Grand Baltic Adventure
Explore the Baltic States of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia on our most comprehensive tour of the region; spend time in the medieval capitals of Tallinn, Vilnius, and Riga. Visit Tartu, the Estonian university town; Daugavpils, Latvia's second-largest city; and the old capital of Lithuania, Kaunas. Enjoy the beautiful Lithuanian nature in Aukstatija National Park, soak up the scenery on Lithuania's beautiful Curonian Spit, discover the magnificent Rundale Palace, and more on this 14-day small group tour.
Tour Itinerary
Arrival in Tallinn, optional transfer to Hotel Radisson Blu Olumpia**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.
Radisson Blu Olumpia 4*
Optional Airport - Hotel Transfer
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 an optional excursion is offered 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 Restaurant Maikrahv.
Breakfast
Radisson Blu Olumpia 4*
This day offers 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 13th century Vihula Manor and the Vodka Museum.
- Breakfast
- Radisson Blu Olumpia 4*
We continue to Tartu, the University Town, where Estonia gained its statehood. We see the charming Old Town and the University founded in 1632. Check in at Hotel Dorpat*** or similar.
In the afternoon we offer an optional visit to Estonia National Museum, dedicated to Estonian cultural history and everyday life and stretching out on a timeline from the present day to the Ice Age.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Dorpat 3*
Departing from Tartu, we head south and in Latvia our first stop is in Aluksne. From there soon we reach Stameriena - the pearl of European romanticism having close links with Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. After the visit, we continue to Cesvaine where we visit the small, private Cesvaine beer brewery and are invited to test the produce. Later in the afternoon we arrive to Grasi Manor***, a picturesque classicism style estate in the middle of Latvia.
This evening offers a dinner at Grasi Manor.
- Breakfast / Dinner
- Grasi Manor 3*
Leaving Grasi our first stop is in Aglona, where we visit Aglona Basilica built in late baroque style and a ceramics workshop, an important symbol of Latgalian culture. From here, our tour continues to Daugavpils, Latvia’s 2nd largest city. We tour the historical centre of the city and visit the 19th century Daugavpils Fortress and the Mark Rothko Art Centre, the only place in Europe, where the original masterpieces by the famous founder of abstract expressionism can be seen. Just outside the city we find the lovely Sventes Manor and we check in at Hotel Svente Manor****.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Svente Manor 4*
Today we continue southwards into Lithuania and in the middle of the day we arrive at Aukstatija National Park with its many lakes, rivulets and streams scattered between forests and hills. We explore the park on a light walk through the scenic landscapes and visit the pretty lakeside town of Paluse, famous for its wooden church.
Late in the afternoon, we head towards Vilnius. Upon arrival we check in at Hotel Neringa**** or similar.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Neringa 4*
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.
The afternoon offers optional tour to The Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania where you will learn about the fortifications and the collection of armaments of the castle and palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Neringa 4*
The morning offers optional visit to the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. The former office of the KGB Deputy Chief of Internal Prison on the museum’s first floor includes an exhibition of documents, photographs, maps and other items depicting the Sovietisation of the region in 1940-1941.
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 an optional traditional Lithuanian dinner at Restaurant Senoji Trobele is on our program.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Neringa 4*
Departing from Vilnius we head to Western part of Lithuania. En route we do a stop in Kaunas, the former capital of Lithuania, to admire the beautiful Old Town and the elegant white Baroque Town Hall. After short walking tour in Klaipeda, we take ferry to reach Curonian Spit before reaching Nida resort town. Check in at Hotel Nerija****.
The evening offers optional authentic fisherman dinner at “Tik Pas Jona”.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Nerija 4*
The morning is reserved for a half-day optional tour of the Curonian Spit, a thin, 100 km stretch of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon with small fishing villages, pine forests and endless sand dunes. Tour takes us to the spectacular Parnidis Dune and Naglis Dune, the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante and Thomas Mann’s summerhouse. In early afternoon we head towards Liepaja where we arrive in early afternoon and check in at Hotel Art Roma****.
The evening offers an optional casual dinner at a beach café Red Sun Buffet, right on the wide sandy beach.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Art Roma 4*
Liepaja takes its name from the numerous linden trees in the city. We start the day with a short stroll in the Old Town with the Trinity Church and we visit Jurmala Park and the former Naval Port area with its famous Orthodox Cathedral.
We now continue through Southern Latvia to the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland.
Following a guided tour of the palace we travel through Latvia to reach Riga at late afternoon. Check in at Hotel Radisson Blu Elizabete**** or similar.
- Breakfast
- Hotel Radisson Blu Elizabete 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 morning takes to Art Nouveaux district and Old Town including 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 Elizabete 4*
After breakfast, optional transfer to the airport.
- Breakfast
Transfer to the airport
Customer reviews
Frances Blake
Hello, hello! My hubby and I have returned from the incredible Baltic tour you arranged for us, and we can't thank you enough! We celebrated Brian's birthday while in Vilnius on the 3rd day, and it was such a special celebration. This might top all of his other birthdays! We decided to try the spa treatments that were offered that day, and I'm so glad we did! Relaxation while on vacation is all anyone really wants, right? The city tour that day was also enjoyable and informative. Cheers to our guide, Eriks, who made Brian's day even better when he announced that it was his birthday that night over dinner and everyone in the group raised their glasses to him! The rest of the tour was also just as noteworthy, seeing famous places like Thomas Mann's house, the Amber Gallery, St. Jacob's Church, and the many unique landmarks in each city. The hotels were beautiful, all in very convenient locations, and the food was always delicious. Thank you so much for such a great vacation! If we tour the Baltics, or maybe even Iceland in the future, I'll be in touch!
Gina Leon
My husband and I took a tour of the Baltic countries with Nordic Saga Tours last month and I wanted to let you know my thoughts! I felt all of the programs and city tours were really well organized, and our guide did a wonderful job of introducing each city to us in unique ways. From Vilnius, to Riga, to Tallinn, I found something new I loved in each location. While similar in many ways, they're also so very different and the history in each city is really interesting. We loved the Hill of Crosses, and the ferry trip to Curonian Spit National Park. Eating Lithuanian food like gira and cepelinai was fun, and so delicious! Old Riga Castle and the many boulevards and streets in that city were so picturesque. If I could recommend anything, it would be to extend the time in Riga maybe by an extra day, because I would have loved to explore more of its hidden gems. Regardless, we did have a lot of time there that was utilized well; I just really fell in love with the city and hated to leave! So, thanks again, this Baltic tour really worked its magic on my heartstrings!
Kristine Gilson
Our Baltic trip back in May was a lot of fun and I wanted to write a thank you note to your company and also to you, personally! You're a great travel agent and I can tell you really care about your clients. You were always speedy with your email responses and kept us in the know every step of the way, even from across the world! Thanks so much, it definitely helped ease our minds. As for the tour itself, we had an amazing time and it's hard to pin down just a few favorite places as I feel they were all special in their own way. Our group was on the smaller side, with only 12 of us, but I was thankful for that! We passed a few really large groups and I was glad we didn't have quite so many people. It made the experience more personal and I think our guide appreciated herding around only a dozen of us, too. :) Speaking of our guide, Dahlia was delightful. Very bright, personable, and organized. Greatly appreciated by the whole group! I would definitely recommend you to friends hoping to visit the Baltics, and after showing off all of our photos, I think quite a few of them will be seriously considering it! :) Thanks again for an amazing vacation!
Isabel Morelli
