Discover The Baltics

Meet the group at the hotel in Tallinn's old town.

Today we will explore the vibrant city of Tallinn, Estonia's capital and largest city. The Old Town, framed by old city walls, is full of architectural gems. In the morning we will have a guided tour of the city taking in some of the main attractions like the Toompea Palace and castle, the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, the Dome church and the St. Nicholas church. You will then have a free afternoon to explore the picturesque old town. Unlike most European cities Tallinn's old town is completely free from modern buildings. You can leave modern life behind as you explore the cobble stone alleys with spluttering torches and secret stairways; the old town holds new surprises around every corner, even for its old residents. Overnight in Tallinn’s old town.

In the morning we will leave Tallinn and start the journey to Tartu stopping of at the Lahemaa national park. The Lahemaa national park is the largest in Estonia and is a popular tourist destination due to its untouched sandy beaches, waterfalls, cascades and mossy pine forests. The park offers a verity of cultural sights like Palmse manor and the 400 year old fisherman’s village of Altja. After lunch we transfer to Tartu for a guided tour. Tartu is Estonia’s second largest town and the capital of Southern Estonia. The town is rich with Estonian culture offering festivals, concerts and theatre exhibitions. We spend the night in a hotel in the centre of Tartu.

Cesis is an old town with a long history and is now known as a centre of art and culture. Situated on the Gauja River valley it's old town is one of the finest in Latvia. Its cobbled streets have retained a timeless appearance since the middle ages, the fine buildings have kept their red tiled roofs and restored their facades, making this a charming place to while away some time. The city is famed for its Medieval castle, a partly preserved fortification which has been knocked down and rebuilt in various forms. We will visit the castle and the museum in the morning and take a guided tour of the buildings. We transfer to the Gauja National Park where we will enjoy a guided walk of the park, here we will visit the Turaida castle and its adjoining sculpture gardens before making our way to Riga, the Latvian capital. There will also be the option to take the cable car (5 euros paid locally) across the Gauja river so we can then walk down to the Gutmanis caves. We will spend the night in a historic town house in Riga’s old town.

This morning the magnificent old town of Riga awaits. We will have a guided tour of the city to discover it's winding alleys, elegant boulevards and 800 renovated art nouveau buildings. You will then be free to soak up the charming and romantic atmosphere of the city and enjoy a relaxing lunch and exploring some of the town’s great shops. Overnight in Riga’s old town.

In the morning we transfer from Riga to Jurmala; Jurmala is the largest seaside and spa resort in the Baltic States and is known for its unique natural resources such as its healing mineral waters, pine forests and sand dunes. The town is also famous for its unique wooden Art Nouveau architecture. After exploring the town we will transfer back to Riga for the night.

Firstly we visit Rundale palace, the palace was designed for the Duke of Courland in the 18th century by Italian architect Rastrelli, who also designed the winter palace in St. Petersburg. Today the palace is the most magnificent piece of architecture in the Baltic States. We then cross the border to Lithuania and have some time to explore the famous Hill of Crosses before transferring to Klaipeda Port for a short tour around the small old town. The tour is a perfect chance to explore the old town with its reconstructed merchant houses and the magnificent ruins of Klaipeda Castle. We spend the night in the centre of Klaipeda, the hotel is a ten minute walk from the Castle and other attractions.

We start the day with a ferry ride across the lagoon to the Curonian spit, here we have the day to explore the largest drifting sand dunes in Europe, the Curonian spit is a UNESCO world heritage site situated between the Curonian lagoon and the Baltic Sea. There will be a visit to the Hill of Witches and an excursion to the Lithuanian sea resort of Nida to climb the Great Dune for the spectacular views. We transfer back to Klaipeda where we spend the night.

We transfer to the Plokstine forest and visit the Cold War Museum located in the former Soviet Union’s complex of ballistic missile launch. Today this secret base is open to the public, you can view the internal control facility and see former missiles as well as listen to expositions about the five decades of the Cold war, one of the most famous and dangerous military conflicts in human history. We then travel to the town of Kaunas, here we take a walking tour around the beautiful old town. The old town of Kaunas has a collection of important monuments like the 13th century castle, the old town hall, the cathedral Basilica and the church of St. Francis Xavier. We stay overnight in Kaunas.

The first stop is the Church and Monastery of Pazaislis to see one of the most wonderful Baroque architectural masterpieces in north-eastern Europe. The monastery is located on the picturesque bank of the Kaunas lagoon. We then stop in Trakai, the former capital of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Here we will go for a tour around the amazing 14th century castle. Situated on a small island in the middle of the lake it is known as the town on the water. We then transfer to Vilnius were we stay the night.

Today we have the whole day to explore Vilnius. There is a guided tour of the city in the morning and then plenty of time to explore the city at your own pace. The city was developed around its Town Hall and there is a great deal of diverse architecture to explore. There are many narrow streets which lead to intimate courtyards, in addition to the larger landmarks of the castle complex, Cathedral square and the Royal Palace. There are also plenty of museums to while away some hours. Overnight in Vilnius.

End Vilnius.