Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Estonia

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Estonia.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Currency: 0.8985
Climate: The climate is northern continental, with long winters and short summers. Winter begins in October and lasts often well into April. Snowcover is common from mid or late November to the latter half of March. Cloud cover and slate gray skies are typical between October and early February, when drier and sunnier days arrive. Mean January temperatures are 22°-25°F(-4°-6°C). The Gulfs of Finland and Riga only freeze over during the coldest winters. In addition to being cold and snowy, winter months are characterized by shortened daylight, a result of Estonia's northern latitude (59°N). When days are at their shortest, daylight is present only between 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Prevailing gray skies from November through January make daylight seem even more fleeting. The sun, when it shines, hugs the horizon, thus giving the impression that it is early morning or late afternoon even at midday. It is often difficult to say exactly when winter ends and spring begins. After the Vernal Equinox (March 21), daylight increases dramatically. Most days in late March, April, and May are sunny. Daytime temperatures, however, may still remain in the 30°-45°F range into late April, and it is not safe to put winter clothing into storage until late May. Occasional snow flurries and light snow are possible even through May. Summer in Estonia is a short, magical season. July and August temperatures are the warmest, averaging 67°-75°F (19°-24°C). Mornings are cooler and the late afternoon can warm up to the low-80”™s. The surface water temperature in the Baltic Sea is from 60°-78°F (16°-26°C). The heaviest rains occur in July and August, but they are usually passing showers. During summer months, Estonia benefits from its northern latitude, with daylight extending long into evening hours and reappearing well before earliest risers are out of bed. From early June to mid-July, there is no real "nighttime." The short autumn can start as early as late August and is generally cool and rainy.
Ethnic Groups: Estonian 68.7%, Russian 24.8%, Ukrainian 1.7%, Belarusian 1%, Finn 0.6%, other 1.6%, unspecified 1.6%
National Holiday: Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union restoring its statehood
Geographic Coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Airports: 29

Health and Safety

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Care

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Although medical care in Estonia falls short of Western standards, Estonia’s medical care is generally good, especially in Tallinn and in some other cities such as Tartu and Pärnu. Estonia has many highly-trained medical professionals, but some hospitals and clinics still suffer from a lack of equipment and resources. While private physicians often speak fair to excellent English, you are likely to find very limited English in hospitals and in emergency rooms. Due to workload, doctors in hospitals spend considerably less time interacting with a patient than is typical in an American hospital. Nurses and other hospital staff are likely to speak little to no English. You can find good information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website, or by calling their hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747). You can also consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, which contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information. If you plan to visit forested areas of Estonia in the summertime, you should take steps to avoid ticks because of occasional cases of tick-borne encephalitis. Although there is no vaccine against this disease currently licensed for use in the United States, a vaccine requiring a series of injections is available under two different brand names in Estonia, both of which can be obtained from many local physicians. Serious cases of seasonal influenza, including H1N1, have been reported in recent years and you should consider getting a flu shot before traveling to Estonia during flu season.
Accessibility: While in Estonia, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States. Estonian law requires that most new public buildings and others with community space (e.g., shopping centers) be accessible for persons with disabilities. However, many older buildings are not required to meet these requirements. Getting around in Estonian cities and towns may be difficult at times since many sidewalks are narrow and uneven, and cobblestone streets—particularly in Tallinn’s popular Old Town—make access difficult. In general, mobility is easier in cities such as Tallinn, Tartu, and Pärnu compared to smaller towns and rural areas. Roads and sidewalks in the winter can get quite icy, which makes getting around more difficult. In general, public transport is not accommodating to people with mobility disabilities, although selected Tallinn public buses are specially equipped to assist persons in wheelchairs, and many Tallinn buses, trolleys and trams have travel escorts (reisisaatjad) who will assist riders with disabilities. Many of these escorts will not speak English, however. The English-language website of the Estonian visitors bureau contains general information for disabled visitors, specific information for visually-impaired travelers and those using wheelchairs, and general accessibility information for hotels and other accommodations in Estonia. An Estonian advocacy group for the disabled, Freedom of Movement (Liikumisvabadus) has a site that provides specific accessibility ratings for hundreds of businesses and public buildings in Estonia, as well as other useful information.

Disease Risk

Degree of Risk: Intermediate
Vectorborne Diseases: tickborne encephalitis

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