Nordic Countries - Helsinki to Tallinn ferry. ?s and buy in advance?

Hello. I will be in HEL for one night then want to take the ferry to Tallinn. I am thinking about spending a bit more for the Business Lounge deck. At least according to the website looks like it offers a buffet and drinks. Has anyone tried this? I am looking at the 5:30 PM departure on a Friday evening. Must I purchase a ticket in advance? What are the immigration if any procedures in TLL? From the Holiday Inn Centre is it easy to get to the ferry terminal? How about TLL ferry terminal to Swissotel? From Swissotel to TLL airport? Sorry for all the questions. Any and all comments appreciated. Thanks.

I assume you are looking at Tallink-Silja? I travelled last winter with one of the Tallink ferries in Business Class. Nothing spectacular, in terms of food and drinks, but quite comfortable as the area is quite calm. I would say it's worth the money. The more you eat and drink, the more you save :)

No immigration in Tallinn anymore when you come from Helsinki. It's all the same Schengen area nowadays.

You can buy tickets in advance, and as you are taking a Friday evening departure, it might be good to buy the ticket in advance. Else you risk the ferry and business class being sold out.

Tallinn is a fairly small city. I took a taxi from the ferry terminal to the airport, and it was much under 10€. I don't remember the names of the taxi companies, but sometimes you hear about people who have been ripped off by taxis. Use common sense, i.e. insist on a meter and keep an eye on it, or agree the price in advance. I would say you should be able to go anywhere within the city centre for 10€, probably much less.

I don't know where the hotels you mention are, but the city centre is a 20-30 minute walk away from the ferry terminal.

Hope this helps!

Thank you very much. I see you are in HEL. From the HI City Centre to the ferry? Taxi? Walk? Thoughts on this hotel? Thank you again.

Thank you very much. I see you are in HEL. From the HI City Centre to the ferry? Taxi? Walk? Thoughts on this hotel? Thank you again.

HI City Center is a bit too far from the ferry for walking. Take a taxi or if you have plenty of time, you could take the subway to Ruoholahti and walk from there (10 minutes). I also assume you're traveling with Tallink. Linda Line operates from another port...

In Tallinn, Swissotel is a good 15 minute walk from the ferry terminal. Plenty of taxis available if that suits you better (can't be more than 7-8 EUR).

Have fun!

Thank you.

I´d make a booking for a friday night. Many Finns travel to Estonia for weekends and many Estonians return home after a workweek in Finland.

Thank you. Will do.

HI City Center is a bit too far from the ferry for walking. Take a taxi or if you have plenty of time, you could take the subway to Ruoholahti and walk from there (10 minutes). I also assume you're traveling with Tallink. Linda Line operates from another port...

In Tallinn, Swissotel is a good 15 minute walk from the ferry terminal. Plenty of taxis available if that suits you better (can't be more than 7-8 EUR).

Have fun!

If you really want to 'go wild', there's a bus that goes from outside HI City Center directly to the ferry terminal.

Bus works.

I also took a Tallink last year in October but on the main decks. It was perfectly fine, but had an airport outside the lounge feeling. The chairs were comfy, wifi was a bit on the slow side, but free.

If you book tickets on their site in advance, they offer discounts.

I took a bus from the main railway station - that's close to the HI - in HEL (it only took 10-15 mins) and walked on the other end (took about 20 mins), doing the reverse trip in reverse :).

The ferry seems less like a ferry and more like a shopping mall.

Thank you. Luggage. I would like to walk the "mall" on the ferry. Is there a place to check you luggage secure? Thanks.

Thank you. Luggage. I would like to walk the "mall" on the ferry. Is there a place to check you luggage secure? Thanks.

Locals leave their luggage in an unattended but secure storage room on the ship. It's self service. The room is locked when the ship departs and unlocked prior to arrival. There are also coin lockers on the ship.

Helsinki has an excellent public transportation system, so you do not need to limit your choice of hotels near the seaport. Tram 3B/3T can take you directly from HI to Olympia terminal.

Thank you all. Excellent posts. Be there in a bit.

Thank you all. Excellent posts. Be there in a bit.

I did the walk-up for Linda Lines yesterday- decent experience although I went to the wrong side of the harbor yesterday and missed the 10 am departure, so took the noon instead. And fairly fast, - they have some food options onboard, but they ran out of the meat pies on return :(

40 Euros return day trip including some 5 euro surcharge for paying at terminal/same day. Still worth it though.

40 euros for day trip return? That seems very reasonable. I had only been thinking one-way. At this rate you can purchase day of travel? Thanks.

40 euros for day trip return? That seems very reasonable. I had only been thinking one-way. At this rate you can purchase day of travel? Thanks.

I know... this was on the fast ferry too... and yes, bought day of at terminal. And probably only 10 percent filled :eek:

And since this is Flyertalk, I need to remind you that there is of course also a loyalty program for Tallink Silja called ClubOne. May have some benefits for even an unfrequent traveller like slightly cheaper drinks on board.

And since this is Flyertalk, I need to remind you that there is of course also a loyalty program for Tallink Silja called ClubOne. May have some benefits for even an unfrequent traveller like slightly cheaper drinks on board.

There was one for Linda Lines as well, but cost 3 euros to start, and gave a fixed discount depending on how much one traveled.

Looked more into LindaLines. Thank you for saving me money.

Leaving from Helsinki it may be cheaper to buy a cruise to Tallin but not use the return. The return trip you then book as a normal one-way.

Cruises are often heavily discounted and sometimes even free, check the carriers' homepages.

Thank you. I was getting to that conculsion looking at fares.

My wife and I will be going one way from Helsinki to Tallinn in early October. Linda Lines takes 1.5 hours, Tallink takes 2 hours. On Tallink you're on a big cruise ship, with much more room to wander around, go into a restaurant, etc. On Linda Lines, you're on a much smaller boat. It looks to be very much like the TurboJet ferry between Macau and Hong Kong, which we took two years ago and found to be perfectly comfortable.

From what I can tell, a family package on Linda Lines is the most economical. 60 euros one way for 2 adults and up to 2 kids. (I assume the kids aren't mandatory.) Second best would be the 35 euro day cruise on Linda Lines, where you don't return. (I assume they don't look at day cruisers with luggage and cry foul.)

Tallink has some 34 euro one way fares on the date we're looking at but they are at inconvenient times. So I'm thinking Linda Lines is the way to go.

Any thoughts on this? Is there any difference in the convenience of the ferry terminals? Is the Linda Class worth upgrading to (at about 12 euros per person)?

Going to Tallinn buying a cruise will almost always be cheaper than two one-ways, also often more cheap than one one-way. Cruises are often cheaper if you book two or more people rather than just one traveller, so make sure you input that in the booking engine. I don't think LindaLine does last minute cruises but both Tallink and Viking Line, so fares may be low close to departure. On the Viking Line page look under membership offers, getting the Viking Club card is free and does give you lower prices (starting at about €15 per person http://www.vikingline.fi/vikingclub/akkilahtotarjoukset.asp#Helsinki-Tallinna_Päiväristeilyt). There is also a fourth operator Eckerö Line with one daily departure.

Though Linda Line is the fastest I don't like travelling with them. You are seated the whole way but seats are not numbered so boarding is very stressful as everyone (else) elbows their way onboard. Linda class is not worth upgrading to, you just get a sandwich and drink (I think). Also bear in mind that Linda Line will cancel if the weather is bad.

Eckerö Line and Tallink leave further away from the city centre than Viking Line and Linda Line (the two latter you can walk to from the central station in about 15-20 minutes).

Thank you for the response. I hadn't looked at Viking Line. They have a deal where you leave Helsinki at 21:30 and can stay overnight on the boat, presumably at the Tallinn docks. 125 euros for two people in an outside cabin, or 190 euros for the Luxe cabins (probably not worth the extra). Quite economical since you save on a hotel. I'll definitely consider that. We are concerned about lots of drunks and noise on the overnight boat, but it will be on a Thursday.

No link for Viking Club on the English site, found it on Finnish site, but only residents of Finland are eligible.

The weather cancellations for the Linda Line are a worry, as we don't have a lot of flexibility in our itinerary.

If I have the time I'll help you look. What are your travel dates?

Weather is a issue for Linda Lines as I found out. Never again.

Weather is a issue for Linda Lines as I found out. Never again.

Ouch sorry- weather when I went was calm- foggy at times but I can see how a huge boat can be better- did they rebook you on another carrier?

Nothing was available until late evening. I got a cash refund and had to spend another night in HEL. Had to work with the Swissotel to cancel Tallinn res.

Found this thread timely and informative. I'm contemplating a day trip from HEl to TLL on Viking overnight cruise. Itin per below:
Helsinki at 21:30 - Tallinn next day at 07:00 M/S Viking XPRS
Tallinn at 16:30 - Helsinki same day at 19:00 M/S Viking XPRS

Is this time enough to do justice to the litte quaint town of Tallinn?

Discount? Where/how to find? November weather a concern?

Thank you.

Hi, will like to bump this thread. We are going to HEL Aug 31st to Sep 3. I'm thinking of going to either Lapland or Tallin since Tallin is closer, I think this is more doable. Has anything changed? We are staying at the Hilton Strand, it seems that Viking lines is like a shopping mall, instead of Linda lines. Is the boat terminal within walking distance of the hotel? Also, what exactly is the difference between buying cruise vs return tickets? HAve not decided yet on doing a day trip, or the overnight trip. Any ideas?

Hi, will like to bump this thread. We are going to HEL Aug 31st to Sep 3. I'm thinking of going to either Lapland or Tallin since Tallin is closer, I think this is more doable. Has anything changed? We are staying at the Hilton Strand, it seems that Viking lines is like a shopping mall, instead of Linda lines. Is the boat terminal within walking distance of the hotel? Also, what exactly is the difference between buying cruise vs return tickets? HAve not decided yet on doing a day trip, or the overnight trip. Any ideas?
Hi, I don't think much has changed, although you should of course check the timetables. Viking is a bit like a shopping mall, although last time I took them the food in the buffet had improved a great deal (or maybe I was just lucky?).

Linda Lines and Viking Line seem both to be within walking distance to the Strand, but I would not do it with any kind of luggage. I would take the tram instead. The Tallink Silja terminal is definitely not walkable from the Strand.

Regarding cruise vs. return tickets, please see Gnopps' post above. Additionally, I think that in Tallinn, if you are on a cruise then you can get off the boat only in the morning (because you are supposed to spend your money on the boat and sleep in your cabin). While if you have a return ticket you can get off the boat in the night when the ship arrives (but I'm not sure if you in this case can return to the boat before the morning).

Viking line, Eckerö line and Tallink offer more facilities than Linde Line does, but Linda line is faster. I would go for Linda line since they are the fastest though I hate their uncivilized boarding process (wish they would have pre-assigned seating).

As for the Hilton Strand it is possible to walk (20-40 minutes) Linda and Viking terminals but not the other. With any kind of luggage I would take the tram or bus.

Will wait latter to book the reservation, probably viking or linda.

Linda Lines seems very prone to cancellation. Last October I was looking at using Linda for Helsinki to Tallinn due to speed and lower cost but waited until that morning to book tickets. Glad I did as Linda cancelled all boats for the day. Had no trouble using Silja as a walkup. I'm no mariner but the seas that day didn't seem heavy so I didn't understand why Linda cancelled. Hence my comment that it doesn't seem to take much for them to cancel, and from their T&Cs getting rebooked onto another line that day would be a big hassle.

We sprung for a cabin on Silja and were very glad we did. Otherwise you're sitting in a bar for the trip.

Once you get to Tallinn the old town and most hotels are within easy walking distance.

On the Viking Line page look under membership offers, getting the Viking Club card is free and does give you lower prices (starting at about €15 per person http://www.vikingline.fi/vikingclub/akkilahtotarjoukset.asp#Helsinki-Tallinna_Päiväristeilyt).).

I'm only able to find the membership page in a language I don't understand. Does anyone have a link in English? The viking site map doesn't seem to list the Viking Club.

Thanks

I'm only able to find the membership page in a language I don't understand. Does anyone have a link in English? The viking site map doesn't seem to list the Viking Club.

Thanks

The Viking Club Finland T&C states that you need to be a resident of Finland to enroll. Similar requirements for Estonian and Swedish counterparts too though Viking Club Sweden generously allows also other Scandinavian residents in.

The Viking Club Finland T&C states that you need to be a resident of Finland to enroll. Similar requirements for Estonian and Swedish counterparts too though Viking Club Sweden generously allows also other Scandinavian residents in.

Ah, thanks. It wasn't too bad at 62 euros RT without the discount.

Another question: Arrive HEL from the U.S. at 0830 with a ferry connection at 1130. I assume this will be adequate time? Counting on an hour to clear customs with bags, hour to bus/tram to the port, hour to provision and board.

Another question: Arrive HEL from the U.S. at 0830 with a ferry connection at 1130. I assume this will be adequate time? Counting on an hour to clear customs with bags, hour to bus/tram to the port, hour to provision and board.

That is plenty of time and allows even slight delay. The Viking ferry check-in closes just ten minutes before departure. If you are running late, taxi will take about half an hour from the airport to the terminal but it will cost probably 50 euros or even little more. Bus and tram will take about an hour or little less if you are lucky with timetables. There's a little walk from the railway station to the correct tram stop, so one option is also to take a little cheaper taxi from the railway station. Bus and taxi combo is what I would probably do if I had luggage and paying from my own pocket.