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The Baltic capitals are now linked by train!
In December 2023, Lithuanian Railways (LTG Link) introduced a daily Vilnius-Riga train which has been so successful it has surprised LTG Link themselves. On 6 January 2025 train travel in the Baltic States took another step forward, as Lithuanian, Latvian & Estonian railways co-ordinated their timetables to create a daily Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn train service with changes at Riga & Valga. From 10 February the change at Riga is eliminated and you can travel from Vilnius to Tallinn with just one change at Valga, with a one-stop-shop for ticketing too! It's cheap, easy to use and an enjoyable alternative to hours in a bus.
On other pages: Warsaw-Vilnius by train
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: You can heck Vilnius-Riga-Valga-Tallinn times at ltglink.lt. You can also check Riga-Valga at vivi.lv, click EN for English top left. You can check Valga-Tallinn times at elron.ee, click EN for English top right. In Estonian, Riga = Riia. Times may vary, always check.
At Valga it's a quick & easy cross-platform interchange.
Vilnius to Riga is 348 km (216 miles). Riga to Tallinn is 441 km (274 miles).
How much does it cost?
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Vilnius to Tallinn (or vice versa) costs €39 in 2nd class, fixed price.
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Vilnius to Riga (or vice versa) costs €24 in 2nd class, €34 in 1st class, fixed price, includes seat reservation.
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Riga to Tallinn (or vice versa) costs €30.50 in 2nd class, fixed price.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets at ltglink.lt.
You can buy tickets between Vilnius, Riga & Tallinn in either direction at Lithuanian Railways ltglink.lt.
Booking opens 1 month ahead for Vilnius-Riga, 29 days ahead for Riga-Tallinn. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
You should book in advance if you can because a seat reservation is included on the Lithuanian Vilnius-Riga-Valga train and it can sell out.
There are no assigned seats on the Estonian train between Valga & Tallinn, you sit where you like.
Tip: If you want to travel in 1st class on the Vilnius-Riga part of a Vilnius-Tallinn journey, you'll need to split the booking, booking Vilnius-Riga in 1st class then Riga-Tallinn in 2nd class. The Vilnius-Valga train operates as 2nd class only between Riga and Valga.
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Buy tickets at elron.ee.
You can also buy Vilnius-Tallinn or Riga-Tallinn tickets (but not Vilnius-Riga) in either direction from Estonian Railways at elron.ee.
This has its own allocation of seats on the Vilnius-Riga-Valga train, so you may find tickets available using elron.ee even if tickets are sold out on ltglink.lt. However, bookings only open around 10 days ahead.
Interrail & Eurail
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Eurail & Interrail holders need a reservation between Vilnius & Riga, this can be made online as shown on the passholder reservations page.
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No reservation is needed between Riga, Valga & Tallinn. Just board the train and sit where you like. Show your pass when asked.
Pets & bikes
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Vilnius to Riga: Bicycles carried for €10. Small pets in containers free, larger pets €5.
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Riga to Valga: Bikes & pets carried for a fee, add a baggage ticket when booking.
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Valga to Tallinn: Bikes carried for a fee (free November to March), add a bike ticket when booking.
Pets carried free, in the train's C-area marked with a pet symbol. Pets not allowed in 1st class.
VIP lounge at Vilnius
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The VIP lounge at Vilnius station offers a peaceful environment with chairs and tables, free WiFi & complimentary hot drinks, open at all times the station itself is open. More info at ltglink.lt.
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You can use the lounge for up to 2h before or after your journey if (a) you have a 1st class ticket Vilnius<>Riga or (b) you pay €4 for lounge access on top of a 2nd class booking to/from Vilnius using the LTG link website or app.
Route map
What are the trains like?
1) Vilnius - Riga - Valga by Lithuanian train
The train is operated by a Pesa 730 diesel unit, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesa_730M. It's air-conditioned with comfortable seating in 1st & 2nd class, drop-down tables, toilets, large luggage racks, free WiFi, wheelchair space and accessible toilet, see virtual tour at traukinyje.lt/pesa730ml. This train has assigned seats included in the fare, so can sell out.
Hot & cold drinks (including latte or cappuccino bean-to-cup coffee), snacks and sandwiches can be ordered from a menu and brought to your seat by the train staff working out of a small catering compartment. In 1st class, a small bottle of still or sparkling water and a coffee are included. The train operates under contract to Vivi (Latvian Railways) between Riga & Valga so is designated 2nd class only on this sector.
The train from Riga to Vilnius, at Riga station. Courtesy of Scott Gasson.
2) Valga - Tallinn 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. This train does not have assigned seats, you sit where you like.
Above, the Estonian train for Tallinn, at Valga. Photo courtesy of Martin Kop.
Estonian train inside & out. Photo above left courtesy of Chris Rushton, above right courtesy of Daniel King.
Above, the Estonian train at Tallinn station. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Nicholls.
Stopover in Valga?
There are other trains between Tallinn & Valga, so you can stop off for a few hours if you like, check times at elron.ee.
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!
There are free luggage lockers in the station hall, they just require a €1 or €0.50 coin as deposit.
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 is a good place to go between trains, see walking map. A menu is available in English.