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Riga to Vilnius

• A comfortable daily train links Riga to Vilnius, see the Riga to Vilnius page.

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Riga to Stockholm

Option 1, Riga to Stockholm by ferry

• A comfortable Tallink cruise ferry used to sail from Riga to Stockholm every day at 17:30, arriving at 10:30 next morning.  The ferry has bars, restaurants, lounges, reclining seats or a range of shared or private cabins with shower & toilet.

  Update:  This ferry was suspended in March 2020 due to covid-19 and it remains suspended in 2025.

• Check sailing dates, times & fares at the Direct Ferries website or at www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se.

• Map of Riga showing ferry terminal.

Option 2, Riga to Stockholm using the Tallinn-Stockholm ferry

• Step 1, travel from Riga to Tallinn  by bus or train as shown here.

• Step 2, sail overnight from Tallinn to Stockholm by ferry as shown here.

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Riga to Helsinki

• Step 1, travel from Riga to Tallinn as shown above.

• Step 2, take a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki.

  A variety of ferry companies operate ferries from Tallinn to Helsinki, crossing 2 to 2½ hours, 6 or 7 sailings daily.  For times, fares & online tickets, use the Direct Ferries website or see www.tallinksilja.com & www.eckeroline.com.

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Riga to Warsaw

Hopefully in a few years the Rail Baltica project will make this a routine journey by fast direct train.  In the meantime it is indeed possible to make this journey by train via Vilnius, if you want to avoid a lengthy journey in a long-distance bus.

• Day 1, travel from Riga to Vilnius by train, as shown here.

• Stay overnight in Vilnius.  Try the inexpensive Stay Vilnius hotel, a 6-minute walk from the station, or the Conti Hotel Vilnius, a 9-minute walk from the station towards the old town, both with excellent reviews.

• Day 2, travel from Vilnius to Warsaw, as shown here.

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There is a comfortable and safe daily overnight sleeper train from Riga to St Petersburg, the Baltiya, with 2-berth and 4-berth sleepers.  To check train times, see www.rzd.ru or use the Real Russia booking system.

This train was suspended due to Covid-19 and remains suspended due to sanctions.

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

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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.rzd.ru or use the Real Russia booking system.

This train was suspended due to Covid-19 and remains suspended due to sanctions & war in Ukraine.

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

To check train times & 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.

The Riga to Moscow Latvia Express boarding at Riga.  Courtesy of DiscoverbyRail.com.

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 is similar.  Above right: Through the countryside from Riga to Moscow   Photos courtesy of John Walton.

So civilised!  The Riga to Moscow train has an attractive restaurant car serving cheap but pretty good meals.  Photos courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.

Riga to Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo

• Step 1, take a ferry to Stockholm as explained above and transfer by taxi, bus or metro to Stockholm Central.  I'd allow at least 2 hours between ferry arrival and any train departure.

• Step 2, take a train from Stockholm Central to Oslo, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Malmö or anywhere else in Sweden, Denmark or Norway, as shown on the Trains from Stockholm page.

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Riga to Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, central & western Europe

Option 1, Riga to central & western Europe via Warsaw

• Day 1, travel from Riga to Vilnius by daily train, as shown here.

• Stay overnight in Vilnius.  Try the inexpensive Stay Vilnius hotel, a 6-minute walk from the station, or the Conti Hotel Vilnius, a 9-minute walk from the station towards the old town, both with excellent reviews.

• Day 2, travel from Vilnius to Warsaw on the daily train, as shown here.

• Stay overnight in Warsaw.  The Polonia Palace Hotel is excellent, historic, relatively inexpensive for such a good hotel, and it's just across the road from the station.  For something much cheaper, but still with great reviews and near the station, try the Hotel Metropol next door to the Polonia Palace or the nearby Novotel Warsaw Centrum.  Also see the Warsaw Centralna station & city information.

• Day 3, travel from Warsaw to other cities in central & western Europe as shown on the Trains from Warsaw page.

  For travel between Riga & London, see the London-Riga page.

Option 2, Riga to central & western Europe via Stockholm

• You can also take the ferry to Stockholm, train to Copenhagen, and onward train to Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, and so on.

• See the ferry to Stockholm section above, then see the Trains from Stockholm page.

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