Tips from an Estonian Tour Operator
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This week EstAdventure’s favourite radio station held their annual music awards. A song called “Good Man Down” by local band Ewert and the Two Dragons won both the popular choice and critic’s award. Take a look at the music video, and if you are in Tallinn on February 2nd you can see them play at Rock Cafe.
Over the years a number of foreign media outlets have reported that Tallinn has become over-run by British bachelor groups, or stag parties. According to these stories, hordes of English, Scotish, Irish or Welsh deadbeats have taken over the cobble stoned streets, and have ruined the medieval atmosphere for everyone else. Given that these stories are in the travel sections of major newspapers, it is surprising that anyone actually chooses Tallinn as a holiday destination at all! However reality may not be as bad as reported.
There are certain parts of Tallinn’s Old Town that are best avoided if you’d like to steer clear of stag groups, but this is a fairly small area, and one which is home to some of the worst bars and sleazy strip clubs. You probably wouldn’t want to go there anyway. There are a string of bars and clubs on Suur-Karja street which attract a certain kind of clientele. Stay clear of places on this street like the expat bar Nimeta, and you will probably go your entire trip without seeing a stag.
The general rule is that if you are looking for a cultured, relaxing weekend with good food, great tours and smart nightlife, then the type of places you go will be completely different to where the stag groups go. Don’t believe everything you read about stag groups in Tallinn. Tallinn was the capital of culture in 2011, there is a lot more than stag groups to Estonia’s capital.
Fairly regularly we are asked what is the best way to take the train from St. Petersburg to Tallinn? Unfortunately the there is no train service between the two cities. You may come across some mention of a rail link on the internet, as there was one a few years ago, but it has been discontinued.
Given that the train no longer runs, you may be wondering what options you have instead. Rail in Estonia is fairly poor, and in most cases buses will be more frequent, comfortable and convenient. The trip to St Petersburg is certainly no exception. Several bus lines run between Tallinn and St. Petersburg, and you may like to choose between the following:
If you are pressed for time, you may like to fly between the two cities. Estonian Air offer one or two flights a day. However by the time you check in and get off the plane, you may not actually save that much time.
There is also a ferry service between the two, however it’s really designed for taking cruises from Tallinn. It may be an option if you are travelling to Tallinn on the right day, but for most people it won’t be the most convenient option. It does offer visa free travel however, so you may like to visit St. Petersburg for a short trip, using Tallinn as a base.
Another option to consider is travelling via Helsinki. The Helsinki-St. Petersburg train is new and extremely comfortable. The Tallinn-Helsinki-St. Petersburg triangle makes a great multi-city trip.
