A new hop-on hop-off train service zips through 20 destinations, including some of Europe’s hardest to reach cities allowing passengers to explore less tourist-packed destinations
A recently launched hop-on hop-off train visits some of Europe’s hardest to reach cities, including Poznan and Gdansk.
The Baltic Express train travels 878km through 20 different destinations, across eight hours and allows passengers to hop-on and hop-off, wherever they choose. Places to explore along the route include cities in the Czech Republic and Poland, such as Gdansk and Poznan.
Many of the locations along the journey have previously been hard to reach, but now passengers can easily board and disembark the train to see these destinations, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites. The adventure can also be broken up by spending a night or two in one of the Central European cities.
Operated by České dráhy and PKP Intercity, the service runs four times a day. Whilst the new service is great for tourists, locals and commuters will also be able to use the train to reach nearby cities and towns. The train features four carriages, one of which is first class, whilst travelling within the Czech Republic. Once in Wrocław, additional carriages include a dining car are added to the train.
According to Tristan Rutherford at the BBC: “The cosiest space is the dining car. A chef grills fresh gołąbki (pork-stuffed cabbage leaves), her assistant spoons out pumpkin barley with kale and the waiter decants bottles of Łomża beer… It’s a long way from a British Rail sandwich.”
He added that The Baltic Express allows passengers to explore cities they would otherwise neglect. For example, Sopot — a town in northern Poland which is known for its health spas, sandy beach and its long wooden pier that extends into the Bay of Gdańsk. Or Letohrad, in the Czech Republic, which is home to a historical centre featuring preserved Baroque burgher houses, a church and a castle.
Additionally, travellers benefit from a range of amenities including Wi-Fi and charging facilities for electronic devices, and the carriages are equipped to accommodate wheelchair users and bicycles.
In the Czech Republic, the train stops at Kolín, Pardubice, Ústí nad Orlicí, Letohrad, Jablonné nad Orlicí, and Lichkov. In Poland, the route continues through Kłodzko, Wrocław, Poznań, and Bydgoszcz to Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia, with additional stops in other major tourist spots.
Jan Hrabáček, from Czech national rail operator České Dráhy, told the BBC: “We already have a connection from Prague to Budapest and Warsaw. So the idea of the Czech and Polish transport ministers was to connect the quickest possible route from Prague and Wroclaw to the sea. Czech people ‘found’ Poland as a destination because the beaches are great and the weather has become warmer.”
Travellers can book individual tickets via the Czech or Polish national train operator websites or get an Interrail pass which offers unlimited hop-on hop-off travel.