Car and limo hire International rental company Avis (Tel: 667 1515, Email: rent@avis.ee) offers cars from 1252 kroons per day. Rent24.ee (Tel: 633 9911, Mobile: 56 640 555, Email: info@rent24.ee) offers new and used cars of various classes from 626 kroons per day, as well as bicycles. Half-a-dozen mostly American limos are available for posh rides at A-Lim (Tel: 51 44 000, Email: limu@limu.ee) or Rent a Lincoln Millenium (Tel: 503 2727, Email: telli@limusiin.net).

Office rental Try Sekretarikeskus (Tel: 631 2173, Mobile: 5267 267, Email: keskus@sekretarikeskus.ee). For a larger office rental, it would be reasonable to contact a major real-estate company, for example Ober Haus (Tel: 665 9700, Email: info@ober-haus.com) or Pindi Kinnisvara (Tel: 6103 900, Mobile: 512 0280, Email: tallinn@pindi.ee). A comprehensive database of commercial and residential real estate available for rent or sale can be searched at www.city24.ee.

Secretarial services Sekretarikeskus (see above). You can also find secretaries and other staff from HR companies, such as Adecco Estonia (Tel: 644 0410, Email: info@adecco.ee) or CV-Online (Tel: 6566 514, www.cv.ee).

LOCAL PRESS

The City Paper (www.balticsworldwide. com), a pan-Baltic tourist and general information magazine, is now published 11 times a year. Every issue contains general information about Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, reviews of selected establishments, event previews, city-centre maps and a selection of original feature articles. It’s available at most newsstands.

Tallinn In Your Pocket (www.inyourpocket. com) is a no-nonsense, objective tourist information guide equipped with a basic map and written with just the right amount of cynicism and humour. It has reviews of hotels, bars and places to see in Tallinn plus major events. Published several times a year, it’s available at most kiosks and the tourist information office.

The Baltic Times weekly brings general, business and cultural news to the Baltic’s 30,000-strong expat community. It also includes events listings. Partly available online for free at www.baltictimes.com.

INTERNET

There are 246 wi-fi access points in Tallinn, located in bars, hotels and some public places. All are marked by a wi-fi sign and nearly half of them are in the city centre. Some of the wireless networks are fully public and free, such as those at Statoil gas stations, but in many cases you will need to purchase an access card from the waiter or hotel receptionist. One hour will cost about 30 kroons, 24-hour access will cost 60 kroons.

You can pay for the wireless access provided by Elion ISP by sending an SMS with a word “wifi” to number 13443.

The first WiMax access in Estonia was launched in Tallinn in September 2005 and at least a couple of leading ISPs are investing heavily in this technology.

If you don’t have a laptop, the following internet cafés may prove useful: Metro Internet (4/6 Viru Square) is a no-thrills internet café located in the bus terminal under the Viru Keskus shopping centre. Charges 35 kroons for one hour and the ticket is valid for two days. A dozen fast-food options available. Open 8am-11pm.

M@triX (31 Tartu Road, Tel: 641 9442, Email: matrixclub@hot.ee) is one of the few 24/7 internet cafés and PC game clubs in Tallinn located in the city centre. Charges only 15 kroons per hour, but there’s no food or drinks.

WW Passaa_ (3 Aia, Tel: 627 1200) is a cheap internet access point with just a couple of terminals in a shopping centre café in the Old Town.

MONEY

The Estonian national currency is called kroon and it is pegged to the euro at the fixed rate of 15,65 kroons per one euro. For more information about the Estonian currency, visit the Bank of Estonia website at www.bankofestonia.info.

Please note that the currency exchange rates in the tourist areas—the Town Hall Square in the Old Town, hotels and passenger port—may be much less favourable than the rate in banks. Some currency exchange companies charge a service fee for transactions in cash. It is always safe to exhange currency in commercial banks such as Hansabank, SEB Eesti Ühispank, Nordea and Sampo. Most of the bank offices are open from 9am or 10am to 6pm.

Most major credit cards are accepted in shops and restaurants. And if not, the nearest ATM is usually just a few steps away. You can try to bargain at the open-air sourvenir outlets in the Old Town, but at best you’ll get a discount of 5-10%.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

A 10% tip in a restaurant, pub or taxi is generally considered appropriate. Beyond that you’re all set.

VISA/VACCINATIONS

Nationals of the member states of the European Union and EEA can freely enter Estonia with their ID-card or passport.

The holders of passports from Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela do not need a visa to come to Estonia for stays of up to three months in a six-month period. For more information, check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at www.vm.ee.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

On these days all state institutions are closed and a number of private companies shut as well. Note that the working day is officially three hours shorter on the day before New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas.
1st January—New Year’s Day
24th February—Independence Day
14th and 17th April (2006)—Good Friday and Easter Monday
1st May—Spring Day
5th June (2006)—Pentecost
23rd June—Victory Day
24th June—St.John’s Day
20th August—Restoration of Independence
24th-26th December—Christmas

WEATHER

The official statistics say Tallinn residents enjoy over 1,800 hours of sunshine every year, yet the weather in this city can be quite changeable. The climate is maritime, meaning it’s wet with moderate winters and not-too-hot summers. Summer highs may reach 30C, although temperatures from 20C to 25C are more common. February is usually the harshest, with at least a couple of days when it’s down to -20C outside. Four-day forecasts are available at www.ilm.ee.

SUGGESTED READING

Estonia: Return to Independence, by scientist and ex-politician Rein Taagepera, is a fairly comprehensive explanation of the whys and wherefores of Estonian history.

If you’re looking for fiction, read the works of Jaan Kross, the icon of contemporary Estonian literature. Many of his books have been translated into English. One of the latest, Treading Air, is a story of a Tallinn resident witnessing the turmoil Estonia faced in the 1940s.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Tallinn Airport (Tel: 605 8888, www.tallinn-airport.ee) reached its one million passengers per year milestone for the first time in autumn 2005, and in September 2005 a major expansion project was launched to make more room for both people and planes. The passenger terminal area will grow by 13,000 square metres by 2008. The airport, the only one in the city and the largest in Estonia, is 4kms from the city centre and not much further from the passenger port.

Car There are eight car rental companies operating in the passenger terminal, including internationally acclaimed Avis, Hertz and Budget. All their kiosks are open 9am-6pm, but some provide car pick-up at other times on arrangement. Visit www.tallinn-airport.ee for car rental contacts in the airport.

Taxis There are usually a couple of Tulika (Tel: 612 0000) or Linnatakso (Tel: 644 2442) taxis at the passenger terminal entrance. A ride to the city centre should cost about 80 kroons according to autumn 2005 prices. If you get stuck in a traffic jam, the price will increase because at low speeds the meter will switch to an hourly tariff. All taxis in Estonia have meters and the drivers must give you a printed receipt.

Other forms of transport Bus number 2 stops right in front of the passenger terminal and will take you to the city centre in about 10 minutes. Tickets cost 15 kroons if purchased from the driver and five kroons less if bought at a kiosk beforehand. The buses leave two to three times an hour from about 6am-11:45pm.