Given that Russia and Estonia used to be one state, transport links between them are well established. From Moscow you can get there by plane, train and car, from St. Petersburg - by plane, bus, train and car. We can’t just forget that at present Russia has a border with Estonia with all the ensuing circumstances.
What is the cheapest way to get to Estonia
The most budgetary way to get to a neighboring country is to take a bus in St. Petersburg, get to the border Ivangorod, and then on foot. The road will cost 250 rubles. Crossing the border with Estonia will be fast enough 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 without stops, and only Luxexpress makes them in every major city. And do not forget to worry about tickets in advance: despite the large number of flights, sometimes they are not. Especially in the summer and before the holidays.
The train going from St. Petersburg to the Estonian capital is on the way for seven hours.
The border with Estonia. Ivangorod
If you travel by car to a neighboring country, you will need to cross one of the three border points: Koidula-Kunichina Gora, Narva-Ivangorod or Luhama-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 settlement can be reached on the
highways M11 and E20. Even before entering the city, checks begin: the combined border guard point and the traffic police check the local residents with a Russian passport, a residence permit, the rest have a foreign passport and a Schengen visa. Next, follow the main road, left and right - gas stations, after the last intersection we notice a column of trucks. This is the turn on 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 present to the border guard all foreign passports (driver and passengers). Then you call into the territory of the post, adhering to the right side of the road, select the "green corridor" intended for Russian cars, and stand in line. When it comes up, get to the second stop-line, get out and go through passport control. To do this, you will need a passport and a yellow car registration certificate.
You show the stamped passports to the customs officer and present him your car for inspection. After checking you are released for the next barrier. There is a favorite of many travelers Duty Free store. Next, we head for the landmark - Narva Castle, more precisely, its tower. We reach the bridge over the Narova River, here again the barrier. We show passports and drive on the bridge. The border with Estonia has been crossed, or rather, its Russian part.
Border crossing point "Narva"
We move by car along the bridge to its end, there is an Estonian automated post. In front of him we slow down and drive slowly between the columns. We see the queue on the border with Estonia and become at its end, then we wait for the permission signal of the traffic light.
Upon entering the Estonian post, we present the following documents to the local border guard: passports, a certificate of registration of the vehicle, a green card on it and our insurance. Those same border guards who are now called policemen will quickly inspect the car. You go to the passport control booth, there they put stamps, return documents, open the barrier, and that’s all - you are in Estonia.
A few small notes
First: everywhere and always the first is the driver of the car, and then the passengers. Second: once in another country, you can immediately get a fine. In a neighboring state, the dipped-beam headlights of the car must always be on, and you can move in settlements at a speed of no more than 50 km / h, if there are no other signs. Fasten your seatbelts, with this in the EU countries strictly, as well as with the passage of pedestrians at the crossings.
Border crossing in electronic queue
On the part of our neighbors, such a system has been operating since August 2011.
From the Russian side, entry on the border with Estonia was introduced on July 14, 2012. This system is called "GoSwift", with its help, preliminary booking of the queue in electronic form is made for vehicles crossing the state border. There is such a queue along with the usual one.
Such a system does not relieve auto-travelers of queues at all, but translates them into virtual ones. Also, drivers who pre-booked the time of crossing the border on the official website will have an advantage. What needs to be done for this? On the site you need to enter the last name and first name of the driver, car data and the desired / estimated time of crossing the border, as well as the desired border point.
To confirm a successful reservation, the driver receives an email. Three times you can make changes.
Return departure from Estonia by booking
You need a bank card, you can apply MasterCard or VISA, others do not fit. Book the time and date of border crossing, order an SMS alert. At the end of the procedure, get the reservation number, which must be stored in electronic or paper form. You need to have it with you. So if you want the border with Estonia to be open for you, take care of this in advance.
Crossing the Estonian-Russian border
The event is quite interesting. Have you booked a place, received an SMS call and think that it’s almost in Russia?
No, not at all. In the case when you are traveling through Narva, you first need to call in the special parking lot, where the numbers of the armor and the car are displayed on the luminous display. If you received an SMS with a call, then your number is already on the board, if not, expect it. When the cherished numbers appear, go to the booth next to the scoreboard, pay three euros and get a ticket. Next drive up to the border and become in the general queue.
Having stood the queue, give the ticket to the employee at the barrier and get into passport control. Everything else is the same as at the entrance, but without duty free. By and large, it is very difficult to say which way the border with Estonia is easier, and its crossing is easier. Everywhere has its pros and cons.
Helpful information
Those who travel frequently between the two countries will benefit from the information below. Passenger buses in the general queue never stand. They go outside of her. If there is a large accumulation of cars, the traffic police inspectors direct everyone to the right from the descent to the post, in which case the line passes along Hospitalnaya Street.
If you are traveling to Estonia in the fall or winter, observe the tire requirements. Most importantly, you simply will not be allowed into this country by car with summer tires from December 1 to February 29. These dates may be slightly adjusted depending on weather conditions. From 01.10 to 30.04 you can ride on winter tires, from 15.10 to 31.03 - on studded tires. Also observe the permissible tread depth of at least 15 millimeters.
The better you comply with 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 item is located to the right of the summer cafe. You can track 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.