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Above:  Riga old town, seen from the tower of the 'Petera Baznica' church

Riga is a great place to visit, with much more of a 'big city' feel than either 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+ferry, travelling from London to Stockholm, then the thrice weekly cruise ferry direct to Riga or the daily overnight cruise ferry to Tallinn in Estonia and a bus onwards to Riga.

On this page...

London to Riga by train+ferry via Stockholm

London to Riga by train via Berlin, Warsaw & Vilnius

Train service within Latvia

Trains from Riga to Vilnius, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Moscow

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If you feel like a relaxing sea voyage, you can travel from London to Riga via Stockholm.  The journey takes 3 nights, and is a great adventure.  You get a day in Stockholm, too.  There's a choice of routes from London to Stockholm:  You can travel overland by Eurostar and connecting trains via Cologne or Hamburg & Copenhagen, or you can travel via DFDS Seaways cruise ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark, then intercity train to Copenhagen and the sleeper to Stockholm.  The DFDS Seaways option is a good choice and is shown below.  For details of other options between London and Stockholm, see the London to Sweden page.  Once in Stockholm, there are direct overnight ships to Riga every other day, or you can catch the daily overnight ship to Tallinn and bus it from Tallinn to Riga.

London ► Riga  (via direct cruise ferry from Stockholm)

• Day 1, travel from London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool Street at 14:18 and arriving Harwich 1 hour 25 minutes later.  Harwich International station is right next to the ferry terminal.  The train runs hourly, but this departure gives plenty of time to catch the ferry.  Please double-check times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

• Sail from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark aboard DFDS 'Dana Sirena'.  DFDS sails from Harwich 3 or 4 days a week at 18:00, arriving in Esbjerg at 13:00 the next day.  See www.dfds.co.uk for sailing dates.  A range of comfortable private cabins is available, complete with private shower and toilet.  Take a taxi or bus to the railway station, bus number 5 runs from the port to the station every 20 minutes.

• Day 2, travel from Esbjerg to Copenhagen by modern air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Esbjerg town station at 14:55 and arriving in Copenhagen at 18:18.  The journey is about 175 miles, right across Denmark.  You can check times for your date of travel at http://bahn.hafas.de.

• Day 2 evening, travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm overnight, leaving Copenhagen by frequent Oresund link local train at 21:23 arriving Malmö at 21:58 (these Copenhagen-Malmö local trains run every 20 minutes).  A sleeper train leaves Malmö at 23:08 arriving Stockholm at 05:54 next morning (day 3).  You now have a free day in Stockholm.  The sleeper train has seats, couchettes (6 bunk) and sleepers (1 & 2 bed rooms with washbasin).  Alternatively, spend the night in Copenhagen and head for Stockholm the next day.  Regular high speed tilting 'X2000' trains link Copenhagen with Stockholm, check train times at http://bahn.hafas.de.

• Day 3, Tallink's 'Regina Baltica' cruise ferry sails overnight from Stockholm every second day (on odd dates, i.e. 1, 3, 5 etc of each month) 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 for times, sailing days and fares.  Map of Riga showing ferry terminal.

London ► Riga  (via Tallinn)

• See the London to Estonia page for details of the journey from London to Tallinn.

• From Tallinn, there are Eurolines bus departures at 10:00, 13:15, 15:00 19:00 daily, each taking about 5 hours.  For example, the ship from Stockholm arrives in Tallinn at 10:00.  The 13:15 bus from Tallinn bus station calls at Tallinn port at 13:25, and arrives in Riga (bus station) at 18:50.  See www.eurolines.ee and www.eurolines.lv for the full timetable, fares, and an e-mail contact for booking.  These two Eurolines websites show different buses, so be sure to visit both!  Map of Riga.

On board DFDS Seaways "Dana Sirena" Harwich-Esbjerg...

Crossing the North Sea with DFDS Seaways aboard the Dana Sirena...		Commodore class cabin with double bed, TV, shower & toilet.  Yes, that's an ice bucket on the table with a half bottle of sparkling wine....		Sirena class cabin with TV, shower, toilet & minibar.

On board Tallink's "Regina Baltica" Stockholm-Riga...

Left:  The Regina Baltica now operates Tallink's Stockholm-Riga route.  A range of comfortable cabins is available, plus bars and restaurants.

Riga ► London  (via direct cruise ferry to Stockholm)

• Day 1, sail from Riga to Stockholm by overnight cruise ferry.  See www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se for times and sailing days of the cruise ferry from Riga passenger port to Stockholm.  The ferry normally sails from Riga on even dates at 17:30 arriving Stockholm at 09:30.  Spend day 2 exploring Stockholm.

• Day 2, travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen overnight, leaving Stockholm at 23:06 by sleeper train and arriving Malmö at 06:20 next morning.  A connecting local train leaves Malmö every 20 minutes, with one at 07:02 arriving Copenhagen at 07:37.  The sleeper train has seats, couchettes (6 bunk) and sleepers (1 & 2 bed rooms).  Alternatively, on many days there is a high speed X2000 train leaving Stockholm at 06:20 and arriving Copenhagen at 11:33, allowing you to spend the night in Stockholm and travel next day (day 3) to make a same-day connection to Esbjerg for the ferry to England.  Check times and days of running at http://bahn.hafas.de.

• Day 3, travel from Copenhagen to Esbjerg by modern air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Copenhagen at 12:30 and arriving Esbjerg at 15:24.  You can check times at http://bahn.hafas.de.  Take a bus or taxi to the ferry terminal, bus number 5 runs from the station to the port every 20 minutes.

• Day 3 evening, sail from Esbjerg to Harwich aboard DFDS 'Dana Sirena', leaving Esbjerg ferry terminal at 19:00 three or four times a week, arriving Harwich at 11:30 next day.  See www.dfds.co.uk for sailing dates.

• Day 4, travel from Harwich to London by train, leaving Harwich at 13:06 and arriving London Liverpool Street at 14:33.  The train service runs hourly, you can check times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Riga ► London  (via Tallinn)

You will need to leave Riga on the 07:20 or 10:50 bus for Tallinn to be sure of catching the 18:00 ship back to Stockholm.  Both these buses call at Tallinn port before arriving in Tallinn central bus station.  See the London to Estonia page for details of the return journey from Tallinn to London.

How much does it cost?

• London to Harwich by train costs £24 return or £21.50 one-way.  Advance reservation isn't necessary, just buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.  Alternatively, if you book with DFDS Seaways by phone, they can sell you a London-Harwich train ticket with your ferry ticket for a special price of £10 one-way or £20 return.

• Harwich to Esbjerg by ferry starts at around £158 return for two people sharing a 2-bed cabin with private toilet and shower (= £79 each) or £147 return for one person with sole use of a cabin.  To check sailing dates, times and fares for different types of cabin, visit www.DFDS.co.uk.  DFDS Seaways now has an airline-style pricing system so prices vary, book early and avoid peak times to get the cheapest fares.  Children under 16 travel at reduced fare.  Unfortunately, DFDS won't now let solo passengers share cabins, the whole cabin must be booked.

• Esbjerg to Copenhagen by train costs 297 Kr (£27) one way, 594 Kr (£54) return for adults, or 149 Kr (£14) each way for children and seniors over 65.  Advance reservation is possible but not necessary, and tickets can be bought at the station on the day at those prices.  Alternatively, DFDS can sell you a train ticket with your ferry ticket, at the same prices.

• Copenhagen to Stockholm by sleeper train costs SEK 760 (£56) one-way or SEK 1520 (£112) return per person travelling in 6-bunk couchettes, or SEK 1170 (£87) one-way, SEK 2340 (£174) return per person travelling in a 2-bed sleeper, when booked through SwedenBooking.com.

• Stockholm to Riga by ferry:  The fare depends on cabin type and season.  Fares start at around £25 one way, £50 return.  Check fares and book online at www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se.

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1:  Buy your Harwich-Esbjerg ferry tickets online at www.dfds.co.uk (no booking fee) or by calling DFDS Seaways on 0870 5 333 000 (£10 booking fee for phone bookings).  Phone lines are open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 08:30-17:00 Saturdays, 10:00-16:00 Sundays. 

• You can buy your London-Harwich & Esbjerg-Copenhagen train tickets at the station on the day of travel.  No reservation is necessary, and there's no price advantage in buying tickets in advance.  But if you want to save queuing at the ticket office, you can buy the London-Harwich ticket online at www.nationalrail.co.uk and the Esbjerg-Copenhagen ticket (with seat reservation) at www.dsb.dk, the Danish Railways website.  This is in Danish, but it's not difficult to work out how to use it if you're familiar with the way such booking systems work.  You pay by credit card then print out your own ticket.  remember that Copenhagen in Danish is 'Kobenhavn'.  Alternatively, if you book by phone, DFDS can add both UK and Esbjerg-Copenhagen tickets to your ferry fare, including making a seat reservation on the Esbjerg-Copenhagen train.  Ask DFDS about special cheap train fares from other UK stations to Harwich, too. 

• Step 2:  Buy the Malmö-Stockholm sleeper tickets online at www.bokatag.se.  You buy online and pick up your tickets from the vending machines at Malmö station.  Look for the 'just-nu' special offer fares, 'just-nu' is the name for Swedish Railways non-refundable advance-purchase cheap deals.  Bookings open 90 days before departure.  A ticket for the connecting Copenhagen-Malmö local train can easily be bought at the ticket office for a few krone, when you get to Copenhagen.  Alternatively, you can buy tickets by email with www.swedenbooking.com, email info@swedenbooking.com or call + 46 498 203380.  Tickets can be posted to UK addresses, or tickets can be picked up by entering your booking reference into the automatic machines at stations in Sweden, including at Malmö and Stockholm stations.  The fares shown above include Swedenbooking's 10% surcharge over Swedish Railways' prices, and they also charge an SEK 100 (£7) booking fee.

• Step 3:  Buy the Stockholm-Riga ferry tickets online at www.tallink.lv or www.tallink.se.

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)

• Travel from London to Vilnius by train as shown in the London to Vilnius page.

• Travel from Vilnius to Riga by bus or train.  There are a number of bus services daily, see www.eurolines.lv, or you can travel by local train with a change and overnight stop in Daugavpils, see here for details.  There used to be an overnight train every other day from Vilnius to Riga, but this was withdrawn in January 2004.

Riga ► London  (via Warsaw)

• Travel from Riga to Vilnius by bus or train.  See www.eurolines.lv for details of the several daily buses.  Or travel by local train with a change and overnight stop in Daugavpils, see here for details.

• Travel from Vilnius to London by train - see 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) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (£20 booking fee, but can have more time to help).  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.

Trains link Riga with many Latvian towns, including Daugavpils (4 trains daily, 3-4 hours), Krustpils, Lugaži, Tukums, Jelgava & (to be reopened from September 2008) Venspils.  The official Latvian Railways website is www.ldz.lv.  Click 'English' at the top, then 'Passenger traffic'.  However, the best source of times and fares for both trains and buses within Latvia is www.118.lv, which also has an English version.

Riga ► Vilnius by bus...

There is a regular Eurolines bus service from Riga to Vilnius, with several departures daily, fare about 7.5 Lats (£7.50 or $14), journey time 4-5 hours.  See www.eurolines.lt.

Riga ► Vilnius by train...

If you prefer to travel by train, although there are now no direct Riga-Vilnius trains at all (at least the Communists knew how to run a railway!), you can use daily local trains Vilnius-Daugavpils-Riga with an overnight hotel stop & change of train in Daugavpils.  Leave Riga main station at 17:25 arriving Daugavpils 21:07, fare about 3.60 Lats (£4 or 5 euro).  Spend the night there, hotels from around £25 per room.  Next morning, there's a once-daily international train from Daugavpils at 06:07 arriving Vilnius at 08:29, fare about 21 Litas (£5 or 6 euro). See the Lithuania page for details of the northbound service.  The site to confirm Latvian train times Riga-Daugavpils is www.ldz.lv (Click 'English' then 'passenger traffic'), the site to confirm Lithuanian train times Daugavpils-Vilnius is www.litrail.lt (click 'EN' for English, then 'Passenger transportation').

Riga ► Tallinn by bus...

There is a regular Eurolines bus service between Riga & Tallinn, taking about 5½ hours, with regular departures through the day.  See www.eurolines.lt.

Riga ► Tallinn by train...

It's possible to travel from Riga to Tallinn by train if you don't mind spending the day on a couple of local trains. 

• Travel from Riga to Valga by local train, leaving Riga main station at 06:35 and arriving Lugaži at 09:39.  New from April 2008, this train now continues another 4km across the border to Valga arriving 09:45.  The fare is 2.29 Lats (£2.60 or $5), total distance 168 km.  You can check times for this train at www.ldz.lv, click 'English' then 'Passenger traffic'.  Wikipedia entry on Valga.

• Travel from Valga to Tallinn by local diesel train, leaving Valga at 15:51 train and arriving Tallinn at 21:10.  The fare is 125 Krooni (£6 or $13).  You can check times for this train at www.edel.ee.  Click 'English' then your browser 'back' button then 'Sõiduplaanid ja-hinnad' at top left.  For a network map, click 'kaart' at the top.  Note:  From 1 August to 1November 2008, the train is temporarily replaced by bus between Tartu & Valga due to track repairs.

• For the return Tallinn-Riga train service, see the Estonia page.

Riga ► Moscow

There is a comfortable and safe daily sleeper train from Riga to Moscow, the 'Latvia Express', with 2-berth sleepers & 4-berth sleepers.  To check train times, see www.poezda.net.  This train does NOT go through Belarus.  The fare is roughly 55 euros in a 4-bed sleeper.

Riga ► St Petersburg

There is a comfortable and safe daily overnight sleeper train from Riga to St Petersburg, the 'Baltya', with 2-berth and 4-berth sleepers.  To check train times, see www.poezda.net.  This train does NOT go through Belarus.  The fare is around 50 euros in a 4-bed sleeper.

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...

Or buy the Lonely Planets direct from the Lonely Planet website.

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe, plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873 and costing £13.50, it's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery, or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change).  Or buy the independent traveller's edition from Amazon.co.uk:  Summer 2008 edition (June to December 2008). 

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Find a hotel in Riga or anywhere else in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia...

It's easy to book hotels in Riga to go with your train and ferry tickets, but there are almost too many hotel booking websites to choose from.  The answer is to use www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search form below.  This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool which searches all the main hotel booking sites for you (Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere and many others) to find the cheapest hotel rates on the net.  Set up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

		◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once...
Powered by Hotelscombined.com

Personal recommendation: 

The Radi un Draugi Hotel is a clean, comfortable boutique hotel in the heart of Riga old town, from about £48 per night for a double.

Compare quotes from both Direct Line & Columbus...

Travel insurance..

Travel insurance is a boring subject, but it's a real necessity, so make sure you budget for it.  Make sure you get adequate cover - for example, at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover, from a reliable insurer.  Remember that an annual multi-trip policy is often cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just two or three trips a year.  Here are some suggested insurers to try.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy after clicking these links.

  If you live in the UK, get quotes from Direct Line (whom I've used myself) and Columbus Direct.

      If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct Australia.

  If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

EU health card...

UK citizens travelling in Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card.  This replaces the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available free from www.ehic.org.uk and 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 UK's NHS.

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