Nesterovsky train or how to get to Europe for pennies. What is the “Nesterov train”? Is it possible to go out in Vilnius

Nesterovsky train– one of the most convenient and cheapest options to get to Europe, and specifically to Vilnius from Moscow and St. Petersburg. This train travels along the route Moscow (St. Petersburg) - Chernyshevskoye and back. From St. Petersburg to Nesterov.
Nesterov and Chernyshevskoe are located in the Kaliningrad region and these are the next stops after Vilnius. Due to the fact that the Kaliningrad region is Russia, the tariffs are also Russian, which is significantly cheaper than trains abroad, although the train will be the same. The average price is 1600 rubles for a one-way trip. If you take it to Vilnius, the price will be from 4500 rubles!

Why do we need Vilnius? Hence the huge number of European low-cost airlines that fly around Europe for pennies (by Russian price standards). That’s why they call it a cheap way to get to Europe; then it will be much cheaper than if you fly from Russia.

Action plan

  1. On the Russian Railways website you buy tickets to Chernyshevsky and get off in Vilnius.
    Trains:
    No. 29/30 Moscow - Kaliningrad - Moscow
    No. 147/148 Moscow - Kaliningrad - Moscow
    No. 79/80 St. Petersburg - Kaliningrad - St. Petersburg
    No. 359/360 Adler - Kaliningrad - Adler
  2. If you don’t have Schengen, then apply for a visa.
  3. Take the train and get off in Vilnius instead of Chernyshevsky.
  4. You purchase a return ticket from Chernyshevsky and board in Vilnius.
    The main question that is asked is: But maybe they won’t imprison you? Not eligible: tickets have already been purchased in your name. The guides, of course, can ask questions like where and why, but this should not worry you. If you are worried that you will not be allowed on the train, then print out the internal document of JSC Russian Railways No. FPDOP-03/347 dated 03/06/08, which states that “to improve the quality of passenger service, passengers are allowed to board at any station after the departure station indicated on the ticket, subject to the validity of the ticket and payment for travel along the route.”

How to prepare for independent travel?

If you bought air tickets somewhere (it's hard not to when you read about!)
And don't know where to book accommodation, then don’t get lost:

  • this is the most convenient search engine among all the popular booking sites, it looks for the best price among Booking, Island and other similar services!
  • Booking is an international hotel booking site that almost everyone has heard of! If you book a hotel by going through, you will return 1000 rubles directly to your bank card
    within a week after your stay.
  • Airbnb is the largest apartment booking site, we wrote about promotional codes for a 10 euro discount, a $20 discount and a $100 discount.

If the housing is ready, then you need take care of transfer and car: - an international car booking system around the world that searches for companies like Avis, Hertz, etc.
and compares prices. There is a reliable, inexpensive taxi service operating in almost 100 countries around the world -.

Don't travel abroad without insurance, don't take risks. In addition, the service allows you to select very cheap options, because it compares among all options from all insurance companies.

For those who have already traveled and are still angry at the airline’s mistakes, we recommend the service to receive compensation for flight delay or cancellation in the amount of from 250 to 600€. The guys collect the documents themselves, go to court and bring the case to the end if you have the right to compensation. They will only take payment for their services when they can achieve compensation.

The Nesterovsky train is something that every traveler should know about, because there is no cheaper way to get to Europe. The price of the issue is about 1,500 rubles, and the life hack is that any Russian train to Kaliningrad transits through the territory of Lithuania with a stop in Vilnius. For budget travelers, this is a real find, and a little further you will find out why. In fact, there are six such compositions:

– three on the Moscow – Kaliningrad – Moscow section, No. 29/30, 147/148 and 219/220
– St. Petersburg – Kaliningrad – St. Petersburg, No. 79/80
– Adler – Kaliningrad – Adler, No. 360
– Chelyabinsk – Kaliningrad – Chelyabinsk, No. 425/426

Everything on the Nesterov train in 5 minutes (video)

The bottom line: on the way to Kaliningrad, trains have to transit through the territory of Lithuania; there is no other way to get there by land. They all also make a stop in Vilnius. Prices for domestic transportation in Russian Railways are significantly lower than for international ones. Therefore, taking a ticket from Moscow to Kaliningrad and leaving earlier, before reaching the end of the route, will be significantly cheaper than simply buying a ticket for the same train to Vilnius: 1500-2000 rubles versus 5000-6000. And this is for a reserved seat! Here the ingenuity gains momentum and brings up the following thought: “Why pay for a trip all the way to Kaliningrad, if you can take a ticket to the first Russian station immediately after the border with Lithuania?” And until recently, such a station was the city of Nesterov. These trains received their popular names in honor of him. Now the traffic pattern has been slightly changed, and trains from Moscow and St. Petersburg, after entering the Kaliningrad region, stop at Chernyshevskoye station. It is even closer to the border than Nesterov, but the name “Nesterov Train” has already taken root and is unlikely to change.

Why such difficulties?

If you haven't been to Vilnius yet, this is a great way to see the capital of Lithuania for literally pennies. If you were, and from the point of view of tourist attractions the city is no longer of interest to you, there is a second bonus: an airport from where you can fly to France, Italy, England, Iceland, Central and Northern Europe for just 10-20 euros. Vilnius Airport is served by low-cost airlines such as RyanAir, WizzAir, Norwegian, EasyJet and some others.

Train route Moscow – Nesterov

How to buy a ticket

A ticket for the Nesterov train can only be purchased at the Russian Railways ticket office in person by presenting your international passport. If your destination is Vilnius, then by the time of your trip you should already have a valid Schengen visa. Therefore, we boldly refuse the cashier’s offer to arrange transit through Lithuania. They write on the Internet that Russian Railways cashiers sometimes say that the loophole no longer works, they won’t let you out in Vilnius, the doors won’t open... We happily ignore this nonsense and insist that we need a ticket to Nesterov (or to Chernyshevskoye station, if We are coming from Moscow and St. Petersburg). We explain to ourselves in an inner voice: “Yeah, that is, if we buy a ticket to Vilnius, then the doors will open, but if to Nesterov, then not?! Question: How do the train doors know which station I have a ticket to? I think the logic is clear.

Nesterovsky train: myths and legends

We have heard many stories when someone was not allowed off the train in Vilnius with tickets to Nesterov. Or rather, they didn’t hear it, but read it on the Internet. Since we tried the life hack with the Nesterov train on ourselves, we see only two possible reasons why, theoretically, you might not be allowed to leave.

Tickets with which we boarded the train in Vilnius without any problems

Reason one: UPTD-railway instead of Schengen

In order to cross the border of the Schengen zone, Russians need an appropriate visa. In turn, in order to simply transit through the territory of Lithuania when traveling to the Kaliningrad region, you do not need a visa, but only a Simplified Travel Document (STD), which is issued free of charge on the train to all transit passengers. The TD-ZD is a half A4 sheet of paper on which a Lithuanian transit visa is glued. When crossing the border, a stamp is placed on this piece of paper, and from that moment you are a transit passenger who does not have the right to get off the train while it is traveling through Lithuania. Under such conditions, in Vilnius you will only be able to look out of the window at the station courtyard.

My UPTD-ZhD, which was given at the ticket office, since I didn’t have a Schengen visa

It's another matter when you have a valid Schengen visa. Then the TD-ZhD is not needed, and the border crossing stamp is placed in the international passport. It turns out that in this way you cross the border according to general Schengen rules, and then you can move freely throughout Europe at your own discretion, without violating the validity of your visa. In this case, no one has the right to refuse to let you off the train. Such actions will constitute unlawful deprivation of liberty.

Reason two: tales from Russian Railways

It's no secret that viral marketing is a commonplace phenomenon in the 21st century. We don’t know this for sure, but we wouldn’t be surprised if stories about someone not being allowed out of the Nesterov train in Vilnius were made up by Russian Railways. After all, they lose money on such passengers. Be reasonable and don’t be fooled: the purchased ticket is valid throughout the entire route. No one can stop you from boarding the train later than your station and getting off earlier.
This is confirmed by paragraph 52 of section V Rules for the transportation of passengers, luggage, cargo luggage by rail on the official website of Russian Railways:

52. Travel documents (tickets) purchased by passengers for long-distance and suburban trains are valid for the duration of the train or direct carriage with which the passenger travels to his destination.

Nuances

In Vilnius, you are required to leave the train in any case, but before leaving the city you will need to go through border control. From the platform you need to go down into the underground passage, where the checkpoints are located. Having a visa in this case may not be enough, and the border guard has the right to demand additional documents from you:

    • health insurance;

It is better to buy travel insurance here ↓

    • accommodation reservation in Lithuania or the final country in case of transit.

Convenient search for hotels using all booking systems and price comparisons


After crossing the border, you will be warmly greeted by the customs service to check whether you are carrying any prohibited goods, in particular meat and dairy products. This is how the sausage was taken away from us, keep this in mind and don’t repeat our mistakes.
Conclusion

It’s worth saying that the Nesterovsky train is a great start to an exciting European trip! Especially if your travel budget is limited. This is an opportunity not only to get to Europe the cheapest, but also to get a lot of new impressions! You can also eat inexpensively and very tasty in Vilnius.


Ready? You can view tickets here:

Unfortunately, tickets for trains transiting through the territory of another state can only be purchased at the Russian Railways ticket office. Be prepared for the fact that not all ticket cashiers know the Chernyshevskoye station due to the fact that this stop appeared recently. If you have any questions, ask them to look in your directory, this station is there.

We wish you a successful trip!

Hello, dear travelers! Today we will tell you what the “Nesterov train” is and how it is profitable to get to Vilnius from Moscow or St. Petersburg. And you simply need to be in Vilnius, because many low-cost airlines fly from the capital of Lithuania, and you can go, for example, to Oslo for 1,500 rubles round trip (we often write about such promotions).

What is the “Nesterov train”?

The train that goes from Moscow or St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad is known among experienced travelers as the “Nesterovsky”. Nesterov or Chernyshevskoye are the first Russian cities after the Lithuanian border on the train route. The train travels first through Belarus and Lithuania and only then again enters the territory of the Russian Federation - the Kaliningrad region. For travelers, the most interesting thing about this geographical history is that a ticket to Nesterov (or Chernyshevsky) costs several times cheaper than to Vilnius. So we buy a ticket at Russian fares to the Kaliningrad region, and get off in Vilnius.

Prices and train schedules from Moscow and St. Petersburg

There are 3 trains from Moscow to the Kaliningrad region, they leave every day at 17.20, plus there is also the Adler train, which runs several times a month and leaves at 23.10. It is better to take a ticket to Chernyshevskoye station; only the Adler train stops in Nesterovo. A reserved seat to Chernyshevsky costs from 2232 rubles. For comparison, a reserved seat ticket to Vilnius will cost you 5,389 rubles. The train travels for 14 hours, so you will also have time to sleep.

You can leave from St. Petersburg to Nesterov (that is, to Vilnius) 3-4 times a week. The train departs from Vitebsky station at 15.30. A reserved seat to Nesterov costs from 2232 rubles, but to Vilnius - 5518 rubles. Road to Vilnius – 17 hours.

How to buy tickets for the Nesterov train in 2019

If you are planning to travel around Europe, then you must have a Schengen visa. It will allow you to calmly go out in Vilnius. Take a passport with a valid Schengen visa and go to the Russian Railways website. Since December 2017, you can buy electronic tickets to the Kaliningrad region on the website; before that you had to stand in line at the station.

When purchasing, enter the data from your passport (you can use either Cyrillic or Latin) and select the item “The passenger has a document for transit” (after all, we have already found out that you have a Schengen visa). Print or save tickets on your device and wait for your trip.

What to say to conductors and border guards

Now you have already boarded the train and, perhaps, a quarter of the passengers, like you, are “going to Nesterov”, thousands of travelers have done this trick, and believe me, you can get off the train at any station (and we have already discussed the issue with the visa). It is better to tell the conductors honestly that you are getting off in Vilnius, they are very familiar with this way of traveling. Responsive guides will even wake you up when approaching Vilnius, which is 7-9 am local time.

At night, the Nesterov train first crosses the Belarusian border; the Belarusian border guards, most likely, will not ask you anything and will silently stamp your passport. But be sure to tell the Lithuanian border guards that you are getting off in Vilnius, they must give you a stamp, which you will show at the exit from the station in Vilnius. Lithuanian border guards don’t care what ticket you have, but they may ask you about the purpose of your trip. In this case, it is better to be honest and tell that you will travel from Vilnius to another country, it is advisable to show insurance and all tickets, especially the return one. You may also be asked how much money you have with you. In Lithuania, for example, you need to have 40 euros per day.

Once at the station in Vilnius, before leaving the city you will go through passport control, where you will show your passport with a stamp already affixed about crossing the Lithuanian border, and then you will go on your profitable travels.

Return trip

“Wait, how can I go back? Will they put me on a train? - you ask. We answer: they will definitely imprison you. Before entering the station, you will also first go through passport control and show your train ticket. The border guards will not be surprised that you have a ticket from Nesterov or Chernyshevsky, they know that this train will stop in Vilnius and take you to Moscow or St. Petersburg.

The main thing is to check the time, what time your train will arrive in Vilnius. From Nesterov to the Lithuanian capital the train takes 4 hours, from Chernyshevsky – 3. You can leave for Moscow from Vilnius every day, the train to St. Petersburg leaves 3-5 times a week, depending on the season.

The conductors do not have the right not to put you on the train, since there is Russian Railways instruction No. FPDOP-03/347 dated 03/06/08: “to improve the quality of passenger service, boarding at any station after the departure station indicated on the ticket is allowed, provided compliance with the expiration date of the ticket and payment of travel along the route.” Print it out for your peace of mind, get to the station early, and have a nice trip home!

Many avid travelers know about this life hack, and we know from our own experience and the experience of our friends that the Nesterovsky train from St. Petersburg is very popular. We decided to tell you what kind of train this is and how to use it. Let's look at all the features of this miracle train in order.

What is the “Nesterov Train”?

In fact, “Nesterovsky” is the name given to several trains whose route runs from Russia to Kaliningrad through the territory of Lithuania. There are several types of such trains, depending on the point of departure:

  • Moscow – Kaliningrad (No. 029);
  • St. Petersburg - Kaliningrad (No. 074);
  • Adler - Kaliningrad (No. 360).

The trains themselves are called “Nesterovskie”, since the first station on the way to Kaliningrad, after crossing Lithuania, is Nesterov.

Why do you need the “Nesterov Train”?

Using the “Nesterovsky Train” you can significantly reduce costs and quickly get to the capital of Lithuania – Vilnius. Budget roads throughout Europe open from Vilnius itself, thanks to low-cost airlines such as WizzAir or Ryanair.

The advantages of traveling on the Nesterovsky Train are that you will have to pay several times less for the journey to Lithuania than with the direct route.

For example, for a reserved seat on the train St. Petersburg - Vilnius you will spend 4430rub, and if you buy for the train St. Petersburg - Nesterov, then you will need only 1186r.

How to get on the Nesterov Train?

First of all, you need to purchase train tickets to Nesterov. It is worth noting that you cannot order them online - you must visit the Russian Railways ticket office yourself. However, via the Internet you can check the availability of tickets for the dates you need.

Not all cashiers will want to sell a ticket to your friend, so it is recommended to purchase them in person.

You can only purchase a ticket if you have a passport and visa. A ticket is purchased for the route to Nesterov, Kaliningrad region. The cashier may intimidate you with questions:

  • “You know that the train crosses Lithuania without stopping?”;
  • “You know that they don’t let passengers out in Lithuania?”

You just need to ignore such questions, say that you know everything, and just get the necessary ticket.

After this, the cashier may say that he will order a UPTD-Railway for you (analogous to a transit visa for traveling through Lithuania). You do not need this document, since you will have a Schengen visa. You can immediately tell the cashier about this.

If you do not have a visa, then you will need to apply for a UPTD-Railway, it is done free of charge, within a few days. But after this you will definitely need to apply for a Schengen visa in order to get out in Vilnius.

The next step is to sign a document confirming the responsibility of traveling through the territory of Lithuania. After signing, you can safely pick up your ticket and leave.

How to behave on the train and what to say?

The train conductor will definitely ask you which station you will get off at. You need to answer honestly about the fact that you are leaving in Vilnius. Further requests to you may arise at the border of Belarus and Lithuania. In this case, also answer the border guards that you are leaving in Vilnius. In this case, you must show them your passport and Schengen visa.

At the end of the trip, upon exiting in Vilnius, you will be greeted by another control stage, during which your passport will be stamped with an entry stamp into the Schengen area. At this point, all formalities of the trip are completed, and you can proceed along your further route.

Well, a couple of life hacks on how to save money on booking accommodation when traveling:

The most budget option is to book an apartment for Airbnb Register by following our link and you will receive a discount 2100 rub. for the first reservation, provided that the cost of the reservation exceeds 4500 rub.

If you have already taken advantage of both promotions, we recommend looking for housing on an aggregator RoomGuru. It shows prices from Booking.com, Ostrovok, Agoda and other major hotel booking services. You can quickly find the cheapest prices for the hotel you like.

You can find more useful travel services