Getting around Estonia: transport and apps

Buses

• Long-distance buses are the backbone and they are comfortable, cheap and punctual. Lux Express and Tpilet cover the intercity network.
• County bus services are free to everyone in many Estonian counties. Unlike the Tallinn scheme, this one does apply to visitors - a genuine and underused perk if you are travelling in the countryside.
• Tallinn to Tartu takes about two and a half hours by bus and rather less by train.

Trains

• Elron runs the trains and the network is small but modern - Tallinn to Tartu, Narva, Viljandi and Parnu.
• Buy on board or in the app. Tickets are cheap and reservations are not usually needed.

Ferries and the islands

• Saaremaa and Hiiumaa are reached by ferry from the mainland, operated by TS Laevad.
• Book ahead in summer if you are taking a car. Foot passengers rarely have a problem; vehicles do, and the sailings fill for weekends and holidays.
• The Helsinki ferry from Tallinn's port takes about two hours and runs many times a day. It is a Schengen internal crossing, so no formalities.

Driving

• Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March, and often necessary well outside those dates.
• Headlights on at all times, all year.
• The drink-drive limit is effectively zero.
• Watch for elk and deer on rural roads at dawn and dusk. This is not a decorative warning; a collision with an elk is a serious accident.