Thanks for the information. We were intending to go from St Petersburg to Tallinn by train and then we discovered the railway no longer exists there. Then we discovered that even if we got to Tallinn there was no train service on down through Latvia etc. We wanted to do Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all by train but it's not going to happen. We have a travelogue website www.railway-train-travel.com.au and we wanted to make a feature trip out of those three countries but that idea is now officially canned.

We are doing the Trans Siberian next year and wanted to see some of Europe after but we may now change plans and do the final couple of weeks through Finland, Sweden and Norway instead.

So many lovely places to see and not enough time or dollars to afford it all.

Jean

I'm not sure which website you use to check for train schedules etc. but the German website is outstanding for this. They have a version in English and it may take a bit to figure things out as many of the names of stations are still listed in their appropriate European disignation so spellings can differ.

www.deutschebahn.com

I hope that is correct. Anyway, I have traveled from Warsaw to Vilnius and vice versa several times the first couple trips thru Belarus and I agree. Stay away from this at all costs. I had a nightmare experience that I won't go into now, but it was not good. Yes, Visas were required and I had to send my passport to their embassy in Washington DC to get the paperwork and pay for the transient stay. How ridiculous.

I would also advise you to take day trains and not the overnight to Vilnius not matter how appealing it may sound. I would be happy to share my thoughts on this if you care to send a private message.

Thank you very much for that German rail web site. My husband will be very pleased to look at the site. He is the official planner of the trip. We'll pm you with some questions, I'm sure.

Jean

Jean, I hope the website helps. Also, I am 100% Lithuanian and have traveled there extensively and speak the language. So if you have any other questions, just let me know.

Much appreciated 6stareg.

Jean

Besides daytime connecting trains there are overnight bus (PKP runs it). Ticket for both train(s) and bus costs app. 20 euro one way

Thanks everyone for helping us with the info. Much appreciated.

Jean