Riga, Latvia...  This is Riga old town, seen from the tower of the 'Petera Baznica' church.

UK to Riga by train or ferry...

Train times, fares & tickets...

London to Riga by train via Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm

London to Riga by train via Berlin, Warsaw, Vilnius

Train service within Latvia

Riga to Vilnius by train or bus

Riga to Tallinn by train or bus

Riga to Moscow by train

Riga to St Petersburg by train

Useful country information currency, tourist info, time zone

Hotels in Riga & Latvia

Sponsored links...

Useful country information

London to Riga via Stockholm

You can travel from London to Riga very comfortably, taking Eurostar to Brussels, the excellent City Night Line sleeper train to Copenhagen and onward X2000 high-speed train to Stockholm, then an overnight cruise ferry to Riga.  The journey takes 3 nights outward (as in this direction you'll need to spend 24 hours in Stockholm) and just 2 nights on the return, and is a great adventure.  From Stockholm there are direct overnight ferries to Riga every day.

London ► Riga  (via Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm)

Take Eurostar to Brussels, then a German ICE high-speed train to Cologne...

ICE3 2nd class.  ICEs are perhaps the most comfortable trains in Europe...		ICE3 1st class, with leather seats.  All ICE seats have power sockets.		An ICE to Cologne waiting to leave Brussels Midi.  More ICE info.

Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train Borealis from Cologne to Copenhagen...

The Cologne to Copenhagen overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains with a choice of sleepers, couchettes & seats.  The modern Comfortline sleeping-car offers proper beds in 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet, or 1, 2 or 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin.  All sleepers have power-points for laptop computers, hotel-style cardkey locks, and there is a shower at the end of the corridor.  The air-conditioned couchette car offers simple flat padded berths with a rug & pillow in shared 4 & 6-berth compartments.  There are also ordinary seats in 6-seater compartments, but you should always book a couchette.  A bistro car is attached between Hamburg and Copenhagen in both directions.  The train actually starts its journey in Amsterdam.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train. 

Dinner in Cologne before you board?  For a traditional German meal in Cologne before boarding your sleeper, try the Brauhaus Sion (www.brauhaus-sion.de), 5 minutes walk from Cologne hauptbahnhof, or the Malzmuehle restaurant (www.muehlenkoelsch.de), 10-15 minutes walk from Cologne Hauptbahnhof, or there's a restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof itself at the Schweinske, www.schweinske.de.  Feedback is always appreciated!

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  The budget option, far more comfortable than a seat for just a few euros more...		A Comfortline sleeping-car on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train Borealis. More pictures & information about City Night Line

... and the 125mph X2000 trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

An X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, at Copenhagen station....		2nd class seating on the X2000.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles...		Self-service buffet car on the X2000.  More information about X2000 trains

...then the Tallink cruise ferry from Stockholm to Riga.

The daily Tallink ferry from Stockholm to Riga has a range of comfortable cabins, plus bars and restaurants.				Sunset as the ferry to Riga leaves Stockholm.  Courtesy of Alistair Weaver.

Riga ► London  (via Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brussels)

How much does it cost?

Each train is ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of the journey...

How to buy tickets online...

Anyone from any country can buy tickets this way, at the cheapest prices direct from the operators.  Booking opens 120 days ahead for Eurostar, 92 days ahead for other trains, but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all tickets together, doing a dry run on all sites to check times, prices and availability before booking for real.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• Step 1, book the trains from London to Cologne & back.

  First, check prices from London to Cologne at the German Railways website using the special links I'm about to give you, just enter your departure date, obviously remembering that on the inward journey, departure from Cologne will be the day after departure from Stockholm.  Tickets are sent by post to any country for a €3.50 fee.  I recommend booking a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to see where the availability is.  I also recommend registering when this is offered, so you can log in at any time and check or re-print tickets:

  Buy a ticket from London to Cologne leaving London at 12:58 on Saturdays or leaving London at 15:04 Mondays-Fridays & Sundays.

  Buy a ticket from Cologne to London leaving Cologne at 07:43 Monday-Saturday or leaving Cologne at 07:43 on Sundays.

  Now compare these prices with the Belgian Railways international website www.b-europe.com.  This can sell London to Cologne tickets using Eurostar+ICE or Eurostar+Thalys, with print-at-home tickets.  It may or may not be cheaper than bahn.de, just buy from whichever site has the cheaper fare.

  Alternatively, you can book London to Cologne in two stages direct with the relevant operators.  This is more work, but it allows you to pick an exact seat on Eurostar and buy a through ticket to Brussels from 130 UK towns & cities outside London.  First, book from London or another UK station to Brussels and back at www.eurostar.com.  You print your own ticket.  Towards the end of the process, look for the link allowing you to book a specific seat.  Tips on choosing the best Eurostar seats.  Then book the ICE train from Brussels to Cologne and back at www.bahn.de.  You print your own ticket.  I strongly recommend registering, so you can log in and re-print or change bookings at any time.  The best connections for this particular journey are by ICE, as shown in the train times above, but if you want to stop off in Brussels or Cologne so want to book one of the Thalys trains between Brussels & Cologne instead, you can do this at www.thalys.com, also with self-print tickets.

• Step 2, now book the trains from Cologne to Stockholm & back.

  German Railways have Spezial fares from German cities to Stockholm.  So first try booking from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Stockholm all in one go at www.bahn.de, looking for the evening CNL sleeper connecting with the X2 (X2000) to Stockholm.  I recommend booking a round trip as two one-way trips.  When booking from Cologne to Stockholm, you won't see any cheap Cologne-Stockholm fares via the City Night Line to Copenhagen and the direct Copenhagen-Stockholm train unless you enter Copenhagen in the 'via' box and '01:30' in the stopover box, but don't worry, I've set these links up with all the necessary parameters, just enter your departure dates and look for the trains I've described above in the search results.  You pay online and print out your own ticket on your own PC printer.  I recommend registering so you can log in and re-print tickets at any time.

  Buy an outward ticket from Cologne to Stockholm

  Buy an inward ticket from Stockholm to Cologne

  DB have a relatively small allocation of spezial tickets to Stockholm.  So if you don't see any cheap fares from Cologne to Stockholm when you book all in one go, split the journey like this:

  First, go to the German Railways website, www.bahn.de and book a sleeper or couchette on the City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Copenhagen and back, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares on the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.  Easy!   I strongly recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.

  Now book the Copenhagen-Stockholm train online direct with Swedish Railways at www.sj.se (see my advice on using it here).  If you can't get the SJ site to work for any reason, try www.bokatag.se instead (though they add a small fee) or simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  The price you'll pay using www.sj.se or SJ telesales is the actual Swedish Railways price, which varies like budget airline fares.  The cheap deals start 90 days before departure.  If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, rising to higher levels closer to departure.  You simply print out your own ticket or collect your tickets from the silver-grey Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines which are installed at Copenhagen main station, on the left as you walk in the main entrance.  SJ.se sometimes has problems with non-Scandinavian credit cards, if you have any payment problems you can also book this train at www.bokatag.se.

• Step 3, buy the Stockholm-Riga ferry tickets online at www.tallinksilja.com.

• Tips for using www.tallinksilja.com:  Underneath 'Book a trip' click 'International (English)'.  If you want the cheapest option, one bed in shared 4-berth or 2-berth cabins, you'll need to open the 'shared places' section when the cabin choice page appears.  (1/4) means 1 berth in a 4-berth cabin.  You'll be offered lots of optional meals and hotels, just click through unless you want to pre-book dinner and breakfast on board - not a bad idea!  You'll be issued a self-print ticket.

• Starting your journey from a UK town or city outside London?  You can buy a special add-on ticket to connect with Eurostar from almost any station in Britain, with better terms and conditions than buying a regular domestic UK train ticket to London, see the advice here.

How to buy tickets by phone...

You can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, but the best for this trip is probably Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards), or European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee per transaction).  Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.

Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...

If you want a compete tailor-made trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.  They get very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.

The advantage of this route is that it may be a bit faster (but not much!).  The disadvantage is that UK rail agents can only book you as far as Warsaw, but can't book the leg from Warsaw to Vilnius or the bus from Vilnius to Riga.  You will need to buy tickets when you get to Warsaw and Vilnius, although this won't be a problem.

London ► Riga  (via Warsaw)

Riga ► London  (via Warsaw)

• Travel from Riga to Vilnius by bus or train.  See www.luxexpress.eu for details of the several daily buses.  Or travel by local train with a change and overnight stop in Daugavpils, see here for details.

• Travel from Vilnius to London by train, see the London to Vilnius page.

How to buy tickets...

You can book this journey from London as far as Warsaw through Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday, no booking fee) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (£20 booking fee, but can have more time to help).  Then book the Warsaw-Vilnius train at the station in Warsaw when you get there.  Then book the Vilnius to Riga bus when you get to Vilnius.

On the return journey, book the Riga-Vilnius bus at Riga bus station, and the Vilnius-Warsaw train at either Vilnius station.  Deutsche Bahn can, of course, reserve the rest of your return journey from Warsaw back to London.

Train travel within Latvia...

Trains link Riga with many Latvian towns, including Daugavpils (4 trains daily, 3-4 hours), Krustpils, Lugaži, Tukums & Jelgava.  The official Latvian Railways website is www.ldz.lv.  Click 'English' at the top, then 'Passenger traffic'.  There's now also a Latvian passenger trains website, www.pv.lv (click 'ENG' middle left for the English version).  However, the best source of times and fares for both trains and buses within Latvia is www.118.lv, which also has an English version.

Moving on from Latvia...

Riga ► Vilnius by train...

Sadly, there are now no direct Riga-Vilnius trains at all.  At least the Communists knew how to run a railway!  The Riga to Vilnius journey is now much faster and more frequent by long-distance bus, see the section below.  However, if you prefer to travel by train, no problem:  You can use a daily local train from Vilnius to Daugavpils in the evening, stop overnight in a hotel at Daugavpils, then travel by local train Daugavpils-Vilnius next morning.  Being an evening train-hotel-morning train arrangement, it's quite time-effective even if slower than the bus.

• Evening day 1, travel from Riga to Daugavpils by train, leaving Riga main station at 17:25 and arriving Daugavpils 21:13.  The fare is 4.95 Lats (£6 or €7).  You can check times & fares at www.ldz.lv (Click 'English' top left then 'passenger traffic').

• Spend the night in Daugavpils, hotels from around £25 per room.

• Morning day 2, travel from Daugavpils to Vilnius by once-daily international train leaving Daugavpils at 05:50 and arriving Vilnius at 08:18.  The fare is about 20 Lats (£25 or €28).  Simply buy a ticket at the station on the day as this train cannot be pre-booked.  You can check times for this train at www.litrail.lt (click 'EN' for English, then 'Passenger transportation').

• See the Lithuania page for details of the northbound service. 

Traveller Russell Goddard went this way between Vilnius & Riga, and used the Eurolines bus between Riga & Tallinn:  "While not unpleasant, the coach was a distinctly soulless experience, lacking the character of the trains. The coaches are a way of getting people from A to B with a minimum of bother, which I'm sure is a plus in many people's books, but as someone who travels as much for the sake of the journey itself, I was glad I'd gone by train from Vilnius to Riga via Daugavpils rather than taking the coach all the way from Vilnius to Tallinn! In Tallinn itself, the bus station is inconveniently located some distance from the city centre, while the rail station is right on the edge of the old town - if only it had a decent international service!"

Riga ► Vilnius by bus...

If you'd rather travel by bus, as in this case it is certainly more frequent and faster, there is a regular bus service from Riga to Vilnius, with several departures daily, fare €17-€23, journey time 4½ hours, see www.luxexpress.eu.

Riga ► Tallinn by train...

At last some good news from the Baltic States!  As from August 2011, Latvian and Estonian railways have co-ordinated their timetables and it's possible once more to travel between Riga and Tallinn on a fairly comfortable and cheap daily train service, with one simple change of train at Valga on the border.  It must be stressed that both the Latvian and Estonian trains are local services rather than anything fancy, and it takes a few hours longer and is less frequent than the bus (the train service runs only once a day), but it's cheap, easy to use, and you may find it an interesting and more enjoyable alternative to a long bus ride.

Fares:  Riga to Valga costs just 3.95 Lats (£4.50 or €5) for the 168 km.  Valga to Tallinn costs €10 (£8.50)

How to buy tickets: There's no need to reserve, indeed you can't.  Just turn up at Riga station, buy a ticket to Valga and get on the train.  You'll need to buy the Valga-Tallinn ticket when you get to Valga, if necessary on board the Estonian train.

How to check these times and fares:  You can check times for the Latvian train times and fares at www.ldz.lv, click 'English' top left then 'Passenger traffic'.  You can check the Estonian train times and fares at www.edel.ee.  Click 'Eng' top right for English, then use the journey planner.  For a timetable in .pdf format, leave it in Estonian and click 'Sõiduplaanid ja-hinnad'.  For a network map, again use the Estonian version and click the 'Raudteekaart' map graphic on the left.

The modernised interior of the Latvian Riga to Valga train.  Photo courtesy of Jan Špaček		The Riga to Valga train, a classic Soviet-era design.  Photo courtesy of Jan Špaček

Riga ► Tallinn by bus...

There is a regular bus service between Riga & Tallinn, taking about 4½ hours from €16-€27, with regular departures through the day.  See www.luxexpress.eu.  A couple of other bus companies (Ecolines & Hansabus) operate on this route too.

Riga ► Moscow by train...

There is a comfortable and safe daily sleeper train from Riga to Moscow, the Latvijas Express, with 1st class 2-berth sleepers & 2nd class 4-berth sleepers.  In summer there may be an additional daily sleeper train, the Jumala, leaving a little later.  To check train times, see www.poezda.net.

Fares:  Riga to Moscow costs around €60 in a 4-bed sleeper if bought at the station.  This train does NOT go through Belarus.

To check train times and book online in either direction, use the Real Russia booking system here.  Real Russia charge a 15-23% mark-up over ticket office prices, included in the prices they show.  For journeys starting in Riga you'll need to have tickets sent to you at a small extra charge as the e-ticket option doesn't work for departure from Vilnius, only for departures from Moscow.

Above left:  A comfortable 2-berth sleeper on the Latvijas Ekspress Riga to Moscow train, with 2 lower bunks.  Note the tablecloth, serviettes, and various goodies available for purchase.  4-berth sleepers are similar to 2-berth ones, but with two upper bunks as well. The Riga to St Petersburg train has similar sleepers.  Above right: Through the countryside, en route from Riga to Moscow   Photos courtesy of John Walton.

Riga ► St Petersburg by train...

There is a comfortable and safe daily overnight sleeper train from Riga to St Petersburg, the Baltiya, with 2-berth and 4-berth sleepers.

Fare:  Riga to St Petersburg costs around €50 in a 4-bed sleeper if bought at the station.  This train does NOT go through Belarus.

To check train times and book online in either direction, use the Real Russia booking system here.  Real Russia charge a 15-23% mark-up over ticket office prices, included in the prices they show.  For journeys starting in Riga you'll need to have tickets sent to you at a small extra charge as the e-ticket option doesn't work for departure from Vilnius, only for departures from St Petersburg.

The Thomas Cook European Timetable

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £14.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Make sure you take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  I personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planets, others prefer the Rough Guides.  Both books provide a similarly excellent level of interesting background and practical information.  You won't regret buying one of these!  My own book, an essential handbook for train or ferry travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.

Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk...

Find hotels in Riga & Latvia...

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.