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Ccillee
Traveller
4 comments

Posted 5 years ago

Hey all. Another question from me :)

I\'m planning on a trip around EU and one of them is from Warsaw to Riga. Now I know that Latvia isn\'t part of the interrail deal, so I\'ll have to buy my own tickets, but... From what I can see the only way to get there is by bus (11-13h of driving) that goes around Lithuania.
As far as I can see, is Lithuania part of the interrail and I wanted to go through that country, as close to the boarder to Latvia as I can. Yet I cannot find any connections in this country.
Can anyone help me with this or would it be wisest to just take the bus?
Cheers!

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Peter
Traveller
9331 comments

replied 5 years ago

Hi.

I would definitely stop in Lithuania! I really liked it. Especially Vilnius is a very nice town. A lot of old churches, a lot of places to go out and not that expensive to stay overnight: [ux]https://rail.shop/bookingcom[/ux] or [ux]https://rail.shop/hostelword[/ux] :)

Also Klaipedia I liked very much. But it is already some years ago since I stayed there. Kaunas was not a highlight on my trip, but also okay.

The route by train from Warsaw to Riga would be as follows. Keep in mind: if you have an Interrail pass with X days in Y months, don\'t spend travel days for Lithuania as train tickets are very cheap.

[b]Warsaw-Bialystok[/b]: it is the trip to the Polish border. Schedules are here on [ux]http://plan.rail.cc[/ux] or [ux]https://rail.shop/pkpic[/ux]

[b]Bialystok-Vilnius[/b]: this trip is the " problem ", as the connection is only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Schedules are here on [ux]https://rail.shop/lit[/ux]
I never travelled it by train. If you do, let me know how it was, I\'m curious!
Change of train is always in Kaunas. From there you can continue to Vilnius or Klaipedia.
Note: in Lithuanian Bialystok is called "BalstogÄ—".
If you travel on another weekday or want it more direct, only a bus is the solution. Find schedules and ticket prices online on [ux]https://rail.shop/infobus[/ux]

[b]Vilnius- Riga[/b]: this is possible by train again.
First from Vilnius to Daugavpils. Daugavpils is the border station in Latvia. I think it is no problem to go there with Interrail. If you want to buy a ticket, it is about 9 Euro. Ticket and schedules available on [ux]https://rail.shop/lit[/ux]
In Daugavpils you change the train to Riga. The ticket is available online for 7 Euro. For schedules and the ticket purchase click here: [ux]https://rail.shop/ldz[/ux]

All possible by train... If you like my proposal above by train, let me know and we can select schedules. :)

Optionally also by bus: [ux]https://rail.shop/infobus[/ux]

Have a look at the blog post of Flo where you will find a lot of additional information: [ux]https://rail.cc/blog/baltics-train-bus-ferry/[/ux]

And if you like all the free content and help on rail.cc , buy your Interrail pass via our link [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] - same price for you, support for rail.cc - thank you! Pete :)

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Ccillee
Traveller
4 comments

replied 5 years ago

Thank you so much for the very useful answer.
I\'ll see what we end up with :)

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Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

replied 5 years ago

Hi!

It has to be said that trains from Vilnius to Daugavpils run only during the weekend (three trains on Saturday, two trains on Sunday). During the week you can take a train from Vilnius to Turmantas (just before the border); then cross the border on foot and cover the remaining bit to Daugavpils by bus. From Daugavpils you can again travel by train to Riga.

Flo

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Ccillee
Traveller
4 comments

replied 5 years ago

Yeah we\'ve decided to take the bus to Riga since it would be very complicated with the train (even though we are travelling on a Saturday)

But again thank you so much for all of your help. We\'ve ordered passes and places to stay, so we\'re all set to go on an adventure :)