Accessibility in Tallinn

The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre will provide you with relevant information on accessible tourist attractions, accommodation, toilets, transport, essential contact information as well as help you with any other questions you may have during your trip. The Tourist Information Centre is wheelchair accessible, with a 90-cm-wide ramp with a handrail at the entrance. The Information Centre has tactile guide paths on the floor and loop amplifiers are situated at two service desks.

Where can I find information on the accessibility of Tallinn’s tourist attractions, restaurants, accommodations and services?

Tallinn’s accessibility information system LIPS compiles details on the accessibility of public objects in Tallinn and caters to five target groups: people with reduced mobility, visually impaired people, people with intellectual disabilities, hearing impaired or deaf people and elderly people. To find a suitable object, use the search function and filter by category and accessibility level. The database is available in Estonian, Russian and English.

LIPS also provides information on road elements on the streets of Tallinn.

How can I find information about the accessibility of a tourist attraction, restaurant, accommodation or shop on the Visit Tallinn website?

The objects featured on the Visit Tallinn website are linked to the LIPS system, which ensures that the database contains up-to-date information on the accessibility of tourist attractions and services.

The Visit Tallinn website organises attractions, restaurants and cafés, accommodations and shops into filterable lists. When you click on a location in the list, a separate page with more information will open. You can find accessibility information in an info box to the right of the descriptive text in the desktop view and below the descriptive text in the mobile view.

Blue and red icons indicate which mobility devices can access the location. Other accessibility services, including those for people with visual and hearing impairments, are listed below the icons.

Accessibility of Tallinn’s museums

The level of accessibility in Tallinn’s museums varies. Museums located in modern or recently renovated buildings are generally more accessible. This means there are methods in place to help visitors with mobility impairments and other special needs.

Many museums in Tallinn offer audio guides in various languages for visitors with reading difficulties or visual impairments. Newer museum buildings frequently include tactile guide paths or lifts with audible indicators. Several museums have loop amplifiers for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors, with some places providing sign language translations. Where possible, accessible options are available for people with reduced mobility.

However, it is important to note that attractions in older buildings, particularly the museums and sights in Tallinn's Old Town, are not fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. Most medieval buildings have narrow doorways and steep stairs.

Recommendations for using public transport in Tallinn

The website transport.tallinn.ee provides information on Tallinn's public transport timetables as well as real-time tracking. Timetables are also posted in writing at public transport stops and many stops in the city centre feature electronic displays with arrival times. Some central stops and city gateways (such as the airport and port) use loudspeakers to announce the number and direction of the arriving bus.

Tallinn's public transport fleet includes buses, trolleybuses and trams, with low-entry vehicles available in all categories. Low-entry vehicles are marked with an underline in timetables. You can also use the journey planner’s filter options to only see low-entry vehicles.

If you require assistance when boarding public transport, press the blue button with the wheelchair symbol located near the middle door of the vehicle. Low-entry buses have wheelchair ramps, which will be deployed by the driver.

Most public transport vehicles in Tallinn have screens displaying the names of the upcoming and subsequent stops. Usually, the next stop is announced over the loudspeaker.

During peak hours, public transport is more congested and travel time may be longer than usual due to traffic conditions. If you prefer to travel when there are fewer people and less traffic in the city, we recommend avoiding public transport between 7:30-9:30 in the morning and 16:30-18:30 in the evening.

What else should people with special needs consider when navigating Tallinn?

Tallinn’s Old Town is not easily accessible

For those with mobility impairments, navigating the Old Town can be challenging. Most of the streets are cobblestone-paved, with high curbs on the pavement. Public transport does not operate in the Old Town and taxis have limited access to many streets.

People with mobility impairments can still enjoy the beauty of the Old Town on Harju and Viru streets, which have wide and smooth pavements suitable for wheelchair users.

During the summer season, the Old Town can be quite crowded and noisy. We recommend that visitors looking for a quieter experience visit the Old Town in the morning.

Tactile guide paths and traffic lights with audio signals in Tallinn

While guide paths with tactile markings for direction, location and warnings are scarce on Tallinn's streets, they are present in the city centre, close to major intersections and at some bus stops.

In Tallinn's city centre, several major crosswalks have traffic lights with audio signals.

However, outside of the city centre, guide paths and audible traffic signals are less common. You are more likely to find them in areas with higher foot traffic, such as near large shopping centres and major thoroughfares.

Taxi services for wheelchair users

Forus Takso provides service for wheelchair-accessible disability taxis. The taxi service uses specially modified minibuses with ramps that allow wheelchair users to board and remain in their wheelchairs throughout the entire ride. The disability taxi service must be booked at least 12 hours in advance to ensure the availability of a vehicle.

Bolt's ride-sharing service allows you to request a wheelchair-accessible vehicle from the Assist category. The service is available through the Bolt app. Currently, this service is suitable only for collapsible wheelchairs, as non-collapsible wheelchairs would not fit in the vehicles.

Travelling with a guide dog in Tallinn

Guide dogs have special rights in public spaces, including:

• Travelling for free on domestic public transport.
• A taxi driver cannot refuse to transport a guide dog.
• A guide dog may accompany its owner to public places such as cafés, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, museums and other similar venues.

• Tallinn Tourist Information Office
• The Estonian Chamber of People With Disabilities
• Tallinn’s accessibility information system LIPS
• Tallinn Airport: Information for travellers with reduced mobility
• Port of Tallinn: Information for travellers with impairments or reduced mobility
• Tallinn Central Bus Station: Floor plan and additional services (including disabled toilets and assistance for people with disabilities or reduced mobility)
• Elron (railway transportation in Estonia): FAQ, including wheelchair accessibility