Category: travel tips
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City stress travelling with a dog
Cities just aren’t so fun with a dog, let alone for a dog. Many of the pleasures that may have been enhanced by a human companion are not shared with my dog, from beautiful architecture to restaurant cuisine. I’ve actually avoided stopping in some big cities Interrailing with my dog. Railway Dog and I avoided…
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Railway Dog travel rules in the Baltic states
Dogs and other pets travelling by train, bus and tram have different rules wherever we went in Europe. However it was generally not as problematic as it appears on paper. Rules are sometimes applied more fully than at others. Here’s what Baspie dog and I found in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania Dogs are tolerated…
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Sigulda and the Gauja River National Park, by train
Only just over an hour on the train from Riga, the capital of Latvia, is Gauja National Park. It’s a combination of native forest and river. It’s fabulous and accessible by public transport, so would be easy to do a day trip. To access the national park, the train station choice is to get out…
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Train times in the Baltic States – distinguishing fact from fiction – and a dog’s perspective on alternative transport
Trains in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia seem rather left off international rail apps, or even worse, have their trains listed incorrectly. Whether it’s Rail Europe, Rail Planner (Interrail/ Eurail) or Google maps, they are either empty or unreliable. Lithuania, which does have trains listed on Rail Planner, doesn’t have many of those trains in reality,…
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Cheating at bird watching – a beginner’s tale
I’m new, this week, to birding. Railway Dog and I were hiking with some lovely people from Germany and their dogs in Nida, Lithuania, a few mornings ago. I’ve downloaded the apps one of them recommended: Birdnet and BirdLasser, and in the process found Merlin. Merlin seems to combine the two, with both identification and…
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What to pack for 3 months Interrailing
This morning in Riga, Latvia, I surprisingly had a weighing scales where I was staying. So I could weigh my pack. It is down to 15kg if I’m wearing my boots and jacket and only carrying 1 litre of water and a light meal for us. Apart from food and drink, much weight is camping…
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Travelling between Lithuania and Latvia for a pining train lover
Since 2020 there have been no trains running across the border between Latvia and Lithuania. Seat61 is the most likely place to update on this, but the situation may not change for years. For those of us travelling by Interrail or Eurail, or who simply prefer trains, this is a hurdle to get over. Travelling…
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Klaipeda and Nida, the sandy West coast of Lithuania
We arrived in Klaipeda close to midnight, thanks to the only train options there from Siauliai (or Vilnius or anywhere) being very early or very late. On the plus side, I didn’t get hassled for not having a reservation, there were no dog issues, and my Interrail pass went down okay. After a bit of…
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Krakow to Gdansk, via Warsaw
Poland feels so modern and clean after Hungary and Romania. This is true on this spanking clean train. The trains are actually used by many locals. This was my first commuter train in 6 weeks, an early morning intercity. Every seat was booked, you can see Basbie is initially a bit concerned by the squashing…
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Polish public transport, tickets and dogs
There are generally good bus and tram services in Polish towns and cities. Trains run fairly reliably between many of them. Krakow was the main place Railway Dog used local public transport. Tickets are from machines at the main stops and on the more modern buses and trams. These take cash or cards and tickets…
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