Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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61 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Theresa Fensome

Reviewed May 2022

Excellent 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.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's difficult to pick out particular moments, it was all very good and very enjoyable. I loved our day exploring the Curonian Spit with its forests and sand dunes.. there's a lot to see and do there... but equally the fairytale castles and beautiful cities were wonderful. History is everywhere. From the distant past to the relatively recent traumas of soviet occupation. A very memorable day is the visit to the Cold War museum. It is very sobering to look down into the silo and realise that once contained a nuclear missile pointed at us in the UK.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was a fantastic tour leader. He was always there for us and very willing to share his extensive knowledge of the region. Realising that as a group we enjoyed eating together he went out of his way to source and book some excellent restaurants which introduced us to some great local cuisine. At times he must have felt like he was herding cats, everyone eager to be out and about again after two years of lock downs and travel bans, but he was unfailingly patient and somehow managed to accommodate all our diverse interests.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I'd certainly say good shoes are an absolute must. Some of the walking tours in the cities are quite long so you want to be comfortable. Its also worth remembering that the Baltics lie in northern Europe so the weather can be changeable... hot one minute, cold the next with some showers thrown in so I'd recommend warm layers and a decent waterproof.

Suggestions

I'd recommend this trip to anyone wishing to explore the Baltics. There's a lot to see and do and this was a well thought out itinerary which encompassed both the history and the natural beauty of these countries.

Caroline Kolek

Reviewed May 2022

Brilliant Trip

A fabulous trip through three countries. A good mix of city tours, castles, palaces and natural spaces.
Our tour leader, Andreas was very knowledgeable with a good sense of humour. He ensured good restaurants serving local cuisine were selected for those that wanted the group meal each night. He phoned ahead to inform restaurants of any dietary requirements.
A really great guy.
Our local guides for the city tours and places of interest were all real characters – very knowledgeable and approachable.
All in all a fabulous trip, well planned and well lead!

Most Inspirational Moment

The national parks.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A brilliant tour leader. Knowledgeable, approachable with a great sense of humour. Nothing was too much and he clearly cared about the well-being of our group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take gloves and good footwear for city walking.

Suggestions

Fabulous adventure - could do it all again!

Kevin Walsh

Reviewed October 2019

A Baltic autumn

An interesting trip across the three Baltic countries, with the opportunity to see the three capitals and some countryside in between. Tallinn and Riga were both excellent, although Vilnius was less impressive. First two felt like small, self-contained towns however Vilnius was much larger and more “western”. The size of the group was a little large (at 20) and thus tended to break into smaller units – which we felt detracted from the overall experience. The hotels varied in standard and quality, although in the main were relatively faceless city blocks and unfortunately also used by other tourist groups which made the breakfasts in particular a bit of a scrum and thus not particularly enjoyable. The food in the restaurants was however good and there were some excellent places chosen for the group meals (for those who opted to attend) as well as plenty of other options for the “free” evenings. The tour leader (Migle) was efficient and organised and provided an excellent insight into Baltic history, culture and everyday life.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not sure about inspirational, but we particularly liked Tallinn and also the Coronian Spit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

As mentioned above, Migle was efficient, organised and very informative.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check the weather forecast very carefully - we went in mid-September and it was very wet and surprisingly cold.

Suggestions

An enjoyable trip but not up there with the best that we have taken with Exodus.

Benjamin Alan Teece

Reviewed September 2019

The Balkans

This was an excellent trip with excellent trip manager Jolita and good local guides. Very hectic on the go all the time. Covered a great deal of history and would recommend it highly.
One major problem the Hotels are not up to standard of the rest of the trip. Standard Double Rooms were very small and dark and bathrooms miniscule. An option to upgrade should be offered. We upgraded at one Hotel for 20 Euros per night and had a fantastic light and airy room with a balcony and large bathroom fully equiped . This would change the package for the better. One night is OK but 2 / 3 night stays is not on.

Most Inspirational Moment

Tallinn was an inspiration not to be missed its buildings and culture was first class. Trakai castle was a surprise in such a beautiful setting and not too many tourists.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The best, Jolita's ready smile and extensive knowledge made the trip. Her ability to handle any situation that occurred was something special. Her energy was inspiring to us all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Upgrade hotel rooms on 3 and 2 night stays.

Graham and Julie Dobbie

Reviewed September 2019

Fascinating History

We really enjoyed our introduction to these three countries.

Most Inspirational Moment

We enjoyed the medieval feel of Tallin, the art nouveau buildings in Riga, and really enjoyed getting a feel for the history of the countries.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rima was excellent. She imparted her knowlege and love of the countries. She always made sure everyone in the group was taken care of. Good restaurant choices too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Much more European feel in the three countries than expected. We visited mid-August and the weather was warmer and drier than our native Scotland, but pack appropriately (a couple of warmer layers are essential for the early/late part of some days or the rainy days).

Suggestions

Enjoy.

Graham Ritchie

Reviewed September 2019

Great trip!

I generally go for a more active holiday but I enjoyed this cultural trip. The rest of the group were very pleasant and our guide (Megle) was very efficient and informative. There were complaints about hotels but I have to say I was perfectly happy with my accommodation. My one complaint would be the Monday spent in Riga (day 6) – the trip to the beach at Jurmala was nothing special, besides it was too cold to swim and you would have had to wade out about 2km to get water deep enough. The boat trip along the canal and river was no great shakes and the free afternoon in Riga was somewhat spoiled by all the attractions being closed (as they are every Monday). It was rather a waste of a day and would be better being omitted altogether – either spending it elsewhere (Klaipeda or Vilnius?) ar cutting the whole trip short by a day. That however is my only grouse and was overall very happy. Up to the usual Exodus standard.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking over the dunes near Nida (I skipped the boat trip).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Megle was very good. She explained where we were going and what we would see. Her restaurant recommendations were generally good. She was well organised and good at skipping the queues! She was very knowledgeable about all three countries.

Advice for Potential Travellers

nothing in particular.

Suggestions

nope.

Linda Bonner

Reviewed August 2019

Where was the adventure?

Felt more like a coach trip than an adventure holiday…….disappointing

Most Inspirational Moment

The cold war museum

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lovely lady but not a strong tour leader

Susan Steed

Reviewed August 2019

Baltic states tour

Lovely people, good tour guide. A really good mix of places to go.

Most Inspirational Moment

Really enjoyed Kovoian spit, it was a break from the hustle and bustle of the trip and truly beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was good a d got the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it. I have some long term medical problems and I could do it by pacing myself. Everyone is of a like mind and for my first trip abroad on my own it wasn't scary.

Suggestions

The hotel in Vilnius is a bit far out, some of the single rooms were a tad snug for some. As we had local guides we did hear quite a lot of the same info many times. Also three hours is too long for a walking tour without a stop! It wasn't just me either that felt that way.

Richard Ponting

Reviewed July 2019

A very enjoyable trip

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip “Discover the Baltics”. Our Exodus Guide was excellent and each of the specialist guides we had in the various cities and castles were also good. Transport was reliable and comfortable without being luxurious. We noted some members of our group were critical of some of the hotel accomodation, but most of the hotels offered an optional upgrade at very reasonable extra cost and we took advantage of this on one two occasions as my wife is a very light sleeper. We were also recommended some excellent restaurants for evening meals which took the risk out of looking for one ourselves. Lunch venues were organised by a guide in advance and were generally good value and carried the local foods and snacks. Overall we thought the trip was very good value for money and would recommend it to friends.

Most Inspirational Moment

Gaining an understanding of the turbulent history of three counties which have all been occupied by and over-run by foreign forces on many occasions over the last 1000 years. We fully understood why the the locals Celebrated 100yr Indépendance Day in Cesis with traditional music, songs and dancing on Sat 21st June. Joining in the Midsummer celebrations on the river front in Riga on Sunday 22nd June. One big street party with local entertainment, foods and beverages. Brilliant! Sense of awe when visiting some Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Magnificent!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mindaygus Jucius is an excellent guide, he is very knowledgable about the countries we visited and has excellent language skills including English. He has a good sense of humour and is also is very patient.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check with the hotels you are going to be staying in if you are concerned about the facilities that will be available to you. If upgrades are available you may want to consider it. Bear in mind that you will not be spending a lot of time in the rooms as the programme is fairly comprehensive and what free time you will have will probably be spent walking around the towns and cities you are staying in. You will be undertaking city tours of 3 hrs or so and much of the time you will be walking on cobbled streets. Appropriate comfortable footwear is essential. A reasonable level of mobility will be required as some of the old cities are built on hills and you will encounter stairs in some cases.

Suggestions

Dealing with the Exodus office staff when booking and adding an extra day's accomodation at the beginning and end of our tour was handled very well.

Ray Tweedale

Reviewed July 2019

Great tour! Shame about some of the hotels.

Well organised and varied tour with an excellent guide.
Unfortunately our hotel in Tallinn (Go Shnelli) was as good as on the train station platform. As there was no air conditioning we had to have the window open, so the noise and fumes were bad. Fine when the trains finished at 11:30.
The hotel in Riga (Konventa Seta) was very centrally located, which was good, but our room (005) was so dark, as the window faced an apartment block. OK, I suppose, if you’re out till really late at night.
Only one of the hotels used had coffee and tea facilities in the room.
Apart from this we thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Most Inspirational Moment

Trakai castle on the lake; Tallinn old Town; Riga’s Arte Nouveau buildings

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you like tea and coffee, take a travel kettle.

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