Baltic States - Basic

Buffet breakfast. 09:00-13:00 – Meeting with the guide and sightseeing tour, by bus and on foot, of the city of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. In the 14th century, it was declared the capital of the state of Lithuania by Grand Duke Gediminas, who in 1323 invited numerous artisans and merchants from all over Europe to settle there in order to give a boost to the commercial and structural development of the city. The old town of Vilnius is one of the largest in all of Eastern Europe. It has a total of 359 hectares with around 1,500 buildings, giving a perfect combination of different architectural styles, from Gothic to postmodernism. In 1994 this part of the city was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Highlights include the churches of St. Anne and St. Peter and St. Paul, as well as the cathedral. Also significant are the courtyards of the old Vilnius University (entrance) - founded in 1579, it is the oldest university in Eastern Europe; the tower of Gediminas Castle, with stunning views of the entire city; the famous “Gate of Dawn” and the Amber Gallery.

Free afternoon. Accommodation.

Buffet breakfast. 09:00 – Meet your guide and drive to Kaunas. Arrival and city tour - The Old Town is home to a number of architectural monuments, including the 13th century medieval castle, the former town hall, known as the “White Swan”, the Cathedral, the Church of St. Francis Xavier and the Jesuit monastery, the Perkunas Church and the Vytautas Church. The main business and leisure area is on Liberty Avenue (Laisves Aleja), a pedestrian street with beautiful gardens and green areas.

Lunch at a selected local restaurant.

Continuation of the journey towards Latvia. Still in Lithuania, stop and visit the “Hill of Crosses” in Siauliai, a sanctuary for many Catholics. The first few hundred crosses were erected by the local people to honour the dead of the anti-Tsarist revolt of 1831. When the Soviet authorities took power in Lithuania after World War II, they tried to remove the crosses many times. But the crosses always reappeared, people put them back up at night. Today, more than 50,000 crosses bear witness to the spirit of the Lithuanian people. The hill was visited by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Lithuania in 1993.

Continuation of the journey and arrival in the evening at the hotel in Riga. Check-in and accommodation.

Buffet breakfast. 09:00-13:00 – Meeting with the guide and sightseeing tour, by bus and on foot, of Riga, known as the “Paris of the North”. Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals with almost one million inhabitants. Located on the banks of the Daugava River, according to ancient chronicles the city was founded in 1201 and became an important commercial centre in the 13th century, as a city belonging to the German Hanseatic League. The beauty of its old town stands out, with buildings reflecting all architectural styles: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Art Nouveau, etc.

Visit to the Riga Central Market, the largest market in the Baltic countries and one of the largest in Europe. Opened in 1930, the main structures of the market are five pavilions built by reusing old German Zeppelin hangars. We continue our tour of the boulevards in the centre of Riga, where we can enjoy numerous buildings and monuments. We will see the Arsenal Tower, the National Theatre, the Art Nouveau buildings from the beginning of the century, the Freedom Monument, the Opera House, the University of Riga and the numerous bridges over the Daugava River.

Visit to the Riga Dome Cathedral (entrance), better known as the Dome, the largest in the Baltic countries, a Gothic jewel built in 1211 closed to the Daugava River. Dedicated to Protestant worship, its austere interiors impress with their solidity: some of its walls are more than 2 metres thick. It is famous for its spectacular organ, the largest in Europe built in 1844: four keyboards and more than 6,700 pipes.

Visit to the Art Nouveau district of Riga, the largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in the world, with its characteristic facades of sinuous lines and rich ornamentation. Construction began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the most famous buildings are magnificent examples of the characteristic Jugendstil style of the interwar period. In 1997, UNESCO declared 475 hectares of Riga's historic centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, on the right bank of the Daugava (Dvina) River, a World Heritage Site.

Free afternoon. Accommodation.

Buffet breakfast. 09:00 – Meeting with the guide and departure to Estonia. On the way, stop and excursion to the Gauja Valley and visit of Sigulda and Turaida - known as the “Latvian Switzerland”. Visit of the ruins of the Castle of the Order of the Teutonic Knights (13th century) which was connected to other small buildings by underground passages and visit of the medieval Turaida Castle (1214), the best preserved in all of Latvia. We will also see the Local History Museum of Sigulda, the Turaida tomb, the Gutmann Cave and the Daina Park, a sculpture park dedicated to Latvian folklore.

Lunch at a selected local restaurant in Sigulda.

Travel along the road that runs along the Baltic Sea to Pärnu, the summer capital of Estonia. Panoramic tour of Pärnu. Located 130 km south of Tallinn at the mouth of the Pärnu River on the shores of the Baltic Sea, it is known as the “summer capital” of Estonia due to the great liveliness that reigns in the city during the summer period, thanks to the numerous visitors attracted by its sandy beaches and the beautiful forests that surround them. The city has 750 years of history and a Hanseatic past.

Continue to Tallinn. Arrival at the hotel in the afternoon. Check-in and accommodation at the hotel.

Buffet breakfast. 09:00-13:00 – Meeting with the guide and sightseeing tour by bus and on foot of Tallinn. Tallinn is a medieval city, recognised as the oldest in Northern Europe. In today's Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, you can see a perfect symbiosis between the oldest traditions and the most modern. The old town is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Unlike many European cities that have mixed old buildings with new ones, the old town of Tallinn is preserved as it was centuries ago, preserving its ancient walls, with narrow cobbled streets, glowing torches and secret alleys, which have made the city known as the "Forgotten Pearl of the Baltic". Visit the historic city centre where you will visit the famous towers of "Long Hermann" and "Fat Margarete", as well as the Town Hall Square and the churches of St. Olaf and St. Nicholas. Toompea Hill is home to a large concentration of historical monuments, including the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, an Orthodox cathedral, and the Lutheran Toomkirik Cathedral from 1233; the Estonian Parliament, located in Toompea Castle; the Estonian Art Museum; and the Kiek-in-de-Kök, a tower museum built in 1475.

Free afternoon. Accommodation at the hotel.