Warsaw - Vilnius train service 2020...

Until 2005 there was a direct overnight sleeper train from Warsaw to Vilnius called the Balti 3 times a week, but Polish Railways sadly withdrew this train.  There remained a comfortable daily daytime train linking Warsaw with Kaunas & Vilnius, with a simple change of trains at Sestokai on the Polish/Lithuanian frontier, where Polish standard gauge met Lithuanian 5' track gauge.  This service then got temporarily cancelled in 2013 while the Rail Baltica project dug up the tracks. 

However, on 17 June 2016 a cross-border Bialystok-Kaunas train started running at weekends over the new standard gauge Rail Baltica line.  Using this, you can now once more travel by train between Warsaw and Vilnius in comfort, several days a week, as shown below...

Advance news for 2021:  In the second half of 2021 the Polish & Lithuanian Railways plan to start a daily direct standard-gauge train between Warsaw & Kaunas with a connection to Vilnius by 5'-gauge train.  Like the current weekend train, it'll use the first part of the new Rail Baltica line.  The Rail Baltica project will ultimately provide a 200km/h standard gauge railway linking Warsaw, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia.

On other pages:   Vilnius - Riga    Riga - Tallinn

* = Example train, trains link Bialystok & Warsaw regularly so by all means take an earlier one, or a later one after breakfast!

Check Warsaw-Bialystok times at www.intercity.pl as they can vary.  Check Bialystok-Kaunas & Kaunas-Vilnius times at www.traukiniobilietas.lt.

IC = modern Intercity train, air-conditioned, free WiFi, cafe-bar, reservation required.

TLK = Twoje Linie Kolejowe = train using older cars, reservation required, earlier & later departures using IC trains also available,

The Bialystok-Kaunas train is a smart modern air-conditioned diesel unit.

The Kaunas-Vilnius train is a smart modern air-conditioned double-deck train, and there are many other trains on this section.

Seat reservation is required for the Warsaw-Bialystok trains, but not for the other trains.

Remember that Lithuanian time is 1 hour ahead of Polish time.  This service does not pass through any part of Belarus!

How to buy tickets...

• You can pre-book the Warsaw-Bialystok trains at www.intercity.pl and print your own ticket.

• You can easily buy the Bialystok-Kaunas ticket at the station in Bialystok, tickets always available, or you can buy online to save time at the Lithuanian Railways website www.traukiniobilietas.lt.  Change LT to EN for English at top right.  You print your own ticket.

• You can easily buy a Kaunas-Vilnius ticket at the station in Kaunas or you can buy online to save time at www.traukiniobilietas.lt.  Change LT to EN for English at top right.  You print your own ticket.

The bus alternative...

The alternative to the comfortable but weekends-only train service is 10 hours in a bus.  Several bus companies operate between Warsaw & Vilnius including Ecolines and Infobus, you can easily check times and prices and buy tickets for both companies at Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com).

What are the trains like?

Warsaw to Vilnius by train:  At Bialystok station, the all-electric Intercity train from Warsaw has arrived on the right, the connecting train to Kaunas in Lithuania is on the left.  Courtesy of Joerg Schmidt.

The Bialystok to Kaunas train:  Modern and air-conditioned.  Photos courtesy of @zugreiseblog

1st class upper deck seats on the Kaunas to Vilnius air-conditioned double-decker train.  Photos courtesy of @zugreiseblog

Vilnius station.  Photo courtesy of Yuk Wah Chu

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