Warsaw Vilnius Bus: a Lux Express Review

Warsaw to Vilinus is a long journey on bus, but in this part of Europe, from Warsaw up to the Baltics, the train connection isn’t as good. At first, I was tentative about the almost 8 hour bus ride, but flying isn’t exactly cheap. After checking out Lux Express, I decided that it sounds like a perfectly good option and I was right. Here’s how my Warsaw to Vilnius journey went:

Booking LuxExpress

I used Omio almost exclusively when I was traveling in Europe. I downloaded the app even before I go and pre booked the tickets a month or two in advance. Here’s why I did it:

• Pay with my home credit card well in advance
• Electronic ticket
• Everything in one app

The last one was particularly useful since I was traveling for six weeks. I also recommend you to screencap the ticket and save it on your phone.

Vilnius also has two different stops, for me, it was easier to get off at the bus station (which is also the train station) and it’s what I picked.

Getting on at Warsaw

The bus stop for LuxExpress at Warsaw is clearly labelled in the ticket link. It’s by the highway west of the central station. There are several other buses that depart from there, too. But it’s easy to find the right one since the logo is printed on the bus and the destination is clearly marked.

A group of us were already waiting when the bus pulled in. A staff member was by the luggage compartment to help put the luggage in the right space for different arrival points.

My ticket was checked when I boarded the bus, and it turned out my seat number was already on the ticket. The central station is the second stop and there is already a lady next to my seat. I quickly settled in, and waited for the bus to depart.

Amenities and the ride

There are two seats either side of the aisle, which is standard width. Each seat has an entertainment console in front, much like anTV, and headphones are on the counter on the seats behind the driver.

The selection of movies was surprisingly good, everything felt almost like flying on a plane but on the ground.

A bathroom is located by the midway exit and there’s even a hot drink machine across from it. It serves coffee, but also gives out hot water.

The only thing is that the compartments above the seats aren’t as big so I couldn’t fit my rather bulky bag in. I ended up putting it on the aisle – probably not the heat – but people can still walk past. 

Below the entertainment console there is one USB charging dock as well, but you’d need to bring your own snacks and food.

Rest stop

We had a brief rest stop on this ride since it’s over 7 hours. I dashed to use the bathroom there since we were barely stopping for ten minutes. There’s a small convenience store here if you end up getting hungry still. Some people got off here but I wasn’t sure where I was, even with google map.

Arriving in Vilnius

As I was traveling in the winter, it was pitch black when I got to Vilnius. We pulled into the bus station and I was a little disorientated purely because of the weather. The station is at the southern end of the Vilnius city center, and I had especially booked a nearby hostel. It was easy to find my way once I got out of the bus bay and there’s a supermarket in the station, too.

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