Return route · €160 per car
Transfer and taxi Luhamaa — Tallinn: how to get away from the crossing
You walk out of the Luhamaa checkpoint and you are standing on the Riga — Pskov road: no town, no bus stop, no taxi waiting. That is where our part begins — 280 kilometres via Võru and Tartu, about three hours ten minutes, drop-off at the airport terminal, the port, a hotel or any address. We wait as long as the border keeps you.
- per car
- €160
- on the road
- 3 h 10 min
- border to city
- 280 km
What the price covers
- The fare is fixed before departure: traffic and night trips do not change it
- Pickup at the airport and cruise port — the driver waits with a name board
- If your flight is delayed we wait as long as needed, at no extra cost
- A child seat on request, and no surcharge for luggage
- Pay in cash, by card or by bank transfer; no prepayment required
Not a single bus leaves Luhamaa
That is literal: there is no scheduled transport from the checkpoint and none from the neighbouring village of Lüta either. The nearest town is Võru, about thirty kilometres away, and there is nothing to get there with. This is why the ride back from Luhamaa is arranged in advance rather than decided on the spot. Opening hours change; check them before you travel.
In short. Luhamaa to Tallinn costs €160 for the whole car — up to four passengers with luggage. It is 280 km via Võru and Tartu, about 3 hours 10 minutes. The car waits on the Estonian side, at the exit from the checkpoint grounds.
Waiting is not billed. Nobody predicts the queue on the Russian side, so an exact hour is not needed: give us an approximate one and the driver will wait. No prepayment, and you can settle in euros or in roubles, in cash, by card or by transfer.
The Russian side of this crossing is Shumilkino; the Estonian one is Luhamaa. Need the other direction, from Tallinn to the border? That is the Tallinn — Luhamaa page, at the same price.
Price
What the Luhamaa — Tallinn taxi costs
The fare matches both the outbound trip and the Koidula one: ten kilometres do not justify a separate price. You pay for the car rather than for a seat, so four passengers cost what one costs.
| Service | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Luhamaa — Tallinn | €160 | the whole car, up to 4 passengers with luggage |
| Waiting at the checkpoint | €0 | the border queue cannot be predicted, so waiting time is not billed |
| Drop-off at Tallinn airport or the port | €0 | we take you to the terminal itself, not to the nearest stop |
| Luhamaa — Tartu | €80 | ≈ 95 km via Võru, about 1 h 20 min |
| Luggage, child seat, late departure | €0 | no surcharge for suitcases or for the evening |
Paying. Cash to the driver — in euros or in roubles — by card or by bank transfer. There is no exchange office, cash machine or shop at Luhamaa, and Russian bank cards are not accepted in Estonia: roubles are effectively the only money that works here. No prepayment: the ride first, the settlement after.
Why nothing can be «sorted out on the spot» here
Narva has a town and a railway station; Koidula has at least a station two kilometres away. Luhamaa has nothing: the crossing stands on the Riga — Pskov road, the nearest village is Lüta and the nearest town is Võru, thirty kilometres off. No taxi rank, no bus stop, not even a shop to ask for advice in. Add a Russian SIM card that may not work in Estonia and there is nothing to call a car with. That is why the ride back from here is booked before you cross, not after.
If you are heading for Riga or Tartu instead
Luhamaa sits directly on the Riga — Pskov road, so going south from the crossing is in fact shorter: we drive to Riga and quote it separately — send the date and the time. Tartu costs €80, about 95 kilometres via Võru. The way back to the crossing is still €160: if you return in a few days, both trips can be booked in one message.
Airport and port
From Luhamaa to Tallinn airport and the port
Most of these trips are booked for a flight or a ferry out of Tallinn. The counting has to be backwards and generous: three hours ten minutes of driving plus a border whose timing depends on neither of us.
A flight from Lennart Meri airport
Give us the flight number and we will work out when you need to be out of the checkpoint to make check-in comfortably. On tickets and departure boards the airport is Tallinn Airport, code TLL, four kilometres from the centre, so the drive ends at the terminal door. The margin here needs to be bigger than on the Narva route: the road is longer and there is no way round it.
Ferries to Helsinki and Stockholm
We drop you at the right terminal in the Old Port; ferries and cruise berths have different entrances, so name the vessel or the operator in advance. Allow the same margin as for a flight.
Võru and Tartu on the way
The route runs through Võru and Tartu, so a drop-off in either complicates nothing — just tell us in advance. From those towns onwards there are buses and trains: if you are not heading for Tallinn but for somewhere in southern Estonia, it is often cheaper to ride with us to the town and continue on scheduled transport.
How the trip works
How the way back from Luhamaa works
- 01
Tell us the date and roughly when you expect to be out
An exact hour is not needed — «in the morning» or «in the afternoon» is enough. If a flight, a ferry or a train follows, give us its departure time and we will count backwards. The confirmation carries the price, the car's registration and the driver's phone: save it <strong>before</strong> you cross, because reception on the Russian side can disappear.
- 02
The driver waits at the exit from the checkpoint
The car stands on the Estonian side of Luhamaa, at the exit from the crossing grounds. It is hard to get the place wrong: there is one road at the barrier and no second way out. If the queue takes longer than you expected, he waits — that changes neither the price nor the booking.
- 03
The road through Võru and Tartu
First thirty kilometres along the Riga — Pskov road to the Võru turn, then Tartu and the highway to Tallinn: 280 kilometres, about three hours ten minutes. This is the longest of our return routes, so halfway we stop for coffee and a stretch — that time is allowed for and costs nothing extra.
- 04
Drop-off wherever you need
An airport terminal, a berth in the port, a station, a hotel or your front door — we drive to the address, not to the nearest main street. We unload the suitcases ourselves; you settle after the ride, in euros or roubles, in cash, by card or by transfer.
Why a transfer
There is no public transport away from Luhamaa
This is geography rather than a sales pitch: there is hardly anything to compare. Narva has a train and a coach from the border, Koidula has a station two kilometres away. Luhamaa has neither.
| Way | Price | Time | What matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| EstoniaTransfer private car | €160 per car | ≈ 3 h 10 min | the driver waits at the checkpoint, drop-off at the terminal or your address |
| Scheduled bus from the crossing | — | — | does not exist: none from the checkpoint and none from the village of Lüta |
| International coach to Tallinn | operator's fare | depends on the service | passes by; boarding at the crossing itself is not provided for |
| Taxi from Võru | by the meter plus the approach | ≈ 3 h 40 min | has to be called in advance: Võru is thirty kilometres away and the empty run out is in the fare |
Without embellishment. If you travel light and do not mind changes, it is cheaper to cross at Narva, where the border has both a train and a coach. But once you have come out at Luhamaa the choice narrows to two: a car is waiting for you, or you look for one standing on the highway.
The car
The car waiting for you on the Riga — Pskov road
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid: four passenger seats, two large suitcases plus hand luggage, working climate control. On this route it matters more than on the others: 280 kilometres is the longest of the three drives, and it begins where there is nowhere to wait in the warm. In winter the car is on winter tyres — the stretch from the border to Võru runs across open country where the snow drifts.
Kirill is at the wheel — the same person who answers WhatsApp and Telegram, and the one who will actually arrive. No dispatcher in between: you arrange everything with the driver himself. He speaks Russian, gets by in English, and takes it for granted that the hour you clear the border is an estimate.
The border crossing
Where you are met at Luhamaa
The meeting point is the Estonian side of Luhamaa
The queue for entering Estonia
If you do not make it before closing
No shop and no café nearby
Phone numbers, just in case
Entering Estonia
What to allow for when entering Estonia through Luhamaa
As of September 2026. Rules on this direction change several times a year — check politsei.ee and the customs service before you travel; links at the end of the section.
Phones and money when there is nothing around
• A Russian SIM card may not work in Estonia at all: most operators have roaming switched off;
• cards issued by Russian banks are not accepted here;
• there is no exchange office or cash machine at the crossing — the nearest are in Võru;
• do not count on Wi-Fi inside the checkpoint;
• so save the driver's number and the car's registration before you cross;
• you can pay us in roubles — no need to change money for the transfer.
What you may bring into Estonia
• The officer at the border has the final say, and arguing at the barrier is pointless;
• keep receipts for expensive items to hand, not at the bottom of a suitcase;
• prescription medicines with controlled substances need the prescription and a translation;
• we drive you to Tallinn, but the contents of your luggage are your responsibility; we do not advise on customs and do not handle paperwork.
Why crossing in the morning is better
• At opening the queue on the Russian side is usually shorter and your margin before a flight survives;
• it grows towards evening, and after closing you cannot cross at all — that means finding a bed on the Russian side;
• at weekends and before public holidays the wait is longer at any hour;
• if a plane or a ferry is waiting in Tallinn, allow at least half a day: neither the border nor 280 kilometres can be done faster.
Worth checking before you set off: politsei.ee for opening hours and crossing rules, emta.ee for what you may bring into Estonia.
FAQ
Transfer Luhamaa — Tallinn: common questions
How much does the Luhamaa — Tallinn transfer cost?
How long is the drive from Luhamaa to Tallinn?
Can I get away from Luhamaa without a transfer?
Where exactly will the car be waiting?
What if the queue holds me up for hours?
Can I pay in roubles?
Will you take me straight to Tallinn airport?
Can I book both directions at once?
Book a transfer from Luhamaa to Tallinn
Send the date and roughly when you expect to clear the checkpoint — we will confirm the car, the price and the driver's number in one message. No prepayment; the driver will be waiting at the barrier.
Prices and facts on this page were last checked . Crossing hours and border rules change — check politsei.ee before you travel.