Vilnius Local culture Trips

The Baltics have a rich and complicated history and the area is well worth visiting. Our guide Leva whose home is in Latvia, knows the area extremely well and often took her private time to suggest and lead activities that were not on the official tour itinerary. Three beautiful countries, three languages, and three main religions all combined in a whirlwind tour.

The trip was excellent. I’ve not travelled with such a large group before so found that tricky at times but our leader Margareta managed the different elements in our Group expertly. Always ensuring everyone was included and informed of what we were doing.

The itinerary allowed for a comprehensive look at a variety of sites across the three countries, not just the capital cities. In the cities, the balance between time spent with the group (city walking tour with local guide) and free time to pursue your own interests was just right. The forward arranging of group meals for the evenings in the bigger places by the tour leader was appreciated as a way of sampling local cuisine - you could opt out if you wanted. The hotels were all of a good or excellent quality, often totally refurbished within an older building, and centrally located. The coaches used were very comfortable for a group of 15, though the tinted glass on the Riga-Vilnius coach made for so-so photography of the outside and made the interior a bit dark. For early morning flights from Vilnius on the last day (taxi to airport at 3:20am) it was 'no breakfast!', even though stated on itinerary, not even a mini box thing (as provided on a previous Explore trip. with similar early departure.. on "Silk Road" in Tashkent). The tour leader Margarita was excellent - knowledgeable, enthusiastic, personable - 10/10!

This trip was excellent. It was really interesting to learn about the history of an area I knew very little about. There was more free time on this trip than normal which I found to be good. Much of accomodation was really well located, in or very close to the heart of the action. The buffet breakfasts were plentiful everywhere. I would recommend this trip to anyone.

An excellent introduction to the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Combining time to explore on your own along with guided tours of the major cities and important sites. Good hotels throughout, a knowledgeable guide and a very enjoyable 2 weeks.

A near perfect trip. The accommodation was good with an excellent hotel (Konventa Seta) in Riga. The itinerary was well balanced with some free time to cover a personal interest not included in the itinerary: don't miss the KGB museum in Vilnius. Our Guide 'Ona' was superb, full of knowledge and able to answer every question we asked. Transport was very comfortable and we had plenty of room on the coach. There are a couple of long days but nothing to worry about as you'll have lots of stops. Lovely people, great monuments and lots of civic pride represented by the beautiful parks and flowers planted throughout these countries. Go while you can, the Baltics is a beautiful part of Europe.