Reviews

Cycling and sightseeing in the Baltics

A very well organised and interesting trip, combining exercise and sightseeing in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Our guide Vaida was calm, helpful, knowledgable, kind and fun – an ideal cycling guide.

The trip gave 4 nights in Estonia, 2 in Latvia and 4 in Lithuania, with a combination of cycling, learning about the cities we visited, and socialising with the group. The cycling was straightforward, mostly flat riding in forests or by the sea, sometimes with a headwind. It was mostly cool which is good for cycling. The group were of mixed ability, so some went ahead whilst others went more slowly to enjoy the views.

It was good to visit this area of Europe to get to know more about it. Breakfasts were substantial, and I have developed a love of herring – though this is not necessary!

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.

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.

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.

Beautiful autumn cycling

Great trip with a wonderful group and just sooo much to see plus lots of great food!

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.

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.

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”.

Cycle the Baltics

Excellent trip with brilliant tour leader, with surprisingly good weather for the time of year.