Check before you go Routes checked 9 Oct 2026. Trains, fares and borders change: confirm every leg with its operator before you book. Why

SZLAK Plan a szlak →

czerwony · The Baltic line

Szlak Bałtycki

Up the eastern edge until the land runs out, then across the water.

  • Days16
  • About, a day€49
  • Legs6
  • Nights on board0
Lisboa Porto Sevilla Donostia Bordeaux Paris Bruxelles Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin Wien Ljubljana Zagreb Split Mostar Kotor Sofia Veliko Tarnovo Brașov Budapest Košice Praha Kraków Warszawa Zakopane Vilnius Rīga Tartu Tallinn Helsinki

The one to take first. Six countries, one direction, almost no doubling back, and since January 2026 a train for every leg except the last, which is a ferry. It gets harder exactly once: Warszawa to Vilnius is a long day with a change at a border station, and there are only two departures to choose from.

When. May to September. The Baltic summer is short and the evenings are long. The trains run all winter, but in December Tallinn has about six hours of daylight.

For whom. A first solo trip. Every border is open, every leg is a train or a ferry, and the cities are small enough to learn in a day.

The hardest leg is Warszawa → Vilnius. About seven and a half hours on the train — eight and a half by the clock, because Lithuania is an hour ahead — with a change at Mockava, the first station in Lithuania, from the Polish train to the Lithuanian one across the platform. Two departures a day; the morning one arrives in daylight.

The 6 legs come to about €121 in fares bought a few weeks ahead, and 22 h on the move. With a dorm bed, food and local transport every day, the whole szlak is about €785 — €49 a day. How we count.

Plan this szlak →

  1. Kraków 2 nights then train, 2 h 20
  2. Warszawa 2 nights then train, 7 h 30
  3. Vilnius 3 nights then train, 4 h 40
  4. Rīga 3 nights then train, 3 h 50
  5. Tartu 2 nights then train, 2 h
  6. Tallinn 2 nights then ferry, 2 h
  7. Helsinki 2 nights the end of the line

Before you go, on this szlak

Borders, money, phones.

Borders

All six countries are in the EU and the Schengen area, so there are no passport checks at the borders. Carry your passport or EU identity card anyway; spot checks happen.

Money

Złoty in Poland, euro from Lithuania to Finland. Cards work almost everywhere, including on trains and ferries.

Phone

EU roaming covers the whole route.

Clock

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland are an hour ahead of Poland. Every time on this page is local.

Book ahead

  • Warszawa → Vilnius: the cheapest fares go first; sales open 60 days ahead.
  • Tallinn → Helsinki in summer: morning and Friday sailings fill.
  • Helsinki beds: the dearest on the route, and few of them.

Buy on the day

  • Kraków → Warszawa: trains every hour or so; any of them will do.
  • Tartu → Tallinn: Elron sells online and on board (on board costs a little more).

Noclegi i odcinki (the nights and the legs)

The whole trail, stop by stop.

Times are the usual fastest journey. Fares run from booked early to bought late; dorm beds from low season to high. Prices in euro, 9 Oct 2026.

  1. Nights 1–2 · Poland

    Kraków

    2 nights

    Where four of the five szlaki start. Two nights: one to arrive, one to see it.

    Arrive
    Kraków Główny (trains) and the MDA bus station sit side by side under Galeria Krakowska; the Rynek, the main square, is ten minutes on foot. From the airport the train takes about 20 minutes.
    Sleep
    Stare Miasto (Old Town) or Kazimierz. A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Walk the Planty, the park ring where the walls stood, then the Rynek and the Cloth Hall. Free.
    • Wawel hill: the courtyards and the walls are free; the cathedral and the royal rooms are paid.
    • Kazimierz, then the footbridge to Podgórze and Schindler's Factory museum (book a time).
    • The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, about 1½ hours away. Entry must be reserved in advance at visit.auschwitz.org, and it books out.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours (you tip what it was worth) leave from the Rynek every day, and most Old Town hostels run a pub crawl or a shared dinner.
    Worth knowing
    Eat in a bar mleczny, a cheap canteen: soup and pierogi for roughly 25–35 zł.

  2. Train

    Kraków to Warszawa

    PKP Intercity

    Time
    2 h 20
    Runs
    about 20 a day
    Fare
    €12–40

    Direct EIP (Pendolino), EIC and IC trains from Kraków Główny to Warszawa Centralna. The IC and TLK trains take a little longer and often cost half as much.

    A seat reservation is included in the ticket. Domestic tickets go on sale 30 days ahead.

    Check and book on PKP Intercity

  3. Nights 3–4 · Poland

    Warszawa

    2 nights

    Not a stopover. The rebuilt Old Town is the famous half; Praga, across the river, is the half people miss.

    Arrive
    Trains from Kraków arrive at Warszawa Centralna, in the middle of the city. The Old Town is about 25 minutes on foot, or a short tram ride.
    Sleep
    Śródmieście (the centre) or Praga. A dorm bed costs about €13–24 a night.
    Do
    • The Old Town, rebuilt brick by brick after 1945 — which is why it is on the UNESCO list.
    • The Warsaw Rising Museum (paid): the best single museum on this route.
    • Praga on the east bank: Ząbkowska street and the Neon Museum.
    • Free Chopin recitals at his monument in Łazienki Park, Sunday afternoons from mid-May to September.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours daily from the Old Town; on summer evenings the city drinks outdoors on the Vistula boulevards.
    Worth knowing
    Trams take contactless cards at the machines on board. Lithuania is an hour ahead: the train's arrival time in Vilnius is local.

  4. Train

    Warszawa to Vilnius

    PKP Intercity + LTG Link

    Time
    7 h 30
    Runs
    2 a day — 08:57 and 14:57 in the 2026 timetable
    Fare
    €16–29

    A Polish train from Warszawa Centralna to Mockava, then across the same platform onto a Lithuanian one through Kaunas to Vilnius — one ticket for both. The 08:57 arrives at 17:25 and the 14:57 at 23:25, Lithuanian time. The same connection starts in Kraków at 06:13 if you want to skip Warszawa.

    Fares from about €16 booked early; the standard fare is €29. Coaches (Lux Express, FlixBus) also run, overnight included, in about 8–9 hours.

    Check and book on PKP IntercityLTG Link

  5. Nights 5–7 · Lithuania

    Vilnius

    3 nights

    A big baroque old town, small enough to learn in a day — which leaves two days for everything around it.

    Arrive
    The railway and bus stations are next to each other. Walk north through the Gate of Dawn into the Old Town: 15 minutes.
    Sleep
    Senamiestis (Old Town). A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Užupis, the self-declared republic across the Vilnia: read its constitution on Paupio street.
    • The Hill of Three Crosses for the view over the Old Town (free).
    • The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, in the former KGB building (paid).
    • Trakai, the island castle on its lake: about 40 minutes by train or bus.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours run daily from the Old Town, and Vilnius hostels are small enough that people talk.
    Worth knowing
    The train to Rīga leaves once a day, early (06:55 in the 2026 timetable). If that is too early, coaches run all day.

  6. Train

    Vilnius to Rīga

    LTG Link

    Time
    4 h 40
    Runs
    1 a day — 06:55 → 11:33 (2026)
    Fare
    €10–24

    A direct Lithuanian train via Šiauliai and Jelgava to Rīga Central. If the hour is wrong, coaches run many times a day in about four hours.

    Booking opens up to 60 days ahead. There is a café counter on board.

    Check and book on LTG LinkLux Express

  7. Nights 8–10 · Latvia

    Rīga

    3 nights

    The biggest city in the Baltics, with the market and the architecture to prove it.

    Arrive
    Rīga Central station and the international bus station are on the edge of the Old Town, five minutes apart, with the Central Market between them.
    Sleep
    Vecrīga (Old Town) or the Centre. A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • The Central Market: pavilions built from German Zeppelin hangars. Eat there at least once.
    • The Art Nouveau streets of the Centre — Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela.
    • The Old Town, and the view from St Peter's church tower (paid lift).
    • Jūrmala's long beach, about 30–40 minutes by local train.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours daily from the Old Town; on Saturdays the Kalnciema Quarter market across the river.
    Worth knowing
    The train to Tartu runs once a day at 07:38 (2026). Sleep near the station the night before.

  8. Train

    Rīga to Tartu

    Elron

    Time
    3 h 50
    Runs
    1 a day — 07:38 → 11:25 (2026)
    Fare
    €19–22

    A direct Estonian train through Sigulda, Valmiera and Valga, new in January 2026: €19 online, €22 bought on board (the January 2026 fares). Miss it and Lux Express coaches take about four hours.

    One train a day on a timetable that is still new: check it the day before.

    Check and book on ElronLux Express

  9. Nights 11–12 · Estonia

    Tartu

    2 nights

    Estonia's university town (1632) and European Capital of Culture in 2024. In term time it is the easiest place on the route to meet people.

    Arrive
    Tartu station is a 15-minute walk from Town Hall Square; the bus station is in the centre.
    Sleep
    The centre or Supilinn. A dorm bed costs about €15–25 a night.
    Do
    • Town Hall Square and the Kissing Students fountain.
    • Toome Hill: the cathedral ruins and the university's old observatory.
    • The Estonian National Museum (paid), built at the end of a Soviet runway.
    • Supilinn, 'Soup Town': wooden houses on streets named after vegetables.
    Meet people
    The student bars around the centre in the evening; in term the town is full of people your age with time on their hands.
    Worth knowing
    Elron trains to Tallinn run every hour or two; there is no need to book ahead.

  10. Train

    Tartu to Tallinn

    Elron

    Time
    2 h
    Runs
    every 1–2 hours
    Fare
    €10–16

    Elron trains from Tartu to Tallinn's Baltic Station; the express ones take about two hours.

    Buy online, or from the conductor at a slightly higher price.

    Check and book on Elron

  11. Nights 13–14 · Estonia

    Tallinn

    2 nights

    The best-kept medieval old town on any of the five szlaki, two hours by boat from the end.

    Arrive
    Trains arrive at Balti jaam, the Baltic Station, at the foot of the Old Town and next to Telliskivi. Ferries to Helsinki leave from the Old Harbour (Vanasadam), 15 minutes on foot.
    Sleep
    Vanalinn (Old Town) or Kalamaja. A dorm bed costs about €16–28 a night.
    Do
    • The Old Town walls and the Kohtuotsa and Patkuli viewpoints. Free.
    • Telliskivi Creative City and the wooden houses of Kalamaja.
    • Balti Jaama Turg, the market hall by the station, for a cheap lunch.
    • Kadriorg park and its palace, a tram ride east.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from the Old Town daily; Telliskivi's bars in the evening.
    Worth knowing
    In summer, book the ferry the day before: the morning and Friday sailings fill.

  12. Ferry

    Tallinn to Helsinki

    Tallink · Viking Line · Eckerö Line

    Time
    2 h
    Runs
    12 or more sailings a day
    Fare
    €20–45

    Foot passengers walk on at Tallinn's Old Harbour. Tallink's shuttles take about two hours; Viking and Eckerö take two to two and a half.

    Cheapest booked ahead and midweek; summer Fridays and Saturdays cost the most.

    Check and book on TallinkViking LineEckerö Line

  13. Nights 15–16 · Finland

    Helsinki

    2 nights

    It ends here, because everything after this is expensive — and we will say so: the dearest beds on the Bałtycki.

    Arrive
    Tallink and Eckerö boats dock at the West Harbour (Länsisatama), with trams to the centre; Viking Line docks at Katajanokka, 15 minutes on foot from the Market Square.
    Sleep
    Kallio or Punavuori. A dorm bed costs about €30–45 a night.
    Do
    • Suomenlinna, the island fortress: the ferry from the Market Square is part of the city's transport and takes an ordinary HSL ticket.
    • Oodi, the central library: free, open late, with a terrace over the square.
    • A public sauna — Kotiharju in Kallio is wood-heated; Allas Sea Pool is by the harbour (both paid).
    • The Design District, and Hietaniemi beach in summer.
    Meet people
    Saunas are where Finns talk. That is not a joke.
    Worth knowing
    Buy transport tickets in the HSL app. Supermarket food saves more here than anywhere else on the route.

The end of the Szlak Bałtycki: 16 days, about €785. Checked 9 October 2026 — confirm every leg with its operator before you book.

The other four

Not this one?

Szlak Adriatycki Down through the Alps until the water turns the wrong colour. 18days €56a day Szlak Karpacki Three weeks along the mountains, on the cheapest money in Europe. 21days €41a day Szlak Zachodni Six capitals in fourteen days, and it is the expensive one on purpose. 14days €70a day Szlak Atlantycki The one you join rather than the one you start. Down the western edge. 15days €66a day