In the morning, we will take you on a Vilnius Old Town tour. Vilnius is known for its more than 1.200 medieval buildings and 48 churches. The morning walking tour takes to Old Town with Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower, Peter and Paul Church, St. Anne’s Church, Old University and the Gates of Dawn.

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, was a well-known Jewish center in Europe. Jews started to settle in Vilnius in the 14th century, and by the 18th century, it became the world center of Talmudic teachings and learning, rightfully gaining the name of the Jerusalem of the North. 

During the tour, we will visit the Gaon Jewish State Museum and Samuel Bak Museum, dedicated to the historical and cultural heritage of the Lithuanian Jewry. Here you will have the opportunity to learn about the Jewish traditions, life, and art in Lithuania, and the tragic fate of the Litvaks during the Shoah.

We will drive by Vilnius Choral Synagogue, Gediminas Castle Tower and Cathedral Square, Gothic corner and Medieval Jewish quarter with its narrow streets and small cozy courtyards, Gaon and Zydu (Jewish) streets, the site of now destroyed Great Vilna Synagogue, a place where Gaon of Vilna lived.

Nearby is a former Jewish Ghetto with a gruesome history, where 40,000 Jews were encamped in 1941-1943. You will learn the sad story of the Lithuanian Jews and the so-called "Litvaks civilization," which gave Lithuania many world-famous artists, composers, and writers. This is evidenced by the fact that Vilnius was once the Jerusalem of Lithuania, and Litvaks lived in almost every village, town, or city. 94% of its population perished during the Second World War. When the Nazi German army entered the territory of Lithuania, about 240 thousand Jews lived in the country. After the end of the war, about 10 thousand of them remained.

• Breakfast
• Narutis 5*

Morning departure to Trakai with en route stop at Ponar Forest (known as Paneriai)  is 10 kilometers outside Vilnius. It is the site of a horrific WWII where over 100,000 people, predominantly Jews,  were murdered by the Nazis and local collaborators. Today, Ponar Forest is a memorial site. You will see the pits where victims were buried and the memorial plaques commemorating the dead. A small onsite museum provides historical context and details about the massacre and the people who perished.

Later, we continue to Trakai (Trok in Yiddish), famous for its medieval insular castle and heritage, which is the heritage of the Karaite ethnic minority. During medieval times, Trakai was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and an important strategic and political center. The focal point of Trakai is Trakai Island Castle, built in the 14th century. It is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture surrounded by crystal clear lakes and the pristine nature of Trakai Historical National Park.

• Breakfast
• Narutis 5*
• 40 km / 25 mi

After breakfast, we will leave Vilnius and drive to Kaunas, stopping at  in the small town of Žiežmariai, about 50 kilometers from Vilnius. The Žiežmariai Synagogue is one of the oldest surviving wooden synagogues in Lithuania. It was built in the late 19th century and is a rare example of wooden synagogue architecture that once flourished in Eastern Europe. Destroyed during WWII, it was recently restored and serves as a cultural and historical site, reflecting the rich heritage of the once-thriving Jewish community in the region.

Next, we will visit Lituania's second largest city, and its former capital Kaunas. 

Kaunas has a rich and bitter Jewish history, with many sites reflecting the Jewish community that once thrived there. Jews arrived in Kaunas in the late 15th - early 16th centuries. By the 19th century, they had played a significant role as a center of Jewish life, culture, and learning.

Before WWII, the Jewish population was around 35,000 and comprised around one-third of Kaunas' population. Tragically, the Jewish community of Kaunas was murdered during the Holocaust. Over 29,000 Jews were confined in the Kovno Ghetto established by Nazis in the Slobodka district. Only a few hundred survived. The city also witnessed the horrific massacre at the Ninth Fort, where tens of thousands of Jews from Kaunas and other European countries were murdered.

The Kaunas Choral Synagogue, one of the few functioning synagogues in Lithuania, stands as a testament to the Jewish religious life that once flourished in Kaunas.  Sugihara House is a museum dedicated to Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Kaunas during World War II. In 1940, Sugihara and the Dutch consul Jan Zwartendijk saved around 6,000 Jews by issuing thousands of transit visas. Sugihara House is now a museum, and both men were recognized as the "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem.

The Ninth Fort is a site of mass murder during the Holocaust where over 50,000 Jews from Kaunas Ghetto and other places were executed by the Nazis. 

We will visit the sites that offer a glimpse into the Jewish life that once thrived in Kaunas and the tragedy it endured.

• Breakfast
• Radisson Blu Kaunas 4*
• 120 km / 75 mi

In the morning, we will continue our travel to Riga, making several important stops en route.

The town of Kedainiai is very important to understanding the Jewish history of Lithuania, its vibrant past and tragic decline during the Holocaust. From the 15th century and up to WWII, Jewish people comprised a large part of the Kedainiai population and significantly contributed to local culture, economy, and social life. You will see one of Lithuania's few remaining synagogue complexes built in the 18th-19th centuries. They have been restored recently and are now a cultural center showcasing the Jewish past in town. You will also see an old Jewish cemetery with many mitzvot (gravestones) and Hebrew inscriptions there. There are several memorials commemorating Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust, including the one located at the site of the mass graves near Daukšiagirė Forest, where hundreds of Jews from Kėdainiai were executed in 1941, and serving as a memory of the dark times in Lithuanian history. 

Another small town in northern Lithuania with a notable Jewish history dating back to the 18th century is Pakruojis. As in Kedainiai, Pakruojis was home to many Jewish families whose small businesses contributed to its economic growth and vitality. The most prominent remnant of these times is one of Lithuania's oldest and best-preserved traditional wooden synagogues. It stopped functioning as a religious building after the Holocaust, but nowadays, efforts are made to preserve it as a symbol of the Jewish legacy.

• Breakfast
• Grand Poet Semarah 5*
• 335 km / 208 mi

Get acquainted with the charming Old Town of Riga while strolling through the cobble-stone, picturesque streets. Visit the chic "Art Nouveau" district, where many prominent Jewish Latvians, among them the philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin, once lived.  Riga has one of the world's most impressive collections of authentic Art Nouveau architecture and uniquely offers streets whose buildings are preserved almost entirely in this early 20th Century style. 

Besides traditional sightseeing in Riga's Old Town, you will visit a few important sites in the history of the Jewish people. In Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum, you will learn about the Jews who lived in the ghetto and perished during WWII. What used to be an Old Jewish Cemetary is now a black memorial stone plaque with inscriptions. You will stop by Riga's only surviving and active Peitav Synagogue in the Old Town. Built in 1905, it represents an exquisite piece of Art Nouveau architecture. You will also visit Zanis Lipke Memorial. Zanis Lipke, a Latvian citizen who worked as a simple laborer for the German army, used his work to transport and save around 50 Jews during the Holocaust by hiding them in a bunker on his property. In 1966, he was recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial organization. We will also stop by the "Jews in Latvia" museum, which is dedicated to researching and popularizing Jewish history in Latvia.

• Breakfast
• Grand Poet Semarah 5*

Drive alongside the Riga Bay to Estonia's capital city - Tallinn. Pass by part of Gauja National Park and stop at the Medieval Turaida Castle. Another short stop at Estonia's resort town – Parnu.

Enroute, you will make a short stop in Parnu, a resort seaside city (and Estonia's summer capital) with a small harbor in south-western Estonia. The city is known for its spas, shallow white sandy beach and beautiful parks. It is also a popular place for conferences, theatre performances and concerts. 

Your journey includes a visit to Sigulda within the enchanting Gauja National Park, situated approximately 50 km from Riga in the picturesque Gauja River valley. This park is celebrated as the foremost tourist and leisure destination in the region.

Embark on a journey that allows you to breathe in the authentic atmosphere of the Middle Ages, characterized by romantic legends, castles, and heroic tales. Explore the ruins of the 13th-century Turaida Castle and delve into the local history at the Turaida Castle's History Museum. 

• Breakfast
• Hotel Schlossle 5*
• 350 km / 217 mi

This morning, enjoy a tour of the charming city of Tallinn, considered one of Europe's best-kept travel secrets and placed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage List. Drive to Tallinn's Old Town atop the hill for breathtaking views of the tiled roofs and colorful houses below. Stroll the beautifully preserved Medieval streets and become a part of Tallinn's thousands-year-old history. Walk past the impressive Alexander Nevski Cathedral to the Town Hall Square. Visit Tallinn's synagogue and learn about Estonian Jewish community life.

Although less than in Vilnius and Riga, you will still find many instances of Jewish Heritage in Tallinn. Jews settled in Estonia in the 19th century, and despite many political events, the community preserved its traditions. Tallinn Synagogue opened in 2007 and is the center of Jewish cultural and religious life. Next to the synagogue is the Jewish Community Center, which offers various events and houses the Estonian Jewish Museum. Several memorials in Tallinn commemorate the Jews who perished during the Holocaust.

• Breakfast
• Hotel Schlossle 5*

Transfer to the airport.

• Breakfast
• Private Transfer