Category Archives: Estonian Updates

Travel info updates on Estonia

Flight options to Estonia from Canada in 2012

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Children in Estonian national costumes

Here are some updates on getting to Estonia for the 2012 season!

FINNAIR: Canadians and Canadian Estonians travel to Tallinn usually during the summer – when you can get a convenient flight with Finnair from Toronto via Helsinki. The direct Toronto-Helsinki Finnair flights will run 5 times a week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu and Sun) from May 24th until September 9th in 2012, before and after that Finnair customers have to travel from Toronto to London or New York and from there on to Helsinki – and then to Tallinn. The flight times ot of Toronto have been pushed into the evening, so connections to Tallinn that caused grief to so many of our passengers a couple of years ago seem to be working better now.

The prices for the shoulder season travel (01 MAY to 25 JUN and 10 AUG to 30 SEP departures) start from CAD $750 + taxes ca 399 = 1149 CAD for the Toronto-Tallinn return trip. During high season (26 JUN to 09 AUG departures) the prices start from CAD $912 + taxes ca 399 = 1311 CAD. For the lowest fares the stay is up to 30 days. Finnair has only a limited number of the lowest-priced seats on each flight, so the prices will go higher as the flights fill up.

LUFTHANSA has a direct flight to Frankfurt also from Ottawa and Montreal. Unfortunately their flights do not connect the same day on the way back from Tallinn. But there is a new option to use Munich as the transfer point on the Westbound trip. Or in case you don’t mind an overnight in Frankfurt – you could try that route and earn some Aeroplan points at the same time.

AIR CANADA is continuing their direct routing Toronto-Copenhagen – with pretty good connections onward to Tallinn with Estonian Air and SAS. However, this combination usually needs to be issued on 2 separate tickets to get a better price.

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES connections work again from Toronto with the Amsterdam-Tallinn segment operated by Estonian Air, but the waiting times are long on the way back from Tallinn.

LOT POLISH AIRLINES has once again restored the connections to Tallinn via Warsaw couple of times a week.

ICELANDAIR flights can be used via Reykjavik to Helsinki and then you can take a short flight or a boat-ride over to Tallinn – but that of course is extra hassle. But if you want to see the Finnish capital as well, then it might not be a bad combination.

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES and CZECH AIRLINES used to connect to Tallinn – but not any more: Austrian cancelled the Tallinn flights in 2008 and Czech Airlines dropped Toronto from their destination list in 2009.

There are other ways as well to get to Estonia from Canada. If you are adventurous enough, we can find you a charter flight to London, Frankfurt or Hamburg – and continue with Estonian Air to Tallinn. This way it is usually quite hard to make the connections fit with the lowest rates (unless you are very lucky!) but it would be suitable for example to someone intending to stop over in London.

Estonian Air: Flights between Tallinn and Tartu

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From 27 February 2011, Estonian Air has started their flights between Tartu and Tallinn. Early morning flights from Tartu to Tallinn will be operated six times a week: on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Late evening flights from Tallinn to Tartu will be operated on the same days, with the exception on weekends, when Saturday flights are operated on Sundays instead.
The flight time is 45 minutes.

“Direct connections from Tallinn airport to Scandinavia and other parts of Europe and Russia have been improved and will be improved in the nearest future even more. We believe that good departure and arriving times and increased flight frequency will help to fasten the development of Tartu as well as Tallinn Airport,” says Rauno Parras, Vice President Commercial of Estonian Air.

“Estonian Air’s plan to increase air traffic from Tartu by developing air traffic between Tartu and Tallinn is good news for whole Southern Estonia. This will ensure fast and convenient flight connections for local people almost to all of Europe’s biggest cities,” says Urmas Kruuse, Mayor of Tartu.

The flight schedule is designed so that passengers starting their flight from Tartu can get through Tallinn comfortably and with minimum waiting time to early morning connection flights to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Moscow, Vilnius, Kuressaare, Oslo, Stockholm etc. The late evening return flight to Tartu offers good connection for those who are returning from Copenhagen, Brussels, London, Stockholm, Oslo, Kuressaare or Vilnius.

Flight schedule on Tartu-Tallinn route

   Departure  Arrival
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday OV610 Tartu 5:30 Tallinn 6:10
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday OV609 Tallinn 23:45  Tartu 0:30
 

The fares start from 25 EUR, one-way.

Tartu is a picturesque town, second in Estonia by size and population. It is famous for its university, founded in 1632, thus being one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe.

Tallinn the Best Winter City 2011, According to BBC Travel Site

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Tallinn is a glittering vision of how winter should be. That’s how the city is described in a nice article on the BBC Travel section, written by Abigail Hole from Lonely Planet Magazine. It goes on comparing the the experience of walking in the Tallinn Old Town as entering a Christmas postcard – which is really true, especially this winter when the snow has taken over and turned everything into a white and romantic winter kingdom. The city’s little cafes and restaurants are especially inviting this time of year, offering the weary traveller a cup of hot coffee or a glass of the traditional hot spiced wine.  Some of the author’s picks for the pitstops would not be my own most popular choices, but maybe that’s the side of Tallinn worth exploring!

The whole article can be read HERE!

Blue1 to fly Helsinki-Tallinn

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The maiden voyage for Blue1 over the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn to Helsinki took place yesterday, January 31st.
The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a flight to the Finnish captial with Vice-President of Commercial Affairs Juha Järvinen and Airport Member of the Board of Directors Erik Sakkov. The added flight between the two capitals, has already brought down prices of competitor Finnair, which currently operates the same route.
Blue1 belongs to the SAS Group and is a Star Alliance member.

Estonia: Flight options from Canada in 2011

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Estonian winter 2011

Seems like the airlines are coming out of their recession troubles, as we see new routes popping up for European travel…

Here are some updates on getting to Estonia for the 2011 season!

FINNAIR: Canadians and Canadian Estonians travel to Tallinn usually during the summer – when you can get a convenient flight with Finnair from Toronto via Helsinki. The direct Toronto-Helsinki Finnair flights are already in the system and as far as we can see, they will run 5 times a week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu and Sun) from May 26th until September 11th in 2011, before and after that Finnair customers have to travel from Toronto to London or New York and from there on to Helsinki – and then to Tallinn. The flight times ot of Toronto have been pushed into the evening, so connections to Tallinn that caused grief to so many of our passengers a couple of years ago seem to be working better now.

FINNAIR prices for the shoulder season travel (26 MAY to 25 JUN and 10 AUG to 11 SEP departures) start from CAD $675 + taxes ca 300 for the Toronto-Tallinn return trip. During high season (26 JUN to 09 AUG departures) the prices start from CAD $910 + taxes ca 300. These prices work for stays for up to 30 days. Finnair has only a limited number of the lowest-priced seats on each flight, so the prices will go higher as the flights fill up.

LUFTHANSA has a direct flight to Frankfurt from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Unfortunately their flights do not connect the same day on the way back from Tallinn. But there is a new option to use Munich as the transfer point on the return. Or in case you don’t mind an overnight in Frankfurt – you could try that route and earn some Aeroplan points at the same time.

AIR CANADA has once again opened their direct routing Toronto-Copenhagen – with pretty good connections onward to Tallinn with Estonian Air and SAS. However, this combination usually needs to be issued on 2 separate tickets.

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES connections work again from Toronto with the Amsterdam-Tallinn segment operated by Estonian Air.

LOT POLISH AIRLINES has once again restored the connections to Tallinn via Warsaw couple of times a week.

ICELANDAIR flights can be used via reykjavik to Helsinki and then you can take a short flight or a boat-ride over to Tallinn – but that of course is extra hassle. But if you want to see the Finnish capital as well, then it might not be a bad combination.

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES and CZECH AIRLINES used to connect to Tallinn – but not any more: Austrian cancelled the Tallinn flights in 2008 and Czech Airlines dropped Toronto from their destination list in 2009.

There are other ways as well to get to Estonia from Canada. If you are adventurous enough, we can find you a charter flight to London, Frankfurt or Hamburg – and continue with Estonian Air to Tallinn. This way it is usually quite hard to make the connections fit with the lowest rates (unless you are very lucky!) but it would be suitable for example to someone intending to stop over in London.

Vihula Manor Hotel & Country Club: The Estate with 800 Years of History

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Main Manor House building at Vihula

Vihula is one of the majestic manor estates on the Estonian North Coast that have been restored and opened up for visitors as a resort hotel. Vihula is just an hour’s leisurely drive away from Tallinn. It is located in Lahemaa National Park, in the middle of powerful forests, the coast with its secluded sandy beaches being only 3 km away. Things to mention in the area is the historic Altja fishing village, the manor houses of Palmse and Sagadi, the captains’ village of Käsmu and the romantic fortress of Rakvere.

The manor of Vihula was first mentioned already in the beginning of 16th century. The original wooden manor house burned down in the 19th century, the current main stone house was built after that. The restoring of the manor complex that was started twenty years ago and it is progressing gradually. The hotel was opened as the Vihula Manor Country Club & Spa by Uniquestay Hotels in June 2008, currently offering 44 rooms and suites.

I visited Vihula on a brisk cold winter day, not long after the New Year. There was a lot of snow on the country roads and as I had not called ahead, a small voice in my head was a little doubtful whether the place is open at all… But once I drove in and saw the meticulously ploughed driveways and cars parked in front of the Carriage House, my doubts were gone. The receptionist was very friendly and accommodating, getting her coat, hat and mitts and showing us around the whole manor complex, giving us a warm welcome on a chilly day. Continue reading >

Finnair Super Summer Seatsale Tallinn-Toronto

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Finnair has an amazing seatsale from Tallinn to Toronto for the summer flights from 6 JUN – 9 SEP, 2010.

The price is $500 CAD plus tkt fee and taxes approx. $360 CAD – so you will be able to get to Toronto for less than $900 CAD, all taxes and fees included.

For this price you can stay in Toronto for up to 30 days. The routing will be via Helsinki, on the Helsinki-Toronto non-stop flights.

The price is subject to availability at the time of booking. The ticket has to be purchased by February 28th.

Finnair adjusts fares on Toronto-Helsinki summer flights!

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This summer the Finnair direct flights operate between Toronto and Helsinki between 6 JUN ja 9 SEP, 2010 – 5 times a week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun).
This week Finnair lowered their fares, the best prices (if the seats are available) are:

TORONTO-HELSINKI:
Shoulder season (01MAY – 25JUN & 10AUG-30SEP)
$631+tax approx $175 (max. 1 month stay)
$729+tax approx $175 (max. 3 months stay)

High Season (26JUN-09AUG)
$674+tax approx $175 (max. 1 month stay)
$780+tax approx $175 (max. 3 months stay)

TORONTO-TALLINN, VIA HELSINKI:
Shoulder season (01MAY – 25JUN & 10AUG-30SEP)
$775+tax approx $250 (max. 1 month stay)
$856+tax approx $250 (max. 3 months stay)

High Season (26JUN-09AUG)
$910+tax approx $250 (max. 1 month stay)
$1005+tax approx $250 (max. 3 months stay)

The prices depend on the length of the stay and availability. Each flight has a certain allotment of the cheapest seats. If those are sold out, the price jumps into the higher category.

Please note that prices are subject to change without prior notice!

For the exact pricing please e-mail or call us with the actual travel dates!

Air Canada direct Toronto to Copenhagen from June 24 onwards!

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Air Canada heading to Scandinavia again!

Air Canada heading to Scandinavia again!

Air Canada announced it will launch daily service between Toronto and Copenhagen next summer.

Besides Copenhagen, AC has now announced long-haul service to three other new, major international destinations: Athens, Barcelona and Brussels (via Montreal). They consider the addition of Copenhagen next summer strategically important as passengers will be able to conveniently connect with their Star Alliance partner Scandinavian Airlines to reach such cities as Oslo, Helsinki, Warsaw, Stockholm and Gothenburg.

Air Canada will begin non-stop, daily flights between Toronto and Copenhagen on June 24, 2010, subject to government approval. The only non-stop service to Scandinavia from Canada will be operated with a 211-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft. Service will operate daily in the summer, with reduced frequency in the winter.

————————————-
Flight Depart Toronto Arrive Copenhagen
Daily
————————————-
AC882 17:15 06:55 (+1)
————————————-
Flight Depart Copenhagen Arrive Toronto
Daily
————————————-
AC883 12:20 14:50
————————————-

For our Estonian travelers this means that there will be a new connection available from Toronto to Tallinn, using the SAS flights from Copenhagen onwards. This will put the current most popular flight choice to Tallinn, Finnair, on their toes. Finnair is best known for their unbeatable prices, which we cannot say for Air Canada transatlantic services. Will the convenience outweigh the price? We’ll be looking forward to see what happens during the coming summer season!