The Estonia-Russia Narva border point has seen a significant surge in popularity, attracting hundreds of people every day.
This sudden increase in traffic can be attributed to the closure of the Finnish border and the suspension of flights to Russia, which has redirected many travellers to this alternative route.
While the Estonia-Russia border point has emerged as a cost-effective alternative to the traditional transit routes through Türkiye or Armenia, it is not without its challenges. The queues at this border crossing can stretch up to six hours, Schengen.News reports.
Queues of Almost 300 Travellers Block Peetri Plats Every Day
According to ERR, up to 300 people a day wait in queues at the Peetri Plats, which is a popular bus station in Narva. Those who don’t want to wait in line can buy a seat for around €25, but there aren’t many offers. The fastest way to get to Narva from Tallinn Airport is by train; however, some arrive by taxi.
In June of this year, the Narva city administration revealed that after the reopening of the Narva border crossing point for two days, around 400 people were expected to cross the border in a day out of a maximum of 600, with Estonian authorities only able to process around 150 people per hour.
Meanwhile, in May 2024, Estonia imposed new restrictions on the Narva-Russia border crossing. Following this previous change, pedestrians could cross the border of Narva only during the day, between 7:00 and 23:00. Such changes follow Russia’s decision in February 2024 to close the border crossing to vehicle traffic, citing the need for construction work at the Ivangorod border crossing.
The Estonian city of Narva has become a focal point in the escalating tensions between the EU member state and Russia. This was evident when Estonian authorities removed floating vessels from the Narva River, a move aimed at preventing boats from crossing into Russian territory.
Before Finland closed its 1,300km frontier with Russia, the Narva border station recorded around 200 crossings from Finland per month.
When the summer comes to an end, the Narva border crossing point is expected to register a flux again as many will be returning.
