.
The ferry was larger than I expected, with capacity for several thousand passengers. Our tickets were for regular economy class, so we didn't have assigned seats. The ship was divided into multiple areas across three passenger floors, with a variety of seating options - a restaurant, bar, cafe, lounge, children's play area, and a more typical airplane or train-style seating area. On the outbound and inbound voyage, we found stools at the window so that we could enjoy the view.
On the way to Estonia, we tried to enter the restaurant for a breakfast buffet and were told that meals for the first 90 minutes of the voyage had been entirely "pre-sold" and we would have to wait until we were almost to Estonia before we could enter the restaurant. So we opted instead to try the more casual à la carte cafe for a more reasonably-sized meal. On the return trip, we again had breakfast in the cafe.
There are also smaller jet boats available for the Helsinki to Tallinn trip, and they take 90 minutes rather than two hours. We opted for the larger, slower ferry because the schedule was a bit more convenient (earlier departures, meaning more time for sightseeing), and the journey is less dependent on the weather with a large vessel.
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