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  • BALTIC STATES
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Baltic Metropoles

Tour Itinerary

Arrival in Vilnius, optional transfer to Hotel Radisson Blu Lietuva 4**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

  • Hotel Radisson Blu Lietuva 4*
  • Optional Transfer

Vilnius is known for its more than 1.200 medieval buildings and 48 churches. The morning sightseeing tour includes a panoramic tour of the city and a walking tour of the Old Town with Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower, Peter and Paul Church, St. Anne’s Church, Old University and the Gates of Dawn.

The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania, with the well preserved Trakai Castle, beautifully located on an island in Lake Galve.

In the evening enjoy an optional Lithuanian dinner at a local restaurnt.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Lietuva 4*

Heading for Riga, the first stop is the Hills of Crosses, one of the most holy sites of Catholic Lithuania. After crossing into Latvia we soon reach the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. Following a guided tour of the palace we travel through the rolling hills of Southern Latvia to reach Riga late afternoon, check-in at Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija**** or similar.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija 4*

Founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a real kaleidoscope of architectural styles. The walking tour of the Old Town includes Riga Castle, the Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, the Swedish Gate, the Three Brothers, the Large and Small Guilds and the Freedom Monument.

The afternoon is reserved for an optional visit to Jurmala, the vibrant Latvian sea resort, famous for its wooden architecture and sandy beaches.

The evening offers an optional organ concert at the Dome Cathedral.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija 4*

Explore on your own or optional tours

After we got acquainted with Riga we have the possibility of discovering medieval Latvia. The optional tour for this morning takes us to the stunning scenery of the Gauja National Park and the town of Sigulda. We listen to the medieval Latvian legend of the Rose of Turaida and see the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and of the Castle of the Knights of the Sword before we return to Riga.

The afternoon offers an optional visit to the Ethnography Open Air Museum, a spacious exposition of 18th century country life. 

In the evening enjoy an optional Latvian dinner at the stylish local restaurant.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija 4*

The tour continues along the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort of Parnu. We do a short tour of the resort before we continue through the North Estonian land of forests and arrive in Tallinn early afternoon, check-in at the Hotel Radisson Blu Olympia**** or similar.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Olumpia 4*

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquillity and modern urban life. The medieval Old Town is a busy place in the summer with its many shops, galleries, souvenir markets, outdoor cafés and restaurants. The sightseeing tour takes us around the old medieval city walls and into the Old Town where we see Toompea Castle, Dome Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, medieval Old Town Hall and Great Guild Hall.

In the afternoon we offer an optional excursion to Kadriorg Park and visit to KUMU, the award-winning new Estonian art museum, with its collections of classic and contemporary fine art.

The evening offers an optional medieval dinner at a local restaurant.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Radisson Blu Olumpia 4*

Baltic Sea Ferry

In the morning we offer an optional day excursion to Lahemaa National Park, where we visit Palmse Manor, a memorial to the von Pahlen family, and Sagadi Manor. The tour ends with a visit to the charming 16th century Vihula Manor and the Vodka Museum.

After lunch break, we head back to Tallinn to take the ferry to Helsinki and enjoy a refreshing tour through the Finnish archipelago before arriving in Helsinki. Upon arrival we are transferred to our hotel and check-in at Glo Art Hotel**** or similar.

  • Breakfast
  • Glo Art Hotel 4*

Helsinki is truly located at the crossroads of Western and Eastern culture and this is reflected everywhere in the green and lively Finnish capital. The sightseeing tour takes us around the harbours and the Senate Square with the Lutheran Cathedral, up central Mannerheim Street and by the Parliament Building, the Finlandia Hall, and the Sibelius Monument and for a visit at the famous Church-in-the-Rock.

The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Suomenlinna Fortress, a cultural treasure which construction was started in the 18th century as a sea fortress. Located on an island, fortress is a unique attraction for visitors.

  • Breakfast
  • Hotel Glo Art 4*

Optional transfer to the airport.

  • Breakfast
  • Optional Transfer

Customer reviews

Jane Townsley 24 August 2021
My guide for the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn was full of information and looked out for everyone. The hotels were nice and the schedule was a good mix of planned activities and free time. The transportation was good and I felt orientated to each of the places. I really enjoyed the trip and would not hesitate to tell someone to take it. Things seem to break down in Helsinki. We lost our Baltic countrie's guides and our new guide didn't meet us at the ferry and we were on our own to get settled. (The bus driver did meet us at the ferry). The guide wan't very informative either. The hotel provided neither coffee or internet and I had to change rooms to get an internet signal and ask repeatedly for coffee.
S Koblas 8 January 2018
We have just come back from our tour Baltic Metropoles. It was great! Thank you, East West Tours for arranging it for us. We traveled in a small group which was an excellent decision. Fellow travelers were lovely people, so we all had a good time together, especially as our guide Toma was a charming personality with a particular sense of humor and she was very passionate about her job. All places we visited were interesting. We loved the architecture of Riga exceptionally. The baroque churches in Vilnius were impressive. The countryside was also lovely - so quiet and natural. We would have loved to spend more time at the seaside but this we postponed to the next trip to the Baltics. Simona Koblas, Alabama - Simona Koblas, Alabama -
Peter H Petersson 8 January 2018
Hi, Just a few words about our trip to the Baltic capitals. All places visited were well chosen and provided a good opportunity to get acquainted with these countries. Well chosen hotels and good guides. I liked quick pace which allowed for more activities. We expected to have a bit more time in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, where we arrived in the evening, had a walking city tour in the morning and then left right after lunch. It would have been nice to stay there longer. Otherwise, all was perfect. Fabulous locations with historical well-preserved buildings in all cities. We were stunned by a very special place - Hill of Crosses in Lithuania- never seen such thing before.
All in all, a very good trip to be recommended to all who want to visit Baltics.
Peter H Petersson
James Robinson 8 December 2017
We have just returned from our trip to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia via Helsinki.
We like the trip very much and cannot complain about anything except probably for the weather which was not very kind to us . We were unlucky to get too much rain than expected. Anyway, all the sightseeing trips were very interesting with lots of history and architecture details. I liked the old Latvian castles the most. They are so authentic and natural.
The hotels were very well chosen. Food was very good with some unusual flavours sometimes but this was a part of exploration as well. The beer is very good everywere! I would go to these countries again to see other places we had no time to visit this time. There are still many other places worth seeing and food ( and beer) worth trying.
James Robinson
Jo Humphrey and Shirley Miller 12 September 2014
Dear Dora,
It has been a couple of weeks since our return from the Baltic tour and I have been away again for a week. However, I did want to thank you for arranging our delightful trip. My sister and I were happy that our friend, Stavrula, was able to share our adventures. We were all very pleased with our accommodations in each city and found the food everywhere was delicious and the people very friendly. Nearly everyone we met spoke English and we learned that they had learned it in school. It seems that English is one of the compulsory subjects in all the schools. I wish we had to learn more languages in our schools!

Vilnius was particularly memorable (I said "hello" for you) as I met a very nice young man who was originally from there and was just home for his father's 75th birthday celebration and a nephew's wedding. He and his family are now Americans living in North Carolina. Since one of his children is now in college they could not afford for the whole family to be away for four weeks, so he was representing his family. He gave us some very good advice of places to see on our own as well as what foods to eat if we wanted a sample of the native dishes. As a result we found a lovely restaurant on University street where we had beer soup and some tasty cepolinas. At the Lokys Restaurant we had a drink of starka after our dinner and we enjoyed the local beer everywhere.

All of the city guides were excellent and were very knowledgeable about the history, architecture and folklore, but Ona, our guide from Vilnius to Tallinn went out of her way to help make our trip more memorable. Even when she was "off duty" she volunteered to show us places that we had not seen on the regular guided tours.

Again, thanks for arranging such a nice tour (how did you arrange for the good weather???).

All the best wishes,
Jo Humphrey and Shirley Miller
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