Из Таллинна в Хельсинки на корабле. From Tallinn to Helsinki by ship.

Yachts in the Port of Tallinn.

There is nothing easier than a ride from Tallinn to Helsinki, because only eighty-odd kilometers separate these two European capitals. And given that the sea separates them, and shipping companies offer their passengers such a service as a "day cruise"(*), I will add that there is nothing nicer and cheaper : ). "Day cruises" from Tallinn to Helsinki are offered by three shipping companies. The author of these lines used the services of each of them and is ready to share with the readers of "Turpravda" her invaluable experience of conquering Helsinki from Tallinn : )

To begin with, I would like to point out a few points common to all the companies reviewed here:

1. You can buy tickets both online and at the box office of shipping companies. Before boarding the ship, you must register and have an identity document (passport) with you;

2. For a day cruise, the so-called. "deck ticket". This ticket entitles you to be on board the ship (but not in the cabin) and does not have a fixed seat number.

3. Ticket prices vary depending on the season and the days of the week.

Tallink's ferry is on its way to Finland.

"TALLINK SILYA LINE" is a holiday style trip.

The advantages of a Tallink cruise include modern comfortable ships, high-quality service and excellent duty-free. By the way, out of all the available options, the Finns prefer "Tallink" when going on a similar cruise to Tallinn.

They are attracted by the incendiary entertainment program, the chic and brilliance of the ferry interiors and the humane prices for booze.

This is the industrial landscape that Helsinki greets passengers at the Olympia terminal.

The disadvantages of "Tallink" I would include the place of deployment in Helsinki - the terminal "Olympia", which is located far from the center. However, if you prefer attractions to boutiques, then this "minus" may seem disputable. During a forty-minute walk to the center, you can visit the oldest Ekberg cafe in Helsinki, the Hietalahti flea market, the first Alexander Theater in Helsinki and the oldest church in the city - all this (and even a little more) can be seen walking along the street. Bulevardi and surroundings.

Bulevardi Street is considered one of the most beautiful avenues in Helsinki.

Personally, for me, an additional annoying factor of the cruise on "Tallink" is. . . the Finns leaving for the evening ferry to Tallinn. In the terminal, they will sniffle excitedly and shift from one foot to the other, waiting for boarding, every now and then dropping the Kravchuchka system cart on your feet. Many of them book an overnight cabin cruise on a ferry - these are serious and intend to bulge on every euro cent spent.

Some liquor from the ferry supermarket.

Since the dutik opens forty minutes after sailing, and the Tallink company considers it its duty to provide passengers not only with a quality transfer, but also with a good mood, additional tables with glasses of champagne for 3 euros are set up at the gangways, and a "holiday" starts. Meanwhile, older couples, newlyweds, and single ladies swap sneakers for evening wear in their cabins.

Oh, what can you not see here! And woolen stockings under beach shorts, and winter boots on bare feet. . .

Animation in the show bar.

Finnish pensioners are the only thing that rests my eye and brain when I sail on Tallink. They are so tender to each other, so cheerful, and do not stray from the beat, dancing the waltz to "Iron Maiden" or Christina Aguilera! : ) And here comes the apotheosis - duty-free opens. Cases of beer and other alcohol are loaded onto wheelbarrows and delivered to the cabins. Still! It's a long night ahead! Warmed up with an aperitif, teenagers start their favorite entertainment - racing on empty wheelbarrows along the corridors, after this spectacle, questions that arose about dents on the ferry walls and cabin doors disappeared by themselves. Here in such a light, relaxed atmosphere you have to spend three hours. : )

On the Tallink website, you can choose a suitable cruise time.

Tallink's ferries depart from Tallinn to Helsinki five times a day. You can choose the most suitable time of departure and arrival. At the same time, the price of a ticket, depending on the chosen time, can vary between 8-10 euros. Based on my own many years of experience, I will say that the cheapest option is an early departure from Tallinn (around seven in the morning) and the latest return (around midnight).

Terminal D of the Port of Tallinn.

Remember that a printed and paid online reservation is not a ticket! It must be exchanged for a magnetic boarding card at the ticket office or self-service check-in machines of Terminal D of the Port of Tallinn.

M/S Viking XPRS ferry.

"VIKING LINE" is a "cheap and cheerful" travel style.

In contrast to the Estonian "Tallink", the Finnish "Viking line" puts transportation at the forefront. It is forbidden to drink strong alcohol on board the ferry, the range of dutik is quite modest, and the prices in the store and bar go off scale so that people prefer to stock up on glasses of hot coffee on the shore. The ferry itself is much more modest in size and decoration than the "Tallinkovsky" counterparts. There is a shortage of seats for "deck" passengers - this is a clear minus.

Sunset over Helsinki. View from the open deck of the departing Viking XPRS ferry.

However, in the warm season, this problem is solved thanks to several open decks with tables and benches, from where beautiful panoramic views open, but in winter, passengers huddle at the windows on the windowsills. Nominally, there is a bar, a restaurant, a children's room and even a show program on the ferry.

The interior of the ferry: slot machines on the right, passengers sitting on the windowsills on the left.

But all this is being implemented on such a modest scale that it goes almost unnoticed. Unlike the Estonian one, the Finnish ferry company does not give its passengers the right to choose the time of departure and arrival. The time of the "day cruise" at the "Viking line" is fixed - departure at eight in the morning, return at five minutes to midnight. I think the inflexible cruise schedule can also be attributed to the "cons".

Viking line cruises have fixed departure and arrival times.

On the other hand, as the owner of the "Viking line" comes to the very heart of Helsinki - the terminal "Katayanoka". Seven minutes walk - and you are already on the Senate Square. This is an undeniable plus. The absence of a "holiday" on board more than compensates for the cost of the cruise, which, with rare exceptions, is much lower than that of competitors.

Monument to Alexander II on the Senate Square in Helsinki.

From time to time, various promotions and offers appear on the Viking website, thanks to which you can buy tickets even cheaper. This year your obedient servant has broken all its previous price "records", having managed to redeem the promotional "One-day cruise to Helsinki" at a price of 11 euros! Passengers of the "Viking line" are mainly group and individual eurotourists, as well as workers and employees going from a business trip.

Terminal A of the Port of Tallinn.

Viking line ferries depart from Terminal A of the Port of Tallinn. A printed and paid online reservation is not a ticket, it must be exchanged for a boarding magnetic card at the terminal box office.

Catamaran "Karolin" at the pier in Tallinn.

UPD 29.06.

2019 "Linda line" went bankrupt and ceased operations!

"LINDA LINE" is an aero style journey.

There is a megalithic building in Tallinn built for the 1980 Olympics. It is called "Gorhall" (Linnahall) - this is a concert and sports complex, which once represented the advanced trends of Soviet architecture and construction, and now has fallen into disrepair and decay. It is here, surrounded by the "trash" aesthetics, that the modest terminal of the "Linda line" company is located, providing the fastest sea connection between Tallinn and Helsinki.

"Linda line" has at its disposal two high-speed catamarans that will take you to the opposite side of the Gulf of Finland in just an hour and a half. A trip on a catamaran is like flying in an airplane - even the interiors are similar.

Linda line terminal outside.

Linda line terminal inside.

From here you can board a catamaran.

It is convenient that the printed and paid online reservation is a boarding ticket, it must be presented together with the passport when boarding the catamaran. Please note that boarding the ship is carried out through a small terminal hall, and not from the street. So do not stand in vain at the mesh gate of the fence - they will not open, rather run to the hall, otherwise you will be late for the flight.

Catamaran interior. Regular tourist class seats.

Just like on an airplane, there is a "business class" for the privileged - a separate row of seats on the lower deck, covered with a curtain. The "lucky ones" from the "business class" go to a separate check-in desk of the airport terminal : ) Other passengers, after waiting for their turn, evenly "spread" over the two decks of the ship.

The catamaran has two bars with booze and sandwiches at exorbitant prices, and on the ground floor there is a small duty free room (snacks and alcohol are cheaper here than in a bar). Like the Viking line, Linda's catamarans come to the center of Helsinki - the Makashiini terminal, which is an additional bonus to speed. Among other nice things, the "Linda line" runs on a flexible schedule, and you can choose the most convenient time for the cruise, and this (halleluja! ) will not affect the ticket price in any way! : )

View of Helsinki from the catamaran "Linda line".

Well, now let's talk about the weaknesses of traveling on catamarans. Firstly, unlike year-round plying ferries, catamarans "Linda line" ply only from late spring to early autumn. Secondly, and this is a very significant "minus", they are weather dependent. If there is a storm or the sea is covered with ice, the ship will not sail.

Thirdly, for people with a weak vestibular apparatus, traveling on a catamaran is contraindicated - motion sickness. Even in complete calm, the catamaran flies through the waves at such a speed that smokers are blown off the open deck - be careful! Well, and fourthly, of the vehicles "Linda line" transports only bicycles, I think that motorists will be disappointed.

Makashiini Terminal in Helsinki

Despite the weather risks, I noticed a lot of transit passengers on board the ship, apparently moving between the airports of Helsinki and Tallinn.

Unlike catamarans, ferries operate on the sea both in winter and in summer.