Riga to Vilnius

[Wapping]

I read today that there is a new railway service, that links the two cities.

It might be an idea to ride to Vilnius, leave the bike there, buy a return ticket, visit Riga and come back.

The Telegraph

digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Monsieur]

Seems this route is the ‘missing link’ between Lithuania and Estonia as prior to this the journey between Vilnius and Riga was complicated and convoluted.

 

[Wapping]

Indeed, four-and-s-half hour link between the two cities. Fly-in / fly-out.

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

We did Riga to Vilnius as part of our 2019 road trip. Stayed in both beautiful cities.

 

[Monsieur]

A marvel when fully completed from Vilnius to Tallinn with a possible rail tunnel from Tallinn to Helsinki to follow.
A tad under £6bn for the land rail link (all electrified) with £1.2bn from EU funding.
Compare to the relatively short HS2 at many, many billions more.

 

[Wapping]

A marvel when fully completed from Vilnius to Tallinn with a possible rail tunnel from Tallinn to Helsinki to follow.
A tad under £6bn for the land rail link (all electrified) with £1.2bn from EU funding.
Compare to the relatively short HS2 at many, many billions more.

I saw a map of the existing and proposed new railway networks for Europe. The UK did not feature. Pitiful, really.

 

[Wapping]

We did Riga to Vilnius as part of our 2019 road trip. Stayed in both beautiful cities.

I am hoping to go in 2025, as a substitute for my aborted visit to Ukraine.

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

I am hoping to go in 2025, as a substitute for my aborted visit to Ukraine.

Be sure to visit the motor museum at Riga while you are there.

Our 2019 trip was France-Belgium-Netherlands-Germany-Denmark-Sweden-Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania-Poland-Czechia-Austria-Germany-France.
12 countries, 14 countries in total 13 days, 4131 miles.

 

[EVskij]

I read today that there is a new railway service, that links the two cities.

It might be an idea to ride to Vilnius, leave the bike there, buy a return ticket, visit Riga and come back.

The Telegraph

digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk

Yes there is… launched earlier this month I think or just before Christmas.

 

[EVskij]

Be sure to visit the motor museum at Riga while you are there.

Our 2019 trip was France-Belgium-Netherlands-Germany-Denmark-Sweden-Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania-Poland-Czechia-Austria-Germany-France.
12 countries, 14 countries in total 13 days, 4131 miles.

Nice never knew about it. Thank you Paul.

 

[EVskij]

Fafair and all

 

[Monsieur]

Fafair and all

Watched the first few minutes but watch the rest later.
Such happiness and joy at the stations in celebration!

 

[Monsieur]

Had planned to fly in and out of Vilnius when I eventually get there in the next month or so but tempted to take train to Tallinn via Riga, ferry to Helsinki and fly back from there.

 

[Wapping]

One of the highlights of my trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express, was hopping off at Russian railway stations in the middle of nowhere, which didn’t seem to have platforms, leaving you to cross the tracks. Happy days.

 

[Monsieur]

One of the highlights of my trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express, was hopping off at Russian railway stations in the middle of nowhere, which didn’t seem to have platforms, leaving you to cross the tracks. Happy days.

One of the trips I’d got on my post-retirement list until 2022 of course!

 

[EVskij]

Had planned to fly in and out of Vilnius when I eventually get there in the next month or so but tempted to take train to Tallinn via Riga, ferry to Helsinki and fly back from there.

Sounds like a fun journey. Just do not expect a mountainous scenery cover in a snow blanket. As tallest hillock in Lithuania is a smidge under 300m above sea level.

 

[EVskij]

One of the highlights of my trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express, was hopping off at Russian railway stations in the middle of nowhere, which didn’t seem to have platforms, leaving you to cross the tracks. Happy days.

What about hopping off the train at various stations along the way, to buy some local culinary delights from babuskas?
I’ve done that as a teenager when traveling from Ulyanovsk to Moscow.

Did you have a typical Russian railways tea from a samovar in a clear glass held in a stainless steel holder?

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

One of the highlights of my trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express, was hopping off at Russian railway stations in the middle of nowhere, which didn’t seem to have platforms, leaving you to cross the tracks. Happy days.

Not sure if you watch YouTube.
Benjamin, AKA Bald and Bankrupt, has travelled extensively through Russia by rail, he has a huge following and posted up many of his videos some might interest you.

 

[Wapping]

I went on the train, just as Gorbachev was introducing the concepts of Pereststrioka and Glasnost but the Iron Curtain was still up.

Indeed, we did have the samovar and its excellent tea, along with all sorts of meats and treats, picked up in the stations.

The carriage we travelled in was run by a very kindly old Russian lady, who spoke not one word of English. We each gave her USD 10 to look after us, which she did extraordinarily well for the five or more days we were on the train. This included:

A. Converting a room into a shower.

B. Hitting some very drunk AK47 armed soldiers, she with a sort of wooden stick, somewhere in the dark and snow in Siberia. All of the stations had signs threatening all sorts of punishments for taking pictures, which we of course ignored. They shouted at us and fell over, she then hit and kicked them.

What was obvious was that the train was the towns and villages only connection with the world, acting as a very basic shop for everything.

I really liked the Russians we engaged with, those in the far east pointing out that Moscow was very much closer to London than they were. Happy days.

 

[EVskij]

I went on the train, just as Gorbachev was introducing the concepts of Pereststrioka and Glasnost but the Iron Curtain was still up.

Indeed, we did have the samovar and its excellent tea, along with all sorts of meats and treats, picked up in the stations.

The carriage we travelled in was run by a very kindly old Russian lady, who spoke not one word of English. We each gave her USD 10 to look after us, which she did extraordinarily well for the five or more days we were on the train. This included:

A. Converting a room into a shower.

B. Hitting some very drunk AK47 armed soldiers, she with a sort of wooden stick, somewhere in the dark and snow in Siberia. All of the stations had signs threatening all sorts of punishments for taking pictures, which we of course ignored. They shouted at us and fell over, she then hit and kicked them.

What was obvious was that the train was the towns and villages only connection with the world, acting as a very basic shop for everything.

I really liked the Russians we engaged with, those in the far east pointing out that Moscow was very much closer to London than they were. Happy days.

The lady on that train is known as Provodnitsa. That carriage would have been hers to look after and hers only.

Edit:
I forgot to add, that she would’ve had her own little cabin within that coach. Keeping samovar full and hot at any time of the day, would’ve been her responsibility. I remember as a kid you’d get. Sugar cubes wrapped in pair in a themed wrapper, like this.



I remember dreaming of getting on a boat
or a plane.



My dream come through with regards to an airplane in January of 2003, although it wasn’t Aeroflot and no themed sugar cubes were being served. It was AirBerlin flight from Hamburg to Stanstead.

I couldn’t find a ship version.

I recall taking a journey from Ulyanovsk to Moscow, this took two and a bit days to complete in the mid 90’s. The slow trains of Russia as I’ve described them.

Then again a distance from Cherkasy to Druskininkai took near three days to complete, in the late 80’s. A distance of 600 miles as a crow flies.