How to get from Minsk to Vilnius and back: best routes 2020-2021

It is hard to resist going to Europe when you are in Minsk. The beautiful cities of Lithuania are only a few hours’ drive from the capital of Belarus. There are many ways to get to the capital of Lithuania from Minsk, both affordable and more expensive. We will tell you about all the ways to get from Minsk to Vilnius and from Vilnius to Minsk in 2020-2021.

The Minsk-Vilnius route on the map

The distance from Minsk to Vilnius is 204 km, while the time is just under 3 hours. However, when calculating your time, you should remember about stops and the border. There are 4 checkpoints on the border with Lithuania, and they are often quite overloaded. However, you can see in advance how many cars are at this or that border on www.tuda-suda.by.

Picture 1 Photo by infobus.by

Train

The train is the most popular and optimal type of movement in terms of price and comfort. New comfortable air-conditioned, wi-fi and socket trains run from Minsk to Vilnius.

The train stops only twice, one of which is at the customs of Belarus. The border control in Vilnius takes about an hour at the railway station upon arrival in Lithuania.

The trip will take from two and a half to four hours, depending on the train.

Minsk-Vilnius-Minsk Train Schedule

Trains from Minsk to Vilnius run every 1.5-3 hours. For example, the fast train Minsk-Vilnius comes to a place, on average, within three hours. And branded passing trains Moscow - Kaliningrad and Adler - Kaliningrad go on two and a half hours more, but the tickets to them a little cheaper.

The cost of train tickets

On average, a ticket for an express train costs Br35 or about 18$, while it's possible to leave and come by train both in the morning and in the evening. It's convenient that you can electronically register for the train and buy tickets using the website www.rw.by.

Swiss trains

Skoda trains were launched in Minsk. These are high-speed trains with a high level of comfort. A ticket for the Swiss train will cost about 20$ per person in one direction.

Picture 2 Photo by Wikipedia.org

Ordinary trains

Also, you can get from Minsk to Vilnius and back by a more budget train, which will be no less comfortable. However, travel time will be longer in such trains than in Stadler.

How do I buy train tickets online

To buy a train ticket, you need to go to www.poezd.rw.by. Here you can see both the timetable and prices for the train, as well as the availability of seats, and book your train ticket online. To do this, choose the necessary route, date, number of seats, and pay for your ticket.

Bus

Bus is one of the budget modes of transport. Travel time is a little longer than on the train. The bus takes about four to five hours to get on the road. However, it is worth remembering that the number of hours you spend on the road can increase due to unforeseen delays at the border.

How and where to buy bus tickets

You can also buy bus tickets for Minsk - Vilnius or Vilnius - Minsk route online at www.ticketbus.by. Ticket price depends on the carrier and varies from 7$ to 15$ per ticket. For example, you can buy a ticket for the state Minsktrans bus to Vilnius for 22 rubles. Tickets can also be ordered at www.expressbus.by. Here you can go straight from Minsk to Vilnius station or to the Airport. Ticket price is from 13 to 15 dollars.

Ecolines buses from Minsk to Vilnius - pros and cons

Ecolines buses are one of the most convenient ways to travel. For the convenience of passengers, they have increased the distance between the seats that are equipped:

• sockets;
• wi-fi;
• air conditioning;
• TV and DVD system;
• multimedia devices;
• toilet.

In addition, those who will meet you may call the bus mobile phone if yours is not available. You can also call from this phone, but for a small fee. There are also plaids on the buses in case it gets cold or you want to take shelter at night.

The main disadvantage of the Ecolines bus is that it is still a bus. If you have a long overnight trip, it is still not very convenient to sleep on the bus, because you will not be able to extend the seat to a full bed. In addition, if you, for example, have problems with your back and knees, then getting up and stretch in narrow aisles is also not very convenient.

Minsk-Vilnius Minsk bus schedule

Buses from Minsk to Vilnius run quite often, so it's no problem to find a convenient time for yourself. Depending on which bus you want to go, you can see the timetable on the following websites:

• ecolines: www.ecolines.by;
• expressbus carrier: www.expressbus.by;
• Belarusian carriers: www.ticketbus.by.

Route

Another budget vehicle. The specifics of the trip by shuttle bus are the same as those of the bus, except that it is a little faster. Tickets and timetable can also be found on the websites above.

Plane

The most expensive, but fast and convenient, is to travel by air. There is the airline Belavia in Belarus. It periodically arranges promotions and if it's successful to get under its terms, you can buy a round trip ticket for just 20€. You can follow the promotions at www.vandrouki.by.

Belavia direct flight schedule

Departures from Minsk to Vilnius take place at 8.20 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, at 7.35 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays, and at 5.35 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The schedule from Vilnius to Minsk is the same, but the departure time is 5 minutes later, i.e. at 8.25 a.m, 7.40 p.m. and 5.40 p.m. The flight time is 35 minutes.

The cost of the plane tickets

One way ticket Minsk-Vilnius will cost from 50$ to 75$ Tickets can be purchased at www.belavia.by.

Shared trips

There are plenty of resources on the Internet that allow drivers to find a travel companion, and travelers an inexpensive and fast way to travel. You can type in a request in Google or Yandex and choose an ad that suits your needs. One of the travel companion search services is BlaBlaCar.

BlaBlaCar

With BlaBlaCar service, vehicle drivers are looking for companions to brighten up their loneliness during the trip, as well as minimizing their gasoline costs. The application can be downloaded from the appStore and Google play. Drivers write down the time of departure, the collection point, the cost and number of available seats. A trip this way will cost you from 15 to 30 dollars.

Hitchhiking

It's the most risky and dangerous kind of trip, but for someone more interesting. To catch a car to Vilnius you need to go to Grodno highway and hope that some car will stop and take you, if not to the final point of your way, at least a little closer to the city itself. It is even impossible to calculate the cost and time of this kind of travel.

Picture 3 Photo by shkolazhizni.ru

Travel is possible in different ways, but the main thing is to have the right attitude and a burning desire to learn new, and the location of our capital contributes to this.