07. October 2024

Travelling to Estonia by train Travelling to Estonia by train

From Cologne in Germany to Tallinn in Estonia - that's about 1500 kilometres as the crow flies. We tried out two routes that don't require an airplane or car.

Stopover in Malmö in the early morning
Stopover in Malmö in the early morning © Simon Hauser & Patrick Maximilian Jörg
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Via Stockholm and Helsinki

There are daily night trains to Stockholm from Hamburg and Berlin. If you've never travelled by night train before, you should definitely give it a try. It's particularly nice to travel in a group and book a whole six-berth compartment - with three beds on top of each other on both sides. The compartments are a little old-fashioned, but cosy and equipped with power sockets. In the morning you have a wonderful view over the lakes and forests of southern Sweden. Depending on which night train you choose, you will arrive at Stockholm Central Station in the morning or at midday. A stay in Stockholm is worthwhile - but those in a hurry can continue their journey on the same day.

There is a direct ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn every two days, which departs in the afternoon and arrives in Tallinn the next morning. On the other days there is a ferry to Helsinki, which also leaves in the afternoon and arrives in Helsinki in the morning. From there, several ferries depart for Tallinn during the course of the day. Especially during the first few hours of the journey, out of Stockholm harbour and through the archipelago islands, it is worth spending time on deck. The harbor entrances to Helsinki and Tallinn also offer fantastic views of the cities.

Left: Sunset over the archipelago islands.  Right: Entering Tallinn harbour. The glass skyscrapers of the ‘new Tallinn’ can be seen as well as the church towers in the old town, which is well worth seeing.
Left: Sunset over the archipelago islands. Right: Entering Tallinn harbour. The glass skyscrapers of the ‘new Tallinn’ can be seen as well as the church towers in the old town, which is well worth seeing. © Simon Hauser & Patrick Maximilian Jörg

Via Riga, Vilnius and Warsaw back to Germany

If you only want to travel by train and without a ferry, you will have to wait for the completion of the Rail Baltica project, which will create a continuous train connection between Poland and Estonia - probably by 2030. Or you can travel in stages - we have tried this out.

From Tallinn, we first travelled by train to Valga on the Latvian border. The railcar is modern and has Wi-Fi, as do most of the trains on the journey, apart from the Polish Intercity trains. We have a few hours before the next train leaves for Riga in the afternoon. We use them to marvel at the diverse architecture: classic, colourful wooden houses, but also apartment blocks from the Soviet era. The train to Riga is also a train unit that was originally built before 1990. The view of farms and villages, pine and birch forests, always accompanied by the typical electricity pylons, slow and much more jolting and rattling than you would expect from modern trains - it's a very unique experience. We arrive in Riga on time in the early evening.

Left: The train from Tallinn to Valga. Right: The train from Valga to Riga.
Left: The train from Tallinn to Valga. Right: The train from Valga to Riga. © Simon Hauser & Patrick Maximilian Jörg

The next afternoon, we continue on to Vilnius, a rather short day's journey of just under 4:30 hours. The train connection has only been in operation since the end of 2023. In the evening, there is still some time to visit the beautiful old town of Vilnius, which already has an almost Christmassy atmosphere in October. Tourism marketing in Vilnius advertises with the slogan: ‘unexpectedly amazing’ - we can confirm this.

The train leaves Vilnius for Warsaw the next afternoon. We have to change trains once because the Polish and Lithuanian tracks have a different gauge, but the changeover is perfectly coordinated. It's not particularly difficult, as there is only one long-distance train a day anyway. Compared to modern high-speed trains, the journey is leisurely, often travelling at less than 100 km/h. But the air conditioning works, the train is not overcrowded and the beautiful view of rural Lithuania makes up for the speed of the journey. We reach Warsaw on time in the evening.

Warsaw is a European metropolis with almost two million inhabitants, an impressive skyline and a very different feel to the capitals of the Baltic states. The city was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt in a modern style. There are numerous high-rise buildings in the neighbourhood around Warszawa Centralna railway station, including our hotel. From the 17th floor, we have a great view of the city and after two nights in more or less trustworthy (but very cheap) hostels, we are looking forward to recharging our batteries for the last long day of travelling.

Left: Warsaw by night. Right: Patrick, Patrick and Simon in Tallinn.
Left: Warsaw by night. Right: Patrick, Patrick and Simon in Tallinn. © Simon Hauser & Patrick Maximilian Jörg

In the morning, we board the Intercity train to Berlin. Anyone who travels frequently by train in Europe knows that the risk of delays increases considerably when crossing the German border. In fact, there is a rail replacement service between Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin due to roadworks. However, the bus does not make it to Berlin, the engine has overheated. It takes another bus to get us to Berlin a few hours later through the evening rush hour. We take an ICE train to Cologne, which is also too late, but on the bus journey we have met some nice people with a similar destination. We all made it home at around 01:00.

It took us a little over 90 hours from door to door - but we are also richer in impressions and experiences. From the adventurous Soviet train to the atmospheric old town in Vilnius and the glittering skyline of Warsaw at night, the (train) journey was well worth it.

Wird geladen