Most Inspirational Moment
Visit to the cold war missile base and the Curonian spit.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Migle was great fun and very knowledgeable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for any weather conditions.
Reviews
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Reviews
Discover the Baltics
This was a holiday with a good range of different experiences and a chance to visit three countries of which I did not have any prior knowledge .
The history and architecture of the countries was of particular interest.
Wonderful experience
This tour gave an overall look at the history, cities, castles and country areas of the 3 countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Most Inspirational Moment
There were so many highlights it is hard to pick just one. However, the tour of the Cold War Museum is memorable. Memorable not inspirational, as that was such a frightening time in recent history and frightening to think we have not learnt from it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader had an excellent knowledge and love of the history and culture of the Baltics. Vaida was very well organised, friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble for her
Advice for Potential Travellers
The free time to explore further in different cities after having done a walking tour with the group is very valuable as each of us has different interests
Busy but enlightening
Great trip with a wide variety of destinations, history and architecture. Excellent food and tasty honey liquors!
Most Inspirational Moment
Riga and Vilnius
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader Migle was very organized and knowledgeable
Advice for Potential Travellers
It's a busy trip with lots of "pack and go", so just be prepared for that. The trip is not for those who are particularly adventurous or active. Book an extra day in Vilnius, as time is limited there on the tour.
Brilliant Trip
This is a well designed trip giving an excellent overview of all three Baltic states. This not only included the capital cities but other towns and much countryside. We were given expert led tours of all the cities that we visited but time was then allowed for us to wander on our own to explore or revisit sites. But this is much more than just a city tour. We also visited numerous other sites, both natural and man made including museums that record the turbulent history of these countries. Highly recommended.
Most Inspirational Moment
The way that these countries have come together and shaken off the horrors of the past. Only 30 years since they became independent of the Soviet Union yet they feel like fully developed European countries. The roads are excellent, the hotels comfortable and we ate some fabulous meals, both traditional and world wide. And so clean - barely any litter at all. Before the trip I imagined these countries might be a bit grim and Soviet-like still. Absolutely none of it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had an excellent group leader. Vaida travelled with us the whole way, facilitating tours, hotels and meals. Occasionally she would conduct the tours herself, particularly when we got to her native Lithuania.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a full on trip. There are some early starts in order to cover the miles. The tours involve quite a lot of walking (on some pretty bumpy cobbled streets in the old towns) and standing. Some of the older buildings involve climbing up steep, tight staircases though these are optional. The weather was exactly like the UK.
Explore and discover the Baltics
I enjoyed discovering an area of Europe I knew little about. Visiting many areas of all 3 countries. Guide well organized and itinerary good. Only problems were Tallin hotel (hot weather but no AC and some rooms no windows to open) and lunch dinner stops sometimes very slow service.
Hotels in good locations.
Most Inspirational Moment
History of all 3 countries.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Organized, able to express local passion for small countries surrounded by larger powers. Very good.
Advice for Potential Travellers
We flew into Helsinki and took ferry to Tallin so we got a quick Finland visit. Ferry docks within walking distance of hotel.
Three small countries with a lot of character
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.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Cold War Museum was chilling and reminded us of how close we came to a nuclear war. We enjoyed the tour of Rundale Palace and the visit to the Sand Dunes of the Curonian Spit.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We found him quite distant. He didn't encourage or welcome questions. He had his agenda and was sticking to it. He was not sensitive to the needs of some people in our group. He walked too quickly for some of us and at times he didn't wait for us to catch up. In Trakai Castle, he lost 1/4 of the group and never even apologized. to us. He said we were going to the great hall, and 5 of us were left behind. We missed a turn and went on up to the top level while he was still on the main level. I suggest that he should check to see if all have arrived before he starts talking.
Great holiday
Really interesting trip made extra special by our guide Melia, whose knowledge was incredible. We were really lucky with the weather and had a really good group of people.The
Most Inspirational Moment
The city of Riga
Thoughts on Group Leader
Amazing
Travels in 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.
Most Inspirational Moment
Highlights rather than inspirations: Art Nouveau architecture in Riga 'New Town' - stunning buildings Cold War missile base in Lithuania - recent history, very unusual The Coronian Spit kilometres of white sand and a cormorant colony Tart(Estonai) u and Vilnius(Lithuania) Universities campuses
Thoughts on Group Leader
He (Simonas) was very sociable and approachable. He sang Lithuanian traditional songs on the minibus, in public places. Very unusual and a insight into the musical tradition of the country. Unfortunately there was no group introduction session which might have helped cohesion, as he was unable to arrive until the morning of the first day and we went straight into a tour of Tallinn. He had a slight tendency to shoot off ahead of the group - slower individuals found it hard to keep up sometimes. He should have checked everyone was there when crossing busy roads in cities. Though some of the group often wandered off so hard to keep tabs on them, Local guides were generally excellent though the one in Tallinn was less so. Drivers also good.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Maybe go a day early or stay a day later so that you can see a bit more of either Tallinn or Vilnius. Some days were quite long and tiring It was more expensive than I had imagined (but cheaper than the UK) On the whole this is a good introduction to the Baltic States
Excellent Baltic Tour
Excellent Baltic tour covering three countries and popping over to Bosnia for lunch.
Most Inspirational Moment
Great culture tour, very varied with city tours and history together with village life. Completely different.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Evelin Balta was an excellent tour guide and very attentive, going out of his way to make sure all the group enjoyed their holiday.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Weather was good and only needed rain mac for one day. Nice and warm for this time of year. There is a swimming pool in Hotel Park Lakeside, Ohrid but it is very cold and you have to pay extra for your sun bed, so make sure you swim and relax around the lake. Make sure you visit Bunk Art 2 in Tirana, an excellent museum, very interesting some of the group said. It was a shame i didnt have time to visit, so an extra day may be advisable at the end of your trip.
Discover the Baltics
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.
Most Inspirational Moment
Not sure if I would call these inspirational moments but the museums in Riga (Occupation, Jews in Latvia, and Barricades) were all extremely interesting as well as The Cold War and KGB Museums in Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses was pretty amazing and the Curonian Spit was a nice break from the cities.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader, Jolita, was personable and knowledgeable; she did her very best to take care of each persons's needs and interests. She went out of her way (and above the itinerary) to take us out each evening when we arrived at a new city to give us an orientation and suggest places for dinner. We went to dinner (mostly) as a group 5 times. We didn't need a local guide in Lithuania as Jolita as a Lithuanian was the expert. I really enjoyed her upbeat personality and genuine excitement to teach us about the Baltic's turbulent history.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are interested in visiting museums you will have a hard time except for in Riga as there is not enough time during the day and you arrive in the cities at the time when museums are closed or are closing. I would suggest an extra day in Tallinn and an extra day in Vilnius.