How to travel between Riga and Tallinn by bus
After two busy days in beautiful Riga, it was time to move on to the Estonian capital Tallinn. There are several ways to travel between the two cities, but we decided to take the bus as it was cheap, convenient and we’d also get a glimpse of the countryside in all its resplendent October glory.
There are a few bus companies that run this route, including:
We opted for Flixbus on this occasion. I booked our tickets online a few weeks in advance; our tickets cost £11pp including allocated seat. More about that later. We could have easily booked on the day, with plenty of options available – our bus was barely even a third full. I downloaded the app too, which meant I got notifications about our departure. There are multiple departures every day; we booked the 10am bus which would get us into Tallinn at around 2:30pm.
It’s not the first time we’ve used Flixbus to travel between cities. It was Flixbus that came to our rescue when we were stranded in Bari and needed to get to Rome for our rescheduled flight home!
Riga bus station
Our departure point was Riga Coach and Bus Station, which is located in front of Riga Central Market, on the nearside of the canal (Google Map here). We had inadvertently walked past the entrance three times previously without realising that that was where it was.
We arrive about 20 minutes early, only to get a notification that the bus is running 20 minutes behind schedule. The station has a waiting room, toilets and a few places where you can get drinks and snacks. Narveson is a great place to pick up supplies for the journey; we popped into the one on Kungu Iela close to our hotel but there’s also a kiosk at the bus station.
Want to know how we spent our time in Riga? Check out our 48 hour Riga itinerary here!
Our Flixbus
Just after 10:25, our bus arrives at Platform 2. I’ve been tracking it’s location on the app since 10am. Our digital tickets and passports are inspected by the driver, we stow our small suitcases below and we’re allowed onboard. I soon find the two seats I had pre-booked, seats 4A and 4B, just in front of the centre door. There’s plenty of leg room. In fact, too much leg room. My chair is reclined so far back it’s like being in a dentist chair.
“Pull this lever” Mr Fletche says.
“What lever?” I ask.
“This one!”
“Nope, I don’t have one of those”
My seat is broken. I’m not keen on spending the entire journey staring at the ceiling. Mr Fletche suggests we move into the row in front, but me being me, I’m not going to risk settling into the “wrong” seat until the doors close and we’re ready to set off. Turns out we could have had a row each, there were so few fellow passengers. Paying for the allocated seat turned out to be a waste of a few pounds.
On our way to Tallinn
Finally settled in seats 3A and 3B we set off. There’s wi-fi, and USB sockets at each seat, so we can use our devices to our hearts content. I’m sitting upright, which is an improvement on the original seat. And I can see out of the window. We travel largely through forests, showing off an impressive autumnal display. People travel to New England for spectacular fall colours – as we have – but don’t discount a fall trip to the Baltic countries.
We cross the Estonian border – there’s no need to stop for passport control – and make a quick pit stop in Parnu. To get us back on schedule we’re allowed a mere five minutes. Mr Fletche heroically stops the bus from leaving without the woman in the row opposite ours.
Tallinn bus station
We pull into Tallinn bus station just before 3pm, a tad later than scheduled. The bus station is about 3km from our accommodation in the Old Town so we catch Tram No 2 to our closest stop at Linnahall. You can pay for your tram journey using contactless payment onboard, using the machine located near the driver at the front of the tram (€2 for a 1 hour single ticket). There were also plenty of taxis outside, and Bolt is cheap and reliable in Tallinn (after all, Estonia is the home of Bolt!)
There’s also a one-way sightseeing bus, which travels between Riga and Tallinn (and vice versa) which makes stops at Viljandi, Valga, Cēsis, and Sigulda. Sadly this wasn’t available on our travel day but it looks like an excellent option if you want to see a little more of Latvia and Estonia as you travel between the capital cities. You can find more information here: https://www.traveller.ee/tour/tallinn-riga-bus-tour
Other ways to travel between Riga and Tallinn
The bus isn’t the only way to travel between Riga and Tallinn, but its certainly the cheapest and the most convenient.
Train: There’s no direct train service between Riga and Tallinn. You can get a train from Riga to Valga (on the Latvian-Estonian border) and then transfer to a train to Tallinn. The travel time is around 6-7 hours but you may also have a few hours between arriving and departing Valga. Train travel costs around €20; you’ll need to purchase separate tickets for each leg.
Breaking news: it looks like there may be a new rail service from January 2025 connecting Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn – click here for more info 🚞
Flight: There are direct flights from Riga International Airport to Tallinn Airport, which take about an hour. This is the quickest – but most expensive – method, and don’t forget to factor in time spent at the airport.
Car: Driving from Riga to Tallinn takes about 4-5 hours via the A1/E67 highway. Of course, you then have the flexibility to stop off on the way and explore a little more of Latvia and Estonia.
Final thoughts on travelling between Riga and Tallinn
The Baltic States – Estonia, Lativia and Lithuania – are very well connected by bus, making it perfect for a multi-city trip. Even if the bus station is a little out of town, public transport is frequent, reliable and cheap, or rideshare apps such as Bolt make it easy-breezy to get to your final destination.
Your bus journey to travel between Riga and Tallinn may not be the most exciting, but it’s a great opportunity to sit back and relax, read, listen to music or a podcast, or just watch the world outside your window. In a busy 6 day schedule it was nice to take the time to do nothing at all.
