17.10.2025
It all starts on the platform in Tallinn, Tartu or Valga, where the train whistle promises that a week later you will be standing with your whole family on Krakow's Town Hall Square, with tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mine in your pocket and still have mixed impressions of Vilnius' bohemian Užupis and Warsaw's Old Town and milk bars in your head.
In five years, the train will speed along Rail Baltica from Tallinn to Warsaw faster than it can travel from Tallinn to Vilnius today. But perhaps that is the best reason to take it slow this autumn and turn forced stops into adventures and a well-deserved vacation with the whole family. This is not a luxury trip or a backpacking trip, but something in between – comfortable enough to keep your coffee hot in a thermos, and affordable enough to have money left over for sweets. Europe opens up here not as a list of monuments, but as a lively and sometimes quite unexpected production, where each city has its own role: Vilnius offers greenery and free concerts, Warsaw shows modern art alongside history and serves cheap lunch, and Krakow puts the final chord in with adventures underground.
Ready? Let's go!
ITINERARY
Day 1–2: Train to Vilnius, European Green Capital 2025
Hop on the train in the morning – be it from Tallinn, Tartu or Valga – and before you know it, you’ll be in Vilnius by evening. It’s worth taking a thermos of coffee with you, along with a refillable water bottle and a small snack, although there’s also a restaurant on the train from Valga onwards. And of course, take board games and a book or two from the library! The train ride gives you time and the opportunity to talk and play with your family, not waste your time.
In addition, you simply have to arrive in Vilnius by train. Anything else would be simply wrong. When you leave the station, you feel as if Vilnius wants to say: We are green, have you noticed? You did. After the travel fatigue has been relieved, the first walk in the morning takes you to the Cathedral Square. Continue along Gediminas Avenue until you reach the Castle Hill. There you stand and look at the roofs, trees and everything else that makes you think that life can be quite pleasant even when traveling on a small budget.
You can also take a free guide on the walk. To do this, open the website Vilnius Free Walking Tour or Vilnius with Locals, both of which are good. You will gain new knowledge and experience a new atmosphere.
For lunch, head to Paupys Market in Užupis. It's not just a place to eat, but Vilnius' own little attraction. Everything under one roof: local food, international food, cheap food, more expensive food. If you choose correctly, you can fill your family's stomachs for a couple of dozen euros. Check out the page https://www.vilnius-events.lt/, check the box next to the free event and you will be presented with a long list of concerts and exhibitions. The evening is packed!
For accommodation, choose an apartment in the Old Town within walking distance of the train station. There are a wide selection of affordable places on Booking.com and Airbnb!
Day 3–4: WarsawWhen you arrive in Warsaw, it’s worth heading to the Old Town. Yes, it’s been rebuilt, but it has a certain dignity in its refined symmetry and colorful facades. The Town Hall Square, the winding streets, the tiny cafes – all of this makes a walk worthwhile. If you feel like you’d like to know things a little more in depth, there are free guided tours. For example, search for “Warsaw Free Walking Tour” – you’ll get a day or evening option.
On the morning of the second day, explore the street art and churches of the Praga district, and of course the former Konosser vodka factory, now full of Warsaw's hipsters. For lunch, choose Bar Mleczny, or Milk Bar - cheap, authentic and a bit of a step back in time. Soup, pierogi and tea here cost less than a cup of coffee in a trendy café. You'll be full and have money left over for dessert.
In the afternoon, head to the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the building itself is a sight to behold and the exhibitions change frequently. Drop by the hostel, grab a quick bite to eat and walk across to the Vistula River embankment, where the water flows towards your final destination – Krakow. Here you’ll find cycle paths, small food stalls and views that become surprisingly romantic in the evening sun, even if you didn’t come looking for romance.
Days 5–7: Krakow with Auschwitz & Wieliczka Salt Mines and flight home
The first walk could take you through Planty Park, which surrounds the Old Town like a green belt. It’s a free introduction to the city’s atmosphere: instead of stone walls, Krakow has wrapped itself in an emerald green scarf. Krakow’s Town Hall Square is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. There stands the majestic Mariacka Church, where every full hour a small trumpeter climbs the tower and interrupts his song – a tradition that goes back centuries.
For some lunch, head to the Plac Nowy Market Hall in the Kazimierz district. This place is not only a market, but also Krakow’s own food scene – at noon it sells cheap and delicious zapiekankas, which are long Polish-style oven-baked pastries with various toppings (cheese, mushrooms, meat, vegetables). Zapiekanka is a symbol of Krakow’s street food and usually costs 3-5 euros. There are also small stalls and bistros around the market hall where you can get falafel, pierogis or local soup. The atmosphere is lively: students, hipsters and old market vendors share the same space, which gives the lunch its color and energy.
The afternoon is spent exploring Kazimierz. This is the former Jewish district, now full of cafes, galleries and murals. Stroll along Szeroka Street, checking out the old synagogues and small art shops. Walk up Wawel Hill. This is where the Polish kings were crowned and where, according to legend, a dragon lived in a cave (spoiler: the cave now houses a sculpture of a dragon that occasionally actually spews fire).
A guided day tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Wieliczka Salt Mine takes almost the whole day and it is worth getting ready early in the morning – but at least you don’t have to worry about how to get there. The first stop is Auschwitz. There is no need to describe much here, because every step speaks for itself. Brick barracks, barbed wire and a softly spoken guide. It is not fun or easy, but it is an important part of European history and one of the reasons why many people choose this tour when coming to Krakow. In the afternoon, the bus moves on to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It is a different world – an underground city where chapels, sculptures and even chandeliers are carved from salt.
The guide takes you tens of meters deep, the feeling is a bit surreal: on the same day you stood in front of the gates of the concentration camp and now you are walking through the Salt Cathedral, where everything glows whitish and sounds echo softer than on earth. Spend the evening again in the Old Town - there are countless small cafes and street musicians around the Rynek. Krakow is highly regarded among the jazz capitals of Europe and free concerts are often held there. If you are lucky, you will sit in a cafe, drink cocoa and suddenly become a part of the best saxophone solo in the world.
Add a Monday to your break and you'll have a direct flight from Krakow to Tallinn on the last day of your trip with WizzAir's new flight starting on October 27. NB! If Tallinn is not your hometown, add some money to your budget for a bus or train ride home from Tallinn.
BUDGET
Total train and plane tickets for the family: 492 euros.
Elroni, LTG and PKP Intercity train tickets (must be purchased separately from the train companies' websites): 81 euros/each for adults and 45 euros/each for children; return flight from Krakow with Wizzair 60 euros/person.
Total accommodation in apartments and hostels: 300 euros or 50 euros/night/whole family.
Attractions: 207 euros for the whole family (Auschwitz & Wieliczka Salt Mines tour starting and ending in the center of Krakow).
In Poland and Lithuania, eating out is cheaper than in Estonia, and if you cook your own meals in apartments and hostels, you may spend less on food than you would spend at home for a week!
The article was first published on October 17, 2025 as a content marketing story in Õhtuleht.
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