Given that Russia and Estonia used to be one state, transport links are well established between them. From Moscow you can get there by plane, train and car, from St. Petersburg - by plane, bus, train and car. We must not forget that at the moment Russia has a border with Estonia with all the ensuing circumstances.
The cheapest way to get to Estonia
The cheapest way to get to a neighboring country is to take a bus in St. Petersburg, get to the border Ivangorod, and then walk. The road will cost 250 rubles. Crossing the border with Estonia will be quite fast and convenient.
You can use the services of a well-developed bus service. Keep in mind that most comfortable buses travel from North Palmyra to Tallinn non-stop, and only Luxexpress makes them in every major city. And do not forget to think about tickets in advance: despite the large number of flights, sometimes there are none. Especially in the summer and before the holidays.
The train from St. Petersburg to the Estonian capital is on its wayseven o'clock.
Border with Estonia. Ivangorod
If you go to a neighboring country by car, you will need to cross one of three border points: Koidula-Kunichina Gora, Narva-Ivangorod or Lukhamaa-Shumilkino. In order to get to one of them, you will have to cross the Pskov or Leningrad regions.
As an example, consider the option of crossing the border in Ivangorod.
This village can be reached via the M11 and E20 highways. Even before entering the city, checks begin: a combined border guard post and a traffic police post check local residents for a Russian internal passport, residence permit, and the rest for a foreign one and the presence of a Schengen visa. Then we follow the main road, gas stations on the right and left, after the last intersection we notice a convoy of trucks. This is the line at the border with Estonia. We stop to the left of it, at the bottom of the slope we see a border booth and a barrier.
Crossing the border
When a couple of cars remain before the barrier, you need to show the border guard all foreign passports (driver and passengers). Then you drive into the territory of the post, keeping to the right side of the road, choose the "green corridor" intended for Russian cars, and get in line. When she approaches, you reach the second stop line, get off and go through passport control. To do this, you will need a foreign passport and a yellow car registration certificate.
Stampedshow your passport to the customs officer and present your car to him for inspection. After checking you are released for the next barrier. There is a Duty Free shop, beloved by many travelers. Then we head for the landmark - Narva Castle, or rather, its tower. We reach the bridge over the Narova River, here again there is a barrier. We show our passports and enter the bridge. The border with Estonia has been passed, or rather, the Russian part of it.
Border point "Narva"
We move by car along the bridge to its end, there is an Estonian automated post. We slow down in front of him and slowly drive between the columns. We see a line at the border with Estonia and stand at its end, then we wait for the traffic light.
Having entered the Estonian post, we present the following documents to the local border guard: foreign passports, a vehicle registration certificate, a green card for it and our insurance. The same border guards, who are now called police officers, will quickly inspect the car. You go to the passport control booth, they give you stamps, return your documents, open the barrier, and that's all - you are in Estonia.
A few small notes
First: Everywhere and always, the driver of the car comes first, followed by the passengers. Second: once you enter another country, you can immediately get a fine. In a neighboring state, the low-beam headlights of a car must always be on, and it is possible to move in built-up areas at a speed of no more than 50 km / h, unless there are other signs. Fasten your seat belts, with this in the EU countries strictly, as well as with the passage of pedestrians at crossings.
Crossing the border by electronic queue
On the part of our neighbors, such a system has been operating since August 2011.
From the Russian side, entry to the border with Estonia was introduced from July 14, 2012. This system is called "GoSwift", with its help, a preliminary reservation of the queue in electronic form is made for the passage of the state border by vehicles. There is such a queue along with the usual one.
Such a system does not at all relieve car travelers from queues, but it turns them into virtual ones. Also, drivers who have previously booked the border crossing time on the official website will have an advantage. What needs to be done for this? On the site, you need to enter the driver's last name and first name, vehicle details and the desired / estimated time of crossing the border, as well as the desired border point.
The driver will receive an email to confirm a successful booking. Changes can be made three times.
Departure from Estonia by booking
You will need a bank card, you can use MasterCard or VISA, others are not suitable. Book the time and date of crossing the border, order an SMS alert. At the end of the procedure, you will receive a reservation number, which must be saved electronically or on paper. You need to have it with you. So if you want the border with Estonia to beopen for you, take care of it in advance.
Crossing the Estonian-Russian border
The event is quite interesting. Booked a place, received an SMS call and think that you are almost in Russia?
No, not at all. In the case when you are driving through Narva, you first need to go to a special parking lot, where the armor and car numbers are displayed on a luminous board. If you received an SMS with a call, then your number is already on the scoreboard, if not, wait. When the cherished numbers appear, go to the booth next to the scoreboard, pay three euros and get a ticket. Then drive up to the border and join the general queue.
Having stood in line, give the ticket to the employee at the barrier and get to passport control. Everything else is the same as at the entrance, but without duty free. By and large, it is very difficult to say in which direction the border with Estonia is easier, and its crossing is easier. Everywhere has its pros and cons.
Useful information
Those who travel frequently between the two countries will benefit from the following information. Passenger buses never stand in a general queue. They go outside of it. If there is a large accumulation of cars, traffic police inspectors direct everyone to the right from the descent to the post, in which case the queue passes along Hospitalnaya Street.
If you are traveling to Estonia in autumn or winter, follow the tire requirements. Most importantly, you simply will not be allowed into this country in a car with summer tires from December 1 to February 29. TheseDates may be slightly adjusted depending on weather conditions. From 01.10 to 30.04 you can drive on winter tires, from 15.10 to 31.03 - on studded tires. Also observe the permissible tread depth - at least 15 millimeters.
The better you follow the rules and laws, the easier the border between Russia and Estonia will be for you. By the way, you can cross it on foot. The entrance to the point is located to the right of the summer cafe. You can follow the queue using a webcam.
When crossing the state border, you must know and follow the customs rules. But this is a topic for a separate article.
