Practical Information

Traveling to Estonia

The map is illustrative, planes do not fly over the airspace of Ukraine, Russia or Belarus. Source: https://www.tallinn-airport.ee/

The main international airport is located in Tallinn, with direct flights from most major European cities. Information on airlines and schedules is available on the Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport website. Direct buses run from Tallinn Airport to Tartu (~2 hours), more information can be found below. Tartu can be reached by a direct flight from Helsinki (more info here).

You can also reach Estonia by ferry. There is a regular connection available from Stockholm and Helsinki to Tallinn. The main ferry operators are Tallink/Silja Line, Viking Line and Eckerö Line.

From Tallinn to Tartu

By bus

From Tallinn Airport we recommend taking a frequent Lux Express (you can buy your ticket in advance) bus to Tartu. Travel time is 2.25 hours. Buses depart from 7 AM to 10 PM after every 30 or 60 minutes. There is no need to print out the ticket. You can just show your ticket’s QR code from your smartphone. Bus stop is located on the city side of the passenger’s terminal, next to the tram stop. Another option is to take a train from Ülemiste stop that is 10 minutes walking distance from the Airport.

By train
From Tallinn ferry terminal it is also possible to use the train connection to Tartu. The main railway station (Balti Jaam) is within 25 minutes walking distance from the terminal. You can buy the tickets one week in advance. We recommend choosing the express departures that have a travel time of 2 hours. Only first class tickets guarantee a seat. There is no need to print out the ticket. You can just show your ticket’s QR code from your smartphone. You can also buy the ticket from the train with your card.

Estonia is a small country in northeastern Europe. The Republic of Estonia was established in 1918, and regained its independence in 1991. Since 2004 Estonia has been a member of EU and NATO. Estonia is the only country in the world to offer e-residency.

Capital: Tallinn
Area: 45,000 km2
Population: 1.3 million inhabitants
Official language: Estonian. English, Russian, Finnish and German are widely spoken
Currency: Euro (since 2011)

Learn more about Estonia and what it has to offer as your next travel destination.

Tartu with its ca 97,000 inhabitants is the largest town in southern Estonia. Tartu is a true student town where almost one in five residents studies or works at the University of Tartu. University of Tartu is the only Estonian-language comprehensive in the world. It was founded in 1632 by King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. The high concentration of students together with the academic atmosphere makes Tartu a city of good thoughts! 

European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 is Estonia’s main event in 2024. Check out the programme here.

More information about Tartu can be found here: https://visittartu.com/