Bus from Russia to Estonia: My First Border Crossing
I hurried back (well, the bus hurried) from Peterhof to St. Petersburg. On the way there, I was nervous about where to get off while trying to enjoy the view, but the return trip was much more relaxing since the final stop was St. Petersburg anyway—I figured they'd wake me up when we arrived. The Summer Palace was so vast and the gardens were so beautifully maintained that I couldn't help but walk a lot. Completely exhausted, I slept so deeply on the bus that I don't even remember the ride.
After waking up, I quickly headed to Pushkinskaya Station to catch my bus to Tallinn.
Out of the various ways to get from St. Petersburg to Tallinn, I chose the bus because it was cheap and I could sleep on it. I'm not exactly sure how many companies run this route, but I bought my ticket through a company called 'Ecolines', which Timur recommended. Their website is well-designed, making it easy enough to buy a ticket if you speak a little English. When searching for St. Petersburg and Tallinn, you might see three or four different stops, but if you just select "St.Petersburg" and "Tallinn" with nothing attached to the end, it covers all of them, making it easy to choose.
The payment currency is in euros, so if you don't have a credit card, you have to check ticket availability online and then go to an Ecolines branch to buy it in person. A credit card is overwhelmingly more convenient in this situation. But you don't necessarily need to borrow a card just to pay online. Unless you have a special circumstance, you'll need a printed ticket to show the bus driver anyway. So as long as there are tickets left (the risk is them selling out), visiting the branch isn't a bad idea. If you ask why you have to print the ticket, my only answer is "because the staff recommended it." Showing the ticket on your phone from your email isn't technically a problem, but they tell you to just print it for peace of mind (they print it for free) in case any issues arise when loading luggage or going through immigration. To summarize:
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If buying online -> Pay with a credit card -> Even if you buy online, try to visit a branch to print the ticket (or print the ticket received via email; branches are always near the boarding area).
- If buying offline -> Both credit cards and cash are accepted -> They will print and give you the ticket when you buy it.
It's a double-decker bus. You can choose your seat when buying the ticket. I recommend checking to see where it's empty, and if it's mostly full, the first floor is better because there are fewer people. The first floor looks a bit cramped, but with fewer people, it's a quieter ride (the cramped feeling is mostly psychological; I don't know if it's actually smaller, but it's plenty big enough to sleep). The second floor looks more spacious, but it can be noisy because there are a lot of people. For reference, seats 67 to 74 face each other like on a train. There's a table in the middle, making it perfect for hanging out. Highly recommended if you're traveling as a group of four.
With about two hours left, I went to the Ecolines office, printed my ticket, listened to the instructions, and went to get some food. To use up the rest of my Russian rubles, I chose McDonald's!
I naturally assumed there would be Wi-Fi, but you can't use it without a Russian phone number. To use Wi-Fi in Russian fast-food restaurants, you must be able to receive a text message via a Russian number. Since I had blocked all my incoming services, I just had to sit blankly in McDonald's and people-watch. If I had known, I would have gone to a bakery. The bread here is really good...
The bus stop is in the middle of the road, so it can be hard to find. I just hope you can spot that blue 'Baltic' sign in the photo. For reference, it's not far from McDonald's and is right next to a park. When the bus arrives, a uniformed attendant checks your ticket and passport. It's a really fascinating experience to board a bus feeling like you're boarding a plane.
We departed shortly after.
The bus was surprisingly comfortable, so I fell fast asleep. However, I made the huge mistake of not buying water, so I was constantly thirsty, and there's no water dispenser on the bus. The seats are more comfortable than an airplane, but there's no water. It said Wi-Fi was available on board, but unfortunately, it doesn't work in Russia; they said it would only connect once we crossed into Estonia.
After riding for about three or four hours, the bus stopped. I peeked out and saw it was the border. People who had been deep in sleep rubbed their eyes, got up one by one, grabbed all their hand-carry luggage, and got off. Police officers with guns glared at people with terrifying faces (why do all border guards look so scary?). We stood in line and had our passports checked by the Russian police one by one. When it was my turn, the officer reviewed my documents and said something in Russian. What was that!? Was there a problem with what I got in Moscow? I looked at him with an expression of total incomprehension, and he sighed, shouted "Moscow BAD!!", and then smiled and stamped my passport. There was an issue with the new documents I had received, and he must have been frustrated to death seeing this pale Asian guy just standing there blankly. Thanks to the inspection being less strict than at an airport, I passed through without any major issues. Soon after, it was straight to the Estonian passport control. It's actually so fun that exit and entry inspections happen right away in one place. When leaving Russia, we only had to take our hand-carry luggage, but when entering Estonia, we had to stand there with all our luggage. It's crazy how every country has a different checking method. The Estonian passport control officers spoke English really fluently, but since I hadn't used English much lately, I couldn't understand what they were saying when suddenly hit with rapid-fire questions. Because of that:
"Do you have medical insurance?"
"No."
"You don't?"
"Eh...?"
I even spouted nonsense like this, but when I quickly said I misunderstood and that I did have it, they nonchalantly stamped my passport. I can't believe I didn't understand "medical insurance." It's a big problem that I wasn't fully awake. Anyway, contrary to my worries, it was a historic moment as my passport received a bus stamp instead of an airplane stamp.
There's no issue with large luggage because the staff carry and inspect it themselves, just like on a plane. Small bags just pass through an X-ray once, so that's not a problem either. When you walk in, passport control takes place in a space so narrow you'd think it was really run-down. As someone who had only ever gone through immigration at airports, I looked around with immense curiosity. The only thing to watch out for during passport control is that exit and entry happen with almost no time gap, so you need to wake up quickly to avoid spouting nonsense like I did.
After passport control, back to deep sleep.
I arrived in Tallinn, and it was surprisingly early. Plus, the temperature had dropped sharply. I was planning to go straight to the guesthouse, but it was much colder than expected, so I decided to stay at the station until the sun fully came up. Many people filled the terminal even at this early hour, and some were sleeping on the floor. So here I was, sleeping rough again. But for sleeping rough, the inside was incredibly clean and tidy. Maybe that's why I slept so deeply; when I opened my eyes, it was 9 AM, and the people around me had changed from backpackers to locals. I felt like people were going to start tossing coins at me soon, so I quickly headed toward downtown Tallinn.
Expenses
- Lunch 65 R
- Bus to Peterhof 70 R
- Peterhof Grand Palace admission 700 R
- Bus from Peterhof 70 R
- Lemon water 36 R
- Accommodation in Tallinn €18
Total Expenses 941 RUB, €18
Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 47,499 RUB + $312.26 + €58