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Hi all,

I am currently travelling in Lithuania. I know that the connections are not possible from Poland and yet took a bus to come. However, the application shows that it is possible to travel through the inner main cities - for example, Vilnius-Klaupedia, Vilnius-Šiauliai…

Moreover I read on related topics that it was possible to travel in Lithuania with Interrail. And on the website, it is written that bookings are not compulsory. 

 

However this morning, I took a train to Šiauliai and the controller validated my ticket, but she said I was missing the booking. Then I had to pay a bus to come back because they were no booking available anymore. 

 

My question is, how do you normally travel with Interrail in Lithuania, without the booking fees ? At the station, I was told that the booking was not for free. But in the app, it is not written that a booking is mandatory and as I wrote, it is even mentionned that it us not compulsory. 

 

Thanks in advance for your answers !

From my first train ride in Lithuania …

  • Third class includes ex-Soviet era trains, particularly diesel units. The one I’m riding in right now (Vilnius- Marcinkonys) has a modern interior but no air-con and no power sockets. The seats are padded but hard. First and second class appear to be used for modern trains.
  • There were 3 people in the ticket office at the main station in Vilnius. One spoke English and knew what an Interrail was. People under perhaps 30-35 in Vilnius speak good English but people over that no so good. Presumably English replaced Russian as the second language in the schools here some time between 10 and 20 years ago.
  • She knew all about the train to Poland and I had no problem getting free tickets for the trains from Vilnius to Kaunas and Kaunas to Poland on Saturday.
  • Trains within Lithuania tomorrow were a problem as the trains on the route Vilnius - Šiauliai - Klaipėda were full later in the journey and getting a ticket for the part of the journey were there was space ran into English problems.This is not a criticism of the person who was trying to help me, she was just as frustrated as I was. Her English is a lot better than any of my languages other than English. Hopefully there will be someone different on later today and I can find a different way to ask for what I want.
  •  I’m glad I’m leaving here on Saturday and don’t plan to come back unless/until it’s possible to get Interrail reservations online or they aren’t needed at all. It reminds me of Hungary when you had to get reservations for InterCity trains at ticket offices :(

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