Panorama of the Baltic States | Helsinki Cruise

Meet at Athens airport, check in and fly with Air Baltic to famous Riga, capital and largest city of Latvia. With 700,000 inhabitants it is the largest city in the Baltic states and home to a third of Latvia's population. On arrival our tour leader meets us and we head into the city with our first useful information. Check-in, rest, and in the evening you are free to wander the centre and its picturesque lanes for a walk, dinner or a drink, getting a taste of local life.

After breakfast we tour Riga, starting with the old town, one of the best preserved in Europe. Spread across a plain crossed by the Daugava river, the city "answers" picturesque Vilnius with its own striking Art Nouveau architecture, its historic old quarter, Vecrīga, and its large, beautiful green parks along the old medieval moat, to which it owes much of its fame. We walk through the old town to see wonderful Gothic monuments, buildings in many architectural styles, Town Hall Square and Cathedral Square, and finish in the newer part of the city to admire works of the Art Nouveau movement. The tour ends with a fantastic optional cruise on the Daugava and Riga's lovely canals! Transfer to the hotel and free time to rest. In the afternoon, another great suggestion: a visit to the most beautiful beach on the Baltic! Jūrmala is the largest resort on the Baltic, a strip 32 km long and 3 km wide with wonderful white sand beaches between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe river.
If you want to swim, don't forget your swimsuit; if you prefer Greek beaches, take a stroll along the shore. In the evening, a walk around the city to collect night-time images that recall a knightly fairytale!

After breakfast we leave Riga for Vilnius, the fairytale capital and largest city of Lithuania. The route is wonderful, a real taste of the Baltics, full of unique natural scenes and grand palaces. An important stop is Rundāle Palace, outstanding in its contents and gardens. Built in Baroque style in the 18th century for the Dukes of Courland, it was decorated by sculptors and painters brought from Germany and Italy, and its luxurious details are still the centre of attention. Most rooms are furnished as they were then, and you can see a fully restored suite that once belonged to a duchess. Admire the Gilt Hall and stroll through the Great Gallery. We continue to the country's second largest city and former provisional capital, medieval Kaunas, at the confluence of Lithuania's two largest rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris. The old town, important interwar buildings that make it a reference point for modernism, some excellent museums and plenty of street art and culture (it was European Capital of Culture in 2022) give the city its own charm. We must try an amazing hot chocolate, essential for the rest of our wonderful drive through the fir forests. Besides a pleasant tiredness, this day brings one of the most beautiful parts of our trip, as you feel enchanted by thousands of images you can hardly take in! Evening walk in Vilnius.

After breakfast we waste no time getting to know the city, built at the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers. Like most medieval cities, Vilnius grew up around its Renaissance town hall. We walk along the main pedestrian street, Pilies, to the first, historic university of Vilnius, founded in 1579. We then visit the Cathedral, pass through the Gate of Dawn with its unique icon of the Virgin and end in the Užupis district across the river. You will be impressed by the churches of Saints Peter and Paul and of St Anne, and charmed by the green surroundings of the city. After our tour of Vilnius we visit Trakai, a town literally built on water, surrounded by 200 lakes and 21 small islands. It is considered to have been founded in 1337, when it was first mentioned by the Teutonic Knights, and is known for its multicultural character, as Russians, Tatars, Poles and Jews have lived here for centuries alongside Lithuanians. The three medieval castles of the area are linked to many local legends; the most important is the 15th-century island castle on Lake Galvė. A wooden bridge leads to the castle gate (free entry); in its large courtyard re-enactments of executions and duels are staged, with displays of instruments of torture, and exhibits from different eras fill special rooms. We return to central Vilnius for a last walk before leaving for the airport and our flight to Tallinn. Check-in and overnight. *For Tuesday departures on 4, 11, 18 and 25 August and 1 September, the Vilnius – Tallinn flight leaves at 14:20 (arriving in Tallinn at 15:30).

We are on day 5 and have seen so many wonderful places, but we are certainly not done. This morning we tour Tallinn, walking up Toompea hill to see the old castle with the city's tallest tower, the Baroque palace (now the Parliament) and the superbly preserved 13th-century churches, with a unique view over the old and modern city, the harbour and Tallinn Bay. The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has two levels and exceptionally well-preserved medieval walls and towers. Its market square is dominated by the unique medieval town hall and the oldest pharmacy in Europe. We walk in Kadriorg Park, dedicated to Empress Catherine, with its lovely flowers and swan lake, and visit the neighbouring museum of European painting, once Peter the Great's summer palace. Since Estonian independence, Kadriorg Palace has housed part of the Art Museum of Estonia, with more than 900 paintings by Western European and Russian artists from the 16th to the 20th century, sculptures and precious stones. The splendid gardens in front of the palace, covering about 100 hectares with flowers and two facing ponds, are also worth seeing. We also see the ruins of the Pirita convent, dedicated to St Bridget. The rest of the day is yours in a city that is truly worth it.

Today is free to stroll and explore the city's beautiful spots. Alternatively, join us on an optional day cruise across the Baltic to Helsinki, the impressive capital of Finland, world leader in coffee consumption and home of reindeer meat! Its landmark is the Lutheran Cathedral, imposing with its green domes, impressive in both size and simplicity. We visit Helsinki's old covered market, where we can buy local products and enjoy distinctive, little-known Finnish cuisine, starring fish and especially salmon, cooked and marinated in many imaginative ways. Although it is in the city centre, this market is a favourite of locals for everyday outings and meals. Nearby, on busy Narinkka square, we see the wooden Kamppi Chapel, impressive for its unusual architecture. Another special church is the Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral, with a distinctive history that still makes it a reference point for the Russian presence in Finland. Other sights include the Helsinki SkyWheel, the Natural History Museum, the Helsinki City Museum, the Railway Station, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ateneum Art Museum, the Sibelius Monument and the Parliament. But what will surely impress you is the covered market on the harbour, where you will truly feel Finnish… With these lovely images we leave Scandinavia behind and sail back across the Baltic to Tallinn.

After a good breakfast we leave to visit Tartu, Estonia's second largest city, home of the country's oldest university. Tartu represents the country's cultural character and offers a special insight into the local way of life, combining cultural tradition and humanist philosophy with the full use of technology in everyday life. Estonia's wonderful chocolate, known worldwide, has its flagship shop in Tartu. Next stop is Turaida Castle, where we hear of a medieval love story full of passion and feudal intrigue. It is one of Latvia's most impressive castles, in the Gauja river valley at 80 metres above sea level. Its name means "God's garden", and it was built in 1214 as the residence of the Archbishop of Riga on the site of an earlier wooden castle of the Livs. In the following centuries it was conquered in turn by Poles, Swedes and Russians, and after a fire in 1776 it was destroyed and abandoned.
Its gradual restoration began in the second half of the 20th century, and today it is the most visited castle in the country, housing a museum on the history of the region from the 11th century. We continue to Riga, check in and have free time for a last visit to the Latvian capital.

Our last day: after a good breakfast and a little free time, we leave for the airport and our return flight.