Latvia

not the classic railway country

Latvia. One of the most multifaceted countries in Europe. On the one hand, there is a promising cultural, architectural and military heritage, on the other hand, there is lush nature, sanatoriums and colourful hustle and bustle in the cities. On a journey through the country you will be confronted with contrasts, fairy-tale castles opposite Soviet prefabricated concrete slab buildings. After all this Latvia is called the "Pearl of the Baltic" and is worth a trip by train.

"However, Latvia is not the classic railway country. Nevertheless, especially the trip to Riga with the "Four Capitals Express" (Kiev-Minsk-Vilnus-Riga) offers a very special attraction. The duration of the ride is currently just under 20 hours, but the train does not run daily.

In addition to this train, a daily international train operates to St. Petersburg and Moscow - and that was the manageable international train service in Latvia.

Nationally, even larger cities are only marginally served: the Riga-Liepäja train runs on Friday evenings and returns after the weekend, while the train to Daugavpils is available three times a day.

This leaves five high-speed railway lines that open up the area around Riga. These offer partly nostalgic travel romance at unrivalled low prices (single trip per zone € 0.80). In addition, the oldest models in service, the ER (electric multiple-unit trains), date from 1957.

The public transport in Riga (not in combination with the railway) is slightly different, it has been modernized in the meantime.