Your guide on how to travel the Baltics. Including a 14 days Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia itinerary with a map. All the resources you need for your Baltics backpacking trip plus the best Baltic country to visit.
We have spend 4 weeks in the three Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to compile a short but sweet 2 week Baltics itinerary for you - including realistic and up to date public transport options.
Travel the Baltics in two weeks by public transport. What to see in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia beyond the capitals.
We loved our trip to the Baltics and 100% recommend you visit all three countries if you have the time (and more than the three capitals). Here’s what you can roughly expect from each country.
Lithuania |
Latvia |
Estonia |
|
Budget (per person and day) |
~40€* |
~50€ |
~50€ |
Best Food |
Cepelinai |
Grey Peas with Lard |
Kohuke |
Public Transport |
🙂 |
🙂 |
🙁 |
Internet / WiFi |
🙂 |
🙂 |
🙂 |
Best capital |
Vilnius for Baroque |
Riga for Art Nouveau |
Tallinn for Medieval vibes |
Best castle |
Trakai |
Turaida |
Kuressaare |
Best beach |
Curonian Spit |
Jurmala |
? |
Best street Art |
Kaunas |
? |
Tartu |
*We ate out much more often in Lithuania than we did in Latvia or Estonia.
Buses in Lithuania are cost-efficient and run frequently. It’s easy to go on day trips with local buses. Trains are a great alternative to buses although the network is not as extensive as the bus network.
Trains are the best option for day trips from Riga. They run frequently, reliably, and cheaply. You rarely pay more than 2€ for your ride.
To be honest the least suitable public transport network in the three countries for tourist purposes. Local buses for day trips run extremely seldom, long-distance buses proved to be very reliable though.
The train is a great alternative to travel in between Tallinn and Tartu.
We did our first border crossing from Klaipeda to Riga with Ollex and our second border crossing from Riga to Tartu with LUX Express. Both worked perfectly and can be 100% recommended. We needed to provide a passport or ID for booking but were not checked at the borders as the three countries are EU members.
For more in-depth information check out our detailed Backpacking Lithuania by public transport guide.
Vilnius is the charming baroque capital of Lithuania and should not be missed.
We wrote a short travel guide about Vilnius besides the old town.
Kaunas is the Lithuanian hub for Soviet architecture. Make sure to check out the Kaunas Modernism buildings around town.
Here are 33 amazing things to do in Kaunas.
A bus ticket costs around 9€. Buses run at least every 30 minutes during the day so you don’t really have to plan ahead. The ride takes under 2 hours.
At around 7€, the train is even cheaper. It runs around every hour, takes under 2 hours, and is super comfortable.
To see German architecture and visit the Curonian Spit.
No trains are running from Kaunas to Klaipeda so the bus is your best option. Buses run approximately once per hour during the day and cost around 20€.
For more in-depth information check out our detailed Riga city break guide.
We decided to skip Liepaja as there are no direct buses from Klaipeda to Liepaja anymore. Instead of hitting the beach in Liepaja, we decided to visit Jurmala.
Before the pandemic, you could take a direct bus from Klaipeda, Lithuania to Liepaja, Latvia. Nowadays you have to take a bus from Klaipeda to Palanga where a bus leaves several times per week towards Liepaja (currently it’s Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, not daily!).
Riga is the Art Nouveau capital of Europe!
Currently, there are 8 daily buses from Klaipeda to Riga between 0:05 a.m. and 6 p.m. We bought our ticket at the bus station. The ride was comfortable and we had WiFi.
For more in-depth information check out our detailed Backpacking Estonia by public transport guide.
Tartu is a young and hip university town with loads of street art which should not be missed.
Two daily direct buses leave from Riga, Latvia, to Tartu, Estonia. One Lux Express bus leaves at 9 a.m. and the other at 6:45 p.m. strongly deciding about the amount of time you have to explore Tartu.
We decided not to include Saaremaa in our two weeks Baltics itinerary. Compared to other destinations, it takes a long time to get there and it’s not easy to get around the island itself by public transport. The beach in Kuressaare is super small compared to the Lithuanian and Latvian beaches we have visited and the hiking opportunities were slim.
There is one daily bus from Tartu to Saaremaa at stupid o’clock (we bought our ticket here). It’s a direct bus hopping on the ferry with you and takes around 6 hours.
Tallinn is an amazing capital with loads of history and a vibrant modern side. As it’s tough to do day trips by public transport, two days are sufficient to explore Estonia’s capital city.
Lux Express buses leave hourly from Tartu to Tallinn.
You can also take the train which we have admittedly not tried ourselves.
Helsinki is the logical next destination on your Baltics itinerary!
Awesome site folks. This is great info on the Baltis. Saving it. Add the Heritage towns to your list when you visit Colombia. Not just Cartagena. More info on our blog.
Cheers,
John and Susan
Thank you. Shameless self promo but I'll allow it as you are travel bloggers as well ;) There are already plenty of things on our Columbia bucketlist!
Was your internet experience in Lithuania seamles as the city that claims to have the fastest internet in Europe? I have never been to the Baltics but defintely keen to see and visit #flyingbaguette
The internet in all three countries was amazing! I could have also worked on the buses if the roads were not too windy!
It's a nice itinerary. Haven't been to any of these places, but hopefully one day :)
If picking just one, which country you'd advise to visit first - Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia?
Our personal favourite was Lithuania. It was the cheapest of the three countries. The beaches on the Curonian Spit are out of this world, Trakai castle is super picturesque and Kaunas and Vilnius are two lively cities. Additionally, travelling around is super easy.
Nice post, these look right up our street to visit with the dog at sone point. Train fairs sound good value.
I think travelling within and in between these countries should not be a problem with a dog. It will be harder to reach the Baltics as they (currently!) are not connected to Europe by train and it will be tough to take your dog on a long distance coach...
Paul (Paul Passing Through)
This is a trip I've been wanting to do. I'll bookmark for whenever I make it. Thanks for sharing in an easy-to-read way without a fluff!
Paul Passing Through
Carina | Bucketlist2Life
We have three fluffier blogposts detailing the three countries just in case ;)