LITHUANIA - LATVIA - ESTONIA - FINLAND - RUSSIA  

DAY 1: VILNIUS

Arriving in Vilnius – the capital of Lithuania. Have a private transfer to the hotel. Check-in for 2 nights. Have the evening at leisure and overnight in Vilnius. 

DAY 2: VILNIUS - TRAKAI - VILNIUS 

Enjoy a private guided tour in historic Vilnius Old Town (2hrs), one of the largest old towns in North-Eastern Europe. Visiting the most important sights like Cathedral Square with the Dome Church and Clock-Tower, St. Anne’s Church, Town Hall Square and Vilnius University, the Gates of Dawn with the holy image of the Virgin Mary. During the tour, your guide will also show you Gediminas Castle and Tower and interesting Uzupis district. Vilnius is often called a Baroque city. However, the ruins of castles, narrow streets, church spires, bell towers, red tile roofs, and residential cellars testify that Vilnius has had major influence from the Gothic style. In the 16th century Gothic became intertwined with Renaissance, and in the 17th – 18th-century Baroque buildings started to appear.

Have a free time for lunch.

After a lunch have a private tour to Trakai. Trakai town is situated lies on a narrow cape between 3 lakes, and it is famous for impressive Trakai Castle. Trakai and Trakai Castle are important to Lithuanian history. Associated with Grand Duke Gediminas, a medieval Lithuanian hero, Trakai rose to importance before the Grand Duchy of Lithuania joined with Poland. The area began to develop in the 1400s with its castle as the center of the action, though the area saw human habitation long before these permanent structures were built. Trakai Castle Museum is situated in two castles - one on an island in the middle of a lake, and one on the shore.

Trakai Historical National Park was founded on April 23, 1991, to preserve Trakai as a center of Lithuanian statehood as well as the park's authentic nature.  A notable feature of Trakai is that the town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, and Poles lived here. 

Late afternoon return back to Vilnius. Have a free time for exploring the city on your own and dinner. Overnight in Vilnius.

DAY 3: VILNIUS -  RUNDALE - RIGA

Have a breakfast at hotel. Check out and departure to Latvia, on the way visit Rundale Palace - one of the most visited sights in the Baltic States. 

Rundale Palace, once the summer residence of the Duke of Courland Ernst Johann Biron, is one of the most outstanding monuments of Baroque and Rococo art in Latvia. Built from 1736 to 1740 the palace was designed by outstanding Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the creator of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The splendid interior of the palace dazzled contemporaries. Crystal chandeliers, silk wallpaper, sculptures, luxuriously tiled fireplaces, mirrors, elegant galleries, and refined colors and frescos were made by Italian artists Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucci.

Rundale Palace Garden
The selection of plants for the park is based on information obtained from 18th-century garden descriptions and books on Baroque gardens. The park of Rundale Palace is an essential part of the palace complex; it has retained its original layout without any significant changes. The garden was created between 1736 and 1740, at the same time as the palace was constructed. The park was not affected by modernization in the 19th century when formal gardens were transformed into landscape gardens. Cartography and inventory carried out in 1974 revealed that in the 19th-century trees in the park were still planted according to Rastrelli’s design.

Have a free time for lunch. 

Continue the way to Riga – the capital of Latvia. Arrive in Riga, check in hotel. Overnight in Riga.

DAY 4: RIGA - JURMALA - RIGA

Have breakfast at the hotel. A private walking tour through Riga Old Town (2hrs) seeing remarkable sites like St.Peter's Church with its famous rooster, St.Jacobs Church, Dom Square and Dom Cathedral, home to one of the world's most valuable historic organs. The Powder Tower and city walls will make you feel the breath of the medieval. The guide will tell you about the oldest stone residential dwellings in Riga, the Three Brothers, the Great and Small Guilds, and the fortification wall of Riga with the Swedish Gate the last surviving gate in the wall. The guide will introduce you to the intriguing story of the Cat House and show you Town Hall Square with the beautiful and elegant Blackheads House. The tour will take visitors to Riga Castle founded in 1330, the Parliament, the Monument of Liberty and fantastic Riga`s Opera House. Have a free time for lunch.

In the afternoon enjoy a private tour to Jurmala - a famous seaside resort situated only 25 km from Riga. The natural curative features of this place were already well known more than 150 years ago. Nowadays endless golden beaches, Baltic Sea, salubrious air and the unique beauty of pine forests attract tourists. Jurmala is a cozy European town composed of houses plunged into the parks and forests. Here you can come across wooden country houses from the beginning of the 20th century as well as modern cottages.
Surrounded by pine trees, the wooden cottages of Jurmala are unique monuments of cultural heritage; in which Classicism, Art Nouveau, National Romanticism, and Functionalism harmoniously co-exist. This place is a must for those who are planning to visit Latvia in spring or summer.
Return to Riga in the afternoon. Have a free time for leisure and enjoying the city on your own - different bars, clubs, lounges, and casinos here are for all tastes. Most of them open till early morning hours on weekends. Overnight in Riga.

DAY 5: RIGA - SIGULDA - TALLINN

After breakfast check out. Have a private tour to Sigulda through the real treasure of the city - Art Nouveau district. Riga is like a museum of architecture, covering periods from Gothic to Classicism. But the real treasure of the city is the largest and best-preserved collection of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. This fact was corroborated by UNESCO in 1997 and now the central section of Riga is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Riga is sometimes called the "capital" of Art Nouveau thanks to the heritage of 800 buildings of Art Nouveau.

After 1 hour drive from Riga, arrive in Sigulda. Sigulda is a place where the beauty of nature is an integral part of the town. It is situated on a picturesque stretch of the Gauja River Valley and is known as the "Switzerland of Vidzeme" because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms rocks and caves on both banks of the river. The town is particularly beautiful on clear autumn days because of the rich range of colors in the trees. Discover historic monuments, museums, natural objects and attractions like Sigulda Livonian Order Castle ruins, Turaida Medieval Castle built in 1214, the wooden church built in 1750, and a sculpture garden dedicated to Latvian folklore on Dainu Hill, Gutmanis Cave - the deepest internal erosion cave in the Baltic states, measuring 19m deep, 12m wide and 10m high, is not only a natural wonder, but also a place steeped in myths and legends.

Have a free time for lunch. Continue with a private transfer to Estonia.  Arrive in the capital - Tallinn. Check in hotel. Overnight in Tallinn.

DAY 6: TALLINN

Have breakfast at the hotel.

Meet the guide at the hotel lobby and enjoy a private walking tour in the UNESCO heritage listed Tallinn Old Town (2hrs). During the tour, explore Holy Spirit Church, the 600 years old Gothic Town Hall, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the world`s oldest functioning Pharmacy on Town Hall Square and the 159 meters high Oleveste Church which was the highest structure in the world in the 16th century. Visit Toompea Hill for breathtaking views over the city. Toompea Castle was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and is the seat of Estonia`s parliament.  Have a free time for lunch in Tallinn Old Town and exploring city on your own. Overnight in Tallinn. 

DAY 7: TALLINN - HELSINKI

Have breakfast at the hotel. Check out. Transfer to Tallinn port and check in on board of Tallink ferry, for the cruising to Helsinki – the capital of Finland (~ 2hrs). Have a free time for lunch on the board.

After arriving in Helsinki, meet with the local guide. Helsinki is truly located at the crossroads of Western and Eastern culture and this is reflected everywhere in the green and lively Finnish capital.

A private Helsinki sightseeing (2hrs) will take you to the historical center, Senate and Cathedral Square, the Presidential Palace, City Hall, the Parliament building, Finlandia Hall and the Opera House, the Sibelius Monument and the famous Church in the-Rock, Upenski Cathedral and Esplanade Avenue.

The evening is dedicated to exploring the city on your own. Overnight in Helsinki.

DAY 8: HELSINKI - ST.PETERSBURG

After breakfast check out. Have a free time to take the last photos and to buy souvenirs. Transfer to train station for the train to St. Petersburg. After 3.5 hours arriving in St. Petersburg. Transfer to the chosen hotel and check-in.

Have a free time for the lunch.  

In the afternoon have a private tour of the most attractive sights of the city. St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Its imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city the title “The Venice of the North”. During the morning sightseeing tour, you will discover all the splendors of the city: the Peter-Paul Fortress, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Savior, and much more. 

Overnight in St. Petersburg.

DAY 9: ST.PETERSBURG

After breakfast have a private tour to world`s-famous Winter Palace where the Hermitage Museum is located. 

Hermitage Art Museum is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, the Hermitage was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of the Russian czars.

DAY 10: ST.PETERSBURG

Have breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a private tour to the Peterhof - an uncontested masterpiece of the time of Peter the Great with the impressive Grand Palace, Grand Cascade and Water Avenue and wonderful parks.

DAY 11: ST.PETERSBURG