Introduction
The vowel sounds are deep, the food is rich and the experiences are unique. Ever wanted to eat blood sausages washed down with a syrupy liquor of unknown origin, check out abandoned Soviet military installations, or go bog walking then get flogged with birch branches in a scorching hot sauna? You can do it all in Estonia, the small territory which packs in some charming quirks without ruining your budget.
Destination Facts
Capital: Tallinn
President: Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Prime Minister: Andrus Ansip
Government: parliamentary republic
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 45226
Population: 1410000
Languages: 23% Christian (Lutheranism and Orthodoxy)
Currency: Kroon (KR)
Country Dialing Code: 372
Getting there and away
There are direct flights between Tallinn and Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Kiev, London, Minsk, Moscow, Brussels, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Oslo, Milan, Riga, Vilnius and Stockholm. Tallinn airport is 3km (2mi) southeast of the city centre. There are no departure taxes when leaving Estonia. The bus is the cheapest mode of transport to and from Estonia, and Eurolines links Tallinn with western and Scandinavian Europe. A train runs each night between Tallinn and Moscow. The number of ferries servicing the region has mushroomed since 1990, enabling travellers to sail directly between Estonia and Finland, Sweden or Germany. A fleet of varied shapes and sizes now ferries 2 million passengers a year across the Gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Getting around
Driving is the best means of getting around Estonia. The roads are good, traffic is light and nothing's very far from anything else. There are major rental agencies in Tallinn. You'll need a passport and either an International Driving Permit or, if a European citizen, a regular licence. Drive on the right. If you don't mind taking your time to get around, Estonia has good bus and train services. Since the terrain is flat, bicycling is another excellent way to see the countryside, at least in summer. The islands are especially good for cycling. Domestic air travel is inexpensive. Avies links Tallinn with the island destinations of Kuressaare and K ä rdla, while the rare charter flight operate between Tartu and Tallinn. Sometimes, flights are operational between P ä rnu and the small islands of Kihnu and Ruhnu. You can get around the larger towns and cities via a variety of trams and buses, although both get frighteningly crowded. Taxis are plentiful and cheap.
Visa:
Estonia requires visas from all nationalities except citizens of EU countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the USA.
Weather
The moderating influence of the Baltic Sea does battle with the frosty Russian winds, making for uncertain but nonetheless freezing temperatures in winter (November to March) and just a few hours of semidaylight every 24 hours. From May to September average days are in the pleasant range of 15-20 ° C (59-68 ° F), though nights can still be rather chilly. Though snowy in winter, there is regular, mild to moderate rainfall throughout the year, becoming slightly heavier towards spring.
The vowel sounds are deep, the food is rich and the experiences are unique. Ever wanted to eat blood sausages washed down with a syrupy liquor of unknown origin, check out abandoned Soviet military installations, or go bog walking then get flogged with birch branches in a scorching hot sauna? You can do it all in Estonia, the small territory which packs in some charming quirks without ruining your budget.
Destination Facts
Capital: Tallinn
President: Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Prime Minister: Andrus Ansip
Government: parliamentary republic
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 45226
Population: 1410000
Languages: 23% Christian (Lutheranism and Orthodoxy)
Currency: Kroon (KR)
Country Dialing Code: 372
Getting there and away
There are direct flights between Tallinn and Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Kiev, London, Minsk, Moscow, Brussels, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Oslo, Milan, Riga, Vilnius and Stockholm. Tallinn airport is 3km (2mi) southeast of the city centre. There are no departure taxes when leaving Estonia. The bus is the cheapest mode of transport to and from Estonia, and Eurolines links Tallinn with western and Scandinavian Europe. A train runs each night between Tallinn and Moscow. The number of ferries servicing the region has mushroomed since 1990, enabling travellers to sail directly between Estonia and Finland, Sweden or Germany. A fleet of varied shapes and sizes now ferries 2 million passengers a year across the Gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Getting around
Driving is the best means of getting around Estonia. The roads are good, traffic is light and nothing's very far from anything else. There are major rental agencies in Tallinn. You'll need a passport and either an International Driving Permit or, if a European citizen, a regular licence. Drive on the right. If you don't mind taking your time to get around, Estonia has good bus and train services. Since the terrain is flat, bicycling is another excellent way to see the countryside, at least in summer. The islands are especially good for cycling. Domestic air travel is inexpensive. Avies links Tallinn with the island destinations of Kuressaare and K ä rdla, while the rare charter flight operate between Tartu and Tallinn. Sometimes, flights are operational between P ä rnu and the small islands of Kihnu and Ruhnu. You can get around the larger towns and cities via a variety of trams and buses, although both get frighteningly crowded. Taxis are plentiful and cheap.
Visa:
Estonia requires visas from all nationalities except citizens of EU countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the USA.
Weather
The moderating influence of the Baltic Sea does battle with the frosty Russian winds, making for uncertain but nonetheless freezing temperatures in winter (November to March) and just a few hours of semidaylight every 24 hours. From May to September average days are in the pleasant range of 15-20 ° C (59-68 ° F), though nights can still be rather chilly. Though snowy in winter, there is regular, mild to moderate rainfall throughout the year, becoming slightly heavier towards spring.
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