This page explains how to travel by train or ferry from Tallinn to other European cities. 

Information current for 2025.  Click here for journeys starting in another city.

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Train travel within Estonia

• Modern air-conditioned trains link Tallinn with various Estonian towns including Viljandi, Tapa, Tartu & Valga.  The trains now feature power sockets for laptops & mobiles and even free WiFi.

• For times, fares & tickets see elron.ee, change Eesti to English top right.

  Ticket sales only open 10 days ahead.  2nd class tickets are only good for the specific train you book, but you don't get an assigned seat.  1st class tickets are also only good for the specific train you book, but in this case they include an assigned seat.

Above, an Estonian train at Tallinn station.  The station is sometimes referred to as the Balti Jam or Baltic Station.  Photo courtesy of Jeremy Nicholls.

Tallinn to Riga & Vilnius

In January 2025 the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian railways co-ordinated their timetables to offer a comfortable daily train service between the 3 Baltic capitals.  In a few years time the Rail Baltica project should make this a fast journey by frequent train on a new line.

• See the Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius page.

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Tallinn to Stockholm

• An excellent overnight ferry leaves Tallinn D-Terminal every second day at 18:00 and arrives in Stockholm Värtahamnen at 10:30 next morning.

  The m/v Baltic Queen offers a range of comfortable cabins:  E-category inside cabins are below the car deck, I recommend paying for a B-category inside cabin or ideally an A-category outside cabin with sea view.  There are also deluxe cabins and suites, all cabins have toilet & shower.  There is a large buffet restaurant, 3 à la carte restaurants, 2 pubs, and (of course!) a sauna.  Make sure you're on deck next morning as the ship sails into Stockholm past the many islands.

• The ferry is run by Tallink, check sailing dates, times & fares at www.tallink.com or the Direct Ferries website.

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Tallinn to Helsinki

• Several ferry companies operate ferries from Tallinn to Helsinki, crossing 2 to 2½ hours.

  There are 6 or 7 sailings every day, fares from just €19.

• For times, fares & tickets use the Direct Ferries website as this shows operators, or see www.tallink.com &  www.eckeroline.com.

Above:  A Tallink ferry leaving Tallinn.  Photo courtesy of Jeremy Nicholls.

Above:  An Eckero Line ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn.

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Tallinn to Warsaw

In a few years time the new Rail Baltica project may make this a routine journey by fast direct train.  But in the meantime it is indeed possible to make this journey by train via Riga & Vilnius, avoiding a lengthy journey in a long-distance bus.

• Day 1, travel from Tallinn to Vilnius by train, see the Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius page.

• Stay overnight in Vilnius.  The inexpensive Stay Vilnius hotel is a 6-minute walk from the station.  The Conti Hotel Vilnius is a 9-minute walk from the station towards the old town.  The Grotthuss Boutique Hotel is in a historic building on a medieval street in the old town itself and only an 11-minute walk from the station.  All get great reviews.

• Day 2, travel from Vilnius to Warsaw by daily train as shown on the Vilnius to Warsaw page.

Above, the Vilnius-Warsaw train service involves a simple cross-platform change at Mockava from a Lithuanian train to a Polish one.  Courtesy of Martin Kop.

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Tallinn to St Petersburg & Moscow

Trains are currently suspended, originally due to Covid-19 now due to sanctions.

The former operator GoRail discontinued its original Tallinn-Moscow sleeper train in May 2015, and also it's up-and-down attempts over the years to run Tallinn-St Petersburg train, citing a significant drop in passengers between Estonia and Russia due to the economic situation.  I'm pleased to say that RZD (Russian Railways) stepped into the breach and restarted a smart modern Tallinn-St Petersburg-Moscow sleeper train in 2015, which they have named the Baltiski Express.  The times are shown below - note that unusually, it serves different stations in St Petersburg depending on the direction.  If you get any photos of this train inside or out, please let me know!

Runs daily in summer (June-September) and at other holiday times.  Reduced to 3 per week at other times.

On board:  1st class Spalny Vagon 2-berth sleepers, 2nd class kupé 4-berth sleepers, 3rd class platskartny open-plan sleeping-cars & ordinary seats.

Fare between Moscow & Tallinn:  Moscow-Tallinn with a bed in a 2-berth spalny vagon costs around 12,000 rubles (about €160).  In a 4-berth kupé compartment costs around 6,835 rubles (about €91).  A cheap bunk in a 3rd class platskartny car costs around 4,200 rubles.

Fare between St Petersburg & Tallinn:  Around 1,293 rubles (€19) in a seat.

St Petersburg Moskovski is shown as St Petersburg Glowny (Gl.) on rzd.ru.  Moscow Leningradski is also known as the October station (Okt.).

How to buy tickets:  You can buy tickets in either direction at the Russian Railways website www.rzd.ru, a bit quirky, but it works.  May reject some overseas credit cards.  Or you can easily book online using the Real Russia online booking form here, in plain English but with a small mark-up.  This train is e-ticketed, you print your own ticket.  You can also buy tickets at the station, of course, but pre-booking is better.

4-berth kupé sleeper.		The Tallinn-Moscow train.  Courtesy of Boon Ming Ng

The Go Locomotive in Estonia.  Courtesy of Boon Ming Ng.		The Tallinn-Moscow train.  Courtesy of Boon Ming Ng

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Tallinn to Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo

• Step 1, take a ferry to Stockholm as shown above.  Transfer by taxi, bus or metro to Stockholm Central Station.

• Step 2, take a train from Stockholm Central to Oslo, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Malmö or anywhere else in Sweden, Denmark or Norway.  You'll find more detail on the Trains from Stockholm page.  I'd allow 3 hours between ferry and train in Stockholm.

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Tallinn to Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, central & western Europe

Option 1, Tallinn to central & western Europe via Warsaw

• Day 1, travel from Tallinn to Vilnius by train, as shown on the Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius page.

• Stay overnight in Vilnius.  The inexpensive Stay Vilnius hotel is a 6-minute walk from the station.  The Conti Hotel Vilnius is a 9-minute walk from the station towards the old town.  The Grotthuss Boutique Hotel is in a historic building on a medieval street in the old town itself and only an 11-minute walk from the station.  All get great reviews.

• Day 2, travel from Vilnius to Warsaw by daily train, as shown on the Vilnius to Warsaw page.

• Stay overnight in Warsaw.  The Polonia Palace Hotel is excellent, historic, relatively inexpensive for such a good hotel, and it's just across the road from the station.  Eisenhower & De Gaulle have stayed here, amongst others.  For something much cheaper, but still with great reviews and near the station, try the Hotel Metropol next door to the Polonia Palace or the nearby Novotel Warsaw Centrum.  See the Warsaw Centralna station & city information.

• Day 3, travel from Warsaw to anywhere in central & western Europe as shown on the Trains from Warsaw page.