 Riga, Latvia... This is Riga old town, seen from the tower of the 'Petera Baznica' church. |
UK to Riga by train or ferry...
Riga is a great place to visit, with more of a 'big city' feel than Vilnius or Tallinn. There are two basic options for travelling from the UK to Riga: overland by train via Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw & Vilnius, or by train from London to Stockholm, then by overnight cruise ferry to Riga.
Train times, fares & tickets...
London to Riga by train via
Hamburg & Stockholm
London to Riga by train via
Berlin, Warsaw, Vilnius
Useful country
information currency, tourist info, etc.
On other pages...
Riga to Vilnius by train or bus
Riga to Tallinn by
train or bus
Riga to St
Petersburg by train
Route map: London to Scandinavia, Estonia & Latvia by train & ferry...
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Useful
country information
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Train operators: |
Latvijas Dzelzcels (LDz, www.ldz.lv) also see www.pv.lv. Train times in Europe: http://bahn.hafas.de. Train times in all ex-Soviet states: www.poezda.net |
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Ferries to Riga: |
www.tallink.lv (Stockholm-Riga) |
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Time zone: |
GMT+2 (GMT+3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). |
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Dialling code: |
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+371 |
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Currency: |
£1 = approx 1.15 euros, adopted by Latvia in 2014. Currency converter |
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Tourist information: |
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Hotels in Latvia: |
Find a hotel in Riga Hotel reviews: www.tripadvisor.com Hostels: Hostelworld.com |
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Visas: |
UK citizens do not need a visa for Latvia. |
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Page last updated: |
23 January 2019 |
London
to Riga via Stockholm
Travel by Eurostar & comfortable connecting trains from London to Hamburg on day 1 from just €59, stay overnight in Hamburg, then travel from Hamburg to Stockholm on day 2 from as little as €39. Take a bottle of wine and a good book, and enjoy a 2-day train ride across Europe on modern & comfortable trains with not an airport security queue in sight. Stay overnight and spend most of day 3 exploring Stockholm. Then take the overnight cruise ferry to Riga with a comfortable en suite cabin reserved, arriving on the morning of day 4. What's the journey like?
London ► Riga
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Day 1, travel from London to Hamburg using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page. For example, you can leave London St Pancras at 10:58 by Eurostar to Brussels and high-speed ICE train to Cologne, then comfortable InterCity train to Hamburg, arriving Hamburg Hbf at 21:14. See video guide to London to Cologne part of the journey.
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Spend the night in Hamburg. Starting with the cheapest, suggested hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski. Check more hotels in Hamburg.
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Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by fast EuroCity train, leaving Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 09:28 and arriving Copenhagen at 14:26. The Hamburg-Copenhagen train is shunted onto a ferry for the crossing from Puttgarden in Germany to Rødby in Denmark, one of the few places in Europe where trains still go onto ferries. An interesting experience in itself! You need to leave the train and go upstairs onto the ferry during the crossing, although you can leave your luggage on the train.
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Day 2, travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by 125mph SJ 2000 high-speed tilting train, leaving Copenhagen at 16:23 and arriving Stockholm Central at 21:37. You can check train times from Hamburg to Stockholm using www.bahn.de. Trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm cross the Öresund Fixed Link, a tunnel & double-decker road/rail bridge opened in 1999 linking Denmark with Sweden.
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Spend the night in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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Day 3, spend most of the day exploring Stockholm, then sail overnight to Riga. A Tallink cruise ferry sails overnight from Stockholm every other day at 17:00, arriving at Riga passenger port at 11:00 the next morning (day 4 from London). See www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se to check sailing times & fares. Map of Riga showing ferry terminal.
Riga ► London
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Day 1: Sail from Riga to Stockholm by overnight cruise ferry, sailing every second day. See www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se. The ferry normally sails from Riga daily at 17:30 arriving Stockholm at 09:30. You now have the rest of day 2 free to explore Stockholm.
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Spend the night in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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Day 3, travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen by 125mph SJ 2000 tilting train, leaving Stockholm Central at 08:25 and arriving Copenhagen at 13:32.
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Day 3, travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg by EuroCity train (a Danish IC3), leaving Copenhagen at 15:35 and arriving Hamburg Hbf at 20:16. These trains go onto a ferry for the 50-minute crossing from Puttgarden in Germany to Rødby in Denmark, an interesting experience in itself! You have to leave the train and go upstairs into the ferry accommodation decks whilst the ferry is at sea, although you can leave your luggage on the train.
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Spend the night in Hamburg. Starting with the cheapest, hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski. Check other hotels in Hamburg.
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Day 4, travel from Hamburg to London by InterCity train to Cologne, high-speed ICE train to Brussels and Eurostar to London, using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page. For example, the earliest departure leaves Hamburg Hbf at 06:46, changing at Cologne & Brussels to arrive London St Pancras at 16:05. Or you can leave at 07:46 arriving London 18:06 (16:57 Fridays & Sundays). Or have a leisurely breakfast and leave Hamburg at 10:46 arriving London at 19:57 (21:33 on Saturdays & some other dates).
How much does it cost?
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London to Hamburg starts at just €69.90 each way in 2nd class or €129.90 in 1st class with a Sparpreis London fare from Germany Railways (DB). Like air fares, the price varies significantly from date to date and departure to departure, and prices rise as departure date approaches, so book early and pick your date carefully for the cheapest prices.
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Hamburg to Stockholm starts at €39.90 each way in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class with a sparpreis fare from German Railways. Again, the price varies significantly, rising as departure date approaches so book early for the best deals.
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Stockholm to Riga by ferry varies by cabin type & season, but fares start from around €33 each way including a bed in a shared cabin. Check fares & cabin types and book online at www.tallinksilja.com.
How to buy tickets...
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Step 1, check the price of Sparpreis London fares between London & Hamburg using these special links. I strongly recommend registering when prompted, as you can then log in and check or re-print tickets whenever you like, from any PC. Booking usually opens 92 days ahead, you can't book before bookings open. Prices vary like air fares, so book as far ahead as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure.
From London to Hamburg:
Departing London at 06:13 on Mondays, 06:47 on Tuesdays-Fridays or 06:57 on Saturdays
Departing London at 08:55 Fri & Sun, then every day from 7 April 2019
Departing London at 10:58 every day
From Hamburg to London:
Departing Hamburg at 06:46 any day
Departing Hamburg at 10:46 daily except Saturdays
Departing Hamburg at 10:46 on Saturdays & some other dates
Sparpreis London fares have limited availability as DB (German Railways) only have a small allocation on Eurostar. If you cannot find any cheap fares from London to Hamburg or have any other problems, try booking exactly the same trains, but using www.eurostar.com for the London to Brussels train and www.bahn.de for Brussels to Hamburg trains. Alternatively, try www.b-europe.com for London to Cologne and www.bahn.de for Cologne to Berlin. There are various ways to break this journey down!
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Step 2, buy your ticket between Hamburg and Stockholm using these links:
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Availability of sparpreis fares is also limited, so if you don't find any cheap fares between Hamburg and Stockholm, split the booking. First book Hamburg to Copenhagen using www.bahn.de. Then book Copenhagen to Stockholm using either the Swedish railways website www.sj.se (no booking fee, see advice on using it below) or Swedish transport site www.snalltaget.se (English button bottom right, booking fee added). If you can't get your credit card to work, simply use www.acprail.com instead, or call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (there's a phone menu option for English). The price varies like budget airline fares. If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, rising to pretty much higher prices closer to departure. You simply print out your own ticket or you can choose to collect your tickets from the Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines installed at Copenhagen main station.
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Step 3, book the Stockholm-Riga ferry at www.tallinksilja.com or using the Seat61 Ferry Shop.
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How to buy tickets by phone, or get a reliable tour company to arrange your whole trip.
What's the journey like?
...London to Cologne by Eurostar & ICE: Watch the video guide.
...Cologne to Hamburg by InterCity train.
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Most Cologne-Hamburg trains are InterCity trains, a few are high-speed ICEs. Virtual tour of InterCity train... |
InterCity 2nd class. You'll also find a few compartment coaches on InterCity trains, and a bistro or restaurant car... |
InterCity 1st class, often available in both open-plan saloons like this and in compartments. |
...Hamburg to Copenhagen by ICE.
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ICE 2nd class. All seats in both classes have power sockets for laptops & mobiles... |
ICE 1st class, with real leather seats. Staff provide at-seat service of drinks & food. |
The Hamburg-Copenhagen ICE on board the Puttgarden-Rødby ferry. More info on ICE. |
...Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000.
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An X2000 train at Copenhagen, about to leave for Stockholm... |
2nd class seating on the X2000. All seats have power sockets... |
Self-service buffet car. More information about X2000 |
...Stockholm to Riga by Tallink cruise ferry.
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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. |
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How to buy tickets by phone...
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Step 1: Buy your train tickets from London to Stockholm. You can buy all these 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). Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.
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Step 2: Viking Line tickets can be booked online at either the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.vikingline.fi or by phone though its UK agent, Emagine Ltd, on 01942 262662. Silja Line tickets can be bought online at www.tallinksilja.com or through their UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0871 522 9955.
Custom-made train travel + hotel arrangements...
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If you want a tailor-made trip with train & ferry travel, hotels & transfers all arranged for you, contact Railbookers. Tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out. They get positive reviews and look after their customers very well.
UK call 020 3327 0761,
www.railbookers.co.uk.
US call free 1-888-829-4775,
see
website.
Canada call free 1-855-882-2910,
see website.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526,
see website.
New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or
see
website.
London to Riga via
Warsaw
The overland option...
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)
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Travel from London to Vilnius by train as shown in the London to Vilnius page.
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Travel from Vilnius to Riga by bus or train. There are a number of bus services daily, see www.luxexpress.eu, or you can travel by local train with a change and overnight stop in Daugavpils, see here for details.
Riga ► London (via Warsaw)
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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.
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Travel from Vilnius to London by train, as shown on 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). 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...
Moving on from Latvia...
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See the Trains & ferries from Riga page for travel from Riga to Tallinn, Vilnius, St Petersburg, Moscow, Helsinki, Stockholm...
European Rail Timetable & maps
The
European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European
Timetable)
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus
currency & climate information. It is essential
for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for
armchair travellers. Published since 1873, it had just
celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided
to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but
the dedicated
ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the
famous European Rail
Timetable in March 2014. You can buy it online with worldwide shipping
at
either
www.stanfords.co.uk or
www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.
More information
on what the European Rail Timetable contains.
A Traveller's Railway Map of Europe covers the whole of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south. On the back are detailed maps of Switzerland, Benelux & Germany, plus city plans showing stations in major cities. Scenic & high-speed routes highlighted. Buy it online for £14.50 + postage worldwide (UK addresses £2.80) at www.stanfords.co.uk/Continents/Europe-A-Travellers-Railway-Map_9789077899090.htm or (in the Netherlands) for €13 + €5.50 postage from www.treinreiswinkel.nl.
Recommended guidebooks:
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...
Hotels
in Riga & Latvia
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
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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...
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www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance & health
card
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Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without proper travel insurance from a reliable insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of cash & belongings (up to a limit), and trip cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year - I have an annual policy myself. However, don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, 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, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
Columbus Direct's other websites.
If you live in the USA 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 ww.nhs.uk. It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.
Carry a spare credit card, designed for 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.