Tallinn's ferries to Helsinki and Stockholm leave from the Old City Harbour, but not from one terminal: the port operator splits the companies between Terminal A and Terminal D. Ferries to the Estonian islands are a separate matter and do not start in Tallinn at all. Our Tallinn ferry hub lists the routes; this guide explains where to go and what to check.
1. Two terminals in one harbour
Port of Tallinn describes itself as the biggest port authority in Estonia; its company page lists the Republic of Estonia as holding 67% of the shares. Its terminal pages name the ships at each terminal.
| Terminal | Ships named by Port of Tallinn | Address given |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal A | Finlandia (Eckerö Line) and Viking XPRS (Viking Line). | Sadama 25/2, 10111 Tallinn. |
| Terminal D | Tallink: MyStar, Megastar and Victoria I on Tallinn-Helsinki; Baltic Queen on Tallinn-Stockholm. | Uus-Sadama St. 24, 10151 Tallinn. |
Visit Estonia, the country's tourism website, says Tallinn Port is a 15-minute walk from the city centre. For cruise passengers, Port of Tallinn says its cruise terminal is in the same Old City Harbour, and that the gate to the cruise area is to the left of the vehicle gate of Terminal A. Your ship's berth and your ferry terminal may be in the same harbour but are not the same place: check the terminal letter on the ticket.
2. Getting to the terminal
Port of Tallinn says tram line T2 (Kopli, Vanasadam, Airport) stops at the Vanasadam stop in front of Terminal A, 100 m from it. City buses 19, 25 and 66 stop at Reisisadama D-terminal, 90 m from Terminal D, and the page says intercity buses of Lux Express and FlixBus use the tourist bus platform in front of Terminal D. For the walk from the tram stop to Terminal D, the port's pages disagree: the Terminal D page gives approximately 350 m and the public transport page gives 470 m. Allow for the longer figure if you carry luggage. Visit Estonia says Tallinn Airport is only four kilometres from the city centre. If you fly in, our flights index covers the flight leg.
3. The short crossing to Helsinki
Visit Estonia lists Tallink, Eckerö Line and Viking Line as the operators and says the crossing from Helsinki takes around 2-2.5 hours, except for one ferry which takes four hours. Tallink's own route page says the crossing takes two hours on MyStar and Megastar and approximately four hours on Victoria I, depending on the direction of travel, with up to seven daily departures. It also says online check-in is open from 24 hours until 30 minutes before departure and that the gate closes 20 minutes before departure. We could not open the Viking Line website, so nothing here describes its times.
A day trip from Tallinn is therefore two crossings plus the terminal procedures at each end; the Helsinki side is covered in our Helsinki ferry hub.
4. The overnight ship to Stockholm
Port of Tallinn names Baltic Queen on Tallinn-Stockholm at Terminal D. Visit Estonia describes the trip as a 12-hour overnight ferry ride; our hub, which relies on a booking site, quotes 15 hours 15 minutes and approximately 16 hours 15 minutes, so the sources do not agree. Treat the journey as a travel day and read the time on your own ticket. The Stockholm end is in our Stockholm hub.
5. The islands: Saaremaa, Muhu and Hiiumaa
The ferries to the big islands are run by TS Laevad, which Port of Tallinn's company page lists among its shipping activities. The TS Laevad ferry site (praamid.ee) says it organises ferry transport between the mainland and Muhu, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa on the Virtsu-Kuivastu and Rohuküla-Heltermaa routes. Its booking page lists the directions as Rohuküla (mainland) and Heltermaa (Hiiumaa), and Virtsu (mainland) and Kuivastu (Muhu and Saaremaa). Tallinn is not one of the ports. The page notes long queues in summer and points to a bus from Tallinn to Kuressaare as another way to reach Saaremaa. We did not find a timetable on the page we read, so we say nothing about sailing times.
6. Access, luggage and a safe margin
- Port of Tallinn: tell the shipping company or travel agency when you book, or contact the port's information service by telephone +372 6318550 or e-mail info@ts.ee not later than 24 hours before departure.
- On arrival you must be at the pre-arranged meeting point not later than one hour before departure; the page says that is the only way you are accepted as a passenger on the basis of the booking.
- The meeting point in Terminal A and Terminal D is on the first floor. The terminals have lifts and escalators, toilets for persons with disabilities and special vehicles that port staff use to help a person.
- Tallink says assistance with boarding must be requested at least 48 hours before the trip and covers up to two pieces of luggage with a combined weight of up to 35 kg.
Build any Tallinn day around your cruise ship's all-aboard time, not the ferry's departure, and treat the figures above as the sources' own. Two guides help: why separate tickets need a buffer and the all-aboard worksheet. Back to the Tallinn ferry hub.
Checked on 30 October 2026: Port of Tallinn (company, terminal A, terminal D, public transport, cruise area and disabilities pages), Tallink (Helsinki to Tallinn route page and accessibility page, read on 29 October 2026), Visit Estonia (travel to Estonia page) and the TS Laevad ferry site. We could not open Viking Line or Eckerö Line route pages and quote no timetables or prices: check each operator before you book.