Are you planning a trip to Tallinn, which we consider the most beautiful city in Europe? If so, did you know that you can easily take a day trip from Tallinn to Helsinki?
Have you always wanted to visit Helsinki, but found it too expensive? This was 100% our story until we discovered a way to explore Finland’s capital for an entire day for less than 50 euro each!
In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about embarking on a visit to Helsinki from Tallinn, making it as affordable and effortless for you as possible.
Getting to Tallinn From Helsinki
If you would you like to add a bit of adventure to your already fantastic Tallinn city break, it is possible to take a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki for a day trip.
Ferries leave Tallinn early in the morning and return in the evening time. The ferry ride takes only 2 hours to get there and then you’ll have up to 10 hours to explore the modern Scandinavian capital. Sounds pretty doable right?!
This can be a great way to save money instead of paying high prices for an overnight stay because f you have ever researched it you make be aware that Finland can be very expensive!!
You can get your return day trip ferry ticket for less that 40 euro. The ferry terminal is located right next to the Old Town of Tallinn and can be reached by taking Bus line number 2. If public transport isn’t your thing then Bolt is also available.
Meeting point: D-Terminal, Uus-Sadama 24, 1st floor Open in Google Maps ⟶
Turns out you can see a LOT of beautiful Helsinki in one day, just read on to see exactly what we got up to during our Tallinn to Helsinki day-trip.
We will presume you can see even more on days it is not completely covered in snow by being able to walk faster between attractions!
Tallinn to Helsinki Day-Trip: Getting Around Helsinki City
Once you arrive in Helsinki from Tallinn you can walk into town from the ferry terminal which is only a kilometer away.
We read that you can get a day pass for the bus for 9 Euros. However, we found everything to be within walking distance and did not feel the need to purchase a pass.
You can buy a day bus pass or else there are ticket machines widely available at most stops. Alternatively, for your utmost ease, you can get a hop-on hop-off city bus tour.
So what to do for the day in Helsinki? There are a couple of must-see attractions around the city center, these can be seen in the morning time. Then in the afternoon, you visit an island group in Helsinki Harbour.
Seeing as you are already adding in countries to your Tallinn trip, why not consider a complete Baltic States holiday with this perfect 10-day Baltic States itinerary:
Tallinn to Helsinki Day-Trip: Helsinki City Attractions
One of the first attractions you will notice when walking from the ferry is Uspenksi Cathedral, a large red brick building with golden onion domes.
The next stop will be another cathedral and probably Helsinki’s most famous iconic sight – Helsinki Cathedral. A lot of thought went into naming that eh?!
After you have taken your selfies you can walk further into the city centre which for a capital city is quite small.
The National Museum of Finland is another popular place to visit and spend a bit of time. Finnish history is the main exhibition, it starts in the Stone Age and goes right up to modern-day Finland.
Tallinn to Helsinki Day-Trip: Suomenlinna
What is that word you say?! It is our next stop where you will spend the afternoon before taking the ferry back to Tallinn.
Suomenlinna is a sea fortress, which was built gradually in 1748 on a group of six islands at the entrance of Helsinki’s harbor. The name means “Fortress of Finland” in the Finnish language and it is Helsinki’s most popular attraction.
You can take a ferry across which will take less than 20 minutes and they go every 40 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the ferry terminal which is located at Market Square.
Once on the island you can walk around freely and discover the guns, fortifications, and barracks for yourself. This will take several hours of walking.
Please support Happy Irish Wanderers by using the provided links. This will earn us a small commission, but won’t cost you anything extra!
Is a Trip to Helsinki from Tallinn Worth it?
We loved our Tallinn city break and now the Estonian capital is one of our favourite cities we have ever visited! But our spontaneous trip from Tallinn to Helsinki really bumped up this already incredible trip.
You will need at least 3 days for your Tallinn city break, especially if you are planning a day trip from Tallinn to Helsinki. If you are arriving on a late-night flight you should give yourself 4 days.
We weren’t in Italy but we did have a “When in Tallinn” attitude when deciding on venturing on a day-trip to Helsinki from Tallinn. As mentioned above, we had always wanting to visit the city of Helsinki, without having to pay their extortionate accommodation costs. Therefore, when we came across a way to to travel from Tallinn to Helsinki for the price of a ferry, we jumped at the opportunity.
So in short – Yes a trip from Tallinn to Helsinki was 100% worth it.
In fact, this day-trip is up there with one of our smartest travel decisions – we saved ourselves an absolute fortune on flights and accommodation for a future Helsinki city-break!
Just remember to bring a packed lunch if you, like us, really want to keep costs down.
Read all about out how we eat cheap around the world.
Enjoy Your Helsinki Day-Trip!
So there you have it! It all sounds pretty doable right? Have you visited Tallinn or Helsinki before?
Please let us know what you thought of the place, and also if you ventured on a Tallinn to Helsinki day-trip.
If you have any questions then leave us a comment below, and don’t forget to check out our socials for our latest adventures.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on the links to make a purchase, we will earn a small commission. This is at NO EXTRA COST to you. This is a free way to support us and allow us to continue to create inspiring adventure travel guides.
