Kappy

Hello
I am interested while in Helsinki taking a day trip by ferry to Tallinn Estonia. A few years ago I took the Silja Ferry to Stockholm Sweden from Helsinki which was fabulous.

Which ferry do you prefer?
1 Tallink Silja
2.Viking Line
3.Nordic Jet Line

Thank You.

bratsandbeer

We took the ferry to Tallin for the day but don't remember which line it was. It was the ferry that was the fastest.
Sorry can't help you more.

If you are going to the old town, it is just a short walk from the dock.

Loved the buffet on the Silja Ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm.

Kappy

Hi
Thanks for the quick reply. It sounds like the Nordic Jet Line.
I loved the Silja Ferry especially the trip over to Stockholm. The Swedish really liked to have fun.

Any other ferry suggestions also welcome. I only have a day there so faster ferries are probably better.
Any other companies?

Thanks

bratsandbeer

Kappy - it could be the Finlanders that like to have fun too. Alcohol is so expensive in Finland so they make a run to Tallin for booze and they take the ferry to Stockholm to party all night. On the ferrys they avoid the high taxes.

My relative works on the ferry between Stockholm and Aland Island during the summers when she is not in the university at Turku.

In the old town in Tallin we visited an old church - an elderly lady was sweeping the sidewalk with a broom made of twigs. Have only seen that in old story books. She didn't want me to take her photo but I gave her one of the golden Sacajawea dollars anyway. Since I wasn't sure if she understood me, I took her photo when she was busy sweeping and she said nothing.

A group of Russian boys followed us and a storekeeper came out and warned my niece to put away her camera because that is what they wanted to steal. She did and we went into a shop and they left us alone after that. So watch your camera in Tallin

My great-grandparents had a store in Vasa and my great-uncle started the Sumoi (Finland) Insurance Company which is now a huge company in Finland and a few other countries.

Hope you enjoy Finland.

GeoffHamer

There are six operators altogether:
Eckerö, Tallink and Viking (ships); Linda, Nordic Jet and Superseacat (fast ferries).
www.eckeroline.fi
www.tallinksilja.com/en/
www.vikingline.fi
www.lindaliini.ee
www.njl.fi
www.superseacat.com
Both Tallink and Viking have new ships this year which are faster than the older ships. Viking also offer the option of travelling on the evening sailing from Helsinki, spending the night in a cabin on the ship and going ashore in Tallinn at seven.

afterall

I took a fast ferry over, but can't remember which one. I mean, don't you just check the schedules and prices when you are there and choose accordingly?

Why not go for longer. Tallinn is worth more than a day.

asalamy

I took one of the fast trips with Talink and the ferry was great.

I've never been on a cruise or anything, but imagined the boat to be similiar - there were nice tables with padded benches (ones by the window filled up quickly), restaurants, bars, shops, food store, duty free, etc. all on board.

I did the day trip from Helsinki and it worked fine - although it was a long day I was able to see everything in Tallinn that I wanted.

Kappy

Hi All,

Thank you all for the great information.

finngirl56

Hello Kappy,

I'm originally from Finland, now living in California.

I've taken the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn twice, and both times we used the Eckero Line. It's a Finnish-owned line, well-maintained, and reasonably priced. We did not use one of the fast boats as we enjoy having a meal on board and taking our time sailing while watching the archipelago.

The ferry leaves Helsinki early morning (8:00?) and gets in to Tallinn around noon. It returns back at 6:00 p.m. and gets in to Helsinki around 10 p.m. This leaves you with approx. 6 hours to explore Tallinn.

The old town area is very nice, you can take a taxi in or just walk from the harbor. There's also a new, very interesting art museum called KUMU, which is in a different part of town but definitely worth a visit. Again, you can ride a taxi out there or take the bus. Only takes maybe 10 min. from the downtown area. It's located near the Presidential palace.

On the ship you'd definitely want to have the breakfast buffet. A huge assortment of traditional Scandinavian food, I don't remember the cost. Make reservations as soon as you get on in the morning. There's also a dinner buffet served on your way back, or you can eat in an inexpensive cafeteria or a nice steakhouse type restaurant.

Enjoy your stay in both Helsinki and Tallinn!

Benita

amp322

Just took the Superseacat on Tuesday. Was great. Can't compare it to the others, but I'd do it again. Convenient schedule, and comfortable seats. Decent snack bars & gift shop. Also used the "Hop on, Hop off" bus. Great for getting around & having a mini-tour. Enjoy your trip!