#7 Estonia

Arrival in Tallinn, check-in to your hotel and welcome meeting.

After breakfast, we drive to the Lahemaa National Park, where we visit the Manor Houses in Palmse and Vihula. We continue 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.

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. Following a guided tour of the palace, we travel through Lithuania to reach Vilnius late afternoon.

Vilnius is known for its more than 1.200 medieval buildings and 48 churches. The morning sightseeing tour includes 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 Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania and we visit the well preserved Trakai Castle, beautifully located on an island in Lake Galve. The balance of the day is spent en route to Klaipeda, where we arrive late afternoon.

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.

Our first stop is the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante. After that we continue to Nida, where we visit the High Dunes, Thomas Mann’s summerhouse and get acquainted with the charming resort town before we drive back to Klaipeda.

The evening offers an optional Lithuanian dinner at Restaurant 19th Century.

Klaipeda first became a part of Lithuania in 1923 and had a long history as a German town called Memel. A short 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 to the Samogitia National Park, where we embark on a walking tour around the picturesque Lake Plateliai. After that we continue to Siauliai and Cross Hills, one of the holiest sites of Catholic Lithuania.

We head North into Latvia and reach Riga in the afternoon. The evening offers an optional organ concert at the Dome Cathedral.

Riga, founded in 1201 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 Jurmala, the vibrant Latvian sea resort, famous for its wooden architecture and sandy beaches. In the evening enjoy an optional Latvian dinner at the stylish Restaurant La Boheme.

The tour continues along the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort of Parnu. We do a short tour of the resort before we continue through the North Estonian land of forests and arrive in Tallinn early afternoon.

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquillity 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, Dome Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, medieval Old Town Hall and Great Guild Hall.

In the afternoon, an optional excursion is offered to Kadriorg Park and visit to KUMU, the award-winning new Estonian art museum, with its collections of classic and contemporary fine art.

The evening offers an optional medieval dinner at Restaurant Peppersack.

Optional transfer to the airport.