The railroads are not yet up to snuff to efficiently travel from Tallinn to Riga. Your best choice is to take the bus. Multiple lines operate this route. If you are staying in Tallinn’s Old Town you can either take a bus from the ferry terminal or the Tallinn bus station. There are more departures from the bus depot than the ferry terminal. Problem here though is that the bus station is over a mile walk from the Old Town. Not an easy walk either, it involves crossing many multiple lane roads, busy intersections and does not present much scenery . Best choice is tram 2 or taxi. I opted to take a cab. This took about 10-12 minutes from my hotel in the Old Town. I should have confirmed the price before because there is no meter and I got charged €15. It should have been under €10 I’ve been told, oh well.
EcoLines
I chose to use Ecolines . This bus company had a better departure time for me and the total price for the 4 and 1/2 hour trip was only €14. ( €15 for a 10 minute taxi, €14 for a bus thru 2 countries ) A bargain for what you get. The bus does have a bathroom, 220V outlets and wifi, yes, wifi the whole way . Though I would charge any phone or iPad before the trip. I plugged in to charge my iPhone and it had what is called “dirty power” where the hertz are not steady and my phones screen began to shake and become blurry.
Enjoy the view
It had been years since I had been on a bus for any type of extended distance and it was more enjoyable than I remember. Going from one city to the next, the bus allowed me to view some of the country side of both Estonia and Latvia. The bus stops at station about halfway through the journey for a few minutes allowing people to stretch or grab a smoke. Just remember it is over a 4 hour trip so be sure to bring something to drink and eat. Decent sandwiches to-go can be bought at the depot in Tallinn. The scenery, once we were in the country was a dark snow covered forest, similar to pictures I have seen from Siberia. Tall pine trees encased in snow and ice look frozen in time. I took a picture and the color photo looks more black & white. It may be through glass but the views are awesome. So, if you are like me and are used to taking the train to go similar distances through Europe , you will have a pleasant journey, scenic , comfortable and easy, just cheaper.
-Karl
Hi! nice post, I travelled almost all the baltic way by bus. That bus company offers very good price, if booked in advance
I agree, I wasn’t used to traveling by bus and it seemed like the best way to go. Inexpensive & all the comforts you need. Scenic as well.
Hi! Thank you for sharing your experience. I would like to ask if its necessary to book the tickets in advance or will process remain the same even if I were to buy it at the ticketing office?
I added a link to their site to help
https://www.ecolines.net/en/
I was thinking of doing this while I’m in Tallinn in December, but was wondering…what do you think is the risk of bad weather closing the roads and me missing my return flight from Tallinn? Bit of a disaster scenario 2 days from Xmas day 🙂
I was there in January and I do not think roads are closed often due to snow.
Hi SoloBagging,
Great post and I love the pic! Sorry for the mega-late comment but I have just come across your post. I’m thinking of doing the Baltics over Christmas/New Year and it sounds like you were there at a similar time; is it crazy to do it in deep winter? I am pretty flexible on time so I could do it in September but I love the idea of the winter there – but everyone else tells me I’m crazy!!
I loved it there in the winter time. It is cold and a lot of snow but still easy to get around and everything looks enhanced with a coat of snow on it! The one noticeable thing is that it is tourist off-season in the winter so it is very quiet, but prices also reflect this in food and hotels.
Hiya, thanks so much for replying! That’s so kind of you – and so encouraging, I’m so keen to go now! You’ve sold me!
Thanks for your site! I’m traveling around the world this year, started in Japan last July, and my biggest disappointment has been my in ability to do much boat travel. You’re a ferry boat captain. Any chance of moving around the Baltic by ferry in June 2015 instead of bus? My route is going to be Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. Thanks!
Sweden to Finland and Finland to Estonia are best served by Ferry. While moving around within the Baltics are best served by bus. There is a route from Gdansk to Hamburg. There are a lot of Ferry Lines operating in the Baltics such as Saga, Viking, Silja and Finnlines. Here is a link to one of many Baltic ferry route maps. http://www.balticsea.travel/uploads/pics/ferry_cut_03.jpg
Thanks very much!
Pardon me, I meant Gdansk to Lubeck. Good luck, hope your trip goes awesome.