The Land of The spa town Pärnu, The Lahemaa National Park

& The Kuressaare Episcopal Castle

Information on Relocating to Estonia

• The capital city of  Estonia is Tallinn with about 410 thousand people. The political centre is also in Tallinn where the President resides. Estonia is a Republic and joined the European Union in 2004.

• Languages: The languages spoken is Estonian. Most people also speak Russian, which is the mother tongue of around 30% of the population. Apart from Russian, the most common foreign languages are English, Finnish and German. The TV programs are in their original language.

• Population: The population is about 1.4 million people - 65.3% are Estonian, 28.1% Russian, 2.5% Ukrainian, 1.5% Belarusian, 1% Finn, 1.6% other.

• Expat areas: Popular area for the Expat community is Tallinn.

• Housing: Housing in the old town is very popular with the Expat community. However, the houses in the suburbs are also very popular.

• Cost of housing: Varies from area to area and the size of the house. Expat Homes are available as of euro 1200-4000, depending upon size, location, style. The local currency is Kroon (ekr).

• Schools: We have the International school. Depending on the age we can tell you about waiting lists, etc.

• Transportation: Public transport is good with a system of trams, buses and trolley buses covering the city. Tickets (talong) can be purchased from kiosks around town or from drivers. An unlimited monthly travel card (kuupilet) is also available. There are no trams or trolleybuses in towns outside of Tallinn, just buses. All buses operate similar ticketing systems, with non-transferable tickets only. In rural areas tickets can only bought from the driver. Taxis offer a 24-hour service and taxis can be ordered by phone or through a hotel reception desk.

• Bank: The banks are open Monday-Friday 9.00 am - 4.00 pm, Saturday 9.00 am - 3.00 pm; hours may vary.

• Shopping: Amber, ceramics, glassware, leather-bound books and local folk art are good buys, as are traditional hand-knitted thick wool jumpers. There is a good knit market by the Old Town walls on Müürivahe in Tallinn. Shopping hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; some on Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; department stores: daily 10:00 am - 8:00 pm..

• Climate: Temperate climate, but with considerable temperature variations. Summer is warm with relatively mild weather in spring and autumn. Winter, which lasts from November to mid-March, can be very cold. Rainfall is distributed throughout the year with the heaviest rainfall in August. Heavy snowfalls are common in the winter months.

• Culture: Tallinn is used to entertaining day-trippers from Finland and has a wide range of restaurants, cafes and bars. There is also an opera and ballet theatre.

• Public holidays: January 1st-New Year's Day; February 24th-Independence Day; March/April-Good Friday; Easter; May 1st-May Day; June 23rd-Victory Day; June 24th-Midsummer; August 20th-Day of Restoration of Independence; December 25th-26th-Christmas Day.