Walks of the Baltics and Finland

An enjoyable holiday but wrongly classed as a walking holiday. All the included walks were shorter than advertised and most of the walking was on city tours. There was a change to the itinerary from when I booked and instead of a walk to see sandstone cliffs on day 5 we had a 2.5 hour guided tour of Art Nouveau buildings in Riga. Acceptable on a cultural tour but not really appropriate when this is sold as a walking tour. Most of the days were long, we rarely finished before 5pm and too much crammed in so that we always felt we were being rushed on to the next activity. Hotels, apart from Islande Hotel at Riga, were good. Riga Hotel was just too big and almost impossible to get a seat at breakfast because of numerous large coach parties also at hotel. Note for solo travellers paying single supplement - you will get a narrow single bed on at least 5 nights of the holiday.

This trip was an inspiring fast paced adventure through Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland! Each day packed with highlights. Leisurely walks to take in the beauty of the old towns, coastal and forest views.

Great Introduction to the Baltics

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.