Estonia / Eesti Vabariik – Let’s explore here

Estonia is a small, flat, low lying country in the Baltic region in the East of Europe, which comprises of the forested and agricultural mainland and 2,355 islands. At the coast, there are limestone cliffs and inland there are lots of woodlands, lakes and wetlands. The highest point is Suur Munamägi (Great Egg Mountain), in the south east of the country, at 1,043 ft (318 m).

Its neighbours are Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Russia, several of which it shares its history with.

It also operates a digital nomad visa scheme that you may find interesting. It is also a very relaxed place! 🙂

Current travels

We’ve created a blog for our visit to Estonia. You may find it helpful, and you may pick up some tips, or more likely mistakes not to make that we’ve made 😉

We love Estonia – it’s relaxed, safe, chilled out and just plain beautiful. It’s a wonder than many more people don’t visit it more regularly?

Estonia may not currently be top of your list of places to visit in the world – but you should seriously consider it! It really is a beautiful country, with lots to see and do! It is quite amazing!

On our current road trip we travelled from Helsinki in Finland via the ferry into the capital, Tallinn, before moving West towards Haapsalu via the rural roads. We then travelled down to the seaside resort of Pärnu and the beautiful area of Häädemeeste, before moving on to Latvia.

There are several ferries throughout the day from different locations in Helsinki, run by different operators. Late night ferries are much cheaper. We went on the 13:30 ferry which was more like a cruise ship than a ferry. It had ten levels! – including two levels for shops, and two levels for restaurants! This was despite it being only a two hour journey.

Throughout our journey we met loads of really friendly Estonians, who were more than willing to engage in any level of conversation. It also struck us just how safe and chilled out it feels throughout the country – much more so that many other places we’ve visited. In fact we’d put it on a par with Denmark, which also had a similar vibe. This is a great testament to the people we feel.

Our best places in Estonia

Tallinn

What a beautiful city Tallinn is! And how relaxed and peaceful! It’s definitely one for the romantics!

Pärnu

What an excellent and pretty seaside town Pärnu is! Spotlessly clean and you’ve got loads of the massive beach all you yourself! Very calming place with lovely warm sun! Lots of restaurants and café’s to cater to your needs.

Häädemeeste

Stunningly beautiful coastline that’s a mecca for kite surfers. Long grasses lead to spotlessly clean white beaches!

What’s it like to drive in Estonia?

Throughout the country, driving is pretty well chilled and relaxing – as is life in Estonia we felt. Great place!

However, entering Tallinn for us was a bit of a nightmare, as they’ve just started the construction of the Vanasadama (Old Harbour) tramline, and thus the traffic was very chaotic. We saw several Finns and some bikers from Latvia driving the wrong way down the road due to the confusion. Clearly it’s caused a great deal of annoyance, as many local drivers were acting very aggressively, with lots of blaring of car horns and not allowing other drivers into lanes. This is only in this area though, as soon as you escape, it’s back to relax mode!

Also, the main issue for us was that we’d been driving in Scandinavia for some weeks, and there you can drive for literally hundreds of miles without seeing anyone. As Estonia is a small country, it’s much more congested. We just weren’t used to seeing so many cars in the one place. We soon got used to it again though 😉

Also, similarly to Finland, there seems to be a large contingent of car enthusiasts who’ve renovated older American cars – nice!

We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂

Parking in Tallinn old town

On-street parking: price zones

There is a zone pricing system. In all the zones, the first 15 minutes are free. Mark your parking start time with a parking clock or a written note under the vehicle’s windscreen.

Tallinn has four controlled parking zones:

• Old Town (Vanalinn): the most expensive parking zone with limited parking spaces. The Old Town is mostly a car-free area where driving is not recommended. Parking restrictions apply 24/7 with no exceptions. See the zone map and rates. 
• Downtown (Südalinn): slightly less expensive than the Old Town zone. Parking restrictions apply 24/7 with no exceptions. See the zone map and rates.
• City centre (Kesklinn): the largest and least expensive zone in the centre of Tallinn. Parking restrictions apply on weekdays from 07:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 15:00. On Sundays, parking is free (not applicable to public holidays unless they fall on a Sunday). See the zone map and rates.   
• Pirita: limited to two parking lots near Pirita beach, Merivälja tee 1c and 1e. Restrictions apply from 15 May to 15 September from 10:00 to 22:00. See the zone map and rates.     

Outside of these four zones, unless stated otherwise, parking is free. 

You can find a map of the parking zones and prices on the Parkimine.ee website. 

You can buy tickets from parking machines (in cash) on the streets or can pay online via the PARGI.EE mobile app (MasterCard and Visa only):  iOS (Apple) and Android.

Taxis in Estonia

We found that you couldn’t get a taxi off the street in Tallinn, you have to use one of the three authorised taxi apps. We used BOLT – super easy and reasonable prices. Also, the taxi has to be able to provide a receipt, if they can’t your ride is free!

What currency do they use in Estonia?

In Estonia they use the Euro. The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread. Traveller’s cheques are accepted. There are lots of ATMs. 

You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.

What language do they speak in Estonia?

They speak Estonian in Estonia. Many also speak Russian, German and English.

What time zone is Estonia in?

Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.

Do I need a visa to visit Estonia?

We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!

Is wild camping legal in Estonia?

Yes, wild camping is fine in Estonia, although you should avoid national parks and natural reserves.

Is it safe to drink water in Estonia?

Yes, it is safe to drink tap water in Estonia. Bottled water is also readily available across the country. 

If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know! 

And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!