A bus route to the Baltics will be revived in Russia: how to get to Europe

From February 1, the bus route St. Petersburg – Pskov – Riga will resume operation, and on a daily basis. This was reported by one of the three leading road carriers in this direction, reinforcing the message with the opening of ticket sales.

Having priced out the bus mileage to nearby Europe, we also found out how easy it is for a “mere mortal” Russian to get there.

The once very popular “window” to Europe across the land border by bus from St. Petersburg to Riga slammed shut on September 19 last year by a unilateral decision of its western neighbor. The official reason is the uncontrollable number of Middle Eastern illegal refugees trying to get into the EU from the Russian Federation. In this regard, as the Latvian Embassy explains, from the same date Russians are also prohibited from entering for “non-essential purposes,” which the Latvian side includes tourism and recreation.

However, now tickets for the coveted bus to the EU are again on sale and even cost, as before geopolitical complications, from 5 to 8 thousand rubles, if from St. Petersburg. And from Pskov it’s within 5 thousand. Passengers on the 14-hour journey, during which the bus covers 578 km separating St. Petersburg and Riga, are promised hot meals, drinks, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and multimedia screens. You can pay for tickets online either with a Russian ruble card or with any foreign one. It remains to be seen whether anything has changed on the Latvian side in relation to the ordinary Russian tourist.

“Latvia first demanded that Russians enter its territory only with a Schengen visa issued specifically by the Republic of Latvia, and 4 months ago they announced the “suspension” of issuing visas to citizens of the Russian Federation,” I remind the carrier’s representative by phone. – Who then goes to Riga on your daily buses?

“First of all, those who have unused tickets Peter-Helsinki and Helsinki-Peter in their hands,” the carrier answers. – We are currently working with tickets purchased for flights with departure dates from November 18 to December 17, 2023. They cost the same, so you can simply exchange them for Riga. And those who bought such tickets for November obviously have the grounds and suitable documents to cross the Latvian border.

According to the organizers of the bus service, in November of last year they had to urgently cancel flights from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Imatra and back due to the unexpected closure by the Finnish side of the land border crossings of Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa, through which tourist buses usually travel. Since then, they were opened only once – on December 14, but on the same day they were closed – first until January 11, but on this day Finland extended restrictions on access to its country through land border checkpoints from the Russian Federation for another month. Then the organizers realized that they would not be able to carry out transportation to Finland in the near future, and announced to citizens who had already purchased tickets about the possibility of returning them. Today they have been supplemented by a strong recommendation to exchange Finland for Latvia.

“Now there are also buses from St. Petersburg to Riga, but with transfers,” says Natalya, a St. Petersburg resident, whose daughter and grandchildren live in Riga. – But from February 1 they promise direct ones. My daughter says that Russia will soon at least have better communication with Latvia. There are so many mixed families who find themselves on opposite sides of closed borders. And ordinary Latvians, according to their daughters, want to go to the Russian side as before. And now even more – because of the ruble exchange rate.

But for Finland, those in the know, unfortunately, do not have such rosy forecasts. Although the expected date for opening land borders is February 1, it was set by the Finnish side itself.

“I think they will extend the restrictions,” Alexey, a visa intermediary specializing in the “Baltic” and “Scandinavian” Schengen, expresses his opinion. – Judging by the fact that the Finns are preparing to completely ban real estate transactions for Russians in the spring, we can’t expect a thaw from there.

This refers to the “New Year’s” law, which came into force in Suomi from January 1 of the coming year and expanded “the powers of the authorities to terminate real estate transactions for the purposes of national security”, and simply prohibited Russian individuals and companies from selling Finnish real estate belonging to them, which meant private houses, office buildings and land, but an exception was made for modest housing in apartment buildings. However, in mid-January, the Finnish Minister of Defense warned that by spring Finland was preparing to completely ban Russians from transactions with any real estate on its territory.

Latvia, which is preparing to exchange passenger buses with the Russian Federation on a daily basis, remains at the same time with its understanding of visits for “non-essential purposes”, and simply put, Russians are still not welcome there as “just tourists” and tourist visas are not issued. Only holders of a Latvian residence permit, family members of EU citizens and business travelers can enter the ex-Soviet republic, as before the complete closure of borders on September 19. Particularly inventive lovers of Riga’s beauties find a niche in the clause on facilitated entry for “persons with humanitarian purposes,” although they cannot really explain what this is even at the Latvian embassy itself. However, a new niche has loomed before the bus drivers – a simplified transit document. It will ensure unhindered entry into Latvia if you have a Schengen card issued by any other European country.