Transportation

Getting There & Away

There are numerous ways to enter the Baltic countries, either directly or via a close neighbour. For example, it’s feasible to fly or take a bus to Warsaw and then enter Lithuania by train, or fly to Helsinki and sail from there to Estonia. Within the Baltics, distances are relatively small.

This section focuses on getting to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from outside the region. Flights, tours and rail tickets can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings.

CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL

Every form of transport that relies on carbon-based fuel generates CO₂, the main cause of human-induced climate change. Modern travel is dependent on aeroplanes, which might use less fuel per kilometre per person than most cars but travel much greater distances. The altitude at which aircraft emit gases (including CO₂) and particles also contributes to their climate change impact. Many websites offer ‘carbon calculators’ that allow people to estimate the carbon emissions generated by their journey and, for those who wish to do so, to offset the impact of the greenhouse gases emitted with contributions to portfolios of climate-friendly initiatives throughout the world. Lonely Planet offsets the carbon footprint of all staff and author travel.

Entering Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

Whether you arrive by bus, boat, plane or train, entry procedures are quick and painless. If you’re travelling from within the Schengen zone (ie most countries of the EU, excluding the UK and Ireland), there are no arrival formalities.

Passport

Travellers arriving from outside the Schengen border zone need a passport, valid for six months beyond the planned stay. Citizens of EU countries, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are among those who don’t need a visa for entering Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania.

Air

Airports & Airlines

Estonia’s national carrier is Nordica (www.nordica.ee), while Latvia’s is airBaltic (www.airbaltic.com). Lithuania’s former national carrier is defunct. International airports within the region:

Kaunas International Airport (map; %8-612 44442; www.kaunas-airport.lt; Oro uosto gatvė, Karmėlava; h6am-midnight; g29, 29E)

Palanga Airport (Palangos Oro Uostas; map; %6124 4442; www.palanga-airport.lt; Liepojos plentas 1)

Rīga International Airport (Starptautiskā Lidosta Rīga; map; %1817; www.riga-airport.com; Mārupe District; g22)

Tallinn Airport (Tallinna Lennujaam; map; %605 8888; www.tallinn-airport.ee; Tartu mnt 101; W)

Tartu Airport (Ulenurme Airport; map; %605 8888; www.tartu-airport.ee; Lennu tn 44, Reola)

Vilnius International Airport (Tarptautinis Vilniaus Oro Uostas; map; %6-124 4442; www.vno.lt; Rodūnios kelias 10a; W; g1, 2)

Australia & New Zealand

If you’re coming from Australasia, a trip to the Baltic will necessitate at least three separate flights; there’s no one airline that services the entire route. Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com) has the most partner airlines serving the Baltic states – Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS and Turkish Airlines – making an Air New Zealand or Thai Airways code-share the most flexible choice. Qantas is a member of One World (www.oneworld.com), but Finnair (www.finnair.com) is the only One World member that flies directly to the Baltic.

The cheapest fares to Europe tend to be for routes through Asia, although you can sometimes get a good deal through the USA from New Zealand. If you’re considering a route via London, note that no Baltic flights leave from Heathrow, which is where most Australian and New Zealand flights land.

Caucasus & Central Asia

AirBaltic flies from Rīga to Tbilisi (Georgia) and Baku (Azerbaijan). Uzbekistan Airways (www.uzairways.com) operates flights from Rīga to Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

Continental Europe

Budget airlines have revolutionised European air transport in the past decade, so you are spoilt for choice when it comes to getting from Baltic airports to European Union countries. Rīga-based airBaltic alone flies to a few dozen cities all over the EU. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) serves Vilnius, Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) serves all three Baltic capitals, while easyJet (www.easyjet.com) operates in Tallinn and Vilnius, the three of them connecting Baltic capitals with a host of destinations, notably in Germany.

AirBaltic also flies to Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, code-sharing with these countries’ national carriers. In addition, Ukrainian International Airlines (www.flyuia.com) flies from Kyiv and Odessa to Vilnius, while Nordica (www.nordica.ee) connects Tallinn with Kyiv, Odessa and Warsaw, and Belavia (www.en.belavia.by) from Minsk serves all three Baltic capitals.

Middle East

Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com) connects Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius with Istanbul. AirBaltic flies to Tel Aviv.

Nordic Countries

AirBaltic, along with SAS (www.scandinavian.net), Finnair, Norwegian (www.norwegian.no) and Wizz Air connect all Baltic airports to any Scandinavian city of note, while Nordica flies from Tallinn to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Trondheim.

North America

From North America, the easiest way to reach the Baltics is to catch a direct flight to a European hub, such as London, Frankfurt or Amsterdam and then catch a connecting flight to one of the Baltic capitals. Check Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.net) for the most convenient connections.

Russia

Russia’s Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.com) operates flights from Moscow to all three Baltic capitals. AirBaltic also flies to Moscow and St Petersburg from Rīga.

UK & Ireland

Budget airlines Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air fly numerous routes from Ireland and the UK to the Baltics, including departures from many small regional airports. If you’re considering connecting flights via London, allow several hours to travel between airports, as ‘London airports’ are a long way from the city and from each other.

Land

Bicycle

Bicycles can be carried cheaply (or free) on ferries from the Nordic countries and Germany to the Baltics. Pedallers through Poland face the same choice of routes as drivers.

Border Crossings

Travelling from north to south, Estonia shares borders with Russia and Latvia; Latvia shares borders with Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania; and Lithuania borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Kaliningrad Region (part of Russia).

Now that the Baltic countries are in the EU and part of the Schengen Agreement, border checkpoints between Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are non-existent, though it pays to carry at least an identity card with you as random border checks are sometimes performed at the Estonian border.

Travel to Belarus and Russia is another matter entirely. These borders continue to be rigorously controlled, and you’ll need to get a visa in advance for both. Expect to spend at least an hour at the border regardless. It’s possible to enter Belarus visa-free, but only if flying into Minsk.

Private cars queue for hours to get in and out of Russia and Belarus at major checkpoints. In Estonia, however, you can avoid the wait by booking a time slot for the border crossing at www.estonianborder.eu (unfortunately it doesn’t work for cars coming back into Estonia). International buses bypass the queue.

The Kaliningrad region enjoys quieter road borders with Lithuania at Panemunė–Sovietsk, between Kybartai (Lithuania) and Nesterov, and on Curonian Spit along the Klaipėda–Zelenogradsk road. Nationals of 53 countries may enter Kaliningrad on a free e-visa, valid at land borders, but it must be arranged in advance.

Bus

With a few exceptions, buses are the cheapest but least comfortable method of reaching the Baltic from within Europe. Direct buses arrive from as far north as St Petersburg, as far west as Paris, as far south as Sofia and as far east as Moscow. From much of the rest of Europe you can reach the Baltic with a single change of bus in Warsaw. Pan-European bus companies run services from Baltic capitals to a multitude of destinations in the EU, as well as Russia and Belarus.

See bus company websites for route maps, prices, schedules, ticketing agents and more; you can also purchase tickets online. There are 10% discounts for passengers under 26 or over 60. Return tickets cost about 20% less than two one-way tickets.

Eurolines www.eurolines.com

Ecolines www.ecolines.net

Lux Express www.luxexpress.eu

Car & Motorcycle

If you take your own vehicle to the Baltic, make sure it’s in good condition before you leave home.

It’s worth contacting motoring clubs, as well as Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian embassies, for information on regulations, border crossing and so on.

AA (www.aa.co.nz) New Zealand.

AA (www.theaa.com) UK.

AAA (www.aaa.asn.au) Australia.

AAA (www.aaa.com) USA.

RAC (www.rac.co.uk) UK.

Documents

Bring your vehicle’s registration document, preferably in the form of an international motor vehicle certificate, which is a translation of the basic registration document. Motoring associations should be able to provide one. An International Driving Permit (IDP; also obtainable from motoring associations) is recommended, but your own licence will suffice in most situations. All three Baltic countries demand compulsory accident insurance for drivers.

Insurance policies with limited compensation rates can be bought at the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian borders. Remember that you’ll also need appropriate documentation for all the countries you pass through on the way to or from the Baltics; motoring associations can advise you.

Belarus

There is no particular reason to venture into Belarus, unless it is your destination, or you are transiting into Ukraine, having acquired a Belarusian transit visa in advance.

Do not attempt to approach the border or set foot in the country without a Belarusian transit visa – available only at Belarusian embassies. No visas are sold at any Belarus border. Even with a visa, expect to wait several hours at the border.

Note that although Belarus and Russia are united in a customs union and there are no checks on the border between them, you still can’t enter Belarus on a Russian visa.

Finland

The quickest and best-served car-ferry connection is from Helsinki to Tallinn. Alternatively, from Finland you can drive through Russia; from the Finnish–Russian border at Vaalimaa–Torfyanovka it’s 360km to Narva (Estonia). You could do it in a day, but there’s little point coming this way unless you want to look at St Petersburg on the way through.

Germany

Bringing a vehicle into the Baltics usually entails a ferry trip from the German ports of Kiel or Lübeck to Klaipėda (Lithuania) or to Ventspils or Liepāja (Latvia). But you can also drive into Lithuania through Poland.

Poland

It will take some minutes before you notice you’ve crossed the border as it’s neither guarded nor really marked; due to the Schengen agreement, border formalities are minimal to nonexistent. Brace for a painstaking drive on the truck-ridden, single-lane roads in eastern Poland. It gets better once you get into Lithuania or once you reach Warsaw on the way back.

Russia

From St Petersburg the drive to the Estonian border at Ivangorod–Narva is only 140km. Driving from all three Baltic countries into Moscow, the Rīga–Moscow highway is the most straightforward route, and both its Russian and Latvian sections are in good shape. Coming from Estonia, you can cross the border at Lütä (book your crossing time slot at www.estonianborder.eu to avoid queues) and then drive south to the Rīga–Moscow highway.

Coming from Lithuania, note that you’ll need a Belarusian transit visa to use the convenient Minsk–Moscow highway. Unless you manage to get it, you’ll have to drive via Zilupe checkpoint on the Rīga–Moscow highway, where the waiting time is often half a day.

Sweden

Vehicle ferries run from Stockholm to Tallinn or Rīga, from Nynäshamn to Venstpils and Liepāja (Latvia) and from Karlshamn to Klaipėda.

Train

Train travel is not really much of an option for Baltic countries, unless you are coming from Russia or Belarus. There is also a weak link connecting the region to the rest of the EU via Poland, but this is all due to change with the completion of Rail Baltica.

RAIL BALTICA

Full steam ahead with Rail Baltica (www.railbaltica.org)! Well, OK, not steam, exactly, given how this ambitious railway network – the largest Baltic region infrastructure project of all time – will utilise the most up-to-date railway technology and be fully electrified. The project, due to be completed in 2026, includes Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and, indirectly, Finland. Once completed, the railway will connect Helsinki, Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevežys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw. The railway will adopt the use of the 1435mm gauge, marking a symbolic return to Europe (following WWII, Eastern Europe has been using the Russian 1520mm gauge).

Poland

There is currently no direct train route operating between Warsaw and Vilnius. You can make a daytime journey on local trains from Warsaw to Kaunas or Vilnius, changing trains in Šeštokai, in Lithuania (close to the Poland–Lithuania border). Timetables are designed to give a 15-minute window to transfer. Total journey time is about 9½ hours. Note, too, that this option doesn’t pass through Belarus.

Russia & Belarus

The old Soviet rail network still functions over most of the former USSR. Trains linking Moscow with all the main Baltic cities enable you to combine the Baltics with a Trans-Siberian trip or other Russian or Central Asian travels. Check the Russian railways website http://pass.rzd.ru for details.

The English version of www.poezda.net allows you to search timetables for trains within the former USSR. Alternatively, you can use http://bahn.hafas.de for European train schedules (although prices aren’t given).

Overnight trains connect Rīga and Tallinn with both Moscow and St Petersburg. Note that the latter is connected by fast train services with Helsinki in Finland, which allows you to make a neat circle, coming back to Tallinn by ferry. (That’s provided you have a Russian visa.)

From Vilnius, there are three daily trains to Moscow’s Belarus train station. These pass through Belarus, however, so you’ll need a Belarusian visa. From Vilnius, three daily trains travel west to Kaliningrad (a journey of about six hours).

Sea

Numerous seafaring options offer a slower but more relaxed journey.

From Latvia, regular car and passenger ferry services include Rīga–Stockholm, Liepāja–Travemünde (Germany) and Ventspils–Nynäshamin (Sweden).

From Klaipėda in Lithuania, passenger and car ferries serve Kiel (Germany) and Karlshamn (Sweden).

From Estonia, numerous daily ferries connect Tallinn to Helsinki. There is also an overnight ferry to Stockholm via the Åland Islands (Finland) and services to St Petersburg and Mariehamn (Finland).

For daily services to Helsinki you don’t need to reserve ahead, but some of the other ferries – notably Stockholm to Tallinn and the cargo ferries to Denmark – can get booked up far in advance.

Schedules and fares change frequently – double-check both when you are planning your trip. Ferry and hydrofoil operators’ websites have up-to-date schedules and fares.

Denmark

The shipping company DFDS Seaways (www.freight.dfdsseaways.com) operates a cargo service connecting Fredericia (Denmark) and Klaipėda (Lithuania) via Copenhagen, twice a week. There is limited cabin capacity for passengers – book ahead.

Finland

A fleet of ferries now carries well over two million people each year across the 85km Gulf of Finland separating Helsinki and Tallinn. There are dozens of crossings each way every day (ships take two to 3½ hours; hydrofoils take approximately 1½ hours). Note that in high winds or bad weather, hydrofoils are often cancelled; they operate only when the sea is free from ice (generally around late March/April to late December); larger ferries sail year-round.

Shop around: the best deals are often for advance tickets purchased on the internet. Fares vary widely, depending on season, day and time of travel, and other factors (check if the company has a fuel surcharge that’s included – or not – in the advertised price). Fares are generally higher at high-demand times such as Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. On most ferry lines, students and seniors get a 10% to 15% discount, children between ages six and 17 pay half price and those under six sail for free. Most operators offer special deals for families and serial tickets for frequent passengers.

Germany

Scandlines (www.scandlines.lt) ferries sail twice weekly in each direction from Travemünde (Lübeck) to both Ventspils and Liepāja in Latvia. DFDS Seaways runs service between Klaipėda and Kiel.

Sweden

To/From Estonia

Tallink Silja (www.tallinksilja.com) sails every night between Tallinn and Stockholm, stopping at Mariehamn on the Aland Islands (Finland) en route. Ferries make the 17-hour crossing year-round, leaving from Terminal D in Tallinn and the Värtahamnen Terminal in Stockholm. This service gets heavily booked, so make your reservation a month or two ahead.

To/From Latvia

Tallink Silja operates overnight services daily between Rīga and Stockholm.

Scandlines has boats connecting the ports of Liepāja and Ventspils with Nynäshamn (about 60km from Stockholm), departing five times weekly from both ports.

To/From Lithuania

DFDS Seaways (www.dfdsseaways.com) has daily ferries from Karlshamn to Klaipėda.

Yacht

The Baltics – particularly Estonia with its islands and indented coast – attract hundreds of yachts a year, mainly from Finland and Scandinavia. Good online resources:

www.marinas.nautilus.ee Information on entry regulations, a database of all the local marinas, and details for ordering the Estonian Cruising Guide.

http://en.seaclub.lv/ports/latvia Offers comprehensive information on yacht ports in the entire region.

It’s also possible to rent yachts throughout the region.

Tours

Several international travel operators specialise in the Baltic region.

Baltic Holidays (%in the UK 0845 070 5711; www.balticholidays.com) This UK operator offers spa or city breaks, beach, family or countryside holidays and tailor-made themed holidays. Can help with genealogy research.

Baltics and Beyond (%in UK 0845 094 2125; www.balticsandbeyond.net) A UK-based company offering regular tours, self-guided options and tailor-made trips to the three Baltic countries and some of their neighbours (including Belarus, Russia and Poland).

Regent Holidays (%in the UK 0117 921 1711; www.regent-holidays.co.uk) A UK company with an array of Baltic options, including fly/drive and city breaks.

Vytis Tours (%in the US 718-423-6161; www.vytistours.com) A US company offering a range of tours, from an economical eight-day jaunt round the region’s capitals to a more extensive 17-day ‘Grand Tour’.

Getting Around

Air

There are plenty of scheduled flights between the three Baltic capitals, but domestic flights within each country are minimal.

Airlines Flying Within Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

airBaltic (www.airbaltic.com) Flies from Rīga to Palanga, Tallinn and Vilnius; and from Vilnius to Tallinn.

Nordica (www.nordica.ee) Flies from Tallinn to Vilnius.

Boat

Ferry

At the time of writing there were no ferry links between the Baltic countries. Estonia has ferry connections to many of its islands, although smaller boats don’t run in winter once the seas ice up. Ferries within Latvia are few, although you can catch a slow boat between Rīga and Jūrmala. In Lithuania, people can travel by boat from Klaipėda to Curonian Spit and from Nida to the Nemunas Delta, though the latter tends to be a day cruise.

Yacht

Private yachting is a popular way to get around the Baltic Coast – particularly Estonia’s coast, with its many islands and bays. Sailing.ee (map; %5333 1117; www.sailing.ee; Sadama 25/4) rents out yachts with or without a skipper.

www.marinas.nautilus.ee For information and advice on Estonia’s dozens of marinas.

www.marinaslatvia.lv Details of Latvia’s marinas.

Bus

The region is well served by buses, although services to off-the-beaten-track villages are infrequent. Direct bus services link the three capitals and there are other cross-border services between main towns.

Buses are generally faster than trains and often slightly cheaper. Those used for local journeys, up to about two hours long, offer few comforts. Avoid window seats in rainy, snowy or very cold weather; travel with someone you’re prepared to snuggle up to for body warmth; and sit in the seat allocated to you.

Some shorter routes are serviced by nippier and more modern microbuses, holding about 15 passengers and officially making fewer stops than their big-bus counterparts.

By contrast, buses travelling between the Baltic countries are equal to long-distance coaches anywhere else in Europe. They are clean and have a heating system, a toilet, hot-drinks dispenser, TV and free wi-fi on board. Many scheduled buses to/from Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius run overnight; it’s a convenient and safe way of travelling.

Buses Operating Within Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

Tpilet (www.tpilet.ee) Umbrella for all Estonian services.

Ecolines (www.ecolines.net) Major routes include Rīga–Salacgrīva–Pärnu–Tallinn; Rīga–Valmiera–Valga–Tartu–Narva; Rīga–Panevėžys–Vilnius–Kaunas; Liepāja–Palanga–Klaipėda; Rēzekne–Daugavpils–Utena–Vilnius–Kaunas.

Lux Express (www.luxexpress.eu) With its associated budget line Simple Express (www.simpleexpress.eu), major routes include Tallinn–Pärnu–Rīga–Vilnius; Narva–Tartu–Valga–Rīga; Rīga–Vilnius; Rīga–Kaunas; Rīga–Šiauliai; Vilnius–Kaunas.

Tickets & Information

Ticket offices/windows selling national and international tickets are clearly marked in the local language and occasionally in English, too. Tickets are always printed in the local language and are easy to understand once you know the words for ‘seat’, ‘bus stop’ etc. Many major bus stations across the Baltics now have multilingual electronic ticket machines.

For long-distance buses, tickets are sold in advance from the station from which you begin the journey or online from www.autobusubilietai.lt (Lithuania), www.tpilet.ee (Estonia) and www.autoosta.lv (Latvia). For local buses to nearby towns or villages, or for long-distance buses that are midroute (‘in transit’), you normally pay on board. This may mean a bit of a scrum for seats if there are a lot of people waiting.

Most bus and train stations in towns and cities have information windows with staff who generally speak some English.

Timetables & Fares

Check timetables on bus-company websites, or if for some reason you happen to be offline, check schedules at the local tourist office. The offices in Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius in particular maintain up-to-the-minute transport schedules. The In Your Pocket (www.inyourpocket.com) city guides to the capitals include fairly comprehensive domestic and pan-Baltic bus schedules, updated every two months.

Comprehensive timetables are posted in bus stations’ main ticket halls. A rare few need careful decoding. Most simply list the departure time and the days (using either Roman or Arabic numerals, the number 1 being Monday) on which the service runs.

Fares vary slightly between the three countries, and between bus companies, reflecting the speed of the bus, comfort levels and time of day it arrives/departs.

Car & Motorcycle

For flexibility and access to out-of-the-way destinations, you can’t beat driving.

Fuel & Spare Parts

Petrol stations run by major companies are open 24 hours along all the major roads; many are self-service with an automated pay system accepting notes or credit cards with PINs. Western-grade fuel, including unleaded, is readily available.

Road Rules

The whole region drives on the right. The legal maximum blood alcohol limit varies in each country (Estonia 0.02%; Latvia 0.05%; Lithuania 0.04%). Seat belts are compulsory and headlights must be on at all times while driving. The speed limit in built-up areas is 50km/h; limits outside urban areas vary from 70km/h to 110km/h – look out for signs, as these limits are often strictly enforced. Speeding seems to be a habit with locals, but don’t follow their example. Fines may be collected on the spot – the amounts vary.

It is illegal to use a mobile phone while operating a vehicle (hands-free kits are allowed). Winter tyres are a legal requirement, usually from December to March every year, but if there are severe weather conditions outside these dates (likely in most years), the dates will change accordingly, so check local conditions if driving between October and April.

Traditional coin-fed parking meters are still found in some parts of the Baltics, though both Tallinn and Vilnius have moved towards electronic systems – drivers pay for parking via SMS, dialling a number and inputting the car’s licence plate and location number (posted nearby).

Driving into the old towns in Rīga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Kaunas is free, but parking is pricey; multilingual parking machines usually display price per hour and applicable times. Motorists must pay a small entrance fee to drive into Latvia’s prime seaside resort, Jūrmala, and to enter Curonian Spit National Park.

Take care driving near trams, trolleybuses and buses in towns: passengers may run across the road to catch a tram that’s still in motion. Traffic behind a tram must stop when it opens its doors to let people in and out. Trolleybuses often swing far out into the road when leaving a stop.

distance-chart-estonia-latvia-lithuania_4C-jpg

Hitching

Hitching is never entirely safe in any country in the world, and we don’t recommend it. Travellers who decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. People who do choose to hitch will be safer if they travel in pairs and let someone know where they are planning to go.

Locally, hitching is a popular means of getting around. The Vilnius Hitchhiking Club (VHHC; www.autostop.lt) provides practical information and contacts for travellers hoping to hitch a ride in all three Baltic countries. Hostel noticeboards in capital cities are a good place to find or offer a ride-share.

Local Transport

Bicycle & Electric Scooter

The flatness and small scale of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the light traffic on most roads, make them good cycling territory. On the Estonian islands and along Lithuania’s Curonian Spit especially, you’ll see cyclists galore in summer. Most bring their own bicycles, but there are plenty of places where you can hire one, including each of the capitals and most major towns.

Cyclists should bring waterproof clothing, and perhaps a tent if touring: you may not find accommodation in some out-of-the-way places. Travel agencies and organisations both within and outside the region organise cycling tours.

Major cities in the Baltics are becoming more and more bicycle-friendly, with a growing number of cycle lanes and many spots where you can pick up a bicycle.

Love ’em or hate ’em, the use of electric scooters is very on-trend in the Baltic capitals as of 2019, and you can find them everywhere. Download relevant apps (such as Bolt and CityBee) to use them and ride in the cycle lanes as much as possible.

Bus, Tram & Trolleybus

A mix of trams, buses and trolleybuses (buses run by electricity from overhead wires) provides thorough public transport around towns and cities in all three countries. All three types of transport get crowded, especially during the early-morning and early-evening rush hours.

Trams, trolleybuses and buses all run from about 5.30am to 12.30am, but services get pretty thin in outlying areas after about 7pm. In Tallinn and Vilnius, the same ticket is good for all types of transport except minibuses; Rīga has a full network of services covered by e-tickets. Tickets are sold from news kiosks displaying them in the window and by drivers (buying tickets on board costs a bit more). Multi-trip, weekly and monthly tickets are available. The system depends on honesty and lends itself to cheating, but there are regular inspections, with on-the-spot fines if you’re caught riding without a valid ticket.

Travelling on all trams, trolleybuses and buses involves a particular etiquette. If you are young, fit and capable of standing for the duration of your journey, do not sit in the seats at the front – these are only for babushkas (senior-age women), pregnant women and small children. Secondly, plan getting off well ahead of time. It’s good to know how to say ‘excuse me’ in the language of your Baltic country or in Russian, so people understand that you want to get to the door on a crowded bus.

All airports are served by regular city transport as well as by taxis.

Taxi & Bolt

Taxis are plentiful and usually cheap. Night-time tariffs, which generally apply between 10pm and 6am, are higher. To avoid rip-offs, insist on the meter running. In any of the cities, it’s always cheaper and safer to order a cab by phone. A reliable, cheaper alternative is Bolt (www.bolt.eu), the Baltic equivalent of Uber. Register your bank card on its app and fares are deducted automatically.

Train

Suburban trains serve the outskirts of the main cities and some surrounding towns and villages. Most are commuter-style and are often the best option for day-trip destinations, such as Jūrmala and Cēsis from Rīga, or Trakai and Paneriai from Vilnius. Trains tend to be as fast as buses, cheaper and much more comfortable.

Tours

A few local travel operators specialise in travel around the Baltic region and can help you organise a trip.

City Bike (%in Estonia 511 1819; www.citybike.ee) Reputable and longstanding Tallinn-based company, which arranges multiday cycling tours through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Time Travels (%in Finland 10 4218990; www.timetravels.fi) A backpacker-focused company offering adventure bus trips through Scandinavia and the Baltic region.

Train

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have railways, and reasonably frequent intercity services, although some have been scaled back significantly in recent years and much long-distance travel within the Baltics is done by bus. However, the planned intracountry rail network, Rail Baltica, will seamlessly connect the Baltics to Poland and Finland. Some sections have been built already and the project is earmarked for completion in 2026.

In the meantime, Baltic trains are slow, cheap and reasonably comfortable. You can often open the windows (but when you can’t, it can be stuffy), and you stand equal chances of freezing or baking, depending on whether the heating is turned on or not. Local trains, known as suburban or electric, are substantially slower and make more frequent stops than long-distance trains.

Routes

There are no direct train services running between the Baltic capitals, although you can travel from Tallinn to Rīga by train with a stop at Valga (on the Estonia–Latvia border).

Tickets & Information

In Latvia and Lithuania, tickets can be purchased in advance and right before departure at train stations. In larger stations, such as Rīga, you can only buy tickets for certain types of trains or destinations at certain windows.

Except for Tallinn, Estonia’s train stations are deserted places, with no ticket offices or other services of any kind. You buy your tickets on the train; don’t head to the train station (which is usually quite far from the city centre) unless you know the exact departure time. You can also purchase domestic tickets online at www.elron.ee.

On long-distance trains between the Baltics and other countries, your ticket must be surrendered to the carriage attendant, who will safeguard it for the journey’s duration and return it to you 15 minutes before arrival at your final destination (a handy ‘alarm clock’ if you’re on an overnight train).

Timetables

The following websites provide railway timetables online.

Estonia www.elron.ee

Latvia www.pv.lv

Lithuania www.traukiniobilietas.lt

At train stations, the timetables generally list the number of the train, departure and arrival times, and the platform from which it leaves. Some list return journey schedules, the number of minutes a train waits in your station or the time a train left the place it began its journey. Always study the small print on timetables, as many trains only run on certain days or between certain dates.