The two capitals (Tallinn Helsinki) are located fairly close to one another and are easily reached by ferry service. It’s an easy day trip – you can take the first ferry Tallinn Helsinki and return with the last one from Helsinki, leaving you enough time in the Finnish capital. Alternatively, travelers from Helsinki take the way down and spend the day in Estonian capital. As Finland has much better flight connections, many Estonian holiday crawlers get a one-way ticket to catch a plane from Vantaa Airport. Either way, you will hardly find a local, who hasn’t done the Tallinn Helsinki trip yet. But what if you are not a local. How do you book a ticket, where are the terminals, how does the boat look like etc? Let me explain it all for you.
What are my options?
When it comes to choice, there is no shortage in operators on the line Tallinn Helsinki. The biggest one is Tallink – they have the most ships, quite tight schedule and (sometimes) attractive prices and discounts. They also have a great loyalty program, in case you are a frequent traveler. Second option is Viking Line – also big ships, slightly cheaper than Tallink. However, they sail only couple of times per day. Might be good option if time is not an issue. Third option is Eckero Line – also only couple round trips per day. They have introduced a new ship lately. Last one is a super fast speedboat called Linda Line. This one is only operating in summer and (weather permitting) in late spring/early fall. Good option if you need to get there fast, as the trip takes around 1,5 hours and arrives in the heart of the city.
Where to buy tickets for Tallinn Helsinki?
The easiest way to purchase tickets for the ferry Tallinn Helsinki is online, directly from the vessel operators websites or through travel agents (e.g. laevapiletid.ee). You can pay via debit or credit card. Tallink and Viking Line have sales offices in the Tallinn city center, Linda and Eckero have offices at the ports they are sailing from.
Prices, discounts, coupons
To compare the prices, we have selected a test date and checked the prices on all four websites, more or less the same time. Here are the results:
| Operator | Tallink | Viking Line | Eckero Line | Linda Line |
| Price one way in € | 31 | 25 | not found | 25 |
| Price return in € | 29 | 50 | not found | 39 |
As you can see, for a low season period the prices vary a lot. Tallink seems to have a special deal for a return ticket, which is cheaper than booking one way. Eckero is mostly out of operation. Linda and Viking are similar in price.
A good way to get a discount is to join a loyalty program online. By doing this you will receive at least couple of Euros off. Tallink has a special deal for their members – every year, around Christmas, they will send you a discount voucher. Viking Line is doing something similar for your Birthday. So it’s certainly worth checking out. Tallink has traditionally supported Tallinn marathon (twice per year), so if you run or walk 10km, you will also get a discount voucher.
Timetables
Tallink is doing the most trips during the day – 8 return trips. First ship leaves from Tallinn at 07:30, arriving in Helsinki at 09:30. Viking Line offers 2 roundtrips and Linda Line offers 4.
How to get to the terminal?
Depending on the ferry company you are going to sail with, you need to get to one of the three terminals.
Tallink sails from Terminal D, Viking Line and Eckero from Terminal A, Linda Line form Linnahall
A regular bus line Nr. 2 runs between city center and both D and A terminals, Linnahall can be reached by tram.
It’s fairly easy to reach the terminal by foot, too. Taxis may charge you from 10€ to 20€, so be careful with them, as rich and drunk looking Finns are their primary source of income.
Documents needed, check-in
In order to travel to Finland, you will need a valid ID with photo (European national) or passport (non-EU countries). You will present your ID at the check-in at the terminal and will be issued a boarding card. When you arrive in Finland, there will be no additional document checks (unless they decide to change that due to safety reasons).
Onboard experience
Tallink and Viking Line ships are quite large. You will find many restaurants, bars, shops and some entertainment on board. Make sure to board early in order to secure the best seats. If you travel in the morning, I recommend checking out the breakfast buffet – for a price of 11-12€ you will get a nice, rich in choice buffet breakfast (all you can eat type) and plenty of coffee. Great way to start the day!
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Have you traveled on one of the lines before? How did you like it?
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