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Nearer to the start of the biketour, this page will contain detailed information about bus, train and ferry connections to the cities that we pass on the way.

If you know any information, let us know and we will put it on here.

Quick links for those who don’t want to read: Bus lines to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, international; train lines in Poland, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, international; everything international.

General information

There are different ways to get around Europe taking your bike with you.

• Cycle!
• Hitchbike (take your bike with you while hitchhiking). It usually takes much longer, but is generally possible. People have also hitchbiked on boats.
• Take a bus. Some buses officially take bikes. Usually you have to take the luggage off, sometimes you have to take off the wheels and pedals and wrap the bike in a plastic bag. Sometimes, the bike is stored in the luggage compartment of the bus, sometimes there is a special bike rack in the end. If a bus company officially takes bikes, it is usually written in the section about luggage on their website. Usually it costs around 10 € per bike. Eastern European buses that don’t officially take bikes often take them anyways if there is space and you give some money (10 €) to the driver. If there is no space, the driver will reject your luggage, in which case it is usually possible to change or refund your ticket. One website where you can search for buses across Europe is Busradar, although it doesn’t know about all the lines. Other ones for the Baltic States are 1188 (Latvia), Autobusubilietai (Lithuania), T pilet (Estonia). Rome2Rio can also be good to get an overview over the available connections.
• Take a train. The regulations are different in every country. On the website of Deutsche Bahn, you can search for connections that take bikes across Europe. For international journeys, you need an international bike ticket, which costs 10 €. Usually, if you take your bike apart and wrap it up, it counts as regular luggage and you can take it on any train without paying for it. Note that the train line between Warsaw and Vilnius is under construction, so the only train connection between the Baltic States and Central Europe is via Belarus. For train journeys that cross country borders, it always makes sense to check the railway companies of all countries, as prices might differ greatly. Sometimes, it is even cheaper to buy a ticket that goes further than you want to travel (for example, a ticket from Cologne to Berlin might cost 89 € with German railways, but a ticket from Cologne via Berlin to Prague might cost 45 € with Czech Railways). Here are the railway companies of some countries: Germany, Czech (note that prices seem to rise shortly after you search for a connection), Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus.
• Find a rideshare. The most known website is BlaBlaCar, although it is commercial and evil. Some German alternatives (that also have international journeys) are BesserMitfahren and Fahrgemeinschaft. Most rides cannot take a bike, but some go with a van and have space.
• Take a ferry.
• Take a plane. Please note that we discourage taking planes due to their disproportionally large environmental impact, but we acknowledge that some people might need to fly due to work-related time restrictions or because they live really far away.

Getting to/from places

Berlin

In Germany, you can take bikes on almost all trains (except ICE high-speed trains) and on many long-distance buses.

Trains are expensive unless you travel in groups. You can search for connections here, there is an option that you want to take a bike. If you book early, you might be lucky and get a cheap ticket for an IC long-distance train. In those, you will have to reserve a space for your bike (which will cost 9 €), where you have to store your bike upright (so take the luggage off). For regional trains, there is a day-ticket for all of Germany called Quer-Durchs-Land-Ticket, which costs 44 € for a single person and 8 € per person for up to 4 additional people. To search for connections using only regional trains, pick the “Local transport” option. Regional trains usually have a bike compartment that has plenty of space and is on the same level as the platform, so you don’t even have to take off your luggage. For regional trains, you will need a bike day ticket for 5 € per bicycle (and per trailer).

Among the German bus companies, Postbus, BerlinLinienBus, DeinBus and MeinFernbus/Flixbus officially take bikes on most routes. Usually you don’t have to take your bike apart (but take your luggage off), but it will be put on a special bike rack. It will usually cost something around 10 € per bike. You will always have to declare your bike during the booking process, as sometimes all the spaces are full and sometimes they don’t take bikes on a particular route.

Warsaw

PolskiBus is a cheap Polish bus company that operates connections from Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, Zürich, München, Wien, Bratislava, Praha, Budapest and many Polish cities to Warsaw. Bikes can be taken for free if there is enough space. The pedals have to be removed and the handlebar aligned with the frame. More connections can be found on Busradar or Rome2Rio.

Find trains going to Warsaw on the website of the Polish Railways. There is an option there to search only for connections taking bikes.

Minsk

There are many night trains going to Minsk from all over Europe (most of them on the way to Moscow), for example from Budapest, Warsaw, Nice, Milano, Wien, Praha, Paris, Berlin, Beograd, Sofia. None of them seem to officially take bikes, so it will be necessary to take the bike apart and pack it. Note that trains coming from Western Europe will be delayed several hours on the border because all the wheels have to be changed to the Russian standard (bigger distance between the rails), so other means of transportation are usually faster.

Ecolines operates quite cheap bus lines all over Eastern Europe. It might be possible to take a packed bike on the way to Minsk, but it is not officially allowed (only from Rīga for 20 €). They usually only speak Russian and are really rude.

Vilnius/Kaunas

The train line from Warsaw to Vilnius/Kaunas is interrupted due to the construction of the Rail Baltica, a European railway that will go from Warsaw to Tallinn (so far railways in the Baltic States follow the Russian standard, so they are incompatible with Europen trains). Trains from Poland are operating again since the 17th of June, but only two regional trains per day on Saturday and Sunday and one of Friday from Białystok to Kaunas. The trains take bikes. Many train connection websites don’t have the connections yet, a schedule can be found here and ticket prices can be checked here.

Ecolines operates quite cheap bus lines all over Eastern Europe. Bikes are only officially allowed on the line from Riga to Vilnius for 20 €, on the other lines it is officially not allowed. They usually only speak Russian and are really rude.

Lux Express runs bus lines from Praha, Warszawa, Rīga, Budapest, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Tallinn to Vilnius and takes bikes if there is space (packed, front wheel taken off and packed separately).

Search for other bus connections on Busradar, or Autobusubilietai.

Klaipėda

DFDS Seaways operates a ferry from Kiel in the North of Germany (about 50 € per person) and one from Karlshamn in the South of Sweden (about 60 € per person). Bikes can be taken for free.

There seem to be no long-distance buses going to Klaipėda (only from Rīga). To get to Klaipėda, it is probably the best to go to Vilnius/Kaunas and take a train from there. Trains take bikes and are about 20+7 € for a person+bike from Vilnius to Klaipėda, connections can be found here. Bus connections can be found here, but it is unclear whether they take bikes.

Liepāja

Stena Line operates a ferry from Travemünde in the North of Germany (65–80 € per person+bike).

It seems like no trains are going to Liepāja.

Buses (from Rīga and other places) can be found on 1188, but it is unclear whether they take bikes.

Ventspils is about 120 km from Liepaja and can be reached by ferry from Nynäshamn (south of Stockholm) (~ 43+3 €) and Travemünde (close to Lübeck, Germany) (~ 59+3 €, only on Saturdays).

Rīga

Ecolines operates quite cheap bus lines all over Eastern Europe. Bikes can be taken for 20 € to/from Tallinn, Tartu, Vilnius, Kaliningrad, Minsk, on other routes it’s not officially allowed. They usually only speak Russian and are really rude.

Lux Express runs some bus lines from Moscow, Tallinn, Tartu, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, Budapest, Wien, Minsk and takes bikes if there is space (packed, front wheel taken off and packed separately).

Tartu

Trains from Tallinn can be found on Elron. Some take bikes.

Lux Express runs a bus line from Rīga and from Tallinn and takes bikes if there is space (packed, front wheel taken off and packed separately). Other buses from Rīga, Tallinn and other destinations can be found on T pilet and 1188.

Tallinn

Ecolines operates quite cheap bus lines all over Eastern Europe. Bikes can be taken for 20 € to/from St. Petersburg and Rīga, on other routes it’s not officially allowed. They usually only speak Russian and are really rude.

Lux Express runs bus lines from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, Rīga, Budapest, Wien, Minsk, Berlin, and many towns in Estonia and takes bikes if there is space (packed, front wheel taken off and packed separately).

There are three ferry lines from Helsinki: Tallink Silja (20–40+5 €), Eckerö (19+5 €), Viking (20–40+5 €). Prices are flexible and are different every day. Note that all three lines leave from different ports, so it is better to pick one beforehand.

Tallink Silja is operating a ferry from Stockholm (55–85+20 €).