Train schedules between minsk, riga, and tallinn

June 4, 2009 6:26 PM

I need to find out the schedules between Friday July 10th and Monday July 13th for all trains: (1) departing from Minsk, Belarus and going to Riga, and also from Minsk to Tallinn; and (2) all trains departing from Riga and going to Tallinn. If anyone knows the appropriate websites, either in English or Russian (can't read in Belarussian, Latvian, or Estonian, however), or happens to live in the Baltic region and know this information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Am traveling in the region at this time & am having trouble finding train schedules.

posted by ajliberto to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

I tried to find a train from Tallinn to Riga a few years ago and had difficulty. I think there was a direct bus between the two or a ferry that required a trip to Stockholm or Helsinki. This seems to confirm my experience. Tallink runs ferries.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:43 PM on June 4, 2009

You need the excellent http://bahn.hafas.de/ German transport website that will answer this and just about any other query relating to trains in mainland Europe (including Russia it seems) in 9 Languages including English. It's linked from another useful Euro-rail resource: The Man in Seat 61.
Happy Travelling.
posted by dirm at 6:48 PM on June 4, 2009

Seconding dirm's suggestion, though you can now reach it through www.bahn.de or reiseauskunft.bahn.de. It's by far the best European train schedule website. It often produces good results even in foreign countries where the national rail websites fail completely (are you listening, SNCF?).
posted by brianogilvie at 7:04 PM on June 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

Thirding dirm and adding that the splendid Man in Seat 61 also recommends Poezda (also in English) for train times in the CIS.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 7:22 PM on June 4, 2009

No trains go from Minsk or Riga straight to Tallinn. You can take a bus straight from Minsk to Tallinn, however; use www.bussireisid.ee (site in English) to find a suitable bus. Alternatively, you can take a train from Minsk to Riga (actually, I think it's Minsk-Daugavpils and then another from Daugavpils to Riga) and then a bus from Riga to Tallinn (use the website I linked to to find the timetables).
posted by daniel_charms at 10:14 PM on June 4, 2009

The Latvian Railways site allows you to toggle to English - look up in the top LH corner.

However, this route map for international trains might be all you need to know, unless you feel like taking a train to the border, crossing, and then trying to pick up an Estonian train.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:20 PM on June 4, 2009

By the way, should you try to find a bus from Riga to Tallinn using the Estonian site I linked to, Riga is RIIA in Estonian (one major shortcoming of that site - they use Estonian names for all places, no matter what language you chose).

UbuRoivas: unfortunately, you can't pick up an Estonian train on the border at present. So you're stuck with the bus (unless you want to take a plane).
posted by daniel_charms at 11:01 PM on June 4, 2009