Baltic Travel: One Week Baltics Itinerary
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Are you headed to the Baltics? Check out this one week Baltics itinerary perfect for capital sightseeing in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. These Baltic travel vacation stops are ideal for a 7-day to 10-day Baltics road trip.
I always recommend spending as much time as possible in a country without rushing through the sights. However, this isn’t always possible with vacation time and life. If you are headed to the Baltic states–Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia–I suggest at least a 7 to 10-day Baltic vacation period to get you started.
Seven days felt a tad short for us but doable. One week in the Baltics would have been sufficient if we could have flown into Vilnius, Lithuania and out of Tallinn, Estonia. Unfortunately or fortunately, Riga, Latvia offered us one layover versus two and much cheaper prices. We flew from Florida to London to Riga.
Since Riga lands in the middle of the Baltics, we decided to figure 8 the countries for our Baltics road trip, adding a tad more driving. However, the extra cruising meant more road stops to explore towns like Pärnu and Kaunas. Imagine landing at a cute convenient store in the middle of Lithuania trying to communicate girlie issues and a desperate need to pee.
Table of Contents
Best Weeklong Baltics Itinerary Plan:
If you are craving a small taste of the Baltics states, check out the capitals and consider going:
Vilnius < Riga < Tallinn (or vice versa)
Due to our flights–and you may find this to be your situation–our week in the Baltics itinerary looked like:
Riga < Vilnius < Riga < Tallin < Riga
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes…
Was it awful? Nope! I kind of loved breaking up the countries and returning to Riga like an old friend.
You should also know that Tallinn to Vilnius is about 8 hours of driving. Riga is in the middle from Vilnius and Tallinn at 4 hours. You can fly between the cities, as well, but we loved road tripping around the Baltics. Airport time would take just as long.
Our total 7 day Baltics itinerary looked like:
Riga < Hill of Crosses, Kaunas, Vilnius < Riga < Pärnu, Tallinn < Pärnu, Riga
If you are adventurous, you can add in a few more Baltic holidays destinations like Tartu, Sigulda, Jurmala, and Trakai. This fuller Baltics itinerary would work best like this:
Riga < Hill of Crosses, Kaunas, Vilnius < Trakai, Riga < Pärnu, Tallinn < Tartu, Sigulda or Jurmala, Riga
Phew. I don’t know about you, but when I am travel planning, I love seeing my driving route planned out first. Once I have my chosen cities and map game plan, I book hotels. Lastly, I plan activities–although these are in my mind throughout the process.
Are you ready to start designing your 7-day Baltics itinerary? Keep reading for bulleted places of interest in each city mentioned above.
Baltic Travel: One Week Baltics Itinerary
Since many of TUL readers originate from the United States, this 7-day Baltics itinerary will start in Riga, Latvia. However, you can easily pick and choose pieces of this Baltics road trip guide if you start in Vilnius or Tallinn–and never hesitate to email me or comment below with logistical questions.
Be on the lookout for full Baltics capital guides, Baltics driving tips, and what to drink in the Baltics on TUL too.
Baltic Vacation Day One: Riga, Latvia
Renting A Car For Touring The Baltic States
Flying from Orlando to London/Gatwick on Thomas Cook (they no longer exist, ek!), we arrived in Riga, Latvia with half a day to spare before starting our Baltics road trip. We seamlessly rented a car with rentalcars.com. In Latvia, this was definitely one of the cheapest rental car experiences we’ve had, and it was great.
I say this just having returned from expensive Iceland, though.
We walked a short distance to Auto5, they shuttled us to pick up our little poop colored Corolla (lovingly deemed ‘Shit Baby Cakers’–message me for the secret story), and off we went. Our 5 AM drop off later that week was fast and simple too.
Half Day In Riga
We landed in Riga a tad exhausted from our red-eye flight, but we always go all in–ballz to the wallz.
Fantasizing of a chill start, we headed to the park, Vērmanes dārzs. Here, you can also find a little outdoor tea hut, Apsara, with tea and boxed wine perfect for people-watching.
P.S. I loved the parks and walking spaces throughout the Baltics. There are a ton of outdoor areas, parks, trails, and walkways, and everyone is out catching some rays and good vibes. You can even rent bikes.
If you are looking for a few walking points of interest for pretty pictures, history, and must-sees in Riga, Latvia, start with:
- Nativity of Christ Cathedral
- St. Peter’s Church
- Riga Art Space
- Town Hall Square
- Riga Castle
- The Powder Tower
- Latvian War Museum
- The Freedom Monument
- The House of Blackheads
Chain hotels are not everyone’s jam, but the Baltics are infamous for Radisson Hotels; I am all about those points and comfy upgrades. We spent our first and last Riga nights at the Radisson Blu Elizabete. You cannot go wrong with glass elevators, all the amenities, and an omelet station. Of course, there is another huge Radisson right next door with a sky bar too. Choose wisely.
Night at Radisson Blu Elizabete.
Drink of choice: A Syrah at Apsara in the park.
Baltics Road Trip Begins Day Two: Riga, Latvia To The Hill Of Crosses, Kaunas, and Vilnius in Lithuania
Every day for our week in the Baltics, we planned to be on the road by 9/9:30 AM, right after any perceived rush hour. The cities get slightly congested for driving but it’s not as terrifying as say, Palermo, Sicily.
Once you escape the city craze, country road welcomes you. I won’t lie, the scenery is slightly boring AF, but hey, it’s quiet. Let the Baltic travel begin!
Baltics Itinerary Unique Must: Hill Of Crosses, Lithuania
Even though the Hill of Crosses is slightly out of your way to Vilnius, you should stop by to check out the over 200,000 crosses transplanted here. The ride from Riga to the Hill of Crosses will take you about one hour and 45 minutes.
Eerie yet serene, I’d budget at least 45 minutes here with a small price for parking if you choose to stop at the visitor center with clean restrooms.
Lunch Break In Kaunas, Lithuania
I don’t know about you, but I get hangry pretty fast. Kaunas is known as a historically beautiful little Lithuanian town. Two and a half hours from the Hill of Crosses, we decided to spend half a day getting lunch and walking around Kaunas before heading to our hotel in Vilnius. You could spend days here, though.
Kaunas is also a Baltic holiday destination, and we caught celebratory Easter festivities.
Touring the Baltic States: Points Of Interest In Kaunas
- Kaunas Castle
- Kaunas Cathedral Basilica (Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul)
- Lunch in Old Town Kaunas
- Devil’s Museum (sadly, we missed this one)
- Town Hall Square
- Santakos Park
- Ninth Fort (we missed this one too, sigh)
- Vytautas the Great Church
- Kaunas Priest Seminary
We missed a few of the sights to check into our Vilnius hotel and catch a vegan dinner before bed. Kaunas is equally a great resting point with accommodations.
Night at Novotel Vilnius Centre (not my favorite hotel ever but it is located in the heart of Vilnius with high reviews).
Drink of choice: Any of the yummy cocktails at Soul in Kaunas or a delicious smoothie at the VegCafe in Vilnius.
The Baltics Itinerary Continues Day 3: Vilnius, Lithuania
Vilnius is an easy to navigate, friendly, and clean little city. The driving is pretty scary, though. We walked most of the city in a day, even having time to stop at the local cat cafe.
Note that you can also take free walking tours of each of the Baltic capitals. Walking tours usually leave twice a day from Town Hall-like areas and take a few hours.
Places of Interest in Vilnius, Lithuania
- Cathedral Basilica
- Palace Of The Grand Dukes
- Gediminas Tower
- Bernardine Garden
- St. Anne’s and Bernardine Churches
- Republic of Užupis
- Literatų gatvė (Literary Street)
- The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights/KGB Museum (this was closed the day we tried to go)
- Hill of Three Crosses
- Cat Cafe
Night at Novotel Vilnius Centre.
Drink of choice: A Whiskey Sour at the Meat Lovers Pub.
Baltic Travel Day 4: Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia
Feeling a bit tired and waking up on my Birthday, we decided to head straight back to Riga to meet up with blogging friends instead of heading to Trakai Island Castle. If you have more energy than us, I’d definitely stop at Trakai on the way back to Riga. The castle is about 40 minutes from Vilnius and then you can loop up to Latvia.
Since it was my birthday and with more time in Riga, there was only one place my heart was skipping to: THE LIBRARY.
Did you know that the National Library of Latvia, known as the Castle of Light, houses 4.1 million books? This newer 13-floor building opened in 2014 and shouldn’t be missed by any book lover. Best of all, they give you a free day pass to go anywhere you wish inside.
See the light shine down and hear my heart sing.
If I could have pulled myself away, I would have loved to drop into the Beer Museum too.
Desiring a full literary-themed day, we treated ourselves to Gutenbergs for dinner with a rooftop view of the heavy Riga hitters.
Night at Grand Poet by Semarah, officially one of my favorite hotels in the world. What a gorgeous facility and they surprised us with Birthday champagne and vegan truffles. I never wanted to leave, and our room overlooked the park.
Drink of choice: Clavis Riga at Gutenbergs.
Baltics 7-Day Travel Itinerary Day 5: Riga, Latvia to Pärnu and Tallinn, Estonia
Pärnu Stop On The Way To Tallinn
Pärnu is by far one of my favorite locations on our Baltics itinerary along with Riga. A small beach town, we’ve heard Pärnu is a popular summer destination for Europeans and Estonians. At the beginning of May, Pärnu is still pretty quiet and is perfect for lunch, doorway picture-taking, and a walk down the promenade to the ocean. They love their pizza and ice cream just as much as any summer destination.
Pärnu is about a 2 hour and 20-minute drive from Riga (see what I did there? Sounds less than 2.5 hours.). Pärnu is definitely also a top Baltic holiday destination.
What To See In Pärnu. Estonia With One Week In The Baltics:
- Seriously, just walk around and gawk at the beautiful architecture
- Search for some funky street art like hitchhiking foxes
- Pärnu Beach and promenade
- St. Elizabeth’s Church
- St. Catherine’s Church
- Pärnu Museum (we missed this one due to the holiday closings)
- Grab a bite to eat at the local cafes–we loved Mum Cafe.
Pärnu feels like New England, and you would not go wrong seeking accommodations here.
From Pärnu, Tallinn is about a 1 hour and 40-minute drive.
Night at the beautiful Radisson Blu Sky Hotel Tallinn.
Drink of choice: Vana Tallinn Mojito with Estonian rum.
One Week Baltics Itinerary Day 6: Tallinn, Estonia
Oh Tallinn, what do I think of thee?! Whenever you say Tallinn, everyone instantly thinks back to Old Town and their cruises there.
Estonia is so much more than just Tallinn and Tallinn is not just Old Town. Don’t get me wrong, though, Old Town Tallinn is not to be missed and won’t disappoint. Just beware of the time of year because cruise ships and hundreds of tourist buses slam this city each day. It gets hellish fast. Pray for rain to wash away everyone.
The list for Tallinn must-sees is endless, but be sure to check out:
- Viru Gates– you will see why Tallinn is idealized as a fairy tale
- Old Town– it’s a little tourist gimmicky at times but the architecture and hidden local gems make it worth it
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Town Hall Square
- Olaf’s Church
- Local Beer
- Walk Outside The Walls
- Telliskivi Creative City
- Seaplane Harbour
- KGB Prison Cells
- National Estonian Library
- Rahva Raamat Bookstore
Night at the Radisson Blu Sky Hotel Tallinn. The Radisson has a beautiful sky bar that overlooks all of Tallinn, including Old Town.
Drink of choice: Mango Sour Beer at the House of 100 Beers.
Touring The Baltic States Day 7: Tallinn/Pärnu, Estonia to Riga, Latvia
Even in May, we woke up to snow in Tallinn when earlier in the week Riga was almost 80-degrees. Go figure. Packing for one week in the Baltics during April and May is tricky.
With one last day for our Baltics road trip, we debated sneaking over to Tartu but instead went back to glorious Pärnu. Pärnu is much closer and on your way back to Riga.
We had the BEST brunch and service at Mahedik. Picture hot oatmeal, lamb burgers, and potato pancakes.
You could also consider stopping at Sigulda or Jurmala, Latvia for half a day visit.
Landing back in Riga, we walked the Art Nouveau District and ended with a literary dinner at Biblioteka No 1.
Night at Radisson Blu Elizabete.
Drink of choice: Hemmingway Cocktail and Blueberry Balsam at Biblioteka.
Goodbye Baltics Vacation
Man, we had an early flight out to London the next day. Up at 4 AM, we headed to the airport by 5 AM. With the Latvian holiday, we were told to give the small Riga airport at least 1.5 hours to 2 hours of time. We had no trouble at all and went straight through with time to spare.
To end with a funny story and traveling first:
Getting onto the highway for the airport, police DUI checked every single car with a breathalyzer test. They didn’t speak English, and I have never had to do this before (thank gosh). Having an autoimmune disease, I did not want my mouth on a clearly used instrument with no protection. Imagine the cop demonstrating that I am not blowing hard enough at 5 in the god awful morning.
Thank gosh my Listerine didn’t set that off.
What a way to end the trip, but we loved our Baltics self-driving tour.
Are You Ready For Your Weeklong Baltic Vacation?
One week in the Baltics will give you the perfect feel for the capitals and introduce you to the culture. The Baltic states are full of history, especially from WWII and the utter devastation from both Hitler and Stalin.
Visitors see a haunting past and a hopeful, modern rebuilding. Even decades later, the Baltics are still growing their independence and identities.
A Baltics road trip is the perfect way to pace yourself around Eastern Europe and pick and choose what interests you.
Have you been to the Baltics? What would you add to this Baltics itinerary? What would you take away? If you are thinking about planning a Baltics vacation, what interests you the most? What questions do you have about Baltics travel?
Book A Room
Traveling To The Baltics? Pin This Baltics Itinerary For Later:
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Meet The Glass Castle: The National Library of Latvia
Discover the Baltics for Book Lovers
Check out our favorite Baltic city, Parnu
Christine Frascarelli
Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge.
With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.
I am FINALLY commenting on this one. Honestly, I am planning a trip to Europe with a friend later this year and we were debating on taking a ferry to Tallin from Helsinki, and my first thought was, “I know someone who just wrote an itinerary and Tallin is in it, let me check!!” So yeah, we are probably going to Tallin for a day. We will be those cruise people. Thanks for the help!
It looks like you had a very full trip! I love a good packed itinerary, even though I feel half dead when I return. WORTH IT. I wish I could travel slower. Maybe when I am old and retired, or when my blog gets more views. Whichever comes first! I’m catching up on my blog reading, so look out for more comments!
That’s so awesome! I am hoping to write a small Tallinn post soon. I’m not huge on writing many itineraries myself (I need to get on that more), but I LOVE using others’ to plan, which is why I try to get a few out there when I can. Can’t wait to see what you find as well. Sounds like a fun trip. I’ve never been to Helsinki, and if we had more time, we would have ferried the opposite way. Share it all with me, please!
Now that we bought a house and are moving, I think I am going to have more time to blog and less time to travel. We are killing some vacation time to move in and shop for new furniture. Then, I have to find a BABYSITTER that I trust. Hoping to keep a winter vacation in the mix but the fall one just died. I’m ok with that, though, because I can write all about ASHEVILLE. WOOOHOOOO. That will be slow travel for me.
I’m catching up too so I am coming your way. Plus, I am going to work on our joint post next.
Yay, looks like it was such a fun and beautiful trip! We go “ballz to the walls” too but I’m trying to take it a little easier in the future. It’s just so hard because I want to see everything. Glad you made it to a cat cafe! And that amazing library on your birthday! 🙂
I admittedly felt pretty exhausted for this one with a cold to prove it. We traveled immediately after too; next time, I’m taking it a tad slower and spacing everything out better.
The cat cafe had the sweetest looking Maine Coon—who reminded me of mine.
Nice post, but GOD you had so much driving and I know what you mean by saying it was boring drive in between the cities…. Especially in Lithuania – everything is flat and dark at this time of the year, no greenery and colour to brighten your way and from our last trip home in April I noticed that the roads aren’t great at all… Anyway when you are visiting the country you need to see and experience all the flaws 😉
Yesssss, we did a lot of driving. It was worth it, but MAN, I was tired.
Lithuania is pretty flat, and you are so right: the greenery was MIA. It definitely wasn’t bad, though. I think I was expecting to see more livestock. Like where were are all of the horses and sheep? I did see the occasional random horse or goat tied up, but that was it.
Driving in Vilnius, I will say, was wild. The city was super congested and busy. I was pretty stressed out. It felt like driving in wild Palermo and those busy Sicilian towns.
We had to stop at a very small town in Lithuania. I had to pee SO bad. I ran into this little store in the middle of nowhere. I looked around and didn’t see a bathroom door (they probably didn’t have a public bathroom, really). I don’t know any Lithuanian so I had to gesture what I needed, lol. They cracked up and led me to the bathroom. I don’t think they see too many random tourists driving through. It was a cute town. I feel like I got to experience just a little more of Lithuania (and not just the tourist cities) by driving.
Looks like a great time. I love your pictures! The architecture is beautiful. Thanks for all the great information.
Thank you! It was a whirlwind tour, and we had a blast. I had no idea that the Baltics had such stunning architecture.
I’m finally getting around to reading this… wow, you fit a lot in a week!
Let’s talk about this architecture. I’m in love. I never thought of visiting the Baltics, but now after seeing these pictures and reading your itinerary, I may have to go in the future.
And yuck on that breathalyzer.
I think this itinerary might explain my current cold!! Lol!!!
I hope you had a great Hawaii adventure. I missed you!! Glad you are back.
The Baltics were never on our list either, and we are so glad that a ton of people recommended them. They are slightly less traveled.
Wow, this is such an informative post! I really want to visit these countries so i’ve pinned for later! Your photos are gorgeous, you packed in so much! Also that breathalyzer test sounds scary – i’ve had to do it here once, not pleasant at all! So glad you guys had such a great trip!
Hey, Ciara! Thanks so much! You know, the Baltics had never been on our list before but a few friends suggested them as somewhere different to go. I am so glad that they did! I hope you go in the future and share what you love too.
We were lucky to see a lot, and now of course, I am battling a lovely cold. I guess I did that trip RIGHT lol!!
Have a great weekend! Xxx
I definitely plan my tips like you – Google map it out, book hotels, then find some fun stops! The architecture looks incredible and that library!! I can’t wait to hear more about each capital in your next posts and the House of 100 beers..how do you choose?!?!
I like planning that way too! I really struggled with Iceland because I needed to see everything on a map, especially the driving pit stops mixed with waterfalls and geysers that we wanted to see. Sometimes the routes aren’t always straight forward.
We actually wandered upon the House of 100 Beers…it was down these winding stairs, hidden. Unfortunately, they were closing due to the holiday when we arrived but I vowed to go back. Hilariously, I took a picture of the name so I’d remember it, but then we couldn’t find them again. 45-minutes later the next day in the pouring rain, we finally got it right–totally worth it.
I try to read a variety of blog posts, use LP travel guides, and of course, check in with Trip Advisor and friends too. It’s so hard to pick!
This sounds like such a cool trip! I can’t wait for more! The architecture seriously is beautiful and that spot with the crosses is so interesting. I can’t believe that library! How long did you spend there? You must have had a great birthday over there, I imagine!
What was that vegan dinner you had? I’m curious! I love vegan and vegetarian meals.
Your post makes me want to have a cocktail! But ewwwwwww that breathalyzer test…I would have DIED!!! Ick! I’m such a germaphobe. That would have totally grossed me out. They didn’t do anything to sanitize it in between people? 🙁
Yuck!
But the rest of your vacay – AWESOME! 😉
We enjoyed the architecture and the crosses were definitely unique.
I loved the library!! We spent a few hours at the National Library of Latvia. They had a museum on the first floor with exhibits about the library during the war. I recently contacted them so I think I might do an extra special post just about the library. I will also be featuring the library in my Baltics for book lovers post coming out Monday, ekkk!!!! I think you will love that one. ; )
Our vegan dinner was falafel ‘meatballs’ and some sort of tofu steak with rice and veggies. They had vegan pies too, but I was too stuffed. We usually eat vegan at least once or twice on a trip because we know that they respect food intolerances and have tons of delicious choices for us. I love vegan, regardless!
They definitely did nothing to sanitize that breathalyzer, which is why my lips went nowhere near it and he kept showing me to blow harder. EHHH!!!
Thanks! Have a great weekend.
Oh wow! You take amazing photos and the architectures are stunning! Good to know that they have vegan restaurants as I would be a “hangry” monkey. The Baltics is on our bucketlist for a long time and I like the idea of road trips rather than cruise ships or group tour. I don’t like crowds in general.
Parnu seems a nice place to visit. But I wouldn’t miss visiting Talinn or Riga either. My husband and I love medieval old towns and nouveau architectures and it seems that these places fits the bill for us.
Thank you! The funniest part of my picture taking for this trip was that they were all crooked. LOL. I think the sun was so bright that I just couldn’t see. Sad story too, but I decided to leave the professional camera at home so everything is from my iPhone. I really need to learn how to use that bad boy and fast. Thank you for the compliment, though! I appreciate it since I had to edit up my shots so that they looked straight. GAGAHAHA.
I am always HUNGRY. I recently started Invisalign too so now I am extra hungry since I just cannot easily snack in places like the car.
You would love the Baltics for the old towns and architecture. I wish we had more time for walking tours to get the full details. The intricacies were just stunning.
“Thank God my Listerine didn’t set that off” had me CHUCKLING!! I enjoyed this post soooo much, and I’ve just looked over to my phone to see you’ve messaged me about that story which I am very excited about :’) St. Peter’s Church, the Freedom Monument, and that GORGEOUS NATIONAL LIBRARY are what I’m most attracted to from this post, but I wanna see every place on these fantastic lists you provided! What a trip, can’t wait to hear more about it 🙂
Thanks so much, Macey!
Haha, I did message you back. Definitely might add that one to the newsletter for everyone else–although I am sure that it is not as funny as my husband and I both think. LOL
I just finished up a bookish destinations for the Baltics post today (set to publish Monday), and I might be working on an extra special piece about the library since I’ve been in contact with them. Can’t wait to share.
Have a great weekend, and than you for reading. Xxx
Love this! Can’t wait to explore this area of Europe as well. My favorites are the Hill Of Crosses, the Latvian National Library, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. All look amazing! Love your new email subs! If I wasn’t already a TUL member I would subscribe in a heartbeat. Mines are kind of ugly… will have to step up my game.
Thank you!
I know that you will love the Baltics and find even more interesting places too. I am hoping to write a piece next about the libraries and literary aspects of the Baltics. We found a ton of inspiring spots. Of course, my favorites are totally the libraries!!! Although…I loved Parnu’s beach too.
The architecture of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was just stunning. It had just stopped raining and all of the crowds had left for shelter. We had this entire little square mostly to ourselves. I’d never seen a church like this before.
Thank you so much for the email signup comment! I finally learned a little HTML and CSS to fix those bad boys up, and it was not easy. LOL! I appreciate you noticing!
I am definitely signed up for your newsletter too (long ago) so you must be doing something right. ; )
Can I just say that when you said you could fly between them I was immediately like, ‘Noooooooooooo!’ Haha. Dear god, that would be an absolutely nightmare given the effort put in when you could either drive or just as easily (and for much less money) bus it.
Aaaaanyway, I love how diplomatic you’re being about Tallinn old town haha.
I’m sad you didn’t a) get to spend more time in the Baltics (with us, obviously) and b) some of the best spots were closed when you went. Like the Genocide Museum in Vilnius and the Devil Museum in Kaunas. Both highlights of our last trip to Lithuania. At least you made it to Literatų gatvė. I always find something new when I walk down there. Not because it’s actually new, but because there’s so much going on, I normally just take in a few at a time. In the middle of it is an amazing bagel place, but I don’t think that’s particularly helpful to you guys.
I’m always impressed by how much you cram into your holidays. We have like a 2-3 things per day maximum. The rest of the time, we hang out in cafes, read or MAYBE do some work…
Lol. I mean you can fly… If buses are not for you with those giant tanker trucks coming at you every 5 minutes on those little roads, flying from Tallinn to Vilnius wouldn’t be the end of the world. We know a ton of people who won’t self-drive abroad (and driving can add up too) and 8-9 hours can be a lot on a bus for some with chronic illnesses, general illness, personal preference, and motion sickness (not just me, but me too with UC). Heck, we fly that distance in America all of the time. Buses, cars, planes–in theory, you at least have the option for whichever type of travel you prefer and wish to spend money on. In Iceland, people were also flying from South Iceland to North. I don’t blame them–the roads are wild for different reasons all times of the year. It just depends on what you want. The airport certainly adds time too, but I like to at least give options that we personally looked at.
I was totally bummed about the Devil’s Museum in Kaunas (gahhhhh!!!), but am so glad that we picked watching local Easter festivities and dancing instead. We always seem to travel around the holidays for Europe. We just cannot miss those bank or special holidays any time of year (or plan around them), which makes it tricky to see certain places but even more special to find little kids doing GIANT Easter egg hunts. Like GIANT EGGS! That was freaking adorable. Plus, everyone was out walking around and having a blast. I feel like we got more of a flare for Kaunas that way even though those little Devil’s were a’ calling. I’ll just live through your blog until/if I get back there.
It would have to be a bagel with vegan cream cheese for me, and a GF one with vegan cream cheese for Tom. LOL Gosh, now I am drooling. I love the thought of bagels. There was a whiskey bar sign near that street too, but it was 10 AM. Even I have scruples. No, no I don’t. They just were not open yet.
I think we manage to pack in a lot because we aren’t full-time travelers or even part-time ones. We are coming from pretty far away (we aren’t already in Europe so it took us 25 hours of waking up until bed of travel to get home), and we want to see what we reasonably can in a country for our time, money, passions, and interest.
Plus, we want to share that with other travelers’ like us. If we had the awesome privilege to travel/live abroad 24/7, we would have a little more down time too. I’d be drinking ALL THE BEER!!!!! There was so much left that I wanted to see, but I am not sure when we will get back to the Baltics. So much world and so little time. It’s like my stomach: So much wine but so little Christine.
Thankfully, we did chill out in the parks, spend hours at local breweries, wander the library stacks, and chat with the local cats at the cafe for quite some time in between ‘sight-seeing,’ which was wonderful. PLUS, WE GOT TO SEE YOU!! Every trip needs some of that, and you learn a ton about a place from those moments too. I’m so grateful for what we did and have no regrets that we dropped a few things off of our itinerary too. Damn, Trakai. Damn, Sigulda. Lol.
Wow, the Baltics are so beautiful. I love the architecture! I must say this read to me like poetry ” Pray for rain to wash away everyone” – I love that! Shame that Old Town Tallinn is so busy with tourists and cruisers – but as you said there is so much more to Estonia than just Tallinn. Sounds like you had an incredibly busy and jam packed week. What a fun trip!
Ahaha, I am so glad that you read that as poetic instead of bitter. LOL. I knew you would understand, though. I could not believe how many people squeezed into that little town. On one street alone, we counted at least 15-20ish tour buses. We passed this MASSIVE cruise ship at port, and we kept running into their people everywhere because they all had these special shirts on. I had to get out.
We had a fantastic trip! Glad we made a few calls to skip some sights and just chill in the local cat cafe, rooftop bars, and parks. The Baltics are such a long travel day for us (over 25 hours to get home due to delays) that we wanted to make every second count.
I hope you get to visit Estonia one day and tell me all of the spooky things that lie there.
God the pictures are just stunning
Right?! They are such beautiful historic cities. Thank you! And thank for stopping by.
This trip sounds lovely – and so much to see in a short time!! That hill of crosses in Lithuania is incredible!! I’ll keep this for our visit, someday down the road!! xx
I cannot wait to share the Hill of Crosses on Instagram. I took quite a bit of footage that really shows how big the area is–it’s truly unbelievable.
We definitely felt like we were driving around quite a bit, but once we landed somewhere, we did not feel too rushed. This was one of those trips where I had to set the alarm a bit earlier, though. Groan!!! We had a great time.
I hope you make it one day soon–and go in offseason when it isn’t crazed.