Advice for attending Tallinn JGP?

YesWay said:

Got my own answer to one of the questions at least...

I emailed the organisers to ask about entry, and they replied to say "The competition is free of charge" YAY! :-D

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Mattieu said:

So cool, St Gervais the French comp was €10 per day!

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pororocheburashka said:

Mattieu do you have any information about the attendance in St Gervais?
... because from the videos it looked so empty and clapping was sparse.

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deedee1 said:

Where are tickets???? All gone in a second or two. I've never been to Junior competitions, the venue is the closest rink available for int'l comps from where I live, I was so much interested in going! I was so looking forward to seeing Sena, Vincent and Sadovsky live... :sarcasm:

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MGstyle said:

I have been doing a little homework because I am considering going to Tallinn Trophy in Nov. (have to wait for the announcement of the entries though) the venue Tondiraba is quite some way off from the centre, probably it will be more convenient for you to stay in the neighbourhood of the rink. There seem to be very few hotels around, but if you search Airbnb there are a few places near the rink (=walking distance) and the prices are good, for example this one.
You might want to spend a few days and stay in the centre if your schedule allows though, either before or after the competition, Tallinn seems like such a charming little city!

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YesWay said:

Thanks, yes I already looked for hotels nearby, and since the nearest ones were still a fair walk (and it's a place we've never been before), we decided to "splurge" on the official competition hotel in the city centre. The arena seems well-served by buses from nearby, and the city does indeed look nice for sightseeing...

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MGstyle said:

I have been doing a little homework because I am considering going to Tallinn Trophy in Nov. (have to wait for the announcement of the entries though) the venue Tondiraba is quite some way off from the centre, probably it will be more convenient for you to stay in the neighbourhood of the rink. There seem to be very few hotels around, but if you search Airbnb there are a few places near the rink (=walking distance) and the prices are good, for example this one.
You might want to spend a few days and stay in the centre if your schedule allows though, either before or after the competition, Tallinn seems like such a charming little city!

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MsLiinaLii said:

Everything in Tallinn is really near.
The rink is located in one of the biggest residential areas - Lasnamäe - and the transportation system is, indeed, very convinient.

You can get there by buses 19, 44, 51 ja 65, which, if I am not mistaken, all go from the City centre.
Also, if you täke a taxi it will be 5-6 euro ride.

If you will have any questions about Tallinn or so, feel free to message me

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YesWay said:

Hi MsLiinaLii, thanks for the information. Do you have any advice about using smart cards for bus travel?

Can we just buy "empty" smart cards at the places listed on the Tallinn public transport web site, and then load credit later, online?

I don't speak a word of Estonian, so I'm a bit concerned about trying to buy a smart card and ask to load credit onto it, in a shop or post office or whatever, meanwhile a queue will build up behind me ;-D Or are Estonians generally able to understand English?

(I know the first time I went to Finland Helsinki, if I stopped somebody to ask directions or something, I would first ask them if they spoke English... and they usually replied "yes" with a funny look. Turns out most Finnish people I have met, speak better English than English people...! And I think perhaps I was insulting them by asking if they speak English I stopped asking that question very quickly...! :-D Maybe it will be the same in Estonia)

Anyway, would I be better off just paying the Tallinn bus drivers in cash? I know it would cost more, but it's not very much for the few days I'll be there. But then - if I pay cash, does it have to be the exact amount in coins? Or will the driver accept bank notes and give change?

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MsLiinaLii said:

Sorry for a läte reply. I was extremely busy lately((
Estonians are generally good English-speakers. Especially the youth. So do not to hesitate to ask.
Buying froim a bus driver will cost more, but not by much. But it is advised to give exact amount in coins. (they do not really like to give change)

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YesWay said:

Thanks! I am finding it as you said, younger people generally speak English... and everyone here has been kind and friendly so far.

More bus info, for anyone coming to Tallinn in the future eg Tallinn Trophy Challenger series:

I brought some Euro coins for the buses just in case, but you can buy public transport smartcards at RKiosk shops which are widespread, and many other places... and there is an RKiosk at the airport. Of course they spoke English at the airport... I bought a card there (2e) and got a 5 day pass loaded onto it (6e). This gives unlimited use of the public transport for 5 days. Very cheap, and convenient. It's 2e per bus ride otherwise. I took a taxi from airport to hotel though. You can load more tickets onto your card online if you need to.

To use the card, just get on the bus, and hold the smartcard up to one of the readers - it should give you a chime and a green light. Easy. Plenty more info online about smartcards, what the card readers look like, how to use them etc eg.http://www.tallinn.ee/eng/PUBLIC-TRANSPORT-CARD

Buses to/from Tallinn Viru Keskus (very close to Sokos and Tallink City hotels) are frequent and 19, 44 and 51 go to the Virbi stop, right next to the Tondiraba arena. Viru Keskus bus station is under a shopping centre which is handy if you want to get some food/drink to bring with you (there is a supermarket at the basement level next to the bus stops. They weigh loose fruit etc at the tills for you). There are drink and snack kiosks at the arena though, and a very nice café serving hot food and nice sandwiches etc

The buses announce the stops as it goes, and show the name of the next stop on a display too. Press one of the red "stop" buttons when Virbi is the next stop. There will be a ding sound and "stopping" will show on a sign near the driver. It only takes 10-20 minutes depending on bus and traffic (time of day).

Seats at the front of the bus are mostly prioritised for elderly, pregnant ladies, etc. So able bodies and younger people are generally better using the middle or rear doors, rather than front, and sit nearer the back. Yes, three doors, there are card readers at each.

Return trip to Viru Keskus from the arena is only buses 19 and 51. They are less frequent late at night but still don't have to wait long for one. Search for Tallinn bus timetables, there are web pages showing times and frequency.

At the arena, the spectator areas are at ground level, if you go down the stairs outside at the entrance (eg. If main entrance is locked, and it has been sometimes when arriving early for practice sessions)... you will enter the complex used by competitors and officials etc... so you should take the "inside" stairs to the left as you go in... through the café... and into the arena area.

Hope that helps somebody...

PS. posted this using free wifi at the arena, it works better than our hotel wifi...

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CoyoteChris said:

I am enjoying your reports. What would I notice as major differences (as an US fan) attending the event? Security? Politeness? Water fountains? Taking food into the arena? Real Bathrooms? Tipping at eateries? Estonia scores very high on the index of English speaking countries.

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YesWay said:

Hard to say about differences. I've only been to one figure skating event in the US - Skate America GP in Detroit 2013. Senior GP events are quite different to JGP events from the start.

Can't say much about security, audience was so few that security guys were low-key, just eyed you as you came in, and didn't feel the need to search your bags. But given the levels of security at the airport, I rather think things might be much tighter at more "major" events.

I saw no water fountains in the arena. I took food into the arena no problem. Cafe was very good though, so we ate there a few times too.

What do you mean by a "real bathroom"? Toilets were clean and looked much like those at any other place to me? I didn't see inside the ladies toilets, but I'm sure my wife would have made it known if there was anything to complain about...

Everyone we met was very polite and friendly, except one bus driver who shouted at us when we didn't get off at the terminal right away. (Well, we didn't realise it was the last stop. It was our first time making the return trip from the arena... and we kind of expected the bus to go into the same bus station that we left from. But actually the "terminal" is a regular bus stop, and the buses always go into the station from there, completely empty...)

Didn't see other people tipping at restaurants, so we didn't either... hope we got it right...

We did hit the "language barrier" a couple of times, but as mentioned above - younger generations seemed to speak English very well.

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CoyoteChris said:

Did you get a chance to see some of the architecture? Looks like a great place to walk around. And I would want to see the occupation museum.

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