Getting from the airport to the city in Estonia

• The airport is about 4 km from the old town - one of the shortest airport transfers of any European capital, and it makes a late arrival cheap rather than expensive.
• Tram line 4 runs from the terminal into the centre, taking roughly fifteen minutes. The stop is at the terminal, not a shuttle ride away.
• Bus 2 covers the same ground and continues to the port, which is what you want for the Helsinki ferry.
• A single ride is EUR 1.50 for a visitor. See below - the "free transport" you have read about is not for you.
• You cannot pay cash. Tallinn's trams and buses take contactless bank cards tapped on the validator, or tickets in the app. There is no driver taking coins.
• Tap the validator even so. Contactless is the fare payment; failing to tap is travelling without a ticket.

This is the thing to get right before you board:

• Tallinn's public transport is free for people whose registered residence is Tallinn. They tap a personal Uhiskaart and pay nothing.
• Visitors and short-term travellers are not eligible. You pay the ordinary fare.
• The confusion is entirely understandable - Tallinn was the first capital in the world to do this, and it has been reported ever since as "Tallinn has free public transport". For you, it does not.

• Bolt was founded in Tallinn and is what everybody uses. Uber operates as well.
• The app price is the price. Given the short distance, a car into town is not expensive even at night.
• Use the app rather than hailing - it removes the negotiation and gives you a record of the ride.