Ferries between Russia and Baltic States, Scandinavia, Turkey, Georgia, Japan and Korea

Russia is connected by ferry transport with Japan, Korea, Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine. There are no ferries between Russia and Baltic Counties or Scandinavia, however, you can still take a ferry from Sweden, Finland or Germany to Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania and then get a bus or a train to Russia (Moscow or St. Petersburg). If you're going to Moscow we recommend getting a ferry to Riga (Latvia), in this case if you take a train you will not need a transit visa through Belarus. The Russian anclave Kaliningrad region is connected by ferry routes with Sweden and Lithuania.
Below you will find information about the main ferry routes.


Ferries Russia - Estonia (Tallin) and Finland (Helsinki),
At the moment (2006) there's no direct ferry between Russia and Estonia or Finland (there used to be one run by EstLine, Tallink and Sija Line, but that is stopped). However, you can get to Russia by taking a ferry to Estonia (Tallin) or Latvia (Riga or Ventspils) and then getting a bus or a train to Russia.


Ferries Sweden (Stockholm) -> Estonia (Tallin) -> Russia,
There are no ferries between Russia and Sweden, but you can take a ferry from Sweden to Estonia and then a bus to Russia.

Tallink ferry company has daily routes from Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia), the lowest price is $40 one way. Departure daily Stockholm at 17.30 arrival Tallin 10.00. Back from Tallin departure daily at 18.30 arrival Stockholm at 10.00.
From Tallin you can take a Eurolines bus to St. Petersburg or a train to Moscow.

Some European rail passes give 50% discounts for Scandinavian ferries. For details, see the website Europe-on-Rail or ScanRail.
 


Ferries Finland (Helsinki) -> Estonia (Tallin) -> Russia,
There are no ferries between Russia and Finland, but you can take a ferry from Finland to Estonia and then a bus or a train to Russia.

The fastest is the Swedish Silja Line Ferries, which has daily routes from Helsinki (Finland) to Tallin (Estonia) departing daily every 2 - 4 hours from 8.00 until 17.40. The trip takes about 1h40m and costs $30-$40 one way.

The Estonian Tallink ferry company has daily routes from Helsinki (Finland) to Tallinn (Estonia), the lowest price is $25-$30 one way. Departure daily Helsinki at 09.00, 18.30 and 20.15 arriving to Tallin 3 hours later. Back from Tallin departure daily at 13.30, 16.00, 23.55.
From Tallin you can take a Eurolines bus to St. Petersburg or a train to Moscow.

Finally the Finnish Viking Lines ferry company has 2 boats daily departing Helsinki Katajanokka at 12.30 and 21.00 arriving to Tallin Reisisadam 3 hours later. The ferries from Tallin to Helsinki depart daily at 8.45 and 16.45. The price is $25 US one way.

Some European rail passes give 50% discounts for Scandinavian ferries. For details, see the website Europe-on-Rail or ScanRail.



Ferries Germany (Luebeck) -> Riga (Latvia) or Klaipeda (Lithuania) -> Russia,
The German DFDS Tor Ferry Line has 3 ferries weekly from Luebeck in Germany to Riga in Latvia departing Luebeck on Tuesday at 12.00, on Friday at 23.00 and on Sunday at 8.00. The journey takes 8 to 10 hours and costs $80 for a seat, $110 for a bed in a cabin, $100 for a car.

The Lithuanian Lisco ferries (http://www.lisco.lt ) has other routes connecting Germany, Sweden, and Denmark with Latvia or Lithuania.



Ferries Sweden (Karlshamn) -> Russia (Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region) - through Klaipeda (Lithuania)

The Lithuanian Lisco ferries (http://www.lisco.lt ) has a cargo ship departing Karlshamn (Sweden) on Tuedays at 18.00 and on Saturdays at 16.00 arriving to Baltiysk (Russia, Kaliningrad region) 16 hours later. The ship is usually reserved for truck drivers, but they often have free passenger beds available. The ferry back from Baltiysk departs on Thursday at 1.00 and on Sunday at 23.59.
This ferry goes through Klaipeda (Lithuania) where you can board it as well, on Wednesday at 14.00 and on Sunday at 13.00 arriving to Baltiysk 8 hours later.




Ferries Russia -> Turkey (Trabzon, Turkey to Sochi, Russia) -
There's a ferry between Turkey (Trabzon) and Russia (Sochi). It goes twice a day. It costs $70-80, but it's possible to buy the ticket for $60 at the company which owns the boat. Don't look for passenger boats at Samsun. If you need ferry schedules, you can find them on Sochi MorPort website ( www.morport-sochi.ru ). They also have a helpful information desk: +7 (8622) 60-96-03

As of 2006 the schedule is: Departing Trabzon (Turkey) on Thursdays and Sundays around 20.00 arriving next day at 8.00 to Sochi (Russia). The trip takes 12 hours. The way back from Sochi is on the same days at the same time.

For more information, see our Talk Lounge.



Ferries Russia -> Georgia (Batumi, Georgia to Sochi, Russia) -
Batumi is a nice town in Georgia near the Turkish border. There are daily buses between Batumi and Trabzon (Turkey). There are three ferries a week between Batumi and Sochi. If you need ferry schedules, you can find them on Sochi MorPort website ( www.morport-sochi.ru ). They also have a helpful information desk: +7 (8622) 60-96-03

As of 2006 the schedule is: Departing Batumi (Georgia) on Tuedays and Fridays at 13.00 (faster express boat "Kometa" - takes 6 hours), and at 18.00 (slower ferry, takes 12 hours). The way back from Sochi is on the same days at the same time. The price is 1700-1800R ($60 to $70) one way.

For more information, see our Talk Lounge.



Ferries Russia - Japan and Korea:
There are ferries between Vladivostok (Russian far east and Japan or Korea). For the most up-to-date information, please, take a look at our Vladivostok Transport guide.

Other sections of WayToRussia.Net that may interest you:

River Cruises in Russia
Domestic air travel
Online airline tickets reservation
Taxi & Transfers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Irkutsk
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