Tallinn (Estonia)

Tallinn is a major Baltic port and Estonia's capital city, with population around 0,43 million (metro over 0,54 million). The distance to Helsinki (across the Gulf of Finland) is approx 85 km (53 mi). The city is among the most popular ports of call on Northern European cruise itineraries to ports in Scandinavia and Russia (St Petersburg).

Port Tallinn

Port's cruising season runs late April-early May through late October-early September. The average number of cruise ship calls per year is around 300. Tallinn Passenger Port is among the busiest Baltic cruise destinations and serves 0,5+ million cruise tourists annually. Since 2011, The port is also a turnaround destination (homeport) for cruise vessels leaving from Tallinn on roundtrip itineraries. The new service is via cooperation with the international airport Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport (Estonia's largest). The airport is located approx 4 km / 2,5 mi from downtown.

Port Tallinn (officially Tallinna Sadam/locode EETLL) is Estonia's largest seaport in terms of both cargo and passenger (ferry and cruise) shipping traffic, The port authority is a state-owned company that manages all 5 ports:

• Old City Harbour ("Tallinn Passenger Port", in downtown) is the country's main passenger (cruise and ferry) port. Regularly scheduled ferries serve the ferry routes to Finland (Helsinki), Russia (Sankt-Petersburg) and Sweden (Stockholm).
• Muuga Harbour is the country's largest cargo port, located approx 13 km / 8 mi northeast from downtown.
• Paldiski South Harbour (in Paldiski) is a cargo port located approx 40 km / 25 mi west from downtown.
• Paljassaare Harbour (in Paljassaare) is a small cargo port located approx 5 km / 3 mi northwest of downtown.
• Tallinna Sadam port authority also manages the passenger port Saaremaa Harbour (in Ninase, Saaremaa Island - Estonia’s biggest island).
• Old City Marina (boat / yacht marina harbor) was opened in 2010 and is part of Tallinn Passenger Port (Old City Harbor).

In 2015, Tallinn Passenger Port served nearly 9,8 million passengers (cruise ship and ferry combined). In 2016, the port handled a total of 271 cruise ship calls and around 474,000 passengers. In 2017, the cruise port had scheduled 314 ship calls and handled over 0,5 million tourists. In 2018, the cruise port handled 341 ship calls and around 565,000 passengers - a record year based on pre-booked berths and estimated passenger numbers.

Since January 2018, all LNG-powered marine vessels (ships running on liquefied natural gas as primary fuel) receive a 4% tonnage fee discount when berthing in Port Tallinn. The LNG fuel doesn't produce any solid (soot) particles and sulfur (in comparison to diesel engines), while the levels of NOx and COx emissions are significantly lower (in comparison to natural gas).

In October 2018, the seaports Tallinn and Helsinki, together with the ferry companies Tallink, Viking Line and Eckero Line, received EUR 21,4 million as EU funding for passenger terminal and infrastructure developments (completed in 2021) as part of a TWIN-PORT project with total budget EUR 71,2 million.

In 2019-Q4, at West Harbour was completed a project to improve port's transportation infrastructure and reduce congestion, noise and air pollution. At the Old City Harbour was installed auto-mooring and shoreside power systems supplied by ABB. The ferry port also constructed sewerages (at all passenger ship quays) to expand its wastewater service. By 2020-H1, all ferry companies have to retrofit their Ro-Pax ships to be able to shut down their auxiliary engines while docked, resulting in quiet operations and zero pollution at berths.

• Port Tallinn contracted Elero AS (Tallinn-based company specializing in electrical works) to install the ABB's shorepower systems for 5x Old City Harbour piers (3, 5, 7, 12, 13). The remote-controlled crane for the pierside power connection was supplied by ScaleUp Group.
• The EUR 3,5 million project was co-funded by EU's "Twin-Port 3" (Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm) program.

Since January 2019, ships participating in Port Tallinn's ESI (Environmental Ship Index) initiative may apply for up to 8% tonnage fee discount. The new ESI pricing system involves differentiated port fees to encourage shipping companies to adopt environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies.

• Discounted port fees are based on ESI, which evaluates the emitted by the vessel air pollution (nitrogen oxide / NOx and sulfur oxide / SOx), its energy savings and capabilities for shore-power connection.
• Ships with ESI 80+ may apply for 8% discount on tonnage fees. Ships with ESI between 65-79,9 receive 3% discount.
• In 2014, Tallinn cruise port introduced differentiated port fees for passenger ships, when discounts were based on ship's waste. From 2018, all LNG-powered vessels receive 4% tonnage fee discount. Since 2019, their port fee discount will double if their ESI score is 80+. Another port initiative is not charging additional fees for scrubber waste disposal for passenger ships with modern scrubbers (reducing sulfur content in the emissions).

For season 2019 (April 27 through October 19), the port authority company Tallinna Sadam reported 339 scheduled cruise ship calls with expected ~600,000 passengers. The season's busiest ship day was July 11 (6 vessels with a total of 8000 pax). In 2018, Port Tallinn handled 338 ship calls and 635,000 cruise passengers.

In January 2020, the Port signed with YIT EESTI (Estonian design and construction company) an agreement for building the new cruise terminal in the Old Harbor. The project (valued ~EUR 13,7 million / ~USD 15,5 M) was completed in 2021 (the facility was opened on July 19). The new terminal (Tallinna Kruisiterminal) has a 3-story building, pier-side esplanade (850-m/2790-ft-long pedestrian promenade lined with plants), outdoor playground for kids (blue rubber play and exercise area), a restaurant (underneath the main seating stairs), car parking area. The facility is designed as multifunctional (doubling as event space during no-ship days and off-season).

Since April 2020, Port Tallinn is directly linked to the UK (Teesport England) with a weekly service (from Port Muuga) via Holland (Rotterdam). The new service is by Containerships Oy (1966-founded company, fully-owned subsidiary of CMA-CGM). Transhipment lines from Port Rotterdam additionally link to France, Benelux countries, Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands.

In June 2022, was approved an investment of EUR 53 million for building a new cargo terminal in Paldiski South Harbour. The project was co-financed by the EU's Commission (EUR 20M) through EstMilMob (multimodal military mobility project in Estonia that aimed to improve dual-use transport links to Tapa Sojavaelinnak/Tapa Army Base - the country's largest). Paldiski South Harbour Terminal (serving mainly cargo ships and car carriers/RoRo vessels) has one quay (length 300 m / 985 ft) and a hinterland area (10 hectares / 25 acres). The project was scheduled for completion in 2025-Q2.

In Tallinn is also based the company LTH-Baas SA (1934-founded) specializing in large marine projects, including outfitting projects for newbuild vessels, drydock refits and refurbishments, technical overhauls and ship repairs globally, sending specialists to leading cruise shipbuilding yards worldwide. Besides the main office in Estonia, LTH-Baas also has branch offices in Finland, Germany and France.

For 2024, Port Tallinn had scheduled a total of 100 cruise ship calls, up from 2023’s 90. The booked berthings listed 42 different vessels, including 10 making maiden/first-time visits.

Tallinn cruise terminal

Tallinn tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

Kiek in de Kok: the translation of the name is “Peek into the Kitchen.” The cannon tower is 38 meters tall and its name came after a joke by Medieval guards who thought they would see trough the chimneys of the houses right into the kitchens.

Tallinn City Tour: the city tours are in double deck colorful buses. There is available audio in ten different languages. You can choose between three lines (blue, green and red) with different routes.

Estonian History Museum: located in the Great Guild Hall.

Oleviste Church and Tower: the St. Olav’s Church dates back to 13th century. It used to be the world’s tallest building for the period 1549 -1625. Its spire is 159 meters.

Estonian Maritime Museum: it is located in the Fat Margaret cannon tower. You can explore the maritime history of Estonia displayed over four floors.

Bastion Tunnels: it used to be a part of the tunnel system for defense. It was built during the Swedish rule, in the 1600s.