Paldiski

Paldiski is on the Pakri Peninsula stretching out into the Baltic Sea. As such the port rarely freezes over during winter (unlike Tallinn for instance). The Swedes were the first to discover this and established the settlement of Rågervik in the 14th century. After the Great Northern War in the early 18th century, present-day Estonia became Russian, and Peter the Great had a fortress built here. The settlement first functioned as a penal colony, though over the decades the port was developed and in 1762 the settlement was renamed Baltiiskiy Port (Балтийский Порт). The German name Baltischport was also used, as Baltic Germans held a high position in the Baltic commercial life, and the Estonians called the town Paldiski.

In 1870 the railway from St. Petersburg along the north Estonian coast reached Paldiski; this railway line served as an axis of development for the cities along it. In addition to commerce and industry, the military also had strong position in the town during Russian Tsarist and Soviet rule. Between the world wars, Estonia was an independent country, and the town's name was established as Paldiski. When the country fell into Soviet hands, Paldiski became a military outpost towards the western bloc and as such a closed city: off-limits to foreigners, non-resident Soviet citizens, even non-resident Estonians themselves because of its military importance. By the 1960s, it had grown in size considerably and was the largest submarine base in the Soviet Union. In 1994, three years after the fall of the USSR and restoration of Estonian independence, the base was closed and the last Russian troops left. At that point Paldiski became a normal town - for example the nuclear reactors used for training crews for nuclear submarines were now buried in concrete sarcophaguses.

Best to take the train one way and the bus the other way to enjoy both sides of the ride. Bus and train schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia.

By train:

Trains run from Tallinn Balti Jaam, with about hourly departures. The trip generally takes 54 minutes and a ticket costs €4. A few of them are designated as express trains (kiirrong), taking 43 minutes where tickets cost €5.

1 Paldiski railway station. At the southern end of the city, near the oil terminals. Though it's more of a railway stop as the old wooden station building (a listed heritage building) isn't in use.

By bus:

Buses – the Tallinn region bus line 145 – depart almost hourly during daytime, though not from the bus station but from Tallinn Balti Jaam, going clockwise around the old town via Viru Hotel and Vabaduse väljak before heading west to the Zoo, Rocca al Mare shopping mall and the Paldiski highway. The trip takes about 1 hr 10 min and it costs €3.

The 2 central bus stop to get in and out is along Sadama street in the centre (they also have a timetable posted there), the one on Kivi is quite central also. But there are other stops between and including the railway station.

By car:

Paldiski is a 50-km drive from Tallinn along highway 8. From the south-west, you can get in from Haapsalu along highways 9 a short bit, 17 to Padise and 174 to Paldiski; that is a 70-km drive.

By boat:

DFDS operates almost-daily freight ferries from Kapellskär, Sweden that also carry passengers (with cars). The crossing takes around 10 hours. Most days there is either overnight or daytime service, other days there is no departure and this varies randomly - check their website when making your travel plans.

3 Port of Paldiski, Peetri 11, ☏ +372 651-1022. Chiefly a freight port, but some of the freight lines take passengers too.