Welcome to the Tallinn cruise port guide. When thinking of Tallinn people automatically think about twisting cobblestone lanes, iron street lamps, gothic spires and medieval markets. It is the famous old town that makes Tallinn renowned beyond its borders. It truly is one of the most enchanting destinations on the Baltic, because you’ll have the feeling you are taking a step back in time. The old town of Tallinn was build from the 13th to 16th century, back in the days when Tallinn was an important member of the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League was basicly the European Union of medieval Europe. It was the first and most powerfull trading alliance Northern Europe has seen. Many different cities on the Baltic Sea were born as a trading post and alliance of the Hansa. Therefore there are a lot of medieval old towns still standing in this part of the world as a proof of wealth that was brought by the Hanseatic League. Tallinn is the perfect example of such a place. Explore the old town by foot and you’ll come across the lower part where the merchants used to live and the upper town where still up to this day the most important buildings of Tallinn stand. Read underneath how to get from Tallinn’s cruise port to the old town.
Travel information Estonia
Official currency – Euro
Accepts US dollars – Rarely
Creditcards – are widely accepted
Drives on the – right
Timezone – UTC +2
About Estonia
Inhabitants – 1,3 million
Official language – Estonian
Capital city – Tallinn
Republic of Estonia
Parliamentary republic
Estonian language
Good day – head päeva
How are you? – kuidas sul läheb?
Thank you – aitäh
Cruise ship – kruiisilaev
Port – sadam
Cruise Port Guide Tallinn – Estonia: docked
Welcome to the Tallinn cruise port guide. In Tallinn your cruise ship will most likely dock at the cruise centre. At this moment there about 4 spots for the bigger cruise ships here. It is about a little over 2 km walk from the ship to get to the town hall square (middle of the centre).
Tallinn cruise terminal
When you walk off the pier you will come across the building you see on the left picture. The facilities that are offered here are: info & maps, audio guides rent, post office, currency exchange, cafe with local drinks and specialties, taxi and bus and wi-fi hotspot. Behind this building there is also a very nice souvenir market.
Walk from Tallinn’s cruise terminal to old town
As you exit the ship and walk off the pier, look to the right where you see the large clock towers of the old town. Simply aim for the clocks towers to find your way to town. The old town is best to be explored by foot as traffic is not welcome in the narrow cobblestone streets. Some people who have mobility challenges sometimes take a taxi from the dock to the Russian Cathedral for about 15 euro. This will make sure you are at the highest and furthest point of the centre. They walk back to the ship. This is about 2,5 km walk, but all downhill and you can hit all the highlights of town along the way.
Transportation at Tallinn cruise terminal
Your have a few options on how to get to the city centre from the port. It is either a 2 km walk. You can take a taxi for +/- 10 euro one way per taxi and there is also a hop on hop off bus available from the port to take to the old town. The hop on hop off bus even goes further afield to the places of interest outside of the city centre.
Public Transport
The city of Tallinn has a rather good public transportation system available. Although the trams and buses do not directly come to the cruise terminal. The closest public transport stop is at Sadama street in front of Terminal A, see map above. You’ll find bus 2 comes by this stop. To get to the city centre you can get off at A.Laikmaa stop. The bus departs about 3 times per hour. Find more information and plan your journey on http://soiduplaan.tallinn.ee/#bus/en.
Destination and distance
From port to city centre 2 km South From port to Rocca Al Mare open air museum 8,5 km Sest From port to Song Festival Grounds 4 km East
FAQ about Tallinn as cruise destination
– How far is the city centre? That is about 2 km walk from the ship.
– Can I pay with euro? Yes, the official currency is euro.
– How do I visit the KGB museum. By making a reservation through e-mail beforehand or by hopping into the Viru hotel in the early morning to make a reservation.
– Can you make pictures in the Aleksandre Nevsky cathedral? No.
– Is the old town worth to visit the whole day? We would recommend half day in the old town, half day either a museum, the open-air museum or festival grounds.
