Helsinki to Tallinn Overnight Ferry: Our Unique Cruise Experience

We initially planned to take the two-hour ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, like most travelers do. But while researching our options, we stumbled upon something more exciting — the Helsinki to Tallinn overnight ferry, which offered a unique cruise experience between the two capitals. It sounded like the perfect way to combine travel with a comfortable night’s rest.

Instead of rushing through a short ferry ride, we opted for the overnight journey, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of our trip. The cruise gave us time to relax, enjoy the onboard amenities, and wake up refreshed in Tallinn, ready to explore Estonia’s charming capital.

If you’re planning to visit Tallinn from Helsinki, taking the overnight ferry is an excellent alternative to the standard day trip. Here’s everything you need to know about booking the cruise, what to expect onboard, and tips to make the most of your journey.

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Why Choose the Helsinki to Tallinn Overnight Ferry vs the Regular Ferry?

Here are some of the things that we personally enjoyed about taking the overnight cruise as opposed to the normal ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn:

• Unique experience compared to the standard 2-hour trip.
• Comfortable accommodations on fully equipped cruise ships.
• Opportunity to enjoy onboard amenities like bars, restaurants, a spa, and entertainment.
• Convenient arrival times in Tallinn, allowing for a full day of exploration.
• Cost efficient way to travel while saving a night of accommodation expenses in Tallinn.

The Helsinki to Tallinn Overnight Ferry Experience

Now that you know how to get to terminal, we're going to share our personal experience, and a little bit about what the night looks like when you take the Helsinki to Tallinn overnight ferry.

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Checking in

While cruise ship check-ins can many times take several hours, checking in for the Helsinki to Tallinn overnight ferry is easy peasy.

You should arrive to the terminal within an hour before the ship leaves (which is at 6:35 PM), and board no later than 6:15 PM.

As soon as we arrived we went right to one of the kiosks, printed our ticket, and went upstairs to board. There is a small cafe and bathrooms upstairs, and boarding was pretty seamless, taking about 10 minutes.

Settling in

As soon as you print your boarding pass you'll be given your room number, and can bring your luggage straight there. Unlike traditional cruise ships, there is no waiting around.

You'll notice that there are a ton of people playing music in their rooms and getting ready for a fun night out.

Once the ship sails away and it is far enough from land, the duty-free shops will open, and the that's where all the action is. But this isn't because people want to go shopping, it's actually because there is a supermarket onboard!

People can go and buy drinks and snacks directly from the shop rather than having to check the bottle until you get off the ship. You'll notice most people have full carts of alcohol ready to go back to their rooms and pregame.

A Fun Night Onboard

When we first got onboard we decided to go straight for the spa, where you can stay for an hour and a half. We then showered and watched the ship sail away, and head to the shops to pick out some drinks.

We got a bottle of liquor, and made ourselves a little charcuterie board of cheeses, salamis, and even some moose sausage.

After a few drinks we decided to explore the ship. In the early evening most people are either dining, getting ready in their rooms, or relaxing.

You can also enjoy the smaller pub with live music, gamble in the casino, or bring your little ones to one of the kids' activities.

Come 9:00 is when the main entertainment happens in the theater. There are different artists every night, and the one that we had is actually a pretty famous Finnish artist. It was actually more like a concert, and the floor was full of people singing and dancing!

Later on in the night (around 11:00 or midnight) people start to head over the club. We stayed until 3 am, and it was still packed when we left! 

Checking Out

The ship is actually docked from the night before, but passengers can start disembarking at 8:00 AM. 

Those that are returning back to Helsinki after can actually leave everything in their rooms, while those that have one-way tickets must leave the room by 10:00 AM.

As the ferry actually stays there all day though, passengers who are disembarking may stay on the ship for another few hours before the embarkation for the return cuts off.

Passengers can just walk off the ship, and there is actually no real protocol for leaving as there if for most cruise ships, since there are no outstanding accounts, and no key that needs to be returned.