4 Trains & 1 Ferry for JUST €73 - Poland to Finland!

In today's video we will travel from Warsaw to Helsinki over land and sea. This fascinating journey involves four trains and a ferry covering over 1400km in total. I'll show you the different seats, the onboard facilities, the food options, how to book and make the connections en route. So what's it really like to travel from Poland to Finland without flying? Let's find out on another epic non-stop Euro trip. The journey starts in the Polish capital Warsaw, which is home to 3.5 million people in its metropolitan area. Personally, I love coming here, especially to the enchanting old town which lies on the western bank of the Vistula River. OK, let's get this trip started. I was staying at the Hotel Metropol right in the downtown area. But Warsaw has a very extensive, frequent and great value tram and bus network which covers the whole city. But I made the 5-minute walk to Warsaw Central Station where the first train of this multi-leg, multi-day journey will commence. This hub of the Polish railway network opened in 1975 and features four underground platforms with eight tracks in total. On the upper concourse is a large and bright open space which features many shops, cafes and other food outlets. There is also a large staff ticket office with big departure boards up above. First up, we will be taking the IC142 Pekepe Intercity service to Mokava just over the Lithuanian border which departs at 7.55am from Platform 2. Let's look at the full route over the next three days and two nights. This will see us take four trains and one ferry and passing through five countries on this journey to Helsinki. The platforms are two levels down from the main hall and all can be accessed by both escalators and lifts for step-free access. I have always found it to be pretty unappealing down here but there is plenty of space and everything is well lit and well signposted. Here comes our first train of the trip which will be hauled by this Pekepe IC EU160 electric locomotive which has a top speed of 160kmh. There are three steps and quite a large gap up from Platform 2 train. Level boarding is available on request by wheelchair lift in the multi-function coach in the middle of the consist. I am in second class for this journey and my reserve seat is right at the front here by the window. Luggage can be stored on the large stacks just inside the doors or on the overhead racks which run above all seats. We depart right on time at 7.55am. Since filming this has now changed to 8.53am but the arrival time in Vilnius later today is the same. Our full route from Warsaw to Helsinki covers a total of 1438km. Obviously this is not the quickest way to make this journey but I believe it is the most fun and comes with a tour of all the Baltic states thrown in for free. It's also great value starting from just 73 euros for the whole journey which you can do with just three tickets, two train and one ferry. Leg 1 will see us travel from Warsaw to Mokava just over the border in Lithuania a distance of 362km which is scheduled to take 4 hours and 46 minutes of travel time. There we must change trains due to differing track gauges. This is a guaranteed connection and sold on one through ticket which starts from 16 euros for the full route from Warsaw to Vilnius. This is dynamically priced though. First class seating is available on both this train and the onwards connection to Vilnius however these aren't sold as a combined ticket so you would need to book separately and the price is at least three times higher than second class. On the way out of the Polish capital we call up Warsaw East station where we pick up loads more passengers. It's now pretty busy on board as we head out into northeastern Poland's wide open green countryside. This train actually starts its trip in Krakow some three hours before our departure from Warsaw. Okay, let's check out the seats here in second class. I have to say they're pretty well padded and have a good ergonomic shape along with a winged headrest and an adjustable armrest. A bin and standard European power socket can be found between each pair. Legroom is not bad and all seats have a very small tray table. On the underside of the luggage racks are reading lights and the windows have full closure blinds. The AC vents are just under the windows and this worked well. All seating is in a 2 plus 2 layout and all in airline style in this coach. Bikes can also be transported. Reservations for these spaces must be pre-booked and cost 9.1 Polish zloty per trip irrespective of distance. Wheelchair spaces are also available in the multi-function coach with the accessible toilet located in the adjacent vestibule. This has an automatic door. It was all fully working, stocked up and pretty clean on the whole. Baby changing facilities are also available in here. Now to head to my favourite part of any Polish intercity train. The Wars dining car where I will grab some breakfast. These are without doubt among the best in Europe. I ordered the scrambled eggs with rye bread along with a coffee and an orange juice. The total price was 43 Polish zloty. After one and a half hours on the go we are now arriving in Bialystok. Just north of here is the end of the electrified line towards the Lithuanian border. We have a 25 minute stop so the EU160 electric locomotive can be swapped for an SU160 diesel one. Four second class coaches are also terminated here and detached from the rear of the train, meaning we are now just seven coaches long. In this video I travelled through five different countries in just three days and the 4G and 5G signals switched seamlessly at every border, leaving me connected 100% of the time. 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We are now coming up to a very interesting part of the journey. We will soon be in the so-called Suelki Gap, a 50km strip of Poland which divides Belarus and Kaliningrad and is the land connection to the Baltic states. Suelki station itself is a terminus, so our locomotive must run around the train to switch ends so we can head back out in the direction we arrived. Back on the move and I'm now at the rear of the train with this wonderful view. One of the magical things about loco-hauled trains is views like this. It's even better when you're not delayed. The train is also much quieter now, so everyone has been able to spread out and get a lot more comfortable. It's great to see these smart Ukrainian Railways tanker wagons transporting fuel for the war effort. As both Poland and Lithuania are in the Schengen travel area, we cross the border without stopping and just like that, welcome to Lithuania. The Baltics are one hour ahead of Poland, so we gain an hour here too. The reason we must change trains at the first station ahead is that the standard gauge tracks terminate 10 minutes further up the line. As we pull into Mokawa station, the Russian gauge tracks can be seen off to the left side here. It's a very simple cross-platform timed connection with about 20 minutes scheduled between trains. We have barely been here 10 minutes and the inbound service arrives. This is operated by this three-car LTG-Link PESA 730ML diesel multiple unit. These have a maximum in-service speed of 140kmh. Boarding at all doors is level with these low platforms with a sliding step to bridge the vast majority of the gap. We will check out the accessible facilities once we get going. Luggage can be stored on the stacks just inside the doors or on the overhead racks up above. All seating in both classes is in a 2 plus 2 layout with a mix of airline style and bays of 4. It is also unallocated in second class where we will be sitting. We depart right on time for the second leg of this journey from Mokawa to Vilnius which covers a distance of 204km which is scheduled to take 2 hours and 18 minutes of travel time. Remember, this is all included in the single ticket price from Warsaw. The seats are also very comfortable with excellent padding and shape. There is also a slightly winged headrest and adjustable armrests. You can also recline a small amount by sliding the seat base forwards. Legroom is good and below is an adjustable footrest and a storage net. A small tray table can be deployed from the back of the seat in front but this can be expanded further with this bar. One standard European style power socket is located between each pair of seats. Finally, coat hooks are on the wall and sun blinds on the windows. Overall, a very comfortable seat with good amenities, especially for second class. Free WiFi is available for all passengers on board. This was not particularly fast but worked well and was consistent. Onboard catering is available and the menu can be accessed by scanning this QR code. There was a pretty good selection of sandwiches and snacks along with hot and cold drinks, including alcohol. You can also have a browse of the fridge opposite the conductor's compartment to see what is available. I grabbed a sandwich, waffle, coffee and coke and went back to my seat to eat. I have to say in general that the stations in Lithuania are pretty well looked after. Just take a look at this stunning station building. In the centre of these trains is a low floor area where you will find the accessible toilets and wheelchair spaces along with storage for bikes. Here is one of the regular toilets. Everything was working and the soap and toilet paper were stocked up and it was all very clean. I think this route is ideal if you want to break up your journey in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn and do a little tour of the Baltic state capitals. They really are all fascinating places to visit and you can move between them all in comfort and at excellent prices too. We are now arriving in the Lithuanian capital which concludes day one of this trip. We pull into Vilnius main station right on time to the minute at 5.29pm. If you've not visited before, I would recommend a couple of nights here before continuing north. I stayed in a hotel just across the square from the station, got a good night's sleep and was back here early the next morning. Step free access is available off to the left side here where there are these suitcase slash bike ramps on the front stairs. The main hall here is marvellous. It's very grand and has a beautiful high styled ceiling. Both staffed and automatic ticketing facilities are available along with a few coffee shops and convenience stores. This morning we will be on board train 889 from Vilnius to Tallinn via Riga departing at 7.05am from platform 1. In reality we must change trains once again on a guaranteed connection at the Estonian border. The train is already in waiting with a beautiful sunrise behind. It's the same type that we were on yesterday afternoon so I won't repeat all the details. Again seating is unallocated in second class so I picked a forward facing airline style pair on this very quiet service. We depart on leg 3 which will see us travel from Vilnius crossing all of Latvia to Valga just over the border in Estonia. This covers a distance of 516km which is scheduled to take 7 hours and 10 minutes of travel time. Once again though the ticket covers us all the way to Tallinn and costs a fixed price of €39. For 11 hours of comfortable train travel you really can't argue with that. I think it's definitely time for some breakfast now. Unlike the previous service, physical menus were available on board this morning. There really is a very good selection available. A sandwich, coffee and fresh orange juice for me this morning. The total price for all this was €9.10. I love these cups which showcase the Lithuanian Railways network. I will now fast forward a few hours as there is not a great deal to see out of the window and we have already looked around the train. Here we are crossing from Lithuania to Latvia and again there are no checks of any kind on this interesting journey. So what about making this trip in the future? Well here's the exciting part. RailBaltica is a €23.8 billion project which is well underway to fully integrate the Baltic states into the European railway network with 250kmh capable standard gauge tracks for both high speed passenger and bulk freight services. This will ultimately cut the travel time from Warsaw to Tallinn to under 7 hours, quite the improvement on the current two days. It is for sure one of the most exciting infrastructure projects under construction in Europe today with a first stage cross-border main corridor planned to open in 2030. As we are on the approach to Riga you can see the ongoing works for the project. These include a new bridge over the Dalgava river, new tracks and also a new station which will be the central hub of the network. We have a planned 10 minute stop here where I believe a crew change takes place and quite a few people board. The announcements on this service were repeated in English which was nice to hear. Yeah, the train is much busier now and pretty much all seats are taken. We spend the next couple of hours passing through settlements, crossing rivers and seeing the flat northern Latvian landscapes out of the window before arriving to the penultimate country of this journey. Another Schengen border we cross without stopping and welcome to Estonia! Shortly after we pull into Valga where we will swap onto an Estonian railway service for the final train of the trip. Again, this is a cross-platform guaranteed connection which is timed for 25 minutes. The next train pulls in 15 minutes before scheduled departure time. This is operated by the Estonian Railway's four-car Stadler Flirt DMU. L1 have 38 of these type of trains either diesel or electric versions with between two and four coaches per set. These have a maximum in-service speed of 135kmh and I must say they look very smart with their bright orange livery too. Boarding is level with the platform but there is a decent sized gap between platform and train. Second class seating is in a 3 plus 2 layout and is again unallocated so I will grab this forward facing airline pair as it looks to be quite busy. We depart Valga right on time at 2.10pm. The fourth train leg of this trip covers a distance of 273km which is scheduled to take 3 hours and 28 minutes to basically cross the whole of Estonia. Remember the ticket for this train is part of the Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn through ticket which costs just 39 euros. Just look at these two very cool Soviet era 2TE11 two-part diesel locomotives on the right here. The passenger trains may be modern in Estonia but the freights still have some catching up to do. All announcements are made in both Estonian and English. I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the seating area of these trains especially for an intercity service. Let me show you what I mean. The padding was ok but it definitely could be comfier overall. They are very upright. There is a slightly winged headrest and adjustable armrest. Legroom is also very tight and there is no recline, footrest, storage pocket, tray table or even power socket. There are however coat hooks and a window blind. Free wifi is available and this was the faster side experience so far on any train on this trip. There is a mix of airline style and bay seating with some at floor level and some raised up over the bogies. In the centre of the train is the diesel powerpack section but you can walk through this. It's good to have this separate to keep the cabin noise to a minimum. Then there are a couple of small bike storage racks along with the wheelchair spaces and accessible toilet. This was not in a great condition to be honest. The water worked but there was no soap. The floor was soaking, the bin was overflowing and there was no toilet roll at all. Our next stop is in Tartu, Estonia's second largest city which has a population of around 100,000 people. The train really fills up here too on this express service to the capital. Fast forward another few hours and we are now arriving in Tallinn and the end of the train legs of this journey. It is possible to continue straight onto Helsinki this evening as there are two ferry departures after our arrival. These are Silja at 7.30pm and Viking at 10.15pm but I am going to stay in Tallinn tonight to have a nice dinner and a wander about as I am not in a rush. We pull into Tallinn's Baltic station right on time just before 6pm. It is so cool due to the proximity to Estonia's northern Baltic sea coast. In fact the ferry port we will be leaving from tomorrow is just 2km north from here. Anyway, I am off to my hotel and I will see you tomorrow for the conclusion of this trip. Good morning! I stayed at the park inn which is about a 10 minute walk south from the station on foot. You can head to the port by either bus, tram or taxi. We will be travelling with Viking today who depart from terminal A. Inside you will find a large waiting area along with a few shops and cafes. You must check in on arrival to be issued with a boarding pass. This is available in 6 different languages and uses the booking number or QR code from your confirmation email along with your passport or ID card. Staffed counters are also available if you need assistance. Then 45 minutes before scheduled departure time you can head upstairs to the boarding gates where we get our first glimpse of the ship that will take us across to Finland. This is Viking XPRS, a 36,000 gross ton cruise ferry which has a maximum speed of 25 knots and a capacity for 2,500 passengers, 240 cars and 75 trucks. The whole ship has step free access with level boarding and lifts to all levels. I am going to head up to the top deck to grab a seat. It's a bit cloudy today but not too cold. We depart Tallinn on time at 10.45am. The final leg of this trip covers 83km across the Baltic Sea which has a crossing time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Adult foot passenger tickets start from just 18 euros which is honestly a bargain. Let's have a look around the ship. There are many food options including this bar and snack shop up on the top deck, a proper coffee shop, a cafe and deli restaurant with a wide variety of hot meals, sandwiches and salads and a British style pub. Other facilities include a kids gaming zone, some slot machines and a gift shop and a supermarket. Lockers are also available to securely store your bags. And finally, what Finnish boat would be complete without a sauna of course? After a very comfortable crossing we arrive in Helsinki Bay with a stunning Suomalina Island Fort off to the port side. I would highly recommend a day trip here from the city. There is a frequent ferry service which is included on the Helsinki City public transport tickets. So let me summarise this multi-leg journey from Poland to Finland over land and sea. I enjoyed it so much and got to see loads more of the city's culture and landscapes than if I had just taken a flight. And what great value too from just €73 for all tickets. Would you make this trip over land? If so, where would you stop off? If you have done it, what was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below. We arrive in Helsinki on time at 1.15pm, ready for some lunch and to explore one of my favourite cities in Europe. A tram stop is right outside the port and you can be in the city centre less than 10 minutes later. I'm always open to new video ideas so if you have something you'd like to see on the channel then drop me a DM on Instagram, Blue Sky or Twitter. Don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching to the end and I'll see you in the next video.