Baltic Panoramas: Tallinn - Helsinki - Tallinn - Riga - Vilnius (8 days / 7 nights)
DAY 1: TALLINN (arrival)
Arrival in Tallinn and welcoming by the local English speaking guide at the airport of Tallinn. Transfer to the hotel, check-in, dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: TALLINN
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning meeting with a local English speaking guide for a 3 hour excursion through Tallinn. The tour of this magnificent Hanseatic city covers the visit to the old town, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. You will get a chance to visit the upper (Toompea fortress and Parliament, Orthodox and Lutheran cathedrals, panoramic viewpoint) and lower (Town Hall square, Merchant Guild Houses) parts of the old town.
In the afternoon excursion to KUMU art museum, a new type of modern multifunctional art building that contains exhibition halls, lecture hall offering diverse facilities, and an educational centre for young visitors and for art lovers. On the way to the museum you will also pass the beautiful Kadriorg park with its palace, the seaside area to have a look at Russalka monument, Pirita Monastery and the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds where the famous song festivals take place. Return to Tallinn. Dinner at the restaurant in the city centre.
Overnight: TALLINN
DAY 3: TALLINN - HELSINKI - TALINN (160 km)
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning transfer to Tallinn ferry terminal. Departure to Helsinki on a fast hydrofoil. Arrival to Helsinki and meeting with a local guide for a city tour of Helsinki. During the tour you will see the Lutheran Cathedral by the Senate Square, the Uspensky Cathedral, the Governmental Palace and the University of Helsinki. The Sibelius Monument, a huge steel structure resembling a set of organ pipes, symbolizes the music of the greatest Finnish composer. An absolute must on a tour of Helsinki is a visit to the "Rock Church". The walls are of natural Finnish rock and the ceiling is faced with copper wire. Free time. Return to Tallinn. Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: TALLINN
DAY 4: TALLINN - PARNU - GAUJA NATIONAL PARK - RIGA (350 km)
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning departure to Riga. On the way you stop in Parnu, the summer capital of Estonia. Walk at the white sandy beach. Continue towards Gauja National park, surrounded by hilly river banks and sandy caves. Visit to the 13th century Turaida castle, built under the order of Teutonic knight and Riga‘s bishop. Arrival to Riga. Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: RIGA
DAY 5: RIGA – ETHNOGRAPHIC OPEN AIR MUSEUM - RIGA (60 km)
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning your local guide will take you for a 3 hour excursion through Riga, the „Metropolis of the Baltics“. The tour will cover the most impressive places of the city: The Old Town, surrounded by a water channel, with the famous Dome cathedral, St. John and St. Peter churches, the Freedom Monument, National Opera, Parliament, Castle and the cosy spacious squares. The tour will continue to a remarkable Art Nouveau district, the architectural and artistic answer to the literary Modernist movement in the late 19th century.
In the afternoon excursion to ethnographic open air museum. The museum houses authentic homes, farmsteads, windmills, wooden churches and fishing villages which represent different regions of Latvia through the last three centuries. Return to Riga. Dinner at the restaurant in Riga’s old town.
Overnight: RIGA
DAY 6: RIGA - RUNDALE - HILL OF CROSSES - VILNIUS (350 km)
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning departure to Vilnius. On the way stop in Rundale for a short excursion to Rundale Palace, a baroque jewel designed by Italian architect F.B. Rastrelli, who is known for his world famous Hermitage palace in St. Petersburg. On the way through the natural countryside of Lithuania with its wide open views, you will visit the famous Hill of Crosses, with over 50,000 crosses built from different materials. Continue towards Vilnius. Arrival, check - in. Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: RIGA
DAY 7: VILNIUS – TRAKAI – VILNIUS (50 km)
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning meeting with your local English speaking guide for a 3 hours city tour of Vilnius, visiting the most magnificent places: Cathedral Square, Presidential Palace Square, Vilnius University, gothic corner with the churches of St. Anne and St. Bernardine, the old Jewish ghetto, Town Hall Square, the Gates of Dawn.
In the afternoon a half day guided excursion to Trakai, former capital of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, surrounded by three lakes, known as the biggest Karaite minority town. Visit to the 15th century insular castle. After the visit we recommend you to taste the exclusive Karaite dish „Kibinai“. Return to Vilnius. Dinner at the restaurant in the old town of Vilnius.
Overnight: VILNIUS
DAY 8: VILNIUS
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time. Departure transfer to the airport of Vilnius.
The price includes:
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•7 overnights at the chosen hotel category
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•Daily breakfast
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•Half board (7 x times dinner)
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•Arrival and departure transfers
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•Private comfortable air-conditioned motor coach services according to the program
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•English speaking local guide services according the program
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•English speaking escort throughout the travel
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•Entrances: KUMU art museum, ferry tickets to Helsinki, Turaida Castle, Riga ethnographic open air museum, Rundale palace, Vilnius University, Trakai castle.
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•21st person free of charge in double room
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•Taxes