Southern crossing · €160 per car
Tallinn to Koidula door to checkpoint
Koidula is Estonia's south-eastern road crossing into Russia, opposite Kunichina Gora and a short drive from Pechory and Pskov. From Tallinn it is 270 km via Tartu, and there is almost no public transport for the last stretch — which is exactly the part a private car solves.
In short: a private transfer from Tallinn to Koidula costs €160 for the car, not per seat, and takes about 3 hours 5 minutes via Tartu. Up to four passengers with luggage. Pickup at home, a hotel, the airport or the harbour, a child seat and bags are all part of the fare.
The checkpoint is open 7:00–19:00 Estonian time and closed overnight, so we set your departure from Tallinn by the time you want to be at the barrier. Already in Tartu? That leg is shorter and costs €80.
Or Telegram or call +372 56277764
- €160for the whole car
- ≈ 3 h 5 minon the road
- 270 kmvia Tartu
- One fixed fare per car
- Airport and port pickup
- Free waiting for late flights
- Child seat on request
- Cash or bank transfer
Fare
€160 for the car, whoever is in it
You pay for the journey, not for the seats. One traveller or four, one suitcase or five, a midday start or a 3 a.m. one — the fare does not move.
| Item | Price | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Tallinn → Koidula border | €160 | the whole car, up to 4 passengers and their luggage |
| Koidula → Tallinn | €160 | same fare in the other direction — the return route |
| Tartu → Koidula | €80 | if you are starting from Tartu: about an hour on the road |
| Pickup at the airport or harbour | €0 | name board at arrivals, a delayed flight or ferry is not charged |
| Night start, child seat, bags | €0 | no surcharges for the hour, the luggage or a child seat |
Paying. Cash to the driver or a bank transfer, in euros, once you are there. No deposit. The fare and pickup time come to you in a message before the day, so you have them in writing.
Why Koidula costs more than Narva
It is 60 km further and about 35 minutes longer each way, and the last part runs on quiet local roads through Põlva county and Setomaa rather than a main highway. Hence €160 here against €130 for Tallinn — Narva.
Choosing a crossing
Narva or Koidula: which one suits your trip
Both are open by day only and both are a few hours from Tallinn. What decides it is mostly where you are heading in Russia and how you plan to cross.
| Narva | Koidula | |
|---|---|---|
| From Tallinn | 210 km, ≈ 2 h 30 min | 270 km, ≈ 3 h 5 min |
| Our fare | €130 | €160 |
| How the border is crossed | on foot only, over the bridge | a road crossing for vehicles; rules for foot passengers have changed — check before you go |
| Russian side | Ivangorod, on the road to St Petersburg | Kunichina Gora, next to Pechory, on the road to Pskov |
| Opening hours | 7:00–19:00 Estonian time | 7:00–19:00 Estonian time |
Heading for Pskov, Pechory or further south
Then Koidula is usually the shorter way overall, even though the Estonian part of the drive is longer. On the Russian side we can arrange a car from Kunichina Gora: to Pskov for about 3,000 roubles, to St Petersburg for about 17,000 roubles. Mention it in the same message and we will confirm both legs together.
Heading for St Petersburg
Narva is the natural choice: Ivangorod is on the main road to the city, and from there the onward trip is much cheaper than from Kunichina Gora. See Tallinn — Narva.
When to leave Tallinn
Allow about three hours for the road and a margin for the barrier queue, which before the 19:00 closing can be long. To be at the checkpoint for the 7:00 opening we leave Tallinn shortly before 4:00. A start after about 13:00 leaves little room for a slow day at the border.
Airport and harbour
From a Tallinn arrival straight to Koidula
Most travellers on this route land at Lennart Meri airport or come in by ferry and want to be at the border the same day. The drive starts at the terminal door.
Flight number or ship name is enough
Put it in your booking message. The driver tracks the arrival himself and waits after baggage reclaim, or at the harbour exit, with a RideGo sign. If you land late, the meeting simply shifts and the fare stays the same.
Will you make it the same day?
An arrival by late morning gets you to Koidula in early afternoon, with several hours left before the crossing closes. Landing in the afternoon is tight; in that case many people prefer to stay the night in Tallinn or Tartu and cross in the morning — we can split the drive that way.
How it works
Three hours to the south-east border
Tell us the plan
Date, pickup address and when you want to be at the checkpoint. We work out the departure time from that and confirm it with the fare in one message.
Pickup in Tallinn
From a flat, a hotel, the airport or the harbour. The driver loads the luggage; there is no charge for bags.
Via Tartu
The Tallinn–Tartu highway, then local roads towards Setomaa. It is a longer drive than to Narva, so a coffee stop on the way is built into the timing.
At the checkpoint
We stop at the Koidula border crossing. You go through the controls yourself; an onward car on the Russian side is arranged separately if you need one.
The car
The car you will be riding in
A Toyota Corolla 2020 with a leather interior, climate control and four passenger seats. Three hours is long enough to notice the difference between a car that is looked after and one that is not: winter tyres from the first frost, working air conditioning in summer.
Kirill drives and answers the messages himself, so whatever changes on the day you tell the person behind the wheel. He speaks Russian and English.
Alternatives
Coach, train or a private car to Koidula
The catch with Koidula is the last few kilometres: scheduled transport either drives straight through to Russia or stops short of the checkpoint.
| Option | Price | Time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| RideGo private transfer | €160 per car | ≈ 3 h 5 min | door to checkpoint, departure set by the time you want to cross |
| Ecolines coach Tallinn — Pskov | see the booking site | ≈ 7 h 17 min | passes through Koidula; everyone on board clears border control together |
| Elron train via Tartu | Elron fare | Tallinn — Tartu, then line R46 | a couple of trains a day on R46, and about 2 km on foot from the station to the border |
| Your own car | fuel | ≈ 3 h | needs a queue slot booked in GoSwift; weekend slots go early |
When a car is worth it. You want to be at the barrier at a set time, not when a timetable allows. You are carrying more than a backpack. Or you are three or four people, and the fare per head ends up close to a coach ticket.
The crossing
Koidula checkpoint in brief
Open by day only
Since February 2026 Koidula has worked 7:00–19:00 Estonian time and closes completely overnight. A queue tends to form before closing, so plan to arrive with time to spare. From 25 October 2026 Russia is an hour ahead, so on the Kunichina Gora side the same hours read 8:00–20:00.
Queue booking and crossing on foot
Vehicles leaving Estonia book a place in the queue through GoSwift at eestipiir.ee. The rules for foot passengers at Koidula have changed more than once, so check the current ones with the Police and Border Guard Board at politsei.ee before you travel.
Useful phone numbers
Koidula checkpoint: +372 786 1800. Kunichina Gora, Russian side: +7 811 489-34-21. Police and Border Guard Board general line: +372 612 3000.
Questions
Tallinn to Koidula transfer: questions we get asked
How much is a transfer from Tallinn to Koidula?
€160 for the whole car, for one passenger or four, by day or by night. Luggage, a child seat and airport pickup are included. You pay after the trip, in cash or by bank transfer.
How long does the drive from Tallinn to Koidula take?
About 3 hours 5 minutes for the 270 km via Tartu. Snow or heavy traffic can add to it, so for the 7:00 opening we leave Tallinn with a margin.
Should I cross at Koidula or Narva to get to Pskov?
Koidula: Kunichina Gora on the Russian side is next to Pechory and much closer to Pskov. We can also arrange a car from Kunichina Gora to Pskov for about 3,000 roubles. For St Petersburg, Narva is the better choice.
Why is Koidula more expensive than Narva?
The road is 60 km longer and takes about 35 minutes more each way — hence €160 against €130 to Narva. In return, Koidula is a road crossing, while Narva can only be crossed on foot.
Can we stop in Tartu on the way?
Yes, the route runs through Tartu, so a stop or a drop-off there is easy — say so when you book. If you are starting from Tartu, the transfer to Koidula is a separate route at €80.
More routes
Other routes we drive
Routes without an English page yet open WhatsApp with the route already filled in.