Classic Baltics

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · VilniusVilnius

   

   You'll arrive in Vilnius for a 6 pm welcome meeting at your hotel. The capital has plenty of hip bars, cool cafes and street art worth exploring if you get in early. Dinner with your leader and new group is optional.

2. 2
   Day 2 · VilniusVilnius

   A guided walk takes you through Cathedral Square and the UNESCO-listed Old Town, past Vilnius University and Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn with its 16th-century gates. Afterwards, you're free to climb Gediminas Castle Tower or head up Lithuania's tallest building, the TV tower, where independence from the Soviet Union was declared.

3. 3
   Day 3 · RigaRiga

   

   You'll take a public bus to Riga, Latvia, then walk to your hotel near the Freedom Monument. An orientation walk navigates the cobbled Old Town streets before lunch at the Central Market, five repurposed Zeppelin hangars selling local pastries, traditional soups and Riga black balsam alongside other food stalls.

4. 4
   Day 4 · RigaRiga

   A free day in Riga. Explore the Art Nouveau architecture in the 'quiet centre' neighbourhood, stroll the canal through the central park, visit museums, or grab drinks at a rooftop cafe. If weather permits, head to the beach resort town of Jurmala.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Soomaa National ParkSoomaa National Park

   

   You'll reach Soomaa National Park, a landscape of lush bogs, forests, rivers and meadows. Settle into your nature-inspired lodge, then join a cooking demonstration where you'll learn to prepare a three-course traditional Estonian dinner with local ingredients before eating together.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Soomaa National ParkTallinn

   

   After breakfast, travel to Tallinn, the Estonian capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site for its historic Old Town. You may have time for a short bog walk and water dip in Soomaa along the way. On arrival, take an orientation walk with your leader then explore at your own pace.

7. 7
   Day 7 · TallinnTallinn

   Visit a marzipan workshop in a historic coffee shop to paint your own almond and powdered sugar figurine while learning about Estonia's claim to inventing this ancient sweet. Spend the afternoon biking around the city, then join the group for a final meal with kali, a fizzy drink made from boiled rye bread.

8. 8
   Day 8 · TallinnTallinn

   Your trip ends after breakfast. No activities are scheduled, but Tallinn has plenty to explore if you want to stay longer. Speak to your booking agent beforehand if you'd like to extend your time here.

What's included

• Guide: All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 7 breakfasts, 1 dinner
• Activities: Vilnius - Walking Tour with Local Guide Riga - Central Market Visit Riga - Leader-led orientation walk Soomaa NP - three-course traditional dinner preparation workshop Tallinn - Leader led orientation walk Soomaa NP - Bog walk Tallinn - Marzipan workshop
• Transport: PRIVATE VEHICLES: Our private vehicles are locally sourced and are air conditioned and comfortable, which makes travelling enjoyable. On some days we will be covering long distances, which will make these days feel longer, however spectacular views and interesting stops along the way make up for it. PUBLIC BUSES: This trip covers some distances by public buses. Buses in the Baltic States can range from high standard coaches with reclining seats and air-conditioning to Soviet era vehicles for shorter distances. But half the fun of travel is the travelling itself, and that's why we like to travel the local way wherever feasible. Private vehicle, Public bus
• Accommodation: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available., On this trip, we use a range of small, locally run hotels that reflect the character of the destinations we visit. In Northern Europe, air conditioning isn’t always common as buildings are designed to retain heat during long, colder seasons and summer temperatures are typically mild. As a result, some properties may not have Air conditioning, and rooms can feel warm during hotter periods. While windows can sometimes be opened, this may bring in street or city noise. Room sizes may also be more compact than you might be used to. If you’re travelling in summer, we recommend keeping this in mind to help you prepare for a comfortable stay. Comfortable hotel (7 nights)

How travellers rate it

Your free day in Vilnius

Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Vilnius — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).

5Young crowd

Vilnius: Soviet Vilnius Bike Tour

3hfrom £78

5Budget-friendly

Husky Trekking in Natural Park near Vilnius

1hfrom £34

5Budget-friendly

Live guide tour via WhatsApp - Vilnius Ghetto

2hfrom £9

5Budget-friendly

Full day Self-Guided trip to Trakai - bicycle rent for 24 h. and train tickets

24hfrom £34

Common questions