ESTONIA - Scandinavia - page 991

If you must catch a taxi off the street, go to a busy taxi stand where lots
of cabs are lined up. It's also OK to use the stands at the airport and ferry
terminals. Before doing anything else, take a close look at the yellow price
list on the rear passenger-side door; the base fare should be around €3.10
and the per-kilometer charge under €1. If it's not, keep looking. Glance in-
side—a photo ID license should be attached to the middle of the dashboard.
Don't negotiate or ask for a price estimate; let the driver use the meter. Rates
must be posted by law, but are not capped or regulated, so the most common
scam—unfortunately widespread, and legal—is to list an inflated price on the
yellow price sticker (as much as €3/kilometer), and simply wait for a tourist
to hop in without noticing. Singleton cabs lurking in tourist areas are usually
fishing for suckers, as are cabbies who flag you down (“Taxi?”)—give them a
miss. It's fun to play spot-the-scam as you walk around town.
Tours in Tallinn
Bus and Walking Tour —This thoroughly enjoyable, narrated 2.5-hour tour
of Tallinn comes in two parts: first by bus for an overview of sights outside
the Old Town such as the Song Festival Grounds and Kadriorg Park, then
on foot to sights within the Old Town (€20, pay driver; covered by 24-hour
or longer Tallinn Card—not the 6-hour version; in English and Finnish;
daily morning and early afternoon departures from A-Terminal, D-Terminal,
and major hotels in city center, later afternoon trip added in summer, tel.
610-8634—to see the schedule, go to www.tourism.tallinn.ee and type “offi-
cial sightseeing tour”—without quotes—in search box).
Local Guides — Mati Rumessen is a top-notch guide, especially for car
tours inside or outside town (€32/hour for driving or walking tours, mobile
509-4661, www.tourservice.ee , [e-mail] ) . Other fine guides are An-
tonio Villacis (mobile [phone], [e-mail] ) and Miina
Puusepp (€20/hour, mobile [phone], [e-mail] ).
Tallinn Traveller Tours —These student-run tours show you the real city
without the political and corporate correctness of official tourist agencies.
All tours start from the Travellers' Tent, across from the main TI; reserve
by dropping by the tent, by calling (mobile [phone]), or online