Direction: Tallinn - St. Petersburg: travel features, transport, border crossing
Tallinn - St. Petersburg is one of the most popular destinations. The trip involves crossing the border at the checkpoints of Narva (Estonia) and Ivangorod (Russian Federation). In general, the distance between Tallinn and St. Petersburg is short – 370 kilometers. But in order to overcome it as quickly as possible, it is important to know how best to get to the border and what is the most convenient way to cross it.
There are three main ways to travel from Estonia to the Russian Federation:
by bus;
by train;
by intercity taxi.
In this article we will talk a little about the nuances, pros and cons of traveling on each of these types of transport.
Travel by bus from Tallinn to St. Petersburg
Most often, such international transport is carried out by two bus companies. The first of them is Baltic Shuttle.
Buses of this company depart daily from the bus station in Tallinn. The departure schedule is as follows: 06:50, 09:45, 15:00, 21:45. The bus travel time is approximately 7 hours 30 minutes. The time directly depends on customs and the speed of border crossing. Also, now we have to transport people in two buses - one goes to the border, and the other picks them up from the border already on the territory of the Russian Federation. We had to resort to this method of transporting passengers due to the fact that on February 1, 2024, reconstruction of the checkpoint on the Ivangorod side began. Because of this, the checkpoint allows only pedestrian crossing. Accordingly, people are taken to Narva, then they cross the border on foot (the distance is covered in 8-10 minutes), and after that they are picked up on the Russian side by Russian SKSavto buses, with which the Estonian company cooperates due to the current situation.
The bus ticket includes travel from Tallinn to St. Petersburg. There is no need to buy anything additional. On average, a ticket costs 35 euros. There are also separate discounts for children of different age caPassengers are transported as follows. On the Estonian side the bus goes to Petrovskaya Square in Narva. After this, passengers take their things, walk to the checkpoint, go through control and cross the border, passing through the bridge. They also go through control at the Russian border and walk about another 5 minutes to the bus stop. Usually the bus is waiting for passengers in parking lot 1. If the weather conditions are unfavorable, the bus is located in parking lot 2, near the Magnit store on Kingiseppskoe highway. There are signs in parking lots to help people find their way to where to pick up.tegories, pensioners, and youth.
Buses depart from Tallinn both from the bus station and from Maardu. On the way, stops are made in Narva-Jõesuu and Toila. And he arrives in St. Petersburg at the bus station, making a stop at the Moskovskaya metro station. This stop was made to make it convenient for people to get to Pulkovo Airport.
The Baltic Shuttle company transports passengers with cats and dogs. Animals must be in a carrier. An additional “Adult” category ticket is purchased for the animal. It must be issued in the name and surname of the passenger carrying the animal. The animal must also have documents on the basis of which it can cross the border.
The second company engaged in passenger transportation is Lux Express. It carries passengers to St. Petersburg, according to the same scheme as the Baltic Shuttle - with a pedestrian crossing of the border. Unfortunately, now there are no other options for vehicles at all.
Buses leave Tallinn bus station at 6.00, 7.00, 11.15, 15.45 and 23.00. In all other respects, the trip scheme is the same as the Baltic Shuttle - buses go to Narva, then people walk and take other buses. Tickets are also sold at the bus station ticket office or online. You can read about the nuances of the trip on the company’s official website.
Trip to St. Petersburg from Tallinn by train
At first glance, the train is a good option for traveling because it is quite fast. Elron runs in the direction, developing good speed and traveling with a minimum number of stops. There are five flights from Tallinn starting at 6.40 am. The last train leaves at 18.40. The current schedule is on the Elron website.
But the nuance of traveling by train is that it only runs within Estonia, that is, to Narva. The train travels for about three hours.
Once the passenger reaches Narva, he needs to take a taxi to get to the border checkpoint. The price of a taxi is 3-4 euros. After crossing the border, a person has to independently look for transport on the territory of the Russian Federation in order to get to Ivangorod. And from there you can get to your destination by bus. Accordingly, this travel option is suitable for those who travel frequently, know the bus schedule from Ivangorod well, and can independently draw up a travel plan for themselves so as not to wait for a long time anywhere. But, again, you need to take into account that there can be a significant delay at the border due to force majeure circumstances.Therefore, for those who travel with children, animals, or for the first time, this method is better not to choose. Because this may result in a long wait for the bus and other unpleasant situations.
The situation with money is as follows: in the Russian Federation you cannot transport euros at all, and dollars over 10 tinusya. To make life easier for those who need to exchange euros for dollars or rubles, several exchangers have been installed near the border with Estolskaya, Stolskaya, Stonironskaya ti meters from the checkpoint. There is a good exchange rate there, everything is official, so you can safely take the euro straight to the border and change it there.
What can you bring from Estonia to the Russian Federation?
When crossing the border, you need to remember that not everything can be transported due to sanctions. Therefore, if passengers are carrying electronics (laptop, phone, tablet, spare parts), it must be very important to include a receipt.
Intercity taxi Tallinn – St. Petersburg
In addition to the bus and train, you can choose an intercity taxi for travel. This is exactly the alternative that is suitable for those traveling for the first time, with a lot of luggage, animals, children, and relatives.
By the way, a trip in such an intercity taxi will be very convenient for those who fly to Tallinn or arrive by ferry. If you drive on your own, to get to the bus station from the airport you need to look for a taxi or public transport. A taxi for such a distance costs 5-6 euros. If you take a car from the port, it will cost 3-4 euros. A trip to the Baltic Station, from which trains depart, will also cost approximately the same as to the bus station.
In turn, our intercity taxi Artsantaxi meets the person immediately at the specified place, including at the airport, port, train station. Accordingly, the passenger does not have to waste nerves and money searching for transport to the bus station.
The second advantage of our intercity taxi is a wide selection of cars in the fleet. For one passenger or a small company there are Sedans with 3-4 seats. If our clients travel with a large group or family, we offer Mercedes B class beads for them. They are designed for 6-12 passengers. The client can always choose an option that is suitable specifically for him. Since only the pedestrian crossing works, one car goes to Narva, and the second is already waiting on the other side of the border. Accordingly, you do not need to look for transport yourself, everything has already been agreed upon in advance.
We try to build a route so that our passengers do not have to stand at the border for a long time. To do this, we choose a time that does not coincide with the arrival of buses. But if the client has his own requests regarding the start time of the trip, we always focus on his wishes.
The road to Narva takes 2.5 hours, the same time for the road from Ivangorod to St. Petersburg. Accordingly, if you don’t have to wait long at the border, you can get from one point to another in 5.5-6 hours.
Our passengers can take any luggage with them, it is important that it weighs less than 31 pounds, which is exactly the limit at the checkpoint.
Artsantaxi clients can pay for their ride in cash or through the terminal. We bear full responsibility for our drivers both in Estonia and in the Russian Federation. We employ only highly qualified professionals and extensive experience. Therefore, trips with Artsantaxi are always safe and fast.
Our passengers can always bring animals with them. It is important that they are carried. For travelers with children, we have child car seats. Your child will always be safe and comfortable during the trip.
Artsantaxi always arrives on time, to the specified location. Therefore, with us you will definitely not be late (the main thing is not to forget that you can be delayed at the border and take this into account when planning your trip) and will get to St. Petersburg or another destination without transfers, quickly and safely. Contact us, we are ready to depart for your flight today.