Reviews

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

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71 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Carolyn Baxter

Reviewed June 2018

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

anne higgins

Reviewed September 2017

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.

Linda Romalin

Reviewed June 2017

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.

Shona Tudor

Reviewed June 2017

Discover the Baltics

We had 12 days touring through the baltics at the end if May. The hotels, coaches and food were similar standard to the UK. There is usually an English menu. The tour guide was mostly interested in history which was not my interest in so much detail. The three countries are really small so the sights are not as good as other countries but the flip side of that is that it isn’t as busy. The weather was similar to the UK. Take warm clothes for the evenings.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing all the storks and cormorants nesting. I went at the end of May so this would only apply to this time of year. I liked the hill of witches which shows the artistic spirit from the last few years. Also we happened on to a folk dancing festival and they are so much better than our folk dancing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jolita was enthusiastic, especially about the history of the region. She was really scatty in terms of giving us information we NEEDED. I had to ask others when my flight was 30 mins late. She wittered on and on and although she thought she spoke English she didn't bother trying to get the words in the correct order. I understand it is difficult though as all three countries have different languages so she had to speak Russian as well. It made it really hard to get the crucial information when she was going on and on. She kept saying da da da. We went out as a group the first and last night.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Advice would be to take a travel kettle as only one hotel supplied one also decaf coffee wasn't available. The hotels had wi-fi without passwords so I would recommend installing hotspot vpn before you travel so no-one else can access you phone etc. I have damaged my ankles walking so much on cobbles so I would recommend hiking boots with ankle support. There are lots of opportunities to go to mini supermarkets so don't worry if you forget anything. I took binoculars as there are alot of birds esp storks nesting. The leader wasn't interested which was a shame.

Jean Brouwer

Reviewed June 2017

Great tour with very interesting history

This tour covered a lot of ground in a short time. We learned so much of the history of this area and its people. It was good to have mix of activities in the cities and country areas. We visited old castles and palaces, national parks, museums, cities and small towns. There was a very good balance of organized activities and time to explore on our own.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are so many churches still in existence and used for artistic activities such as music and art, as well as for worship. Many have been extensively renovated in a variety of styles. Despite difficult times, people retained their cultural background and creativity and are proud of their countries. Everywhere there are memorials to celebrate writers, poets, musicians.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Migle was outstanding. She was totally involved with the countries we visited and her knowledge of the history and current events was conveyed in a way which kept our interest throughout the trip. Her personality and charm, and her professionalism shone through.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for lots of walking over cobbled roads and pavements. You may have to haul your bags up a couple of flights of stairs in some hotels. Read the trip notes before you travel and as you go so that you spend your free time most efficiently and don't cover ground which you will be covering in the guided walks.

Susan Blake

Reviewed October 2016

Beautiful Baltics

Nearly two weeks travelling through the Baltic countries, this tour was a nice mix of historic cities and national parks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Should I ever be lucky enough to own a palace, I would like to decorate it like Rudland Palace, one of the many beautiful places we visited. I really like the rococo stucco decorations. I was also inspired by all the public art, especially the sculptures I saw in all sorts of random places.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jolita, our group leader was fantastic, Nothing was too much trouble for her and she did everything she could to make sure everyone had a good time and a hassle free trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

During our city stays, there was plenty of free time so read your guidebook in advance to come up with a plan of how to make the best use of your time, The food in all three countries was excellent and good value although vegetarians might struggle to find much variety. On the other hand, chocoholics will do well. Luckily, we did a lot of walking to make up for all the great food.

Marion Strangways

Reviewed August 2016

The Baltics

We arrived at the airport and Jolita the rep met us, but then we had to wait for the transport to come and collect us! She had to ring him to ask him where he was….. The first hotel was being renovated, the room was OKish, but I opened the window and being short couldn’t manage to close it without standing on the chair in the room. The breakfast room was far to small for all the guests. All the other hotels were OK, except for the last one, bright lights, music and a bit too far out of town, the room was dull even with the light on, but it had no main light just side lights, and no carpet, it was OK to walk into town during the day but on an evening even though there were street lights it was dim.
This was a cultural trip, but towards the end I was a bit “cultured” out. I also got bit/stung by either mosquitoes or horse flies, not nice.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Occupational Museum, The KGB Museum and the former Missile Site were amazing, as I was involved with the Cold War in the 80's. The Palaces and city/town tours were really good.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jolita the tour guide was exceptional, a walking encloypedia, her knowledge, the history of the places we visited, she gave us so much information, she really is a credit to your company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you wear insect repellent every day even though you think you might not need it as it wasn' that hot, but the bites I got were nasty, I only applied repellent on a night but after the bites/stings I put it on every day.

Wendy Powell

Reviewed August 2016

Discover the Baltics.

This was a 12 day holiday covering three countries,Estonia,Latvia and Lithuania, so quite full on. Be prepared for living out of a suitcase as you stay in 7 different hotels. However it’s worth it as you travel through these beautiful countries,full of character,history and amazing architecture. Tallinn for it’s pretty cobbled streets, Riga for its fantastic Art Nouveau architecture and Vilnius for its quaint and Old Town. You need a good pair of walking shoes as you can do up to 3-4 hours wandering around cobbled streets,or through forests. I would so suggest you carry an umbrella as the weather can be quite changeable even in the summer months!

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the Holocaust museum in Vilnius left me reflecting how we as humans can be so destructive and cause so much pain. It made me realise just how much the people of Lithuania had suffered at the hands of others,so afterwards feeling rather low a few of us visited the Cat cafe,for coffee and a a little cuddle with a few moggies!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Migle was a great group leader, not only was she was a mind of information she had a great sense of humour and made the trip a very memorable one. She was great with time-keeping and extremely well organised. One chap got rather lost when venturing out on his own and she managed to find him and bring back safely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I think the 'trip notes' were slightly misleading as you were lead to believe there might be longish walks; well I certainly thought so. However, we rather sauntered through the various towns we visited, and the walk in The Forest of Witches was not very tiring an only took about an hour. On this walk I recommend insect repellent though. Also don't be put off by the thought of a swim in the Baltic Sea it was 18 degrees and I wish did brought my swimming stuff with me! Also take an umbrella; I went in July and it rained a fair bit,but when the sun came out it was extremely warm , so have your sun cream to hand.

James Thomson

Reviewed August 2016

Discover the Baltics

An introduction to the present day Baltic states and to their long and complex histories. Despite many wars and invasions much of their heritage survives for you to admire. They cherish their freedom – when you see the evidence of the Soviet occupation you can understand why! The tour covers a lot of ground but at a sensible pace leaving time for your own sightseeing.

Most Inspirational Moment

The three old towns of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius are fascinating.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jolita was very good. An excellent leader, knowledgeable guide, and ever willing to answer questions and offer advice.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Expect changeable weather! This is northern Europe. Tallinn old town can be a bit crowded in the middle of the day due to cruise ship parties so do your own exploration early and late in the day Meals in "international" restaurants can be pricey. Go to the local restaurants which are just as good and are cheaper.

Andrew Johnston

Reviewed July 2016

Discover the Baltics

An excellent trip.Most hotels of a very good standard. Very interesting sights. A few long drives but no early starts. Very relaxing and enjoyable. The trip gave an excellent insight into these Baltic States.

Most Inspirational Moment

The art nouveau buildings of Riga but the warm sunny day on the Curonian Spit was also very enjoyable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader Jolita was superb. Gave us a wealth of detail on local history. Knowledgeable and helpful and always enthusiastic and good-humoured.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip I went on was end June. It was a lot warmer than I anticipated (28-33C on most days). Take a blindfold if you need the dark to sleep during that time of year. A good meal out can be a bit expensive. Trip notes say 15 euros for a 3 course meal. Budget nearer 20 euros. Inspect repellent in some places is necessary.

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