Peter
Traveller
9331 comments
Posted 15 years ago
[b]POLAND via LITHUANIA, LATVIA, ESTONIA to FINLAND[/b]
Travel the Baltic countries by train and bus.
UPDATE: read the railcc blog for [b]a detailed travel report[/b]: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/travel-in-the-baltics-with-train-bus-and-ferry/[/u]
[b]Older information:[/b]
I you want to visit the Baltic Countries, you can not do it by InterRail. But it is really cheap to do this kind of exotic journey.
In total you will pay from WARSAW (Poland) via VILNIUS (Lithuania), TALLINN (Estonia) to HELSINKI (Finland) [b]EUR 50,-[/b]
:!: Off course you have to pay something extra if you want to stay in hostels or do some extra journeys to the sea.
For example from [b]VILNIUS (Lithuania) to KLAIPEDA (Lithuania)[/b] directly at the sea with magic white beaches you have to pay EUR 14,- one-way by train.
The hostels ( [ux]https://rail.shop/hostelworld[/ux] ) are extremely cheap (good ones for about EUR 10,-), the food and night life as well.
:arr: [b]WARSAW to VILNIUS by train[/b]: take the day train (there is also a nigh bus available). You have to change at the Polish-Lithuanian border at Sestokai. For the [ux]https://rail.shop/lit[/ux] - Lithuanian part of this journey you have to pay EUR 7,-. The Polish part is free as you can use your InterRail ticket.
To Warsaw you have direct access by train from the whole Eastern Europe as well from Berlin (Germany) and even Switzerland.
:arr: [b]VILNIUS via RIGA to TALLINN by bus[/b]: it is a journey of 9 hours for EUR 20,- to 30,-
More details: [ux]https://rail.shop/eurolines[/ux] - Eurolines Estonia.
:arr: [b]TALLINN to HELSINKI by ferry[/b]: it is a journey of 2 hours. And if you avoid peak times like weekends, the ferry will be EUR 20,-. At peak times it can be up to EUR 35,-. So pay attention and ask at the office for the low fare tickets. More details: [ux]https://rail.shop/tallinksilja[/ux] - Tallink Silja Line.
[b]Lithuanian national rail company (Litrail)[/b]
Phone: +370 5 2330088 (they speak good English)
Web: [ux]https://rail.shop/lit[/ux]
[b]Polish national rail company (PKP)[/b]
Phone: +48 42 1 9436 (sometimes English, sometimes not)
Web: [ux]https://rail.shop/pkpic[/ux]
[b]Information of vienhu:[/b]
Ticket purchase (Warszawa-Villnius and return): [ux]https://rail.shop/pkpic[/ux]
[b]PKP direct night bus - going from/to rail station[/b]
Vilnius Dep: 2200
Kaunas Dep: 2330
Warszawa Centralna Arr: 0500
Fare: ~ EUR 22 (no IR)
:arr: [b]schedules and more information:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/blog/travel-in-the-baltics-with-train-bus-and-ferry[/u]
[b]Update: Nov 2014[/b]
nltrainer
Traveller
1336 comments
additonal±
not just eurolines, also ecolines runs the buses there/a little cheaper. From Riga to TLN now also simple/only does webbookings, like Ryan or so.
it is useless asking for cheap tickets at the ferry, plus there are more ferries by other companies to HEL from TLN. The only way nowadays to get low prices is to go off/peak and book online long before. Some hostels in TLN also have special relations with some ferries and can offer special price to those staying.
LucasJV
Traveller
25 comments
I decided since my budget is less than I thought to visit the Baltic states instead of Southern europe. I was able to book a July 31st Warsaw-Vilnius Eurolines bus for 3 euros! And a few days later I booked Vilnius-Riga for just 6. I booked these at the www.eurolines.ee (Estonian Eurolines) website where you can book for all of the baltic states.
So book ahead a few weeks and you'll be in another country for the price of a cup of lousy starbucks coffee. :D
nltrainer
Traveller
1336 comments
yes-that is exactly what I mentioned.
to add to the pennyless: a new BUScomp. has just started : polskibus.com and has links from Warszawa to also Berlin-Wien-Praha and offers singles from just 1 PLN (but even if you score the 10 or 20 PLN=3 or 5 eur) it is dirtcheap. brandnew and very good bsues with free drinks and free WiFi. Not to the Baltics-but it may help you in the trip to there. And so good are the PKP-trains also not.
LucasJV
Traveller
25 comments
Woah, 6 euros and change for Berlin-Warsaw. That's a lot less than the 39 euros I paid for the trainticket. A good tip for next year, thanks!
Peter
Traveller
9331 comments
:arr: [b]Update: read the railcc blog for a detailed travel report of Flow:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/blog/travel-in-the-baltics-with-train-bus-and-ferry/[/u]