Discover the Baltics

A bit of a whirlwind tour although the three Baltic States relatively small, green and flat. I knew virtually nothing about them before I went but learned a lot out there. In particular their very complicated history - waves of invaders of whom the Soviet Union was the last one. There are ex-KGB premises which are now museums - very sobering to visit especially as people who were tortured there or sent to gulags still have family alive. Very sobering. The tour was a good mix of cultural and natural sights. So as well as cities and towns there were visits to the coast. Much of the scenery was very attractive with a lot of forested areas The number of places visited in a day and the amount of information imparted was sometimes a bit excessive. It was hard to absorb it all. There wasn't much free time in some venues except for Riga.

There is so much to see and experience on this trip. From the ancient historic castles and Old Towns, to the more recent era of Soviet and German Occupations, and finally to current times when we see modern vibrant cities and towns looking to the future with their own culture and traditions intact. There is a bit of everything in this trip - ancient and modern architecture, beaches, boat rides, museums, countryside, and great local cuisine.

This tour was so much more interesting than I’d expected it to be. Admittedly I knew virtually nothing about the histories of the three countries - other than the fact that they’d all been under Soviet rule - but I hadn’t expected them to be *so* different in terms of their culture, food, architecture, …. I loved the three capital cities - Tallinn’s old town, Riga’s architecture (especially its Art Nouveau buildings) and Vilnius’s university buildings - and also Tartu, Kaunas, Cesis, Jurmala and Klaipeda. I also loved the dunes of the Curonian Spit and walking the Hill of Witches. The Plokstine Cold War Museum visit was chilling (even though I can remember some of the events documented there) and I found visiting the occupation/KGB museums in Tallinn, Riga and especially Vilnius harrowing. Luckily there were much lighter times too: Rundale Palace (where we had a very amusing guide), the beautiful Pazaislis Monastery, the boat trip and walk around Trakai Castle, the amazing sculpture park and reconstruction of Turaida Castle (where I amazed myself by climbing the tower!), the concert in Riga Cathedral, …. So many happy memories of this trip!

This is a well planned trip through the Baltics which explored Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Wonderful countries with lovely cities, fairy tale castles, grand houses and beautiful coastlines and forests. The itinerary was excellent and when you throw in a great group of fellow travellers and a truly outstanding tour leader you have everything you need to enjoy the trip.

For the well season wanderer, a trip to Baltics is a time traveller's delight. From visiting medieval town (Tallin), 18th century chateau (Rundale), wonderful art nouveau buildings (Riga), dour grey soviet era (nuclear missile site) to an optimistic future (Vilnius). Our wonderful historian on this trip, Andrius, knew pre and post soviet rule and was very clear which path for the Baltic states he would choose

This was a well-organised trip which gave a good overview of the three Baltic states. It was enhanced by nonstop hot sunny weather and a large but lovely group of mainly very experienced Exodus travellers. The cities were all very different, and the countryside and coastal visits all interesting.

The Baltic countries are interesting and the old towns are charming. They have suffered a lot under various foreign rulers and are proud of their independence.

An enjoyable and informative trip. It was varied and there was a good balance between city, town and country. Each day had something of interest. The guides were excellent. The only real improvements I would suggest would be to lengthen the stay in Tallinn - a second day is definitely necessary - and to change the first hotel in Tallinn which was a disappointment. A little more walking in the National Parks would also be welcome.

The trip was very good. We had 11 in our group and were a mix of American, British, Australian and an Italian. Hotels were pleasant and transport was comfortable with pleasant bus drivers although some of the trips were long. There were enough stops along the way to keep things interesting. The major areas of the three countries were covered with a variety of cities, culture, nature and sea although the main focus was cultural even in the national parks. I would have preferred some walks on the many trails and boardwalks we were told about. The guided tours and time on our own was evenly divided. In Riga, there was plenty of time to see the Old Town, visit museums, relax in parks and cafes, and shop. In Tallinn and Vilnius, not so much. Overall, the trip was true to the itinerary.

A very interesting holiday seeing the 3 Baltic states and learning about their history and seeing towns and countryside. We also sampled local cuisine.