By plane
Tartu Airport is located 10 km from the center of the city. Only one (Dec 2012) scheduled airline operates to/from Tartu Airport: FlyBE (partner with Finnair), with flights to/from Helsinki. An airport shuttle provides door-to-door service from the airport at €4. Alternatively, a bus stop is in front of the terminal, where you can catch a bus to the city center. The bus fare is €1 and tickets can be bought from the bus driver. However, these buses run very infrequently.
Alternatively you can fly from airports in Tallinn 180km away or Riga 250km away.
By bus
Bus schedules and fares within Estonia can be accessed here.
Buses between Tallinn and Tartu depart several times an hour between 5AM and midnight. The journey takes 2.5 to 3 hours and costs €8-10, before a discount available with an ISIC card. Some buses have free wireless internet and bus attendants available. Note that the Friday afternoon departures from Tartu to Tallinn are usually crowded during the school year as a lot students go home for the weekend.
Regular buses also run between Tartu and Narva, Viljandi, and Pärnu.
Lux express operates 2 daily buses between Riga and Tartu, one leaving Riga at 8:40AM and another at 6:45PM. A one-way journey takes 4 hours and costs €15-18.
Eurolines also operates a bus from Kiev to Tartu, departing Kiev on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8:45PM. The buses return from Tartu to Kiev at 12:45PM on Thursdays and Saturdays. The journey takes 18 hours and costs €45.
By train
Tartu's train station is located 1 km from the city center.
Edelarautee operates several daily trains between Tartu and Tallinn, via Tapa. The journey takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours and costs €8 for second class, or €10 for first class, which includes internet access and access to a bar to buy coffee
