tourism

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How Much to Tip?

One of the most common questions I’m asked is how much should I leave for a tip in Estonia? It’s a good question, as tipping is different form culture to culture. You don’t want to look like a stupid rich foreigner, but you don’t want to look like a cheapskate either!

In Estonia tipping isn’t considered mandatory. Some people say 10% if the service is good, others say round up the bill. Given that Estonia has more notes than coins, many people usually throw in their unwanted two, five and maybe even ten crown notes,whatever that adds up to. As a tourist I suggest you work on around 10%, as long as your loose change covers such an amount. Give more if the service is really good, we need to encourage great customer service. Americans please note: we don’t like your culture of compulsory tipping. If you get bad service, please don’t leave a tip. We don’t want hopeless waiters expecting tips from us because American tourists all give them something out of habit. In summary, 10% is for satisfactory service, give more if it was better than expected and give nothing if it was bad.

We highly recommend you read this very humorous article about tipping in Estonia before you visit us. It was this article that inspired us to write this post.

Oh, remember that tour guides should be tipped at least 500%!!!!! ;)

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Tallinn Taxis

Getting a taxi that wont rob you blind is probably one of the biggest concerns for tourists, and Tallinn is one place where you will want to be careful. Tallinn’s taxi market is fairly deregulated, and there is no set price. Before catching a cab, take a look at the yellow sticker on the back passenger window, which will state a base fare, per km fare (day and night) and waiting time fare. The problem for a tourists that it is hard to know if these prices are good or bad, so it’s probably best to book a taxi by phone with a reliable company. You can ask your hotel, who will probably have an arrangement with a company, so they may not order the cheapest or best taxi. So here are some companies that EstAdventures have used ourselves in Tallinn.

  • Krooni Takso – They don’t have the newest cabs in Tallinn, but they are clean, reliable and cheap. They are the value option of the EstAdventures recommendations. This is the company we use ourselves.
    7.50 per km * 40 base fare * 239/hr waiting fare. Phone: 1212
  • Tulika – The biggest and best known Taxi company in Tallinn. They have bought the rights to many taxi stands outside hotels and shopping centres and have a lot of cabs, so they’re easy to track down.
    9.40/11.00 per km * 45 Base fare * 200/hr waiting fee. Phone 1200
  • Tallink Takso – The new kids on the block, from the same company that does the ferries and owns several large Tallinn hotels. They’re the most expensive of our recommendations, but they’re cars are all brand new and are the drivers are very good. Consider them the luxury option!
    10.90/13.50 per km * 48 base fare * 239/hr waiting fee. Phone: 1921

Tallinn Taxis

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