Driving round the Baltic States

We flew in to Riga, took the bus into the city and spent 3 nights in Riga

To explore Riga, an important city dating from Middle Age, walk through the Hanseatic old town including Riga castle, St. Peters church, Dome Cathedral and the House of Blackheads. Old Guild houses and merchant palaces are hidden on narrow cobblestone streets. Riga has beautiful gardens and parks enriched with Art Nouveau architectural masterpieces and elegant shops.

Riga to Tallinn. Back out to airport to pick up a Hertz car and drive to Tallinn for 2 nights

• North up to Tallinn along the wild beaches of the Baltic coast.
• Tallinn has a medieval Old Town. Walk along the cobbled old town streets, and take a look at the most important sights: the Toompea hill with is castle, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Dome Church and the building of Estonian Parliament. The lower part of the old city houses the medieval Town Hall, St. Olav’s and Nicholas Churches.

Tallin to Tartu for 1 night

• 240 km drive to Tartu - Estonia‘s intellectual and architectural centre - hosts the country‘s main liberal arts University.

Tartu to Malpils Manor for 1 night

Ventspils for 1 night

• Ventspils enjoy a walk long the beach.

Ventspils to Klaipeda where we stayed 2 nights

• Neringa National Park at the Curonian Spit, which can be easily reached by ferry from Klaipeda. Drive along this sandy peninsula covered with scattered pine forests and high grass. Curonian Spit, separating the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon, is a unique nature reserve. Visit the Hill of Witches which houses a hundred of fanciful wooden sculptures scattered along a forest path in Juodkrante village and Nida resort.

Klaipeda to Vilnius, the final leg was to Vilnius and back to Riga for the flight home

• Vilnius. A day to explore Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania for more than 600 years. St. Peter and Paul’s Church, Gediminas castle, St. Anne’s gothic Church and Bernardine monastery, the Gates of Dawn with a holy image of Virgin Mary, the Town Hall, Vilnius University (founded in 1579) with its Ensemble of St. John’s Church- main attractions you should see in Vilnius. Walk along ancient narrow streets of the historical part of the city.
• A day to visit Trakai, a scenic restored castle on an island on a lake not far from Vilnius

Vilnius to Jurmala

• biggest seaside resort in Latvia. Here you will discover a combination of wooden houses built in the beginning of the last century and modern resort buildings.

We also had a few weeks in England on the way to the Baltic States, and on the way back

Our Holidays