Estonia isn’t the safest country to visit, but crime here is still lower than many other countries in Europe. It is important to be smart and aware of your surroundings. Most of the crime that does occur here happens in those quiet back streets near nightlife areas.

There is the possibility of pick-pockets and bag snatchers operating in busy tourist areas, so visitors should make sure they keep their belongings close. This is most common in the old town area of Tallinn. 

If you are driving in Estonia, you should never leave valuables in your car and ensure that your car doors are kept locked at all times, car crime can be a problem in the country. 

Emergency (police): 110

The national currency is the Estonian Kroon (EEK); there are 100 Senti to a Kroon. Notes come in denominations of EEK500, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, 2, and 1. Coins come in denominations of 5 or 1 Kroon and 50, 20, 10 and 5 Senti.

There are no problems exchanging money in Estonia, with all major currencies accepted at banks and bureaux de change. There are ATMs in most towns, but if you are travelling to smaller towns and villages, it’s a good idea to be prepared in advance. The value of the Kroon is tied to the Euro.

Travellers from other EU countries can bring in 800 cigarettes or 200 cigars, 90 litres of wine, and 10 litres of spirits. From non-EU countries the limits are 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, 2 litres of wine, and 1 litre of spirits.

Electricity: 220V/50Hz. European sockets work almost everywhere, but some old Soviet-era buildings still require Russian style plugs.

There are few specific social conventions in Estonia that differ from other European countries and normal courtesy should be observed. Estonians tend to shake hands upon meeting someone and they are very proud of their national heritage and culture, especially in light of the fact that independence only occurred in 1991. Feelings about Russia and the former Soviet Union can be strong for many people and visitors should take this into account if getting into discussions with Estonians about their history.

There are no specific vaccinations required for travel to Estonia. There are occurrences of Hepatitis A and if you are going to spend time in forested areas you should consider vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis. 

The water is considered safe to drink as Tallinn’s water system has improved hugely in recent years. 

Whilst there has been a considerably improvement in services in recent years, some of the state-run hospitals are still badly under-funded, but for simple health issues there should be no problems. For travellers from another EU country free health care is available, usually on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). 

Emergency: 112

Estonian is the official language of Estonia. It is closely related to Finnish, distantly connected to Hungarian and has been influenced by German, Russian, Swedish and Latvian.

Visit this website for Estonian Translation Services.

Taxi fares and restaurant bills in Estonia usually include service and extra tipping is not required. In small cafés and bars, you will often find a box on the counter for tipping.

The country code for Estonia is +372, and for outgoing international calls you should dial 00 followed by the country code required. There are plenty of internet cafés in Tallinn, and wireless internet access is really booming in the capital, with many cafés and pubs offering free Wi-Fi.

UTC/GMT +2 hours

Visas are not required from citizens of any EU country or from citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland in possession of a valid passport or personal ID card. Citizens of the following countries do not require visas for stays of less than three months: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Korea (Rep), Japan, Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City and Venezuela.