In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Tap a contactless bank card on the orange validator at the front door. Each tap buys a one-hour ticket for €2, valid on trams, trolleybuses and city buses. Tap with the same card on enough rides in one transport day (04:00 to 04:00) and you pay no more than the €5.50 day ticket. Public transport is not free for visitors, and drivers do not sell tickets. A Tallinn Card includes it, as covered in is the Tallinn Card worth it. Or book a tour: a two-hour tram tour to Kopli, Telliskivi and Kadriorgad is sold on GetYourGuide.
⚠️ Validate every time you board. A tap on your first ride does not cover the next one. Tallinn Municipal Police inspect tickets and fine passengers without a validated ticket up to €40. The free travel you may have read about is for registered residents with a personalised Ühiskaart and ID, not for visitors.
How the network works
Trams, trolleybuses and city buses share one ticket. Services run daily from about 05:00 to midnight, depending on the route, with a separate timetable at weekends and on public holidays. On Friday and Saturday nights, night buses run every 30 minutes between 00:30 and 03:30, from Balti jaam station, on lines 91 to 96, on the same tickets. Timetables and the journey planner are at transport.tallinn.ee.
Trains and the light blue regional buses of the North-Estonian Joint Transport Centre are separate and need their own tickets, except the Northern Estonia joint ticket, which can only be loaded onto an Ühiskaart.
Fares
Prices for visitors, in force since 1 May 2023.
| Ticket | Price | Valid for | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | €2 | 60 minutes, changes allowed | Contactless card tap, QR ticket, Ühiskaart |
| 1 day | €5.50 | 24 hours | Ühiskaart, or the automatic cap on a contactless card |
| 3 days | €9 | 72 hours | Ühiskaart |
| 5 days | €11 | 120 hours | Ühiskaart |
| 30 days | €30 | 30 days | Ühiskaart |
Children of pre-school age ride free, and so does an adult travelling with a child under 3. Group tickets: tap your card, choose the number of extra tickets on the validator screen (up to five more), press OK and tap again. A QR ticket can hold up to ten one-hour tickets.
How to pay
Contactless bank card
The quickest option for a short stay. Tap a Mastercard, Maestro, Visa or Visa Electron card, or a phone or watch with Apple Pay or Google Pay, on the rectangular orange validator at the front door and wait for the green light. Use the same card all day so the cap works. One card can pay for you and up to five companions using the extra-ticket step above.
Ticket validator on a Tallinn tram. Photo: Dmitry G, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
QR ticket
Buy a one-hour QR ticket (€2) at tallinn.pilet.ee or in the pilet.ee app. Show the code to the QR scanner on the validator at the front of the vehicle. An unused QR ticket stays valid for a year. Ticket machines at Tallinn Airport, the bus station, ferry terminals A and D, the cruise terminal, the Viru Centre bus terminal and the Tallinn Tourist Information Centre sell one-hour QR tickets and take cards only.
Ühiskaart
The Ühiskaart is Tallinn’s reusable transport card, sold with a €3 deposit at post offices, R-Kiosk, Selver, Maxima, Prisma, Rimi and Stockmann. Load money onto it, or load a 1, 3, 5 or 30-day ticket. A 3-day ticket costs €9; three days of capped contactless rides cost up to €16.50. A non-personalised card with a balance of up to €20 can be returned at the R-Kiosk at the airport, at ferry terminals A and D or at the railway station.
Ühiskaart. Photo: Harryb7, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Which ticket for how long
Capped contactless rides never cost more than the day ticket, so the multi-day tickets on an Ühiskaart win only from the third day.
| Stay | Tap a contactless card | Load onto an Ühiskaart |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Up to €5.50 | €5.50 day ticket |
| 2 days | Up to €11 | €11 for two day tickets |
| 3 days | Up to €16.50 | €9 for the 3-day ticket |
| 4 days | Up to €22 | €9 plus a day ticket, €14.50 |
| 5 days | Up to €27.50 | €11 for the 5-day ticket |
A short stay with a few rides a day is cheaper on a contactless card than on a card you have to buy and load, because the card carries a €3 deposit.
Trams
Tallinn has six tram lines, numbered 1 to 6. The tram stops nearest the Old Town are Hobujaama and Viru.
| Line | Route | Useful for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kopli – Balti jaam – Hobujaama – Kadriorg (Kumu) | Kadriorg Palace and Park, Kumu |
| 2 | Kopli – Balti jaam – Old City Harbour (Reisisadam A-terminal) – bus station – Airport | The airport and the ferry terminals |
| 3 | Tondi – Viru – Hobujaama – Kadriorg (Kumu) | Kadriorg |
| 4 | Tondi – Viru – bus station – Airport | The airport; see Tallinn Airport to the city |
| 5 | Kopli – Balti jaam – Viru – Vabaduse väljak – Vana-Lõuna | Balti jaam, Telliskivi |
| 6 | Kopli – Balti jaam – Hobujaama – bus station – Suur-Paala | Balti jaam, Telliskivi |
Lines 1, 2, 5 and 6 stop at Balti jaam station (next to the Balti Jaama Turg market) and at Telliskivi, for Telliskivi Creative City.
Tram 1 at a city stop. Photo: AleWi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Buses and trolleybuses
- Bus 2 runs from the airport to Vabaduse väljak, Kaubamaja and Balti jaam; it only serves the airport on the way into town.
- Buses 34 and 38 run from Viru keskus to the Teletorn stop for the Tallinn TV Tower.
- Bus 73 runs from Kopli liinid through Viru to Vana-Lõuna and stops at Kalamaja and Noblessneri, for Noblessner and the Kalamaja seafront.
- Trolleybuses (lines 72, 81, 83, 84 and 85) connect Mustamäe with Kaubamaja, Balti jaam and Kopli.
Bus 73 and tram 4 on Pärnu maantee. Photo: Leif Jørgensen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Night buses
On Friday and Saturday nights the night buses leave Balti jaam every 30 minutes from 00:30 to 03:30 on the standard fares:
| Line | Runs to |
|---|---|
| 91 | Mustamäe |
| 92 | Väike-Õismäe |
| 93 | Pelguranna |
| 94 | Priisle |
| 95 | Viimsi centre |
| 96 | Vana-Pääsküla |
Taxis and ride-hailing
Bolt, Uber and Forus operate in Tallinn. Bolt and Uber show the price before you book. Taxi rates are set by each company and posted on a yellow sticker on the car’s right rear window; ask the driver for an estimate before you set off, and ask for the receipt from the meter. For taxi safety, see is Tallinn safe.
For where the lines go next to your hotel, see where to stay in Tallinn, for cards, cash and tipping money in Tallinn, and for trips out of the city day trips from Tallinn.
Common questions
Is public transport in Tallinn free for tourists?
No. Free travel is for registered Tallinn residents with a personalised Ühiskaart and ID, and for children of pre-school age. Visitors pay: €2 for a one-hour ticket or €5.50 for a day ticket. Tallinn Card holders ride free while the card is valid.
How do I buy a tram or bus ticket in Tallinn?
Tap a contactless bank card on the orange validator at the front door of the tram or bus. Each tap buys a one-hour ticket for €2. You can also buy a QR ticket at tallinn.pilet.ee or in the pilet.ee app, or from a ticket machine at the airport, bus station, ferry terminals A and D, Viru Centre bus terminal or the Tallinn Tourist Information Centre.
Can I buy a ticket from the driver?
No. Drivers do not sell tickets and cash is not accepted on board. Use a contactless bank card, a QR ticket, an Ühiskaart or a Tallinn Card.
What is the fine for travelling without a ticket in Tallinn?
Up to €40 under the Public Transport Act. You must validate your card or QR ticket every time you board, not only the first time.
Does Tallinn cap contactless fares at a day ticket?
Yes. Pay with the same contactless card and your total for a transport day, which runs from 04:00 to 04:00, never exceeds the €5.50 day ticket. That applies from your third ride of the day.
