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I spent the last month traveling from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry and from Tallinn to Riga to Vilnius by bus, spending about a week each in the capitals of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Ferries and buses are cheap, easy to book, and very comfortable in this beautiful part of Europe.
Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn
Ferries are the easiest way to get between Finland’s and Estonia’s capitals, which are just 80 km apart across the Gulf of Finland. Several companies have daily ferries you can book online that take 1:40 to 2:30 and connect city center to city center.
Sites like this one aggregate several (all?) of the options for ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki. I chose Linda Line because it is one of the fast ferries at 1 hour 40 minutes, and it had the departure time closest to when I wanted to leave.
Linda Line is not the cheapest at 31.50 euros ($35) each way, and if you’re very price sensitive, you can book a late night, slower ferry for 25 euros ($28) each way from Viking Line.
My Linda Line ferry was very nice. Boarding was quick, and the ship was probably only about 1/4 full, so everyone had as much space as he wanted. I’m not sure the baggage allowance, but I brought on one 44 pound bag I would check on an airplane, one 20 pound carry on sized backpack, and one laptop bag without issue.
During the ferry, I had meatballs and mashed potatoes–so Finnish!–for lunch, and it was delicious.
The terminals in Helsinki and Tallinn, were each about 1 km from my apartments in those cities, and I walked in both cases.
There is no immigration or customs on either end as both countries are in the Schengen Area.
Tallinn to Riga to Vilnius by Bus
Buses are the easiest way to travel between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania’s major cities.
Lux Express has several daily buses between the capitals and major cities. Lux Express buses have free wifi, and in some cases video monitors at each seat.
Tallinn to Riga and Riga to Vilnius are each just over four hours.
For Tallinn to Riga, I paid 23 euros ($26) on a bus with standard 2-2 seating. The bus was only about half full, so I ended up moving back to get my own row of two seats to myself.
For Riga to Vilnius, I had the chance to upgrade to Lux Express Lounge seating for 7 euros, which I did.
Lux Express Lounge seating is 1-1 with a video monitor at every seat and more leg room. For $30 total, I thought this was a pretty outrageously good deal. I highly recommend upgrading to Lounge seating if your bus offers it.
Lux Express buses are clean, on time, and comfortable. Again I’m not sure the baggage allowance, but I put my 44 pound bag I would check on an airplane and 20 pound carry on sized backpack in the storage hold of the bus and just carried on my one laptop bag.
I passed both bus rides with free wifi and views of the verdant countryside. On my second bus ride, there was even a selection of movies and TV shows I could watch on demand.
Lux Express stops at several places in each city. For instance, in Riga, these are possible stops.
Instead of mindlessly selecting to go from bus terminal to bus terminal, take a look at whether an alternative stop is closer to your lodging. On both my rides, I got on at the bus stations and got off at stops before the next city’s bus station.
Best Way to Buy the Ferry/Bus Ticket
I bought my tickets with the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, which offers 3x on all travel and gas purchases. Ferry and bus rides certainly count in the 3x travel category. The card comes with 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.
The card has no foreign transaction fees, so it is ideal for foreign travel purchases.
Bottom Line
The Baltic capitals are very close to each other with convenient and cheap non-air transportation options. Next time you’re in this part of the world, catch a comfortable ferry or bus from one city to the next as you take in a beautiful part of Europe.
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With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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I’ve always flown into the Baltics from soviet times..
Your info on ferries and buses which seem to match and surpass those
Available in the U.S. ( I particularly like the 1-1 seating having to contend with ‘normal’ 3-3 and even 3-4-3 on AA 777-300er….)
Has provided me with a more relaxed mode of travel in this area.
By chance Did you experience the musical weekend in Vilnius…
No, I was there during a three day weekend for National Day (?) which emptied out the city.
I’ve always flown into the Baltics from soviet times..
Your info on ferries and buses which seem to match and surpass those
Available in the U.S. ( I particularly like the 1-1 seating having to contend with ‘normal’ 3-3 and even 3-4-3 on AA 777-300er….)
Has provided me with a more relaxed mode of travel in this area.
By chance Did you experience the musical weekend in Vilnius…
No, I was there during a three day weekend for National Day (?) which emptied out the city.
Scott,
Did the busses have a toilet?
I know the second bus that had Lounge seats did. I don’t think the first one did, but it wasn’t on my mind.
Yea, but you’re a young man. Anyway, thanks for responding
Scott,
Did the busses have a toilet?
I know the second bus that had Lounge seats did. I don’t think the first one did, but it wasn’t on my mind.
Yea, but you’re a young man. Anyway, thanks for responding
I will be travelling in the region next August. Can you tell me if there are people with the ferries and the buses that speak English? Often times I am travelling alone and am concerned about language barriers. Do you feel that the bus travel is safe for a female travelling alone?
Almost everyone in these countries speaks enough English for you to get by very easily.
I will be travelling in the region next August. Can you tell me if there are people with the ferries and the buses that speak English? Often times I am travelling alone and am concerned about language barriers. Do you feel that the bus travel is safe for a female travelling alone?
Almost everyone in these countries speaks enough English for you to get by very easily.
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