Tallinn Travel Tips and Etiquette
Tallinn Travel Tips and Etiquette
A few things about Tallinn are worth knowing before you arrive, mostly because they run counter to what people assume about a former Soviet-bloc capital. It is modern, cashless and easy. Here is what actually matters on the ground.
Money: euro and near-cashless
Estonia has used the euro since 2011, and it is one of the most cashless countries anywhere. Contactless cards and phone apps work almost everywhere, so you rarely need notes at all. Ignore any advice to carry a wallet of cash, and always decline the offer to be charged in your home currency, since the rate is worse than paying in euros. Tipping is modest and optional, a rounded-up bill is plenty.
Getting around
The Old Town is walkable but cobbled and hilly toward Toompea, so bring flat, sturdy shoes and skip the wheeled luggage on those streets. Buses 2 and 15 run from the airport into the centre in about 15 minutes; the airport tram has been suspended since 2023 and is set to return in August 2026 as routes T2 and T4, so verify on arrival. Bolt, founded here in 2013, covers ride-hailing and e-scooters cheaply.
Book the sell-outs ahead
The KGB Museum, the Bastion Tunnels tour and peak-summer Helsinki ferries all sell out with no reliable walk-up. Book them online before you land.
Etiquette
Estonians can read as reserved at first and warm up once you talk; it is not coldness. A little of the language goes a long way: tere for hello, aitah for thank you, palun for please. Dress modestly and stay quiet inside churches like Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and keep noise down on residential Old Town streets in the evening.
One geography note
Tallinn is a Baltic capital, not a Russian or Scandinavian one. Estonia is a sovereign EU, Schengen and NATO state, and its language is Finno-Ugric, closer to Finnish than to Russian. And do not treat the Narva border with Russia as a casual day trip in 2026, since it has reduced hours and unpredictable closures.
Read more: the Tallinn travel guide puts these tips into a full trip.