Baltic Impressions

June - August, 10 days / 9 nights

Baltic Impressions is a brand new Vamos Travel tour of the Baltic States. As well as including the three Baltic capitals (Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius) the tour also takes you to a number of less well-known cities in Lithuanian, Riga and Estonia giving you a more informed Baltic State holiday experience. It is a great programme that covers the iconic sites as well as many of the Baltic State’s sightseeing hidden treasures. It offers a good balance of guided sightseeing and freetime for personal explorations making altogether a Baltic State holiday to enjoy for a long time to come!

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Day 1 – Thursday:

Arrival in Tallinn, optional transfer to Hotel Reval Olympia**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

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Day 2 – Friday:

After breakfast we head south to Tartu, the university town, where Estonia gained its statehood. We see the charming Old Town and the University founded in 1632. From Tartu we drive onwards into Latvia to Cesis, a Hanseatic city with winding streets, castle ruins and beautiful gardens. We see the ruins of the Castle of the Livonian Order and the St. John’s Church before we check in at the Hotel Cesis*** or similar.

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Day 3 – Saturday:

Today we drive through the Gauja National Park to Sigulda, a popular holiday resort. We see the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and the ruins of the Castle of the Knights of the Sword before we drive around Riga to hit the highway down to Vilnius. En route we reach the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. After a guided tour of the palace we travel through Lithuania to reach Vilnius late afternoon, upon arrival in Vilnius we check in at Hotel Reval Lietuva**** or similar.

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Day 4 – Sunday:

Vilnius is known for its more than 1,200 medieval buildings and 48 churches. The morning sightseeing tour include a panoramic tour of the city and a walking tour of the Old Town with Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower, Peter and Paul Church, St. Anna’s Church, Old University and the Gates of Dawn. After the tour we continue to Kaunas, the former capital of Lithuania and we take a short stroll in the Old Town with the elegant Old Town Hall and Gothic cathedral. The balance of the day is spend en route to Klaipeda, where we arrive late afternoon and check-in at Hotel Klaipeda**** or similar.

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Day 5 – Monday:

The day is reserved for a full-day optional tour to the Curonian Spit, a thin, 100 km stretch of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon with small fishing villages, pine forests and endless sand dunes. We visit the resort town of Nida with the High Dunes and Thomas Mann’s summerhouse. On the way back to Klaipeda we make a stop at the Hill of Witches in the resort town of Juodkrante and the evening offers an optional Lithuanian dinner at the traditional Restaurant Forta Dvoras Uzeiga.

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Day 6 – Tuesday:

Klaipeda first became a part of Lithuania in 1923 and had a long history as a German town called Memel. The morning’s sightseeing tour takes us to the Old Town with its narrow, cobblestone streets and old guild houses and we visit the Theatre Square and the Aennchen von Tharau Fountain. We now continue northbound for the Latvian port of Liepaja, which takes its name from the numerous lime trees in the city. After a short stroll in the Old Town with its Trinity Church we drive through the former Duchy of Courland. We reach Riga late in the afternoon and check-in at Reval Hotel Latvija**** or similar.

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Day 7 – Wednesday:

Riga founded in 1,201 by the German bishop Albert is the largest of the 3 Baltic capitals and boasts a true kaleidoscope of various architectural styles. The walking tour of the Old Town includes Riga Castle, Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, Swedish Gates, Three Brothers, Large and Small Guild House and the Freedom Monument. The afternoon is reserved for an optional visit to Ethnographical Open Air Museum, a large exposition of 18th century Latvian countryside life. In the evening enjoy an optional Baltic seafood dinner at the modern Restaurant Kalku Varti.

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Day 8 – Thursday:

The tour continues via the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort, Parnu, with a short tour of the resort and a leisurely walk on the beach. The balance of the day goes through North Estonian land of forest to Tallinn, check-in at Hotel Reval Olympia**** or similar.

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Day 9 – Thursday:

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquility and modern urban life. The medieval Old Town is a busy place in the summer with its many shops, galleries, souvenir markets, outdoor cafés and restaurants. The sightseeing tour takes us around the old medieval city walls and into the Old Town where we see Toompea Castle, the Dome Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and medieval Old Town Hall. In the afternoon an optional excursion is offered to Kadriorg Park with a visit to the re-opened Kadriorg Palace and its art collections. The evening offers an optional genuine medieval dinner at the Restaurant Pepersack.

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Day 10 – Friday:

Breakfast optional transfer to the airport.

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Price includes:

International flights plus all taxes
9 overnights at centrally located 4 star hotels
9 x buffet breakfast
9 x evening meals
Arrival and departure transfers
Welcome meeting with champagne-cocktail or juice
Entrances to Livonian Castle in Cesis, Rundale Palace, Gediminas Tower in Vilnius, Peter’s Church in Riga and medieval Old Town Hall in Tallinn
Service of English and German speaking tour escort on all tours
Service of 1st class motor coaches or 1st class minivans throughout the itinerary
Portage at hotels
Service and VAT


Optional:
8-hour excursion to the Curonian Spit: £50.00 pp
Lithuanian dinner at Restaurant Forta Dvoras in Klaipeda: £19.00 pp
3-hour excursion to Ethnographic Open Air Museum: £25.00 pp
Seafood dinner at Restaurant Kalku Varti in Riga: £24.00 pp
3-hour excursion to Kadriorg Park and visit to Kadriorg Palace: £25.00 pp
Medieval dinner at Restaurant Peppersack: £27.50 pp