The ferry with a relatively modest name Star is a part of the Tallink fleet. Together with another ship, called a bit more imposingly - Megastar, it operates on the route Helsinki to Tallinn. Two vessels cruise back and forth and provide an opportunity to move between Finnish and Estonian capitals up to eight times a day in each of the directions.
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Helsinki West Harbour Terminal 2
The place where this journey starts is West Harbour Terminal 2, or T2 to the friends, in south-west Helsinki. Its building, designed by PES-Architects and completed in 2017, dominates the surroundings and looks impressive amidst wide open space at the boundary of water and land.
The tilted glass facade behaves like a giant mirror and reflects the entrance area, with pedestrians and cyclists, buses and cars. The grid of thin diagonal lines plays with the light and shadows. The elegant geometry of the main building continues in the shapes of additional structures.
There is an important thing that is better to be noticed beforehand: the terminal is located quite far from the city center (unlike the one of Viking Line). For example, it’s about 45 minutes of walking from the central railway station.
This distance is nothing for dedicated, enthusiastic walkers, but if you are not one of them or just do not have much time on your hands, the tram 7 is always at your service. It stops right near the Terminal 2 and runs through the core of Helsinki.
Meanwhile, I guide my steps inside the T2 building. After a quick and easy check-in via self-service console, I move to the upper floor. The escalator which helps me with this is rather high and steep.
The building continues to impress its visitors. This time — with the wide curved panoramic facade. It faces the gulf and makes the waiting process as spectacular as possible. There is also an open terrace with seats and tables which is, presumably, popular during the warm season. Now it’s sunny but chilly, and I — as well as other passengers — prefer to stay inside the hall.
If I were an impressionable person, I would say that this is the best ferry terminal I have ever seen. Fortunately, I am cold-hearted enough to simply state that T2 covers all the basic needs of a passenger — including a cafe, a bar, toilets and free Wi-Fi. Here, it is impossible to get lost and hard to get bored — which are the signs of a well-planned place.
The route: Helsinki to Tallinn
The mutual disposition of two cities allows the route between them to be pretty much uncomplicated. It looks like an almost straight line on a map. In real life the length of this path is just under 100 kilometres. The ferry makes it from start to finish in 120 minutes.
Ferries depart every three hours, with a couple of shorter intervals in the evening (the schedule varies: there are fewer runs during workdays). The whole sailing activity starts early in the morning — the first ship leaves the port at half past seven. In my case the trip starts at 13:30 and ends at 15:30.
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The cabin: A-Class
My cabin on the deck 9 is quite spacious and fairly comfortable. It has a sofa, two small tables and a soft stool. There are also three unfolding beds — each is equipped with a full set of bed sheets and pillows. The floor carpeting is clean and pleasant. The wardrobe and luggage space near the door are more than sufficient to store my belongings.
What I would like to mention especially is the fancy round window. Although the view on the route is monotonous, it is always good to have an option to look outside. The view is uneventful, but calming and nice. By the way, this is the difference between A-Class and B-Class: the latter has a mirror instead of a window, of the same size and shape.
I am lucky to enjoy the daylight, but at night the seascape admiring is less relevant. When it’s dark outside, the importance of artificial illumination grows. The good thing is that caring designers filled the cabin with a number of additional light fixtures. Apart from the main light, there are reading lamps near all the beds and at the mirror.
And, to continue the electricity-related topic, I find a couple of sockets (which are vitally important for any owner of modern devices) and two controllers: the first is for the radio volume and the second is for the air temperature.
Another facility that increases the cozy feeling of being as good as at home is the lavatory. It occupies the corner of the cabin and offers a shower, a toilet and a big sink with a mirror (there are lots of mirrors in this story, and this one is not the last).
There are no surprises: everything works the way it’s supposed to. So, I step outside the lavatory and then left the cabin — in order to find out if there is something on this ship that could surprise me.
The ferry: Tallink Star
There are two accents in the design of the Star ferry. The first of them is the orange color. As you have already noticed, it is steadily used inside the cabin. It also shows itself in the corridors — in an even more vibrant version.
The second repeating motive of the interior is - yes, again! - the mirror. By the standards of modern ferries, this ship has a comparatively moderate size. But I am sure that it can easily beat many of its watercraft fellows by the number of mirrors. There are hundreds of reflective surfaces, including mirror-like polished metal planes.
Here and there, this could be a bit disorienting, at least for the first moments. On the other hand, those numerous mirrors turn a regular stairway into a perfect selfie spot.
In all fairness, there are a number of spaces on the Star which give you the rest from both the abundance of orange color and reflections. One of such places is the open deck (they call it Sun Deck here). It is located on the stern, where passengers can enjoy the fragile beauty of the evanescent trail behind the ship.
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There are three different levels to choose from, all of them have wooden benches. The inevitable strong wind is included in the entertainment program. The worse the weather, the easier it is to imagine yourself being an experienced salted sea dog. It doesn’t take much effort to get back to reality, though: the sign on the wall politely reminds that I am just a short-term visitor. And that I am on the deck at my own risk.
Not being a big fan of any kind of risk, I get back under the roof and walk to another place, which is not only enjoyable but also warm. Ladies and gentlemen, the buffet!
I like three things about this establishment. The first is its stylish logotype. The second is a broad variety of dishes and drinks (it is impossible to try everything, but I like what I choose). And the third thing — the real delight, as announced in the name of the buffet — is the opportunity to enjoy a meal while looking at the sea.
I leisurely enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but the trip is about to end. Two hours are nearly over. I take a quick promenade among the decks and catch some final random impressions.
Well, the ferry offers more than I can explore in short time of this voyage. And this is definitely good. I will be glad to be on this ship again, but for now it is the time to leave it. And to repeat a trivial thought: everything ends.
Arriving in Tallinn
I find the Tallinn Terminal D in a state of partial reconstruction. The section where I arrive is mostly hidden behind temporary panels, there are various fences and hurdles. I walk through narrow corridors without a view and don’t have the chance to cast a farewell look to the Star ferry. However, I get outside and can see a part of the terminal building which almost has no signs of construction works.
With nothing else to do at the moment, I go towards the hotel where I am going to stay for one night. It is called Hestia Hotel Europa and located perfectly — the walk from the ferry terminal takes no more than five minutes. The room has everything I need, including a huge working table and a real full-sized bathtub.
The view is also nice: I can see the small marina called Vanasadama Jahisadam, filled with various yachts and boats.
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Tickets, timetables, etc.
I only have reasons to recommend the trip on the Tallink Star ferry. It is a combination of a pleasant experience and the optimal route. Wait no more and book your ticket here.
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You can learn more about ferry connections between Helsinki and Tallinn, as well as the schedules and tickets information using this link.
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