Tallinn to Riga by train for €22.55
Estonian and Latvian railways have co-ordinated their timetables (sort of) and it's possible to travel between Tallinn & Riga on a comfortable inexpensive daily train service, with one simple cross-platform change of train on the border at Valga. Both the Estonian and Latvian trains are local trains and it takes a few hours longer and is less frequent than the bus (the train service runs once a day), but it's cheap, easy to use, no prior reservation is necessary and it's an interesting and more enjoyable alternative to hours in a bus. The Estonian train between Valga & Tallinn is now a smart modern air-conditioned train with power sockets and free WiFi. The Latvian train now has free WiFi too.
On other pages: Warsaw - Vilnius Vilnius - Riga
How to read these timetables: Read downwards. Each column of times is a train you can take. A horizontal line means you need to change trains.
How to check these train times: 1. Check Estonian train times at www.elron.ee, click EN for English top right. In Estonian, Riga = Riia. 2. Check Latvian train times at vivi.lv, click EN for English top left.
How much does it cost?
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Tallinn to Valga costs €17.34 in 2nd class or €22.10 in 1st class.
This includes a 15% discount for buying online at www.elron.ee.
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Valga to Riga costs €5.22 for the 168 km.
This includes a 10% discount for buying online at vivi.lv.
How to buy tickets
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There's no need to reserve in advance, just turn up, buy a ticket and go!
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For journeys starting from Tallinn, just buy a ticket to Valga and get on the train, then buy the Valga-Riga ticket on board the Latvian train.
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For journeys starting from Riga, buy the a ticket to Valga at Riga station. Then buy an onward Estonian ticket on board the train from Valga.
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Or buy each ticket online at www.elron.ee and vivi.lv to save time and get a 10%-15% online discount.
What's Valga like?
Valga in Estonia and Valka in Latvia were one town until 1920. Now twin towns, the station is in Valga on the Estonian side. It's reportedly not a bad place to spend a few hours. Estonia and Latvia are in the Schengen area so there are no border controls, you can walk back and forth across the border. Indeed, there's an International Swing on a pedestrian bridge over the border in Valga town, you can swing back and forth between countries!
The main departure board at Valga only shows Estonian trains, not the Latvian train to Riga, so don't worry when you don't see it listed! You'll recognise the Latvian train from the photo below, it typically leaves from platform 2.
Restaurant Lilli (www.lilli.ee) a 14 minute walk away and has been suggested as a place to go between trains, see walking map.
What are the trains like?
1) Tallinn to Valga by Estonian train. These smart new air-conditioned local trains have on-board information screens, free WiFi & power sockets for laptops & mobiles. First class seats are also available. Photo below left courtesy of Chris Rushton, below right courtesy of Daniel King.
At Valga it's a simple cross-platform interchange. Above, the Estonian train from Tallinn at Valga. Below, that's the Latvian train for Riga, at Valga. Photos courtesy of Martin Kop.
2) Valga to Riga by Latvian train. This is a classic Soviet-era local train, 2nd class only, with a modernised interior. There's no catering on either train, so bring your own beer and picnic. Photos below courtesy of Jan Špaček & Martin Kop
Route map
Tallinn to Riga by bus
Alternatively, buses link Tallinn and Riga with a range of departures daily, run by various operators including Ecolines and Lux Express. Journey time about 4h20, fare between €12 & €28 one-way, buy tickets at either Omio.com for Ecolines or www.luxexpress.eu for Lux Express.