Well over half a million Finns are expected to travel by boat to Estonia as a holiday destination this summer. Viking Line is meeting this demand by doubling capacity on the Estonia route for an extended period with the help of additional departures by Viking Cinderella and Viking Gabriella. Particularly for passengers with cars, it pays to book their trip well in advance to ensure their holiday gets off to a smooth start.
The Visit Estonia tourist board forecasts that at least 670,000 Finns will sail to Estonia this summer. Along with Tallinn, Pärnu – Estonia’s summer capital – and Tartu – European Capital of Culture – have won over holidaymakers as a favourite destination. At the same time, passengers already familiar with Estonia are looking for new experiences in the country's charming islands, with their interesting history and beautiful nature, or the multifaceted towns and cities of northern Estonia.
"We expect a record summer for our vessels on the Estonian route. Already in March, combined figures for all the company's passengers on the Helsinki-Tallinn route were 20 per cent higher than three years ago," says Viking Line's Commercial Director, Minna Tuorila.
To meet the big demand, Viking Line is offering additional capacity – as in previous years – on the Helsinki-Tallinn route this summer. During peak season, the company’s vessels will make three daily departures from Helsinki to Tallinn with Viking Gabriella and Viking Cinderella, which returned to Finland service in March, alternating with the familiar Viking XPRS. On Fridays there will be four departures. The additional sailings will nearly double Viking Line’s capacity on the route from June 19 to August 11, 2024, which means additional capacity will be available for a longer period than ever.
"Estonia is the favourite holiday destination of Finns. With the additional departures, we want to guarantee that passengers travelling to Estonia will have enough options during the busiest weeks in peak season – many passengers who take their car continue on to other Baltic countries or continental Europe via Tallinn. We also believe the recently renovated Viking Cinderella, with its varied offering of restaurants and high-quality spa facilities, will entice people to cross the Gulf of Finland," says Minna Tuorila.
Viking XPRS will depart from Skatudden for Tallinn during the morning and in the evening, while Viking Cinderella and Viking Gabriella will alternate service, sailing every other day at 10:30 a.m. On Fridays, Viking XPRS will make a third sailing as well. People can book scheduled service, a cruise and car spaces on all three vessels.
"More and more people nowadays book their trip at the very last minute. Last summer, many people were not able to buy a ticket, and In particular spaces for cars are booked well in advance. So if you want to be sure to get a space for a particular day and departure, it pays to book well in advance."