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From Riga to Vilnius - any advice how to travel?

  • 3 August 2022
  • 2 replies
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Hi everyone!

I know, that there had been lots of questions about traveling thorough Baltic area. But still I want to ask you again. Is there any possibility, that we can somehow combine train and bus to travel from Riga to Vilnius? We really need to plan this route so any advice would help us.

Thanks a lot!

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Best answer by mcadv 3 August 2022, 14:43

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If you want at least double travel time and probably also pay at least same as for a direct bus, then just do it. Best site-as it loves trains so much and plans trips that use trains the most: seat61.com. This lists all overland trips from UK to all EUR countries-so just join it from PL or LT.

The general prob here is that the main=near only raillines in both LT and LV run east-west (the old main lines to Mockba, the then capital of the real existing socialist world-ask your granpa) and this connection is mostly North-South.

However-if you also would want to see more of those countries as just the capitals: check if there is also a bus along coast from Klaipeda (=end in LT seaside of main line) to Riga or maybe Kauno or Vilnius to Daugavpils (mostly still russky-aimed) in LV by bus.

There may also be more info (google will find it) as dedicated railfans and those who believe they should/have to use those railpasses ask at general main touristy forums-best known is tripadvisor->forums->EUr->country. There may also be a dedicated CZ zeleznice forum-this country has lots of often very knowledgeable elder/pensioned zeleznicare robotniki/pracovniki

I´ve done my very 1st trip via these 3 then newly formed countries just after independence-when one had to buy a visum for 50DEM-then there still were those Russky style (platskart/Kupeyny) very old/cold and hardly used anymore overnite trains Vilno-Riga and Riga-Tallinn-the only other pax were also foreign visitors then-that was some 30 yrs ago by now. I also travelled extensibly in what was still Czecho-Slovakia on CSD for a very few koruny. All history now from long ago.

It's possible to travel directly by train between those cities, but you have to send an email 3 working days before travelling to make a seat reservation which costs 5€. All this info is available on the LTG website. It's also possible doing the trip by bus and there's discount for Eurail travellers in Lux Express, search on Eurail website.

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