Baltic Highlights Deluxe

Day 1 (Sunday): Arrival in Vilnius

Arrive in Vilnius, and transfer to Hotel Radison Blu Astorija***** (Deluxe Tour) or Hotel Radisson Blu Lietuva**** (Standard Tour).  Welcome meeting at the hotel with the rest of the tour group. If your flight arrives late, your information pack will be left at the hotel reception.

Day 2 (Monday): Vilnius

Vilnius is known for having 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. Anne’s Church, Old University and the Gates of Dawn. 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 enjoy an optional folklore dinner at Restaurant Belmontas. 

Day 3 (Tuesday): Vilnius - Riga

Heading for Riga, the first stop is the Hill of Crosses, one of the most holy sites in Catholic Lithuania. After crossing into Latvia we soon reach the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. After a guided tour of the palace we travel through the rolling hills of Southern Latvia to reach Riga late afternoon, and check-in at Hotel Radison Blu Ridzene***** (Deluxe Tour) or Hotel Mercure Riga**** (Standard Tour).

Day 4 (Wednesday): Riga

Before we get acquainted with Riga we’ll have the possibility to discover medieval Latvia. The optional tour for this morning takes us to the stunning scenery of Gauja National Park and the town of Sigulda. We’ll listen to the medieval Latvian legend of the Rose of Turaida and see the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and of the Castle of the Knights of the Sword before we return to Riga. The afternoon offers an optional visit to the Ethnographical Open Air Museum, a spacious exposition of 18th century country life.  In the evening we offer an optional organ concert at the Dome Cathedral.

Day 5 (Thursday): Riga

Riga, founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a real kaleidoscope of architectural styles. The walking tour of the Old Town includes 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 summer resort town famous for its wooden architecture and sandy beaches. In the evening, enjoy an optional Latvian dinner at the stylish Restaurant Forest.. 

Day 6 (Friday): Riga - Tallinn

The tour continues along the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort of Parnu, with a short tour of the resort. The rest of the day is spent going through the North Estonian land of forests to Tallinn, with check-in at the Hotel Radisson BLU Sky***** (Deluxe Tour) or Hotel Radisson Blu Olympia**** (Standard Tour).. 

Day 7 (Saturday): Tallinn

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 get to see Toompea Castle, Dome Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the medieval Old Town Hall and the Great Guild Hall. In the afternoon an optional excursion is offered to Kadriorg Park, as well as a 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 Peppersack.

Day 8 (Sunday): Departure from Tallinn

Free time in Tallinn. Transfer to airport.

This map uses Google Maps, so you can zoom and interact with it as we hope it is familiar to you.

For a larger version of this map which opens in a new window, click here

The lines shown give you an indication of our destinations and are not the exact route used.

You'll see...

• Gauja National Park »
• Hill of Crosses »
• Jurmala »
• Parnu »
• Riga »
• Rundale Palace »
• Sigulda »
• Tallinn »
• Kadriorg Park And Palace »

Visas

For your holidays to Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Ukraine, you will not need a visa if you have a valid passport from any EU country, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan (there are more, so check with us to make sure). Please note that your passport should be valid for at least six months after the date of your return.

However, if you plan to travel to Russia, you will need a visa, which we can help organise for you.

Insurance

Travel insurance is required and also advisable. If you do not have a valid policy, please check our Insurance link on the bottom of our homepage or http://www.baltictravelcompany.com/insurance. We can offer quotes for all nationalities.

Our recommended partner is FS Ball who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Language

You will be able to communicate quite well with the locals, as most people in the service industry are quite adept at speaking English. If English doesn't work, then try Russian (if you can), or German. The further you go from the major cities, the less English you will hear. However, do not let the language barrier keep you from exploring the beauty of the country side. We can always arrange English speaking guides to accompany you wherever you wish to go.

The Estonian language is similar to Finnish and is unrelated to Latvian, Lithuanian or Russian. Latvian and Lithuanian are two of the oldest languages, with roots traceable to Sanskrit. This makes them quite challenging to learn, but attempting a few words will put a smile on the local faces. Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet, so reading street signs and tube maps will be a challenge in St Petersburg .

Currency

You can get local currency from ATMs at the airport where you land or in the major cities. Be aware that your bank will charge you a service fee and exchange rate fee for the transaction, but this is likely to be less than exchanging money in the UK before you depart. Please note that in Russia exchange bureau's and banks will not except Scottish bank notes.

We suggest choosing the right credit card for spending abroad. Most credit cards will have an additional cost (about 3%) to the bank exchange rates. You can avoid it by obtaining a specialist overseas card that does not add this % and will give you good exchange rates that are better than money exchange bureau rates. 

Credit cards charge you interest rates, but some debit cards (bank account cards) could have fees that could add up to £ 1.50 every time you spend.

We recommend checking with your bank what fees/interest rates will be applied to your card when using it abroad in order to make an educated decision on what card to use.

Most restaurants and shops will take credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard, however, many places will not accept AMEX. 

Traveller's cheques are difficult to cash, so we recommend not to use them.

Airport or ferry terminals in most cases will have the worst money exchange rates, so if you must get it from the airport, pre-order money for pick-up to get a better rate.

The local currencies are (alphabetic order):

Denmark - Danish Kroner
Estonia - Euro
Finland - Euro
Greenland - Danish Kroner
Iceland - Icelandic Kroner
Latvia - Euro
Lithuania - Euro
Norway - Norwegian Kroner
Poland - Polish Zloty
Russia - Russian Ruble
Sweden - Swedish Kroner
Ukraine - Hryvnia

Restaurants

Dining opportunities are plenty, from ethnic to exotic. We would suggest you to try some national dishes and get a real taste of the region. Note that most traditional dishes contain meat and are fairly heavy, but very tasty.

Reservations in advance are recommended for up-market restaurants, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.

Tipping - many of the up-market establishments will let you know how good their service is by including it on the bill. Rounding up the bill is usually sufficient, unless you feel your server deserves an extra bit of recognition.

Mobile Phones

There are several mobile operators in each Baltic country, the Nordics ( Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland incl. Iceland and Greenland as well as Poland, Ukraine and Russia.  If you have an international connection, there shouldn't be any problems with your incoming and outgoing calls.

In case your phone doesn't work, please check in the local mobilephone shops and you can buy Calling cards etc. or ask in your hotel, they should be able to advise you too.

Internet Access

Internet access is available at Internet Cafés, which mostly are located in the central part of the city. Most hotels have internet access.

Postal Services

Stamps are available in the post offices and in most newspaper kiosks. Approximate price for a stamp to European Union countries will vary but between appx. £ 0.30 to £ 0.70. You'll see post boxes on the streets or you can ask hotel representative to send your post card, they'll gladly help you.

Emergency Numbers

Emergency telephone number for the police, ambulance services or fire department in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Poland - 112.

Greenland uses 911 and for mobile phones only 112.