Baltic Hiking Tour

Itinerary

Arrival in Tallinn and transfer to your hotel by private car. Welcome meeting. Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel Olympia Hotel or similar.

After breakfast we drive to the Lahemaa National Park, where we embark on a walking tour through the park (2 hours, medium). We continue to Tartu, the University Town, where Estonian gained its statehood. We see the charming Old Town and the University founded in 1632. From Tartu we drive onwards into Latvia to Cesis, a Hanseatic city with winding streets, castle ruins and beautiful gardens. Check-in at Hotel Kolonna Cesis or similar.

Today we drive through the Gauja National Park to Ligatne Wild-Life Park. We enjoy a walking tour through the park, where bears, deer, elks and other wild animals live in a fenced-off enclosure of natural habitat (2 hours, medium). After a visit to Sigulda, a popular holiday resort, we drive around Riga to hit the highway down to Vilnius. En route we reach the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. Following a guided tour of the palace we travel through Lithuania to reach Vilnius late afternoon. Check in at Hotel Radisson Blu Lietuva or similar.

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. Anna’s Church, Old University and the Gates of Dawn. After the tour we continue to Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania, where do a walking tour in the area around the well preserved Trakai Castle, beautifully located on an island in Lake Galve (2 hours, light). The balance of the day is spent en route to Klaipeda, where we arrive late afternoon. Check-in at Hotel National or similar.

The day is reserved for a full-day tour to 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. Our first stop is at the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante. After that we continue to Nida and embark on a walking tour around the High Dunes (3 hours medium) and get acquainted with the charming resort town before we drive back to Klaipeda. The evening offers a Lithuanian dinner at Restaurant 19th Century.

Klaipeda first became a part of Lithuania in 1923 and had a long history as a German town called Memel. A short sightseeing tour takes us to the Old Town with its narrow, cobblestone streets and old guild houses and we visit the Theatre Square and the Aennchen von Tharau Fountain. We now continue to the Samogitia National Park, where we enjoy a walking tour around the picturesque Lake Plateliai (2 hours, medium). After that we continue to Siauliai and Cross Hills, one of the holiest sites of Catholic Lithuania. We head North into Latvia and reach Riga in the afternoon. Check-in at Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija or similar. The evening offers an organ concert at the Dome Cathedral.

Founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a true kaleidoscope of various architectural styles. The walking tour of the Old Town includes Riga Castle, Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, Swedish Gates, Three Brothers, Large and Small Guild House and the Freedom Monument. The afternoon is reserved for visit to Jurmala, the vibrant Latvian sea resort, famous for its wooden architecture and sandy beaches. We do a walking tour on the sandy beaches from Pumpuri to Bulduri (3 hours, light).In the evening we enjoy a Latvian dinner at the stylish Restaurant La Boheme.

The tour continues along the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort of Parnu. We do a short tour of the resort and a leisurely walk on the beach. The balance of the day goes through North Estonian land of forest to Tallinn. Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel Olympia or similar.

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquility and modern urban life. The medieval Old Town is a busy place in the summer with its many shops, galleries, souvenir markets, outdoor cafes and restaurants. The sightseeing tour takes us around the old medieval city walls and into the Old Town where we see Toompea Castle, the Dome Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and medieval Old Town Hall. In the afternoon we do a walking tour through the Kadriorg Park and the area surrounding the Kadriorg Palace. The evening offers a genuine medieval dinner at the Restaurant Peppersack.

The tour ends with a transfer to the airport by private car after breakfast.

Notes