The Baltic States and St. Petersburg: 10 days/ 9 nights
The Baltic States and St. Petersburg: 10 days/ 9 nightsPrint
The Baltic States + St. Petersburg - Start in Vilnius, finish in St.Petersburg itinerary includes Vilnius - Trakai - The Hill of Crosses - Rundale Palace - Riga - Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum - Sigulda - Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace - St.Petersburg - Tsarskoye Selo - Hermitage - Peterhof.
DAY 1, Vilnius
Arrival to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Bus transfer to the hotel.
DAY 2, 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 Trakai Castle situated on an island in the midst of Lake Galve.
Overnight in Vilnius.
DAY 3, Vilnius - The Hill of Crosses - Rundale - Riga
Departure to Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Stop at the famous Hill of Crosses, a unique historic place in the world boasting more than 100 000 crosses.
Visit to the Rundale Palace (18th cent.), the most outstanding monument of Baroque and Rococo art in Latvia.
Lunch in Rundale.
Arrival to Riga. Overnight in Riga.
DAY 4, Riga - Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
Morning Riga City Tour by bus and a walking tour.
Excursion to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, housing traditional rural buildings dating back to the 17th century.
Overnight in Riga.
DAY 5, Riga - Sigulda - Tallinn
Departure to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
Stop in the Gauja National Park, Sigulda city often referred to as the Latvian Switzerland. Visit to the 13th cent. Turaida castle, now housing a small History Museum.
Evening arrival to Tallinn. Overnight in Tallinn.
DAY 6, Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace
Morning Tallinn City Tour by bus and a walking tour.
Afternoon visit of Kadriorg, famed for its baroque palace and park ensemble, built as the summer palace for the tsar Peter.
Overnight in Tallinn.
DAY 7, Tallinn - St. Petersburg
Departure to St. Petersburg, the northern capital of Russian Federation, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Later afternoon arrival to St. Petersburg.
Short Panoramic City tour by bus.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
DAY 8, St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg City tour and excursion at St. Isaac Cathedral.
Afternoon excursion at the Hermitage museum.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
DAY 9, St. Petersburg - Peterhof - Tsarskoye Selo
Departure to Peterhof, the famous suburban residence of the Russian tsars has about 200 fountains that make its major attractions.
Afternoon tour to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) - one of the best examples of Russian baroque with incredible collection of art.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
DAY 10, St. Petersburg
Transfer to the airport.
Departure.
Itinerary includes:
- 9 Overnights in 3 or 4-stars centrally located hotels in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and St. Petersburg;
- 9 Breakfasts in the hotel;
- Transfers according to the programme with 35-50 seats bus;
- Tour leader escort during whole tour;
- Entrance to Vilnius University, Trakai Catsle, Rundale Palace, Rigas Dome, Turaida Castle, Tallinn Dome, Open Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Peterhof, Hermitage, Pushkin and St.Isaac Cathedral;
- 9 guided excursions: City Tours in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and St.Petersburg, Trakai, Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, Open Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Turaida Museum, Pushkin, Hermitage and Peterhof.
Please send us a request to receive the tour price for your group or FIT clients.
Vilnius
Free time in Vilnius. Many tourists after visiting Vilnius and its region tend to fall in love with Vilnius, pegging it as their favorite Baltic city of them all. Vilnius Old Town is one of the biggest in Eastern Europe, there more than 1500 buildings which remained from various centuries: city boasts the most wonderful architectural styles of Southern and Western Europe, Gothic and Renaissance, as well as the original “Lithuanian” Baroque, also called the last vivid flash of Baroque in Europe.
Overnight in Vilnius.
Vilnius - Trakai - Vilnius
A pleasant 4-hour-tour to Trakai former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 27 km to the west of Vilnius, is a favourite place for an outing. 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 - The Hill of Crosses - Rundale - Riga
Stop at the famous Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai (200 km from Vilnius). 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 20,000 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.
After crossing the border of Latvia, you will visit the Rundale Palace (30 km from Hill of Crosses), Rundale 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.
Lunch in Rundale.
Arrival to Riga. Overnight in Riga.
Riga - Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
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 is 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.
Overnight in Riga.
Riga - Sigulda - Tallinn
Departure to Tallinn (307 km from Riga), the capital of Estonia.
Stop in the Gauja National Park, Sigulda city (50km from Riga) often referred to as the Latvian Switzerland. Gauja National park includes the valley of the Gauja River and together with its tributaries it forms a particularly original landscape. The territory comprises more than 500 monuments of archeology, architecture, history starting with 11th century.
Enjoy beautiful vistas of the Gauja River Valley, visit the 13th century Turaida Castle, now housing a small History Museum, and relax walking in the adjoining Sculpture Park, featuring works of Latvian sculptors.
Evening arrival to Tallinn. Overnight in Tallinn.
Tallinn - Kadriorg Palace
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.
Afternoon 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.
Overnight in Tallinn.
Tallinn - St. Petersburg
Later afternoon arrival to St. Petersburg.
Short Panoramic City tour by bus.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg
During the City tour you will see the main avenue - maginificent Nevsky prospect, Vasiliy Island, Palace square (Dvortsovaya ploschad’), make a stop nearby Cathedral “Our savour on the Blood” . Then pass through Smolny Cathedral, Admirality and St.Isaac Cathedral.
St. Isaac Cathedral: One of the architectural monuments of the XIX century, the former principal cathedral of the Russian capital. The cathedral is graced with 112 solid granite columns weighting up to 114 tons each, and about 400 relieves and bronze sculptures.
Afternoon excursion in the Hermitage museum. The Hermitage fully lives up to its reputation as the world's greatest art museum. The museum occupies six magnificent buildings right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the baroque masterpiece - Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars. Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg - Peterhof - Tsarskoye Selo
Afternoon tour to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) - one of the best examples of Russian baroque with incredible collection of art. Named after the Empress Catherine I the first royal owner of the imperial palace in Tsarskoe Selo. We may never see again many of 57 palace’s halls which where destroyed during Second World War. Extensive restoration efforts managed to recreate 29 of original halls, including legendary Amber Room. It will remain the most dramatic mysteries in the history of art. Assembled with over 500,000 pieces of amber like a huge puzzle.
Overnight in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg
Departure.
Itinerary includes:
- 9 Overnights in 3 or 4-stars centrally located hotels in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and St. Petersburg;
- 9 Breakfasts in the hotel;
- Transfers according to the programme with 35-50 seats bus;
- Tour leader escort during whole tour;
- Entrance to Vilnius University, Trakai Catsle, Rundale Palace, Rigas Dome, Turaida Castle, Tallinn Dome, Open Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Peterhof, Hermitage, Pushkin and St.Isaac Cathedral;
- 9 guided excursions: City Tours in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and St.Petersburg, Trakai, Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, Open Air Museum, Kadriorg Palace, Turaida Museum, Pushkin, Hermitage and Peterhof.
Please send us a request to receive the tour price for your group or FIT clients.
