Tartu is situated in Southern Estonia and connects to the world through Tartu Airport and Lennart Meri Airport in Tallinn. The distance between Tallinn, Estonia's capital, and Tartu is 186 kilometers, or about 2.5 hours by express coach or car.
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Tartu Airport has connections to Helsinki. The distance between Tartu Airport and the city center is about 10 kilometers. Tartu Airport Info (+372) 605 8888.
Tallinn Airport (Lennart Meri) has direct air links to numerous cities, including the nearby Baltic capitals, Riga and Vilnius. It is also easy to fly in direct from Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Helsinki, Kiev, London, Moscow, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, St. Petersburg and Warsaw. You can also reach Tartu easily from Riga Airport (245 km from Tartu). If you are flying AirBaltic, you can also use the free AirBaltic bus to get to Tartu from Riga.
From Stockholm and Helsinki, there is also a ferry connection to Tallinn. It is especially frequent from Helsinki, hence planning your route through there will not add much to the total duration of your trip. Apart from that, Estonia has bus links with major cities in Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. Due to the relatively short distances, coach trips from Riga and St. Petersburg are a good alternative to air travel. Both cities have direct connections to Tartu. Tallinn Airport Info (+372) 605 8888
To get form the Tartu Airport to the city center there are 2 options:
More inforamtion can be found: here
From Tallinn Airport to Tartu: There are some express buses which also take passengers from the Tallinn Airport (stop "Tallinna lennujaam" in Estonian) on their way to Tartu (timetable). The airport bus station also has a self-service ticket dispenser where you can buy tickets for buses stopping at the airport on the way to Tartu. The machine accepts card payments. But it is advisable to buy the ticket in advance (online) as Tallinn-Tartu buses are always full. From Tallinn Airport to Tallinn Bus station: Tallinn Bus station is situated quite close to Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport and you can take a taxi or public transportation to get there (see the directions). As Tallinn Airport is a relatively small one, it is easy to find the area where public transportation and taxis are waiting in front of the building. It is a short distance by taxi and it should not cost you more than 5 EUR to get to the bus station. It is also possible to use public transportation, bus No. 2 from the airport stops not too far from the bus station (the "Autobussijaam" stop) and you need to cross 2 intersections to reach to the bus station. You can buy a ticket from the bus driver and it costs 1.6 EUR for one ride (ticket info and timetable).From Tallinn Sea Port to Tallinn Bus station: It takes a little bit more time to get to Tallinn Bus station from Tallinn Sea Port and it's easier to get there by taxi. Tram No. 2 (towards Ülemiste) or bus No. 2 takes you to Tallinn Bus station (the "Autobussijaam" stop) from the port and you have to cross 2 intersections to reach the bus station. You can buy a ticket from the bus driver and it costs 1.6 EUR for one ride (ticket info and timetable).From Tallinn Bus station to Tartu: Buses leave almost every 30 minutes from 5.45 in the morning until 23.59 at night (timetable). Tickets cost approximately 10 EUR and can be purchased from the ticket office inside the bus station or from the bus driver. To get a student discount, you need to show your International Student Card (ISIC). Carrier SEBE offers a discount to people under 26. It will take you 2.5 hours to reach Tartu. Buses are comfortable and most of them have WiFi. Express buses also have touch screens and you can watch movies (you need your own headphones, but you can also purchase them from the bus driver).
If you arrive after midnight then you can use Tallinn Airport-Tartu shutte bus or you should spend the night in Tallinn. There are different hotels and hostels where you can find accommodation in Tallinn.
Trains for Tartu from Tallinn train station leave 8 times a day, and it takes 2- 2,5 hours to get to Tartu depending on train. The train station is situated just outside the Tallinn Old Town and sea port, a taxi or tram No. 2 (from the sea port) can take you there ("Balti jaam" stop). If you arrive by plane then it is more comfortable to take a train from "Ülemiste" stop. Ülemiste is 15 minutes walk from Tallinn Airport. There is Wi-Fi available on the train.
There is also one opportunity to come by train from Russia to Tallinn. With Go Rail you can take the train from Moscow or St Petersburg to Tallinn. See more information about prices and timetables here.
If it is your first time in Tartu, it is best to take a taxi to get to your final destination in the city. Most taxi drivers speak some English and all taxis are equipped with meters. Once you get comfortable in Tartu you will learn how to get to places by public transport, by bike, or on foot! A bus ticket costs 1,5 EUR if you buy it from the bus driver and is valid for one ride.Tartu bus terminal is situated near the center of town and is close to the student dormitories and the University Main Building.Tartu train station is a little bit farther from the city center, for first time travelers it is best to take a taxi from there to your destination.
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