HOW TO REACH VIA HANSEATICA IN LATVIA

When visiting Latvia just find your preferred vehicle and you are ready to go discover the beautiful towns surrounding Via Hanseatica. Usually the starting point of your trip is Riga, which is the main linking point of different modes of transportation. As Latvian capital Riga is situated in Via Hanseatica there is no extra effort needed from visitors, but as Via Hanseatica spreads to both sides of Riga (south and north-east) to Zemgale and Vidzeme regions , you might be interested in visiting also beautiful towns such as Bauska and Dobele in Zemgale and Cesis, Sigulda and Valmiera in Vidzeme.

VH by plane

International airlines fly mostly from Riga Airport. For airport information:

Tel. 720-7009; www.riga-airport.com

VH by bus

With the deterioration of train service in Riga and the rest of the Baltic states, bus service has taken over. There are comfortable buses to major cities in the east and in the west. Latvian intercity bus schedule is available here: http://www.118.lv/satiksme?sub=autobusi
Ecolines buses service many destinations all over Germany, Moscow, Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, London, Paris, Lille, also Kiev and Odessa in Ukraine. http://www.ecolines.lv/
Eurolines buses have direct service to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and many other destinations all over Germany; to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kaliningrad and other destinations in Russia; and to Lithuania and Estonia. Tickets sold at bus stations and travel agencies. http://www.eurolines.lv/
Nordeka have bus service to Tallinn, Klaipeda, Kaliningrad, Kaunas, Minsk, Warsaw, Belostok and St. Petersburg; they also service local routes. www.nordeka.lv

VH by train

Schedule of Latvian passenger train is available here: http://www.118.lv/satiksme?sub=vilcieni

Riga has daily train service to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Every other day there is a train to Vilnius (uneven days) and to Gomel in Belarus (even days). Once or twice a week, there is a train to Lviv in Ukraine. Find more information: http://www.ldz.lv/

VH by car

There is a variety of car rental options available on the Internet. The road quality in Latvia differs from region to region but the situation is improving constantly. Main Via Hanseatcia road in Latvia is identified both as E77/A8 from Riga to south towards Zemgale region and Lithuania as well as A3 from Riga to north towards Vidzeme region and Estonia. In more detail you can set your route and find Via Hanseatcia sites in our digital Via Hanseatica map.

VH by ship

The number of different ship routes is quite small. There is a ferry line from Riga to Stockholm with departures every other day.More information: http://www.rigasealine.lv/

There is also a ferry line to Lübeck (four times a week). Find more information www.latlines.lv