Most Inspirational Moment
Not sure there was one tbh.
Thoughts on Group Leader
FABULOUS
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring warm clothes, only 2 days of the 10 were not chilly, bordering on cold...and that was last week of June, July.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
An interesting tour
I had never been to this part of Europe so was excited to go. The cities we visited were lovely, our tour guide, excellent and the places we stayed varied and often charming. We visited a lot of different restaurants and most of the food was ve y good. I was slightly surprised to find it was not as cheap as i expected, but i enjoyed it.
The cycling …level 2 was not hard, mostly very level terrain, but some of the rides were not that varied which is inevitable given the location. Weather was much cooler than i expected in parts, i am only mentioning it for future travellers may want to bring an extra fleece!!!! I did love several of the places we stayed and visited.
cycling the baltics
A bit too pacey for me for a trip advertised as leisurely and the scenery was somewhat often repetitive and uninspiring . However the capital cities i.e. Tallin, Riga and Vilnius are well worth a visit.
The weather, apart from a couple of sunny days in Tallin was mainly cloudy and sometimes wet – just like home. Also we had 2 or 3 very windy days and it was always a headwind which made cycling very hard work, particularly when it was also pouring with rain. At one café stop we met cyclists from a competitor of Exodus who were travelling in the opposite direction from Vilnius to Tallin and they said the ride was brilliant with a tailwind. Perhaps Exodus should consider reversing the route.
Most Inspirational Moment
Tallin and Riga.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Lina is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be wary that, if windy this trip can be hard work. Also I was cheated by the taxi driver who took me from the hotel to Vilnius airport at the end of the trip. Check the fair with the hotel and the driver before setting off. You have been warned !
Wonderful scenery, pleasant and safe bike routes and an amazing guide
Our guide Vaida took us to see a fabulous variety of highlights in both large cities and small villages. The three capital cities – Tallin, Riga and Vilnius all had exceptionally interesting landmarks, historic sites and interesting excursions into areas of the every day lives of the people. Large national forests, small fishing villages and lovely seaside towns provided a pleasant contrast to our days in th3 featured cities.
Most Inspirational Moment
The lunch at the fishing village where the host smoked his own fish, the forest roads with nesting storks and the pretty seaside settlements with families of swans were lovely. The cities offered a glimpse into the history and lives of three very interesting countries. Our guide, Vaida, gave us a wealth of interesting interesting information. She was the most impressive guide we have had in our fifteen years of traveling. She anticipated needs, answered a huge variety of questions, found wonderful restaurants. She was literally at our “beck and call” every moment of the trip - and we were an interesting variety of fourteen cyclists.
Thoughts on Group Leader
See above.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make this trip a priority.
Longer days than expected.
The days were much longer than we expected as the ride was graded at 2 which is about right for the type of cycling we experienced. On past trips we have arrived at the hotels between 3 and 5 giving time to shower, wash kit and get out to see around around the city before eating. With some of the transfers being long we often had little time to see the place we were staying in. This resulted in eating late and consequently not getting to bed until late.
Much of the cycling is on the flat and on narrow cycling lanes which was a bit boring at times.
Most Inspirational Moment
With me it was eating smoked perch for my lunch on the beach. A first. Seeing a pied wagtail that was just about all white. Meeting a large primary school party of various ages that were celebrating the end of term with a three day cycling trip. All really enjoying them selves. Meeting the Danish Ambassador to Estonia with her official transport a bike.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vaida was a very good leader. Gave us excellent information especially about the lengths of each day and each leg of cycling. She took us to excellent restaurants and all the food was good to excellent. I particularly liked receiving the maps each day and finding out where we were cycling from and too.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you can, practice a few 20 milers on flat land.
Beautiful autumn cycling
Great trip with a wonderful group and just sooo much to see plus lots of great food!
Most Inspirational Moment
Waving to Kaliningrad (Russia) from the lithuanian part of the curonian spit.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very professional, knowledgeable and fun!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book an extra day in Tallinn and Vilnius at the beginning and end of the trip.
Baltics Cycling
Good trip overall for both culture and cycling. You learn a lot about the Baltic countries and their uneasy relationship with Russia.
The cycling was mostly flat, which is hard in the legs especially in a head wind. At times their were unavoidable long flat straight stretches on roads which were dull.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting the farmhouse with museum on the Gulf of Finland. The location, lunch, and history provided by the owners were all great.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vaida was excellent. Knowledgable, helpful, personable and always 'ready, ready'. Even though she was suffering with a sore throat.
Advice for Potential Travellers
It's colder than you think. Layers!
Wonderful first group cycling trip experience!
The itinerary is accurate. This was my first experience with a group cycling tour and I was a solo traveler. I would say the trip exceeded my expectations because I saw local towns/areas that I would not have normally visited on my own in the country-side, the travel group was a great set of people from all over the world, and the places we visited for food were very tasty and a great sampling of local cuisine.
During the visits to capital cities, I learned a lot about the history of various Baltic countries from the medieval to modern era. Overall, I enjoyed the routes we cycled (generally minimal car traffic) as they were in scenic areas.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through a small town and the tour guide striking up a conversation with an old lady sitting with her cat. Hearing about the lady's history in the town was fascinating and was something I would not have been able to do, had I been traveling on my own.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our trip leader was a wonderful tour guide. She worked very hard to make sure everyone was having a good time and was clear in her directions for what the itinerary for the day would be. She worked well with our driver to coordinate van support and our safe transportation. In addition, her friendly personality helped facilitate the group getting to know each other.
Advice for Potential Travellers
While the route is very flat, I would say 'leisurely' is not so accurate. As generally the group needs to cover 20-30mi/day and have time for van transfers, there is not so much time for frequent breaks. While the pace is certainly comfortable and doable, 'leisurely' to me implies more frequent stops for photo opportunities or small snacks/picnics during the route. I would rate the trip as a 3 or 4, as 10 days of riding in a row on mostly flat terrain does require some level of effort.
Cycle the Baltics
It was a fantastic trip, every day was a new adventure. The cycling was varied, and there was a lot of custom made cycle paths, e.g. on the Coronian Spit which consisted of just miles of cycle paths. The hotels were great,
the best being the one in the National Park called Palmse Manor, with a stunning lake. The Hotel Braavo in Tallin was probably one not to return to, as they were obviously doing some refurbishments and it was a bit like a “work in progress”.
Most Inspirational Moment
Finding out we'd cycled 403 kilometres over 9 days! It was tough sometimes, but it was a challenge and I was glad I did it. Another inspirational moment was going into a Russian Orthodox church in Vilnius and there was some chanting going on, and it really was very unique and special. The food we had during the whole trip was excellent, I couldn't fault it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Minda was a really nice guy and was very encouraging. I was always at the end of the line (out of a group of 16) and sometimes I'd see them disappear into the distance on rides but he would wait for me. I feel that maybe a back-marker might have been useful. When we talked to us in the bus, I was at the back and couldn't hear him that well, a microphone might have been useful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't take too much luggage and because you're moving on, you never get to unpack your case!
Cycle the Baltics
Excellent trip with brilliant tour leader, with surprisingly good weather for the time of year.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting Tallin, and the pretty villages as we cycled down the coast around Klaipeda. The Castle at Trakai was lovely as much of the architecture in all the many "Old Towns" that we visited.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vaida Jusaite was just the best in everyway possible,she has lead this trip many times,so knew all about everything and everywhere in detail. Vaida also selected the very best restaurants everywhere that we went, all were excellent and we would have never found them had we travelled independently.
Advice for Potential Travellers
For an easy cycling trip without challenging conditions as the roads are very quiet,do try this trip as if you enjoyed it as much as we did, you will be very pleased that you went,especially if you are lucky enought to have Vaida as your tour leader.
Cycle the Baltics
Just as explained in the brochure enhanced by our wonderful tour leader, Simon. From the fairy-tale castles, westernised beauty of Talinn we cycled through lush forested paths to Riga and the wonderful Old Town of Vilnius. It was eerie actually being in a spot where the Iron Curtain once was and having it brought to mind how close the Russian bear actually lurks.
Our guide was able to explain to us the sad history of the Baltic nations on one hand and the resilience of a most beautiful wonderful people on the other. A great group of fellow cyclists led to the enjoyment of delicious food, eclectic B&B s and an amazing culture.
Most Inspirational Moment
Feeling the resilience and hope of such wonderful people in countries historically neglected by the Western democracies. The passion of our tour leader Simon and our wonderful guide, Ira.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader, Simon, was extraordinary. In all instances he went beyond the call of duty to make everyone feel like a valuable member of our group and as such our group's convivial nature was enhanced. Simon told us wonderful tales of Lithuanian folklore and he even sang for us in his rich voice. Simon took in consideration the weather etc and was ready to alter situations as per daily requirements, if necessary. He went out of his way to find us local tour guides in Riga and Vilnius who passionately (especially in Riga) recounted the history of their country as we toured each country's respective Old Town. Simon was probably the greatest reason the trip was such a success.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Even though terrain was definitely leisurely- moderate, the most proficient cyclist of our group admitted the history and positives of the cycle far our weighed the lack of challenge. Nevertheless, we had great fun enjoying the fun a flat our fun cycle on a relatively flat terrain. Go - enjoy the culture, food and history of the Baltic Nations.