Public transport in Tallinn
26.03.2024
Tallinn is very compact and easy to get around. Reaching farther out destinations is simple thanks to the city's network of buses, trolleys and trams. The public transport network operates from 6:00 to 23:00 daily (see timetables for further information). The ticket system works on a random-inspection basis: you don't have to show anything to the driver. Simply remember to validate each entry at one of the orange validators (or risk a €40 fine). It is not necessary to re-validate your ticket when exiting the vehicle.
Ticket prices and selling points
Ticket prices
You can buy the following hour and day tickets for Tallinn's public transport network:
- One-hour ticket (60 min): €2
- One-day ticket (24h) : €5.50
- Three-day ticket (72h): €9
- Five-day ticket (120h): €11
- 30-day ticket: €30
- Tallinn Card (includes free entries to museums and sights) (24h/48h/72h): €27 - €78
Where to buy the different tickets?
The tickets are valid from their first validation until the end of the last validated trip. You must re-scan each entry during your travel period. A green light means your ticket has been successfully validated, a red light signals your card is not valid or you might be out of credit.
One-hour tickets and one-day tickets:
You can buy one-hour tickets:
- At the ticket machines located at the airport, central bus station, bus terminal at Viru Keskus, and the port's A- and D-terminals
- With a contactless payment card* (Mastercard, Maestro, Visa and Visa Electron) at the rectangular orange validators in the front of the vehicle
You can buy one-day tickets and one-hour tickets (known as QR tickets):
- By loading money* or the appropriate ticket on your Ühiskaart (green fare card) online or anywhere the cards are sold (see below)
- online from tallinn.pilet.ee
- with the mobile app pilet.ee (for iOS and Android). When you purchase a ticket through the app, a service charge of 0.32 euros will be added to the price.
When buying a ticket through tallinn.pilet.ee, you can both download your ticket and have it sent to your e-mail address. If you create an account, your tickets will also be visible under ‘My tickets’.
*Pay as you go daily caps: the system tracks your daily usage and automatically bills your Ühiskaart (green fare card) or bank account for the cheapest ticket you are entitled to for the day, meaning the maximum you will pay in a single day for an unlimited amount of trips is the price of a one-day ticket. NB! You must validate each entry.
Three-day, five-day, and 30-day tickets
One-, three-, five- and 30-day tickets can be loaded on your Ühiskaart, a green plastic fare card also known as a smartcard or travelcard. You can buy an Ühiskaart for a two-euro deposit (for refunds, see further below), and then load it with credit or the ticket of your choice online from tallinn.pilet.ee, via the pilet.ee app (for iOS and Android), or anywhere the cards are sold.
There are numerous sales points in and around Tallinn:
- Tourist Information Centre (Niguliste 2)
- Tallinn City Government customer service desk (Vabaduse väljak 7)
- Any R-Kiosk in Tallinn
- Tallinn Central Bus Station (Lastekodu 46)
- Omniva post offices in Tallinn and Harjumaa
- Select Maxima, Prisma, Rimi, Selver, and Stockmann supermarkets.
For a detailed list of retailers, see pilet.ee.
Tallinn Card: 24, 48, and 72 hours
Acts as a ticket, entitling the holder to unlimited, free public transport for the period the card is active. It also gives you free admission to Tallinn’s top museums and sights and other discounts. The card is available for periods of 24, 48 or 72 hours.
You can buy Tallinn Card via the app (available on the Play Store and App Store), online or at different sales points in Estonia and abroad.
How to use the different tickets?
One-hour QR tickets
A QR ticket is a one-hour travel ticket with a rectangular barcode (QR code), which you can scan at orange validators at the front door of public transport vehicles. The ticket is valid for 60 minutes from its first validation until the end of the last validated trip. The ticket must be re-scanned at each entry during the one-hour travel period.
How to use QR tickets?
A QR ticket must be validated at the bottom of the rectangular orange validator located at the front door of the public transport vehicle: place the QR code displayed on a smart device screen or printed on paper in front of the code reader screen situated at the lower part of the rectangular validator. An unused QR ticket is valid for one year.
You can use the QR ticket to pay for one-hour tickets for several people (up to 10 in total). NB! You must validate each entry. See ‘The best tickets for groups’ below for more information.
One-hour tickets and day tickets with contactless payment cards and Apple Pay Express
You can buy one-hour tickets with all Mastercard, Maestro, Visa and Visa Electron bank cards with contactless payment interfaces and using Apple Pay Express. When using your bank card to buy tickets on public transport, be sure to use the validators equipped with the wireless payment logo (in the front of the vehicle).
You cannot charge day tickets directly to your bank card. However, as the system automatically tracks your usage and charges your bank account according to the cheapest ticket you are entitled to, multiple one-hour tickets in a single day will be calculated as a one-day ticket. NB! You must validate each entry.
You can use one contactless bank card to pay for one-hour tickets for several people (up to six in total). See ‘The best tickets for groups’ below for more information.
NB! Only the one-hour tickets of the card holder are replaced by a day ticket, this replacement does not apply to tickets for other passengers. This day ticket is valid until the end of a transport day. The transport day starts at 4 AM and lasts 24 hours until the next morning.
One-hour and day tickets with Ühiskaart (fare card)
The green, plastic Ühiskaart (also known as smartcard or travelcard) is a fare card that lets you use the electronic ticket system.
How to use my Ühiskaart?
At the beginning of each ride, you must validate your ticket by touching the fare card to an orange validator located in the vehicle. A green light means your ticket has been successfully validated. A red light means your card is not valid or you are out of credit.
With one card, you can buy one-hour tickets for yourself and up to five extra passengers (six in total). NB! You must validate each entry. See ‘The best tickets for groups’ below for more information.
NB! Only the one-hour tickets of the card holder are replaced by a day ticket, this replacement does not apply to tickets for other passengers. This day ticket is valid until the end of a transport day. The transport day starts at 4 AM and lasts 24 hours until the next morning.
How to top up my Ühiskaart?
You can buy day tickets or add more credit to your fare card anywhere the cards are sold. You can also top up via the internet (tallinn.pilet.ee) or using the pilet.ee app available for iOS and Android.
Where can I get a refund for my deposit?
The Ühiskaart fare card deposit can be reclaimed within six months of the first time the card was validated.
If you have loaded money on your Ühiskaart and didn't use it all, you can also get a refund for the leftover balance (up to 20 euros) along with the deposit from:
- Customer service desk of the Tallinn City Government (Vabaduse väljak 7)
- T-pilet customer desk at the Central Bus Station
- R-kiosks at Tallinn Airport, Railway Station (Balti Jaam) and the Port of Tallinn (A- and D-terminals).
If you have more questions about Ühiskaart, you can contact the ticket vendors at +372 611 8000, info@pilet.ee or find more information on www.tallinn.ee.
Public transport with the Tallinn Card: pay less, see more
The Tallinn Card acts as a ticket, entitling the holder to unlimited, free public transport for the period the card is active. It also gives you free admission to museums and sights and other discounts. The card is available for periods of 24, 48 or 72 hours.
Each time you board a vehicle, you must validate the ride using your Tallinn Card. The plastic card can be validated the same way as the fare card (Ühiskaart) – at any orange validator inside the vehicle.
If you have purchased the Tallinn Card via the app or online, be sure to use the rectangular validators with the QR scanners located only at the front of the vehicle: place the QR code displayed on a smart device or printed on paper onto the code scanner at the lower part of the validator.
With one adult card, you can bring along two kids under the age of seven free of charge.
Which ticket should I buy?
The best ticket for one or two trips
If you plan to make only a couple of trips, buy one or several one-hour tickets. The one-hour tickets are sold at the machines located at Tallinn's main transport hubs. You can also buy one by validating your ride with your contactless payment card at the rectangular orange validator located by the front door of the vehicle. You can also buy QR tickets online.
The best tickets for multiple trips
If you wish to make multiple trips during one day, you should opt for a one-day ticket. For that, you should either buy an Ühiskaart fare card or, if you are equipped with a Mastercard, Maestro, Visa or Visa Electron bank card with contactless payment interface, buy it directly on board. The system tracks your use and automatically charges you according to the cheapest ticket you are entitled to for the day (a one-hour or one-day ticket).
However, if you are staying for more than one day and plan to use the transport system regularly, we recommend buying an Ühiskaart and loading it with a ticket for the appropriate number of days to suit your needs.
If you plan to visit several different museums and other attractions, think about investing in a Tallinn Card. Use the online calculator to get a glimpse of how much it could save you.
The best tickets for groups
If your use is limited to one-hour tickets, use one Ühiskaart (up to six one-hour tickets), buy tickets on board with your contactless payment card (up to six one-hour tickets per card), or get QR tickets online (up to 10 one-hour tickets).
If you wish to use the public transport system multiple times during a longer period, we recommend buying an Ühiskaart for each member of the group and loading the cards with the appropriate day tickets for the length of your visit.
NB! When you use one Ühiskaart or contactless payment card for multiple people and your group makes more than two trips at different times of the day, please keep in mind that the system will charge you for an appropriate number of one-hour tickets and will not recalculate them into day tickets (as is the case with single-use).
Multiple one-hour tickets on one Ühiskaart (up to six)
You can buy up to six one-hour tickets on one Ühiskaart. Just be sure to load enough money on your Ühiskaart beforehand online, via the app (pilet.ee) or at the various sales points.
How to buy inside the vehicle:
- Validate your Ühiskaart at any of the orange validators located in the vehicle.
- Use the arrows to choose the required number of additional tickets (up to five extra).
- Push OK.
- Validate the purchase of extra tickets by swiping your Ühiskaart again in front of the validator.
Multiple one-hour tickets with a QR ticket (up to 10) or contactless payment card (up to six)
You can buy multiple (up to 10) QR tickets online or at the ticket machines in Tallinn's main transport hubs. With one contactless payment card, you can pay for the rides of up to six people. In both cases, do not forget to validate the tickets at each entry at the orange rectangular validator in the front of the vehicle, as it is the only one equipped with a QR code scanner and the contactless interface.
How to buy inside the vehicle:
- Validate your ticket or contactless payment card at the rectangular orange validator by the front door.
- Use the arrows to select the corresponding number of extra tickets in the validator (up to nine or five depending on your choice of payment).
- Press OK.
- Confirm the purchase by re-registering your QR ticket or contactless payment card.
If you enter another vehicle within the 60-minute timeframe, you only need to validate your ticket once in each vehicle.
Free travel
The following passengers can travel for free in Tallinn:
- Children under seven years old
- Passengers travelling with children under the age of three (applicable to one adult per child)
- Registered Tallinn residents (using a personalised Ühiskaart and carrying an ID).
Read more about the right of free travel in Tallinn.
Useful links
- Bus, trolley, and tram routes and timetables
- Buy and top up your tickets online
- Tallinn Card app available via Google Play and App Store
- Pilet.ee app on Apple App Store and on Google Play
- More information on public transport in Tallinn
- Free public transport for international event delegates