The Baltic Encounter: 10 days/ 9 nights
The Baltic Encounter: 10 days/ 9 nightsPrint
Start in Tallinn, finish in Vilnius itinerary includes Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace - Saaremaa Island - Parnu - Riga - Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum - Rundale Palace - The Hill of Crosses - Klaipeda - Curonian Spit - Kaunas - Pazaislis Monastery - Trakai - Vilnius.
DAY 1, Tallinn
Arrival to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Bus transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in Tallinn.
DAY 2, Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace
Morning Tallinn City Tour by bus and a walking tour.
Visit of Kadriorg (5km from Tallinn) famed for its baroque palace and park ensemble, built as the summer palace for Russian tsar Peter.
Overnight in Tallinn.
DAY 3, Tallinn - Saaremaa Island
Departure to Kuressaare, Saaremaa Island.
Exploring of the Saaremma Island. We will visit Koguva village (Muhu museum) which is best preserved ancient village in Estonia, Kaali Meteorite Crater, Angla Windmills, 13th cent. Karja Church and symbol of the island - Kuressare Episcopal castle.
Overnight in Kuressaare.
DAY 4, Saaremaa Island - Parnu - Riga
Departure to Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Stop and short sightseeing tour in Parnu, Estonian's summer capital.
Evening arrival to Riga. Overnight in Riga.
DAY 5, Riga - Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum - Riga
After the breakfast Riga City Tour by bus and a walking tour.
Tour to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, housing a collection of 90 traditional rural buildings dating back to the 17th cent.
Overnight in Riga.
DAY 6, Riga - Rundale Palace – The Hill of Crosses – Klaipeda
Departure to Klaipeda.
Visit to the Rundale Palace (18th cent.), the most outstanding monument of Baroque and Rococo art in Latvia.
Stop at the famous Hill of Crosses, a unique historic place in the world boasting more than 100 000 crosses.
Arrival to Klaipeda, the third biggest city in Lithuania, an important port. Short Klaipeda City Tour.
Overnight in Klaipeda.
DAY 7, Klaipeda - Curonian Spit - Klaipeda
Departure to the Curonian Spit (5km by ferry + 50km from Klaipeda). Visit to the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante.
Excursion in Nida, the Lithuanian sea resort includes a climb up the Great Dune to see breathtaking view. Visit to the Amber Gallery – Museum in Nida.
Transfer back to Klaipeda. Overnight in Klaipėda.
DAY 8, Klaipeda - Kaunas - Pazaislis Monastery - Vilnius
Departure to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Stop in Kaunas and City Tour. Kaunas is the second major city in Lithuania, known for the beautiful Old Town.
Stop at the Church and Monastery of Pazaislis to see one of the most wonderful Baroque architectural masterpieces in north-eastern Europe.
Late afternoon arrival to Vilnius. Overnight in Vilnius.
DAY 9, Vilnius - Trakai - Vilnius
Morning City Tour, the 3-hour acquaintance with Vilnius Old Town.
Tour to Trakai, former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Visit to the picturesque Trakai Castle situated on an island in the midst of a lake.
Overnight in Vilnius.
DAY 10, Vilnius
Transfer to the Vilnius airport.
Departure.
Itinerary includes:
- 9 Overnights in 3 or 4-stars centrally located hotels in Vilnius, Klaipeda, Riga, Kuressaare and Tallinn;
- 9 Breakfasts in the hotels;
- Transfers according to the programme with 35-50 seats bus;
- Ferry to Curonian Spit and back;
- Ferry to Saaremaa Island and back;
- Tour leader escort during whole tour;
- Entrance to the Vilnius University, Trakai Catsle, Pazaislis monastery, Rundale Palace, Rigas Dome, Tallinn Dome, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Muhu museum, Kuressare Episcopal castle and Kadriorg Palace.
- 14 guided excursions: City Tours in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Riga, Parnu, Tallinn and Trakai, Pazaislis Monastery, Curonian Spit, Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Kuuresaare and Saaremaa Island.
Please send us a request to receive the tour price for your group or FIT clients.
Tallinn
Arrival to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Bus transfer to the hotel.Free time in Tallinn. Unlike most European cities, which have ancient buildings mixed in between modern ones, Tallinn's Old City is complete. You leave bustling modern life behind when of cobblestones and dim alleys, sputtering torches and secret stairways. The Old City holds new surprises around every corner, even for its inhabitants.
Overnight in Tallinn.
Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace - Tallinn
Morning Tallinn City Tour by bus and walking tour takes you to the surroundings of Tallinn and its Old Town. City tour includes a visit of the Upper Town - Toompea (Cathedral Hill) with the impressive Russian Orthodox Church, the 13th century Gothic style Dome Cathedral. The Upper Town viewing points offer excellent bird's eye views of the Lower Town. The tour continues in the Lower Town. Among its highlights - the Gothic Town Hall (early 15th century), the pharmacy, opened in 1422 and still functioning, the Great Guild and Blackheads Fraternity Houses - both from the 15th century.Visit of Kadriorg (5km from Tallinn) famed for its baroque palace and park ensemble, built in 1718 as the summer palace for the family of Russian tsar Peter I. The palace is now home to the Kadriorg Art Museum. In addition to perusing the nation's collection of foreign art, visitors get to see the mind-bogglingly ornate Great Hall, and the room upstairs that served as president's office in the 1930s.
Transfer back. Overnight in Tallinn.
Tallinn - Saaremaa Island
Departure to Kuressaare, Saaremaa Island (220 km from Tallinn + ferry to the island).Exploring of the Saaremma Island. We will visit Koguva village (Muhu museum) which is best preserved ancient village in Estonia, Kaali Meteorite Crater, Angla Windmills, 13th century Karja Church and symbol of the island - Kuressare Episcopal castle.
Overnight in Kuressaare. Kuressaare is a small, officially declared town in 1563 by Duke Magnus, brother of the Danish king Frederik II. During our tour we will visit the main attraction of the town - the 14th –18th cent. bishopric castle-fortification. The mediaeval stone castle is the only one in the Baltic countries that has survived throughout the centuries in its entirety.
Saaremaa Island - Parnu - Riga
Departure to Riga (280 km from Kuressaare), the capital of Latvia.Short stop in Parnu, Estonian's summer capital (150 km from Riga). Parnu has been a beloved resort town already for more than 100 years. Ivory-coloured beaches, shady parks, airy avenues and old medieval houses could tell stories about the previous proud member of the Hansa league.
Evening arrival to Riga. Overnight in Riga.
Riga - Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum - Riga
After the breakfast Riga City Tour by bus and walking tour. Riga has hundreds of ways for enticing visitors – its rich history, architecture, spacious gardens and parks, museums, art galleries and world-class opera…and daily treats like a walk in the enormous colorful central market or going to a cozy café, club or pub...
The tour includes the most significant sights of Riga and begins along the central boulevards of Riga, enjoying the view of the City Canal parks, the Art Nouveau buildings of the beginning of the 20th century, the Opera House. In Old Riga you will see the Dome Cathedral, the Church of St. Peter, the old Guild Houses, the Swedish Gate, the architectural ensemble Three Brothers, St. Jacob's Church, the Parliament House, Old Riga Castle, and view the many wonderfully restored buildings, now housing cozy restaurants, cafes, bars and souvenir shops.
Afternoon tour to The Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, one of the show-pieces of Latvia's cultural heritage, founded in 1924. Situated 10 km from Riga centre in a pine forest on the banks of Jugla Lake, the museum consists of some 90 traditional rural buildings.
Transfer back. Overnight in Riga.
Riga - Rundale Palace – The Hill of Crosses – Klaipeda
Departure to Klaipeda (300 km from Riga).Stop at the Rundale Palace (66 km from Riga), this Palace (18th cent.) is the most outstanding monument of Baroque and Rococo art in Latvia. The palace is an example of the early work of Italian-Russian architect Rastrelli who also designed the famous Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. You will be impressed by the authentic beauty the Golden Hall, the White Hall, private quarters of the Duke of Courland Johan Ernst Biron. Interiors are decorated with authentic 18th century furniture, paintings and china. To complete your impressions have an enjoyable walk in a beautiful French-style park.
Stop at the famous Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai (30 km from the Rundale Palace). The Hill of Crosses, a unique historic place in the world. It is probably the best place to get aquinted with cross-making, a branch of Lithuanian folk art, wich was inscribed on the UNESCO Non-material and Verbal Heritage Masterpiece List. On this hill more than 100,000 crosses have been discontinuously put up to plead for grace or to express gratitude since the ancient times. It is the only place of its kind in the world, included to the Guinness Book of Records for its uniquenes.
Arrival to Klaipeda, the third biggest city in Lithuania, an important port, Lithuania's only gateway to the Baltic Sea. It has a long history since the times of a fishing village of ancient Balts and later arrival of German Crusaders who seized this land and built their castle here in 1252, later known as Memel.
Short Klaipeda City Tour. With a distinctive architecture that is quite unique in Lithuania, influenced by the styles of its northern neighbours, Klaipeda City Tour offers a delightful chance to explore a small but very cozy Old Town with quaint, reconstructed merchants’ houses and converted warehouses that have kept their original exterior timber beams. You will also see magnificent ruins of Klaipeda Castle, Theatre Square with the fountain in the centre of which there is a delicate statue named after a girl, Ann from Tharau, the heroine of a famous German wedding and love song, created by the 17th century German poet Simon Dach, born in Klaipeda.
Overnight in Klaipeda.
Klaipeda – Curonian Spit - Klaipeda
Departure to the Curonian Spit (5km by ferry + 50km from Klaipeda). The Spit lies between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, with the biggest sand dunes in EuropeThe Curonian Spit National Park is the most protected area in Lithuania. Chains of North Europe’s highest dunes, the soughing of the sea and rustling of sand as well as old Curonian houses smelling of fish accompany a traveller all along the spit, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. This area is distinguished by unique landscape, flora and fauna.Visit to the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante. Excursion to Nida, the Lithuanian sea resort includes a climb up the Great Dune to see breathtaking view.
Visit to the Amber Gallery – Museum in Nida. The group will be introduced of the history of amber in this region, willobserve, how amber jewelry is made or even try make the own!
Late evening transfer back to Klaipeda.
Overnight in Klaipeda.
Klaipeda - Kaunas - Pazaislis Monastery - Vilnius
Departure to Vilnius (310 km from Klaipeda), the capital of Lithuania.Stop in Kaunas and City Tour (210 km from Klaipeda). Kaunas is the second major city in Lithuania, known for the beautiful Old Town. The Old Town of Kaunas is a concentration of the most important, ancient architectural monuments: the 13th century Castle, the Old Town Hall, nicknamed the "White Swan", the Archicathedral Basilica, the Church of St. Francis Xavier and the Jesuit monastery, Perkunas House and Vytautas Church. The green and flowering pedestrian street Laisves Aleja is the main business and leisure area of Kaunas.
Stop at the Church and Monastery of Pazaislis (7 km from Kaunas) to see one of the most wonderful mature Baroque architectural masterpieces in north-eastern Europe. The monastery is located on the picturesque bank of the Kaunas Lagoon.
Late afternoon arrival to Vilnius. Overnight in Vilnius.
Vilnius - Trakai - Vilnius
Morning City Tour, the 3-hour acquaintance with Vilnius Old Town where you can feel the atmosphere of the city's history of the 16-19th centuries while walking along its narrow winding streets or visiting the most exiting architectural and historic monuments: Vilnius Cathedral erected on the historic site where pagan gods were worshipped and where Vilnius was founded as far back as the 13th c., a nearby Gediminas Castle on the hill rising above the city centre, a gem of the Lithuanian Gothic’s - the 16th c. St. Anne's Church, the Vilnius University, a famous centre of science and enlightment since its very foundation in 1579, Vilnius Town Hall, Jewish Quarter and the Dawn Gate with a miraculous icon of Virgin Mary.Afternoon tour to Trakai, (28 km from Vilnius), former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Trakai Castle situated on an island in the midst of Lake Galve is the most famous and most photographed 15th cent. castle. Standing on an island in Lake Galve, the Castle now houses an interesting museum telling its history, famous in the times of the Grand Duke Vytautas when the country borders were stretching from the Baltics till the Black Sea. Enjoy a small town -Trakai, located on a 2-km-long peninsular with attractive old wooden houses, mostly built by Karaites, a Judaist sect brought by Duke Vytautas from the Crimea and still living here.
Transfer back. Overnight in Vilnius.
Vilnius
Transfer to the Vilnius airport.
Departure.
Itinerary includes:
- 9 Overnights in 3 or 4-stars centrally located hotels in Vilnius, Klaipeda, Riga, Kuressaare and Tallinn;
- 9 Breakfasts in the hotels;
- Transfers according to the programme with 35-50 seats bus;
- Ferry to Curonian Spit and back;
- Ferry to Saaremaa Island and back;
- Tour leader escort during whole tour;
- Entrance to the Vilnius University, Trakai Catsle, Pazaislis monastery, Rundale Palace, Rigas Dome, Tallinn Dome, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Muhu museum, Kuressare Episcopal castle and Kadriorg Palace.
- 14 guided excursions: City Tours in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Riga, Parnu, Tallinn and Trakai, Pazaislis Monastery, Curonian Spit, Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Kuuresaare and Saaremaa Island.
Please send us a request to receive the tour price for your group or FIT clients.
