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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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117 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Reviews

Disappointing

The actual rides did not match the trip notes. The description that suggested we would be on trails seeing lots of small villages and churches, the Baltic Sea; the lakes were not true. We rarely saw any of the suggested items. We cycled a lot of roads which was pressured for time and one day on a supposed coast road it was a long slog on a main road with heavy traffic with no views to the sea or lake. The itinerary stated going through forests and meadows but you might as well describe a journey from Kendal to Penrith as travelling through mountains past lakes and pastures but you’re still on the M6!
We were often late getting started on the ride( one day 5pm) and rushed for the showers and evening meals so it felt like boot camp. It needed a rest day built in. We decided to skip one ride to visit Riga as there was v little time to sightsee the major cities otherwise. The bikes were heavy and not well maintained as was the coach which finally broke down delaying the start of that days riding which meant missing the end destination of a monastery. Some people were on e bikes and were often allowed to set the speed so we were v often v spread out and this caused problems for the leader with people getting lost. The trip needs a complete revamp and possibly more initial assessment of individuals needs as these were v varied and would have helped to know peoples sizes to fit the bikes better.
Badly planned; poorly led; badly maintained bikes and dishonestly described trip notes which should fall under the rules of the trade description act. Promised a lot but didn’t deliver

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed the swims in lakes and the Cold War and Amber museums. The last day was the best with a cycle ride on quieter roads with no traffic through more interesting countryside than the usual pine forests ( which became a bit samey ) a boat trip and a swim in the lake. The overall trip needed more variety like this particular day. The choice of hotels was ok. The city visits were good but needed more time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vee was possibly new to the tour and had some challenges to deal with both with poor bikes , a lady who was sick and needing hospital admission, a dodgy coach and a group with v different needs. She also got lost on occasions. She wasn't v clear with her instructions and didn't always wait for us all to come together before imparting them which was a consequence of her allowing the group to get too spread out. Her English was good but she confused the group with mixing vital parts of information with then too many options. However she gave us lots of history of the three countries plus her own experience of having lived during the occupation. She arranged a number of activities but timings were not always well planned. I do feel though that a trip like this with a big group ( we were 15) needed two guides.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't do it! But if you decide to bring your own sink plugs!

Review Centre
Reply from Exodus

We take great pride in our tour leaders at Exodus and the positive impact they have on most of our trips. We were, therefore, concerned to discover that yours appeared unprepared to deliver your cycling trip to the high standards we expect. We have an experienced pool of leaders in the Baltics, who receive consistently strong feedback from our groups, however, you may be aware that this was your leader’s first departure with Exodus. Though our leaders undergo thorough training, which includes our extensive induction module, we still find that they find their first trips somewhat daunting, and it appears that this was true of your leader. Though we have every faith in her to be a successful leader for us with additional training, following a review, we do not feel that she is right for our cycling tours and can confirm that she will not be leading any Cycle the Baltics departures this year. We recognise this cannot change anything for you, but we do hope it shows that we listen to our customers’ views and act on feedback to improve our trips.

Vivien Urban, Product Manager

Cycling in the Baltics but allocated a poor guide

We were looking forward to discovering more about the Baltic states whilst cycling, however we were let down by being allocated a new guide with very poor English who was unfamiliar with the trip. Fortunately we had a lonely planets guide book and were able to make up for what should have been offered. The group was very good fun and we were able to make the best of a difficult situation, however we felt that this trip was well below what we would expect from Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Baltics are great countries to see by bike, with great scenery. Estonia was so clean and full of history. We found an Old believers Museum (from the guide book) and Tartu was so modern. Latvia was pleasant, but hunger overtook us by 3pm with no lunch stop and Riga was fabulous. It would have been helpful to have been told ahead of time that Midsummers day is the Biggest festival of the year in these countries and we found somewhere to celebrate- eventually! And on to Lithuania. We almost missed the Hill of Crosses (iconic place in Lithuania) as it is not on the itinerary. But we made a forced stop! Klaipeda and the Curonian Spit are stunning, but there was so much more we could have been told about it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Valdas was a nice chap but had been placed in a difficult situation and was not a suitable guide for this trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check who the guide is to be. Reviews since have been more favourable.

Review Centre
Reply from Exodus

Thank you for sharing your feedback, Nia. We sincerely regret that your Cycling the Baltics trip did not meet the high standards we strive to provide, particularly in relation to your tour leader’s performance. We fully understand how essential a knowledgeable and communicative tour leader is to the overall experience, and we are truly sorry that this aspect fell short. While the leader assigned to your departure had prior experience leading cycling tours, was highly recommended, and was thoroughly briefed on the itinerary, we acknowledge that they were not as prepared as they should have been. We also regret that this left you relying on a guidebook to fill in the gaps—this is certainly not the experience we want for our travellers. Following your feedback, we have since taken steps to prevent this from happening again. We have strengthened our leader training, with a particular focus on itinerary knowledge, bike maintenance, and communication skills. Additionally, we have refined our trip preparation process to ensure all future leaders are fully equipped to deliver the informative and engaging experience our travellers expect. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, as it helps us improve. While we regret that this trip did not meet expectations, we are grateful you were still able to enjoy the company of your group and make the best of the situation. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another adventure in the future—one that reflects the exceptional experience you deserve.

 

Vivien Urban, Exodus Product Manager

Great Trip

Fascinating trip through 3 countries led by an excellent group leader, Lina

Most Inspirational Moment

The beaches on the Baltic - clean, respected, scenic and perhaps surprising how inviting they were.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lina was excellent - always attentive and enthusiastic. She provided loads of background information and history of the countries. She never tired and always supported us all. Great leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try this trip - you won't be disappointed. Plenty of exercise, good food and, on our trip, really great company (and warm weather).

Cycle the Baltics

Brilliant time with Cycle The Baltics. This was our first cycle adventure but now plan to do more. All three countries were beautiful with such interesting histories. Cycling each day was tough but manageable with plenty of enjoying breaks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably spending time at the freedom museum in Riga. However trip had so many different highlights from eating fresh smoked fish, going to markets and swimming in lakes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was a fantastic leader, full of fun and keeping us all entertained. Andrius kept us busy day and night and added his own personal touch and freely shared his life experience of growing up in the Baltic’s. The best tour leader I have ever had.

Having a blast in the Baltics

A wonderful cycle through some of the best parts of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania averaging about 35-40 km a day. It takes in the cultural highlights of the three Baltic states including some stunning scenery, forest trails and four swimming opportunities in the sea and a lake. The trip was made truly memorable by our awesome guide Lina, who combined being an excellent cycling leader with her ‘en-cyclo-paedic’ knowledge of the history and culture of all the places we visited. She also shared her own experience of life in Soviet-era Lithuania including facing the Russian tanks after independence was declared in 1990. The trip was made extra-special by traveling with such a great group of like-minded people, making it all my best Exodus trip so far. Highly recommended!

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling out of the forest and onto the beach a few times, plus the cute villages.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awesome! Lina the en-cyclo-paedia was brilliant!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try not to take a picture while cycling (as I did) as you'll fall off :)

Exploring the Baltic States

An easy cycling trip exploring the 3 Baltic states, their capitals, countryside and beaches, as well as gaining a good understanding of their social, political and historical background up to the present day.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not a moment but a week long growing admiration for the peoples of all 3 states who have fought over centuries to keep their separate cultures, languages and political/national identities. Excellent high quality food, cleanliness and quietness.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent leader, knowledgeable about all 3 countries, very well organised, thoughtful of everyone's needs and enjoyment. She definitely went the extra mile to make it a most enjoyable trip for everyone - with a wide range of ages and countries.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't go if your main aim is to do a lot of fast cycling . Do go if you want to see and learn about Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and if you are a road cyclist try a heavier bike out first.

Baltic cycling

Good trip enjoyed by all

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved it all

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Andrew was great he went above and beyond what was required

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy

Great way to see these three countries

This was a fasinating trip and and an excellent way to experience the three countries. The culture, the people, the food and drink. The cycling was generally easy and flat. The bikes were fairly heavy but behaved well. The pannier was a great way to easily carry gear you may need during the day. Andrius was a great guide with masses of information about the history of the countries. His sense of humour was brilliant and he looked after us very well organising places to eat, getting snacks for lunches and choosing a beer!
We had a great driver in Anatoli who was very patient waiting for us when we had an impromptu stop, or two, for an icecream.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the cold war bunker and the Hill of Witches

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was very accommodating and discussed plans for each day and possible variations on the itinerary. He'd lived under Russian rule and it was great to hear his first hand account. He kept us entertained on the coach with his audio clips and sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Mosquito repellant is a must as they even bite through your clothing. Take an extra towel in case you want to experience swimming in the Baltic.

An amazing holiday

A great way to see all three Baltic Countries with really pretty reasonably easy cycling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was amazing. The most interesting well informed leader who looked after us all and kept us constantly well fed, well informed with history of each country, entertained with stories, music, Tom Lehrer, and was amazingly knowledgeable in every respect. The Baltics were a great surprise with so much history, some of it in the times of the Soviets not very happy, very beautiful and spotlessly clean and tidy. We also had some wonderful food too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Really excellent holiday however a couple of the hotel rooms were very hot with no air conditioning at all. I am an experience cyclist and while the bikes worked well they were heavy and had poor gearing. I have been on many cycling holidays, the majority with Exodus but there were the heaviest bikes I have used so far on any holiday. Other than that, as I said earlier, just a wonderful holiday and only 3 potholes!!!

Wonderful trip with plenty of variety

This trip was fantastic. Every day we had something different to look forward to knowing Andrius would give us the best experience possible. There was so much to learn about the history of the three countries, it really makes a difference actually being there to hear first hand from locals how life has changed for them over the years. Beautiful scenery, swimming in the Baltic, cycling along a beach, visiting all three capitals, eating the local food, all highlights of the trip. The cycling was enjoyable as not to demanding and the bikes did the job although basic. The hotels were fine, especially as we hardly spent any time in the rooms due to the constant activities organised. Our group gelled well and we had much fun together, including with Andrius who arranged all of the dinners and lunches for us. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Our coach driver was excellent and a good support to Andrius fixing bikes etc. He also worked tirelessly to ensure we all had a good time. If you are considering this trip, do it!

Most Inspirational Moment

It was all inspirational as there was so much to see and plenty to learn about the history of the Baltic countries. I have recommend this trip to several friends.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was very passionate about his job, giving 100%+ every day. He has a great sense of humour and made sure everyone got what they wanted out of the trip. He adapted certain rides to suit the group. We enjoyed an excellent cycle tour around Vilnius on the last day. He has great knowledge about the three countries and didn't tire of the many questions we asked him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Accept that the bikes are basic, they do the job as the route is mainly flat. Any issues are sorted out by the leader or coach driver. You'll appreciate your own bike all the more on your return home!