Travelling to the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) has been on my wish list for a while. Their history has always interested me and I hoped to see the sites first hand. Photographs of the church steeples, historic buildings and city squares captured my interest. I envisaged sitting in a square drinking coffee or wine and watching the world go by.
Originally I planned to fly to one of the countries from Milan and then navigate my way to the other two. But after booking a trip to Verona and looking at flights – I decided to go to Helsinki first. While I had visited the Disney office in Helsinki a few years ago I had seen very little of the city.
I spent four days in Helsinki and I will post about that in the near future. Originally I planned to fly to Tallinn but I am really trying to reduce my carbon footprint when travelling. A 30 minute flight seemed senseless. Also when you consider the time and cost to get to and from airports, the ferry seemed a better option.
In this post I am going to provide details on how I travelled as follows:
Helsinki, Finland to Tallinn, Estonia – by ferry
Tallinn, Estonia to Tartu, Estonia – by train
Tartu, Estonia to Riga, Latvia – by train
Riga, Latvia, to Vilnius, Lithuania – by train
The total cost of all journeys was €115.59.
Scheduling the ferry was easy but the others took more time. I hope this post will assist you to make the process a little less cumbersome.
Helsinki to Tallinn
I used the ‘Open Ferry” application which I have used in Italy. It’s extremely easy to use, provides digital tickets and features all the main ferry companies.
I travelled with Tallink Silja on the “MyStar” leaving at 10.30am for a two hour journey. The ticket cost €38, plus €5.99 for service fees and €5.70 for the cancellation option (up to 48 hours before departure). Therefore the total was €49.69 which you could reduce by €5.70, if you have fixed plans.
It took me 58 minutes, to walk through commercial streets, to reach the extremely modern terminal two in the West Harbour. I was staying quite near to the Cathedral on Kanavakatu.
You need to get a paper ticket when you arrive and there are lots of machines available. Just take note of the emails you receive as one will include the code needed to access your booking. After scanning your ticket, you take a large escalator to the first floor. There are several cafes and small shops here. It has lots of seating and the panoramic views from the wide array of windows is lovely.
While the booking form said you needed to have your passport mine wasn’t checked. There were police, immigration and custom officials, completing random checks, as is normal when travelling within the EU.
While a huge queue started assembling about 30 minutes before we sailed, the boarding process went extremely quickly. The “MyStar” ferry was massive and had all the usual amenities.
Storage lockers are available at a cost from €6-€10. I didn’t use one and just stacked my rucksack behind a single seat I found in a quiet area. Trolleys came by several times selling beverages and snacks.
The crossing was smooth and we arrived on-time in Tallinn. I disembarked quickly and found myself in another modern terminal with lots of signs to Old Town. Old Town is 1km away i.e. about a 15 minutes walk. There were lots of taxis and buses around also.
I was amused when I realised my hotel was in the opposite direction to the way everyone else seemed to be heading. It took me 35 minutes, on a lovely route overlooking a small sandy beach, to reach my hotel.
I highly recommend the ferry and think the cost is good value. You can probably save a few euros by booking directly with companies also.
Tallinn to Tartu
Tallinn’s train station is a 15 minute walk from Old Town through some lovely cobbled streets. The station is a lot smaller than I expected with eight platforms. It has a shop, cafe and a pharmacy but seating is limited. Signs displaying the platforms, arrivals and departure times are easy to find.
I travelled to Tartu, which is the second largest city in Estonia. My train was actually two connected trains. In order to disembark at Tartu, you needed to sit in the one facing the departing route. This was clearly identified on my ticket and on the screen.
I had booked a first class ticket, on the Elron website, as I wanted an assigned seat. You can change the language to English and it’s extremely easy to use. However, they only sell tickets 10-14 days before the departure date. Therefore if you are planning a trip, I suggest you set yourself an alert for the day the tickets are available. I travelled on a Saturday morning in July and the trains were busy with locals but there didn’t seem to be any tourists in my carriage. Like lots of European trains people take bicycles and either hang them or store them. Therefore space for luggage was limited.
The first class carriage is basic but I just wanted a seat. I had purposely selected an aisle seat but when I got on a rather intimidating older lady was sitting in mine. While I tried to explain she was in my seat I didn’t have any success. So I just resigned myself to the window seat beside her.
My train left at 9.55am and arrived in Tartu at 12.02am. The wifi was excellent and I was able to watch a rugby match on my extremely well travelled iPad. You don’t get any complementary beverages or snacks on this journey.
My ticket was checked minutes after we departed and the ticket collector came through the carriage after each stop. You don’t need to print your ticket and this journey cost €17.60.
While you could take this train all the way to Riga, I really wanted to see Tartu, which is a historic university city. I also didn’t want to spend a whole day on a train.
I highly recommend this train and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the scenery as I travelled across Estonia. Maybe the lady sitting in my seat did me a favour !!
Tartu to Riga
Tartu’s train station is about a 15 minute walk from the main square. The picturesque route takes you through two parks, under two interesting bridges and several small streets. I was glad I got to walk this twice. The station is small with two platforms, a small shop and limited seating outside. There are toilets downstairs, drinking fountains and seating indoors.
An elderly local, who didn’t speak English, took some photos of me. Initially he seemed confused by my request but once he realised what I wanted he turned into David Bailey and took several !!
I got the earliest train for Riga which left at 13.07. If you travel from Tallinn to Riga you can connect here. You would have a 65 minute connection time, if you took the same trains I did.
My train was due to arrive in Riga at 16.47 and involved one connection. The train stopped at Valga and I also booked my ticket on Elron’s website. Just like the other journey you could only book this close to the departure date. While the site and the confirmation explained I’d be changing trains, I didn’t see anywhere how much connection time I had. It stated that there were 16 seats on carriage two for people traveling to Riga on the connecting train. The seat numbers were listed and I was intrigued as to how this was going to work. I just hoped I wouldn’t end up sitting on the floor. I didn’t see an option to book first class or assigned seats for this route.
The first train was busy with limited seats and luggage space. Thankfully I ended up sitting opposite a lady who dismissed my apology when I asked if keeping my rucksack with me would be an issue. The first leg took just over an hour so it was fine being in a fairly cramped carriage. Again my digital ticket was scanned quickly after we departed and no beverages were served.
We had 10 minutes between trains and it turned out to be an easy transfer. The trains were opposite one another and attendants were explaining where to go. Just as I got on looking for carriage two, the attendant was telling everyone that we could sit in first class also. I was the first person in there so had my pick of the seats and didn’t need to find one of the illusive 16 !
Again my digital ticket was checked very quickly. I was now on an LGT train so I was given a small paper ticket by the attendant. Another attendant came by with menus and I was delighted to be able to purchase a coffee and a cinnamon bun. Sandwiches, noodles and soft drinks were also available.
My ticket cost €14.30 which I think is a bargain for a four hour journey crossing two countries. Again the train’s wifi was very strong. While the first class carriage did get very busy, as we got closer to Riga, it was an extremely comfortable and enjoyable journey.
Riga’s train station is huge and was a bit of a shock after Tallinn’s and Tartu’s. The interior is like so many European stations with 30 to 40 platforms for local and long distance trains. There are lots of shops, cafes and signs everywhere. It’s really easy to navigate your way around and find your platform. I ended up taking a day trip by train, when I was in Riga, so I became quite familiar with the station and its surroundings.
Outside it has a huge clock which is part of Riga’s pop culture so do take a moment to look up at it. The station is at a busy intersection and you have tunnels to take you through the streets. They are like a warren so do pay close attention to the signs. There are lots of deserted shops with broken windows and shutters, buskers and homeless people. I only saw two shops open so it’s a bleak introduction to Riga. However, it felt quite safe on the four occasions I passed through it, as it was busy with people going about their day.
The station is a 10 minute walk to the main square and city center. Once you leave the underground tunnels you walk through some lovely pedestrianised streets.
Riga to Vilnius
My train to Vilnius left at 16.55 and arrived at 21.26. Usually I don’t like arriving in a city I am not familiar with so late. But as it’s bright in this part of Europe until 11pm in the summer, I didn’t mind the late arrival time.
I booked this ticket on LTG’s website about a month before the departure date. Again you can select English as your language and it’s an easy website to navigate. As well as a pdf copy of the ticket I was sent a digital ticket which could be saved into a digital wallet.
I had an assigned seat in first class for this journey. It cost €34.00 which I thought was good value. I was in a similar carriage to the last leg of the previous journey. However this time, I was given a completely small bottle of water and a brownie. I was offered complementary coffee and when I asked the attendant to put it into my reusable container she readily agreed. Other snacks and beverages were available for purchase. Once again my ticket was scanned minutes after departing.
The train station in Vilnius appeared to be smaller than Riga’s. However, its exterior was by far the nicest of the four I had been to. It took me 12 minutes to walk to the city center through a lovely route, which looked and felt very safe.
Final Thoughts
So my total travel costs was €115.59. This included a 2 hour ferry crossing and four trains with a combined journey time of 10 hours and 18 minutes. I love travelling by train and when they are on-time and you can get a seat, I think it’s the best way to travel. Also, main train stations are usually a short walk from the city center, limiting the need to pay for taxis, if you haven’t too much luggage.
I highly recommend the route I took but you could also travel directly between Tallinn and Riga. However my 27 hours in Tartu was fantastic and I highly recommend this city for the short visit. You could also stop in Varga overnight or for a few hours.
Do ensure you keep an eye on the Elron website to see when tickets are available as trains are limited on all these routes.
Links to the train companies websites are below, none of which I have an affiliated relationship with.
I really hope to visit Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania again and explore further. I’ll be taking the train as they are extremely reliable, safe and cost effective. I’ll have posts soon on the details of my trips to all four countries.
Happy travelling !