Day 3: Tallinn to Riga
Bus · About4h30
Use the booked Tallinn coach stop and Riga arrival terminal. Add the local journeys at both ends and leave the first Riga afternoon flexible.
Compare this journey7 days in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius by coach
Travel south from Tallinn to Riga and Vilnius over six nights. Choose one main focus on each full day and leave the coach-arrival afternoons flexible.
Baltics · Published planning example
- Duration
- 7 days
- Travel style
- Backpacker
Day-by-day itinerary
Open a day to read the plan and its spending notes.
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Day 1Arrive in Tallinn and take a short Old Town walk
TallinnReach your room and leave your bags before going up Toompea if time and weather suit. Kohtuotsa is a free outdoor viewpoint; towers and museums have separate admission. Keep dinner and an early finish as an easy alternative after a tiring arrival. Sleep in Tallinn.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 2A Tallinn neighbourhood day with one museum choice
TallinnWalk through Kalamaja and Telliskivi, choosing a meal by the menu rather than assuming every market stall is cheap. If you want the Seaplane Harbour, give it a proper block of time: the adult combined Harbour ticket is €22. Keep Kadriorg as an alternative focus instead of crossing the city repeatedly. Sleep in Tallinn.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 3Coach to Riga and an easy arrival
Riga
Riga, Latvia Use the exact Tallinn coach stop on your ticket and allow about four and a half hours on board, plus the local journeys at both ends. Riga coach terminal is beside the Central Market. Leave bags before a short Old Town walk; keep timed admissions off this travel day. Sleep in Riga.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 4Riga’s market, parks and Art Nouveau streets
RigaChoose a morning market visit and compare the food prices. Walk through the parks towards Alberta and Elizabetes streets, allowing breaks along the way. If the interior interests you, the Art Nouveau Centre full adult ticket is €9 in May–September or €5 in October–April; add the chosen admission to the daily subtotal. Keep beach and valley excursions for an extra day. Sleep in Riga.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 5Continue to Vilnius without a tight afternoon booking
Vilnius
Vilnius, Lithuania Take the dated Riga–Vilnius coach from the station on your ticket. Reserve roughly four to five hours for the coach as an initial allowance, then add packing and city transfers. After leaving bags in Vilnius, choose a short Old Town walk and a meal. A view towards Gediminas Tower does not include entrance to its paid museum. Sleep in Vilnius.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 6Choose a Vilnius day or a Trakai excursion
VilniusChoose a Vilnius day with Old Town walks and a museum, or give Trakai the full outing. Trakai railway station is roughly 3 km from Island Castle: allow 40–50 minutes on foot after the 32–34 minute train ride. Standard adult castle admission is €14 April–September or €12 October–March. Check the opening day and return train before leaving. Add the tickets separately to the daily subtotal. Sleep in Vilnius.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €30 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
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Day 7Leave Vilnius with time for the full departure journey
VilniusCheck out, arrange bag storage if useful and choose a last meal or short walk only if your departure allows. A train’s time to the airport does not include getting to the station, waiting or reaching the terminal. Check the actual airport connection and leave the time your airline requests. No hotel night is included after today.
Chosen allowance for one traveller: €0 for one bed, €23 for food, €4 for local travel and €6 for extras. Add paid visits, airport journeys and intercity tickets separately, counting each actual purchase once. Replace these amounts with your bookings. No hotel night is included on this day.
Estimated day spending: €33.00
Six nights in three capitals
Book two nights in Tallinn, two in Riga and two in Vilnius. Travel south on days three and five, then leave Vilnius on day seven. This works best with an arrival into Tallinn and departure from Vilnius. A return to Tallinn needs another journey and possibly another night outside this plan.
If your first flight arrives late, treat day one as arrival and dinner. Tallinn still has a full day before the Riga coach. Check museum closing days before allocating that day: one well-chosen collection and a neighbourhood walk are enough.
Give the coaches room in the day
For Tallinn to Riga, start with a planning allowance of about four and a half hours on board. Add the journey to Tallinn Bussijaam, boarding time and the walk or ride from Riga’s coach terminal to your room. The ferry terminal and Balti jaam railway station are different departure points.
The Riga–Vilnius route guide helps compare the journey; use the operator search for your actual departure and fare. Around four to five hours is a starting allowance for the coach, with city transfers added. Keep both arrival afternoons flexible. A cheap fare stops being useful if it forces an extra taxi or a room night you had not counted.
Rail is another option for some Baltic journeys. Check the current Elron and LTG Link schedules if you prefer it; this plan’s coach timings do not describe a train trip.
Make one choice for each full day
Tallinn’s Seaplane Harbour has a €22 adult combined Harbour ticket. Give it enough time, or choose Kadriorg and a different museum instead. The free Kohtuotsa viewpoint fits an Old Town walk without a separate admission.
In Riga, combine a Central Market visit with the parks and Art Nouveau streets. The Art Nouveau Centre costs €9 for the full adult ticket in May–September or €5 in October–April. Add it only if the interior interests you and its opening fits. Keep Jūrmala or Sigulda for an extra day, rather than taking time from Riga’s only full day.
On the final full day, choose Vilnius or Trakai. For Trakai, allow about 32–34 minutes on the outward train and 40–50 minutes to walk roughly 3 km from the station to Island Castle. Standard adult admission is €14 in April–September or €12 in October–March. Check the opening day and return service before leaving. If staying in Vilnius, a Gediminas Castle Tower ticket is €8; the funicular costs extra. Choose one full outing rather than trying to combine both.
Adjust the €411 daily-spending example
The daily subtotal is €411 for one traveller: six bed nights at a chosen €30 each, seven food allowances of €23, seven local-travel allowances of €4 and seven extras allowances of €6. These are amounts to adjust, not available hotel offers or average local prices. The last day has no hotel night.
Add the two actual coach fares, airport journeys, chosen admissions and any Trakai excursion. If an actual ticket covers both an airport journey and later city travel, count that purchase once. Do not add a second fare because the same journey appears in a route card.
Replace the bed allowance with the full accommodation booking. For two people sharing a room, count the room once before dividing the cost; do not multiply a whole-room quote by the number of people. The city calculators are alternative planning tools, not additional expenses to add to this subtotal.
With fewer days or a slower pace
For five days, keep Tallinn and Riga with two nights in each and depart from Riga. With extra days, add a night at the city you most want to explore. If your main interest is Estonia, keep Tallinn and Tartu, or add Pärnu, before committing to all three capitals.
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Journeys between stops
How to get from one stop to the next. Journey times are approximate; use the ticket and timetable links to choose a departure for your travel date.
Day 5: Riga to Vilnius
Bus · Allow about 4–5h
Use the exact Riga departure and Vilnius arrival stops on the ticket. The selected coach sets the duration; add packing and the final city journey.
Compare this journeyIf you have fewer days
For five days, keep Tallinn and Riga with two nights in each and depart from Riga.
Make this trip cheaper
Compare your room and daily spending choices in the cost calculator. Check each journey fare, including local transfers, and count tickets covered by a pass only once.
Make the itinerary fit your trip
Change the days in each city, leave out stops, and update the estimate without changing the published itinerary.