Is it worth having a car in Tallinn?

[rookie]

If I want to live centrally in the city, do you think it's worth having a car with all the related cost of upkeep, parking, etc compared to just relaying on public transportation and taxis? And how big of a problem would parking be?

[Martin_Koiva]

Since both Uber (or taxi) and having a car are both relatively cheap, it's up to you I'd say. While owning a car might end up being somewhat more expensive, you won't have the anxiety of not knowing if and when you're Uber will arrive, if you're in a hurry.

As for owning, you don't get heavy taxes on car ownership like in Scandinavia, but parking in the downtown are is very expensive. But if you have a regular route, you can find a cheaper spot and walk the final stretch. Finding spots is not a huge problem in most areas.

Getting around by car is probably the best way, regardless of the format. "Traffic jams" are a joke compared to the ones you get in major cities.

[kaido_pahn]

Hi Patrick, If to talk about Tallinn then most probably not, if you live in the center. As if you have work permit and registration of Tallinn city, public transport is free of charge. also Uber and local one taxify are well developed, so in most cases it will be rational not to own the car and spend a couple of more bucks in flat more close to center. If you want to discover full beauty of Estonia, then car is recommended, but not necessary from beginning.

[Peter_Myakoshin]

If you are going to live in the center of the city, and will register yourself as city inhabitant, then for locals all public transportation is free. You'll need to get transport card, register it, and then - validate each time when travelling. Then - bus, trolleybus, tram, and even trains inside the city - are free from charge.

Otherwise - you'll get a headache with parking - find the place, parking fee - in some places up to 5EUR/hr 7x24x365, there are not that much gas stations in the center, etc...

While having a car will give you some flexibility in visiting shopping malls located outskirt, some of them are again well equipped with free shuttles, between airport-seaport-center-mall.

[jaanus]

Tallinn center is perfectly livable without a car. It is compact and walkable (you just need the right clothing for the weather). All sorts of delivery services (retail, food etc) have recently popped up. Taxis and similar rideshare services are readily available and cheap (Taxify was born in Tallinn, there is also Uber and similar taxi company apps). Public transport is well run and free. Upkeep, parking etc costs/hassles are similar to other city centers.

Car in Tallinn makes sense if you have a family to drive around or live in a more distant suburb. Otherwise, don’t bother, I know more and more people who happily live in Tallinn without a car (or have one but don’t use it daily).

[Silver_Taza]

It absolutely depends on your wealth. The most straightforward thing to do if you're wealthy (for example, if you earn more than 2000 eur net a month and have no dependants), is to just use the public transportation when it is convenient and fast, but Uber and Taxify when it is longer distances or more complex routes. Taxify is cheaper when it is a very busy time, but otherwise Uber is much cheaper. Around central area you end up paying around 3 euros per trip, so if you use it twice daily for a month, it ends up being cheaper than owning a car, and more convenient. Uber drivers are nice.

If you live anywhere else from central area or even on the outskirts of the central area, or away from public transportation stops, it is wise to get a car, because the public transportation in Tallinn is truly horrible for anyone coming from another western European country. It is slow, unreliable time-wise, does not handle congestions well, smells frequently and is not very clean (most of the seats are dirty). Using public transportation for short routes or only within nicer areas is fine (e.g. the bus 1A is okay, the bus 23 not so much). Train is fine, but hardly usable because of the stops' location and lack of trains.

Oh, and parking is a pain, and expensive.

[Markus_Villig1]

An average Taxify trip is 5€ in Tallinn, so if you commute 2x30 times a month you will pay ca 300€. Definitely more convenient than public transport or searching for parking every other day.

[Sander_Gansen]

I've now lived in Tallinn for almost a year, not owning a car and living in the center. Thus, I can say there's no need to own one - taking an Uber from one side to the other of Tallinn never costs more than €8. Okay, €10-15 if you go to Viimsi but that's happening max twice a year.

All in all, Uber works perfectly. + Trams are also reliable.

[Sergei_Sorokin]

Hello Patrick

If you plan to live in the center - there will definitely be a parking problem/costs, which cannot be avoided.
Basically, if you plan to live and work in the center, then it is OK to use public transport, taxi or, even, walk around - distances is not so big.

[Maria_Grigorjev1]

If you plan on living in the centre then it's not neccessary, the public transport is quite good and not expensive. If you also want to visit other cities the bus and train connections are alright.
There are enough places for parking but since the centre isnt that big you could even get by on foot.
You should obviously come and check it out for yourself to be sure!

[Erika_Tiiman]

hello!
All, of course, depends on your budget and what areas and how often you think of visiting. If you want to live in the center and most of what you do, will be in center - no need for a car. If you have to travel from one side of the city to another - it'd be easier with a car.
Public transportation is more or less well organized, but some busses depart 20 minutes appart from each other, so if you are in a hurry that can be annoying.
In the center parking is almost everywhere, but most of it is not free. Parking prices vary from 2€ 24/h to 11€ 0.5h. If you want a permanent parking, then a parking place can come with the place where you live or you can buy a place in a parking house.

[dini]

Depends. If you are a single guy living in the center and you do not need to get out of town too much - I'd say car is not worth a trouble. Public transport is quite good for getting anywhere around the city and the city is not huge - less that 30 minutes by bus/tram/trolley almost anywhere from the center. Everything in the center is within walking distance. And if you'd like a warm car to get you some place in winter - Uber and a couple of other taxi apps are at your service.

If you have family and kids, however - then it make sense to have a car.

[Henri_Allik]

I have been living in Tallinn for more than 2 years without owning a car and don't really see the need for it. My apartment is within 10 minutes walk from the old town and free public transport plus Taxify and Uber keep my monthly transportation costs much lower than owning a car. For example from city center to suburb I would usually pay around 7-10€. If you don't have an assigned parking spot for your apartment then finding a place for your car is not easy and not free.

In case you need a car then we have short term electric car rental ELMO where you can get a car for 3-6€ per hour.

[Anton_Narusberg]

No point in owning a car if you live in the city center. Everything is within max 15-20 minutes walking radius, public transportation is good. Parking in the city center can be really costly if you're not registered at this address.

Uber or taxi is a reasonable way to get around and for those occasions when you really need a car for a day or so I would consider http://elmo.ee/prices/ or https://autolevi.com/

[Kaspar_Aug]

Hi, Patrick!
In short, I recommend public transportation and taxis.
As a car owner of about 10 years (which I've regretted for a couple of years now), my advice is not to have one in Tallinn, especially if you live in or near the centre. In my experience it's not cost effective even for commuters, unless there really are no other options for some reason. Public transportation is free for a registered Tallinn citizen (and reasonably priced for others) and as far as taxis go, Uber and Taxify have a great track record.
Parking in the centre is frustrating enough to not even get into that topic.
For roadtrips across Estonia, I'd rent a friend's car or use https://autolevi.com.

[Alar_Maerand]

There is also cool service called Elmo electic car rent
http://elmo.ee/en/

Once you become user, you can rent the car with your mobile phone and use it for short time - like going for shoping or short trip etc.
Make sure that you will read the condition though (there is security deposit required and also some significant potential penalties)

[Alexander_Maksimenko]

Hi, Patrick!

The general answer would be: it's not "mandatory" to have a car, if you plan to live centrally and you working site is also located centrally. Public transportation is well developed and btw it is free for city residents.
It is also important to know if your company has a private parking with sufficient number of parking lots. Parking is expensive especially in the old city areas. A bicycle could be a good idea.
But if you want to explore the country and go to the countryside often, then probably a car is a good option.
So, there is no a certain answer, it depends on your lifestyle and habits.

[Risto_Laur]

No. Taxi and/or Uber are good alternatives. And if You'll need a car for a view days (ex. for tripping out of Tallinn), You can allways rent it (Hansarent, AVIS, Sixt).

[Mallory_Thomas_Taulb]

We lived in Tallinn for 4 years before finally deciding to get one. (And we live in North Tallinn - so not even city center.) Most things are pretty accessible, especially if you're close to city center. It's just when you need specialty shops deep in the heart of Lasnamäe (east part of Tallinn) or want to visit lovely spots in the rest of Estonia (like the beautiful bogs of Lähemaa) or want to visit a fun event in a tiny town that takes 3 bus connections and 6 hours to get there that you start being frustrated you don't have a car. Finding parking spots (or at least free ones) is rough in city center, so no need. We always use public transport if we're going to the center.

[Markus_Diar]

Nope. Everything is walking distance within the city centre and if you have a bit longer trips, Uber and Taxify work perfectly. I wouldn't suggest putting too much hope on public transport because there's a big variance within the service quality when comparing different routes. The trams generally work fine.