What a trip, what an adventure, it was fabulous in every way, if you love walking, if you love the mountains, I'd highly recommend it. Firstly the scenery is epic, I don't think I've ever said wow so many times! The hotels like the food is a bit varied from the superb to the basic, but it all does the job and at the end of the day your often so tired as long as you've got something hearty to eat and some where warm and comfy to sleep that's all you need. Yes, it would be nice if all the rooms had ensuite showers and toilets but on the few occasions they didn't it was no big deal. One thing that is a big deal is the weather in the Alps, which I can imagine can make or break a trip. I went near the end of the season (the last week in August first week of September) and fortunately it worked out great - The trails were quieter and we were so lucky with the weather - it was in the 20s virtually the whole time we were there and we only had one day of rain. So in summary, if you're thinking about it, if you're on the fence go for it you won't regret it.
This was a rapid introduction to 4 countries with a great balance between culture, history, landscape and activity. We visited an enormous range of historic sites from pre-history to cold war to current affairs, with walks in remote forests, lakesides and beaches. And a lot of ferries.
This trip was a great introduction and overview of the Baltic countries and Helsinki. The forest walks were mixed with city walks leaving us with no boring moments and which made it different from the regular hiking trips. We had walks on the beach as well as in the forests while surprised by the wild berries and different types of mushrooms that our leader Andrius educated us on. His excitement about it was contagious. We climbed lighthouses, walked in bogs and rode fun ferries. The contrast between the Cold War museum and the Helsinki library was astonishing in regards of how things had changed. The old cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallin were the highlights as well as the discovery of the history of these countries and how resilient they had been. Our leader Andrius was also a highlight and a lesson in how to be professional and yet still be funny and entertaining. Our amazing driver kept the comfortable van immaculate. His safe driving was greatly appreciated. The hotels had a great location and overall served the purpose. Helsinki hotel was the best but Panorama hotel in Vilnius was not. It can be upgraded to a more comfortable one. There was no AC and the room was quite small and with only one plug available. Overall a great trip and I am ready to do it again in the future.
