Amber Cities – Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn

"Clean straw is the best bedding one can get in a great many places"
-The Grand Tour, Thomas Nugent, 1749

Our tour of the Baltic cities gives you all of the sights visited by the aristocrats of yesteryear, but we promise you without the discomforts. Since their independence from the USSR in the 1990s, the three Baltic capitals, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, have been transformed, offering their three distinct cultural identities, but now with wonderful restaurants and small boutique hotels.

Our Amber Cities itinerary will introduce you to the extraordinarily rich history of the region- from the Lithuanian Empire, which once spanned from the Baltic to the Black Sea to some of the best preserved medieval architecture of Europe in Riga and Tallinn. We’ll walk cobblestone streets and visit an ancient synagogue in Vilnius, visit the famous opera house in Riga, and take a torchlight tour of an ancient Dominican Monastery in Tallinn. Driving between each city allows us to view the bucolic countryside and the many charming palaces and castles along the way. We will focus on this region’s turbulent history as part of the former Soviet Union and its success in maintaining independent, Baltic identities.

Vilnius
Vilnius has been on the world map a long time (since the fifth century B.C.), and there is a lot to see: the Gates of Dawn, the Gediminas Castle Museum, even a KGB Museum. During our visit, our private guide will take us to Trakai, perhaps the most 'Lithuanian' town of all.

Riga
So close and yet so different; Riga is medieval, Gothic and art nouveau, all in one cosmopolitan city. Outside of the city there is the Rundale Palace, designed by Rastrelli.

From Old Town, we will admire Riga’s enchanting skyline filled with elegant spires from Latvia’s many Lutheran cathedrals. We will visit St. Peter’s Church, one of the oldest in the city and the best example of Gothic architecture in the Baltics. If scheduling permits, we will be invited backstage at the beautifully restored Riga Opera House (where Baryshnikov started his career) for a private tour.

Tallinn
In Tallinn our private guide will show us around the historic heart of the city- Toompea Castle, St. Mary's Cathedral, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and of course the Town Square; with its Gothic Town Hall and guild houses it is one of the best surviving examples in Europe of fifteenth and sixteenth century civic architecture.

We’ll also venture outside of Tallinn to see the Kadriorg Palace and Park, founded by Peter the Great; today it houses a fine European art collection. In the afternoon, we’ll embark on a torchlight tour of Tallinn's ancient Dominican monastery.

Please contact us for day-by-day itinerary.

Accommodation
Stikliai in Vilnius
Grand Palace in Riga
Hotel Telegraaf in Tallinn

Single Supplement: £710.00
All prices per person, sharing.
Meals: Breakfast Daily, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners
Cost of flight not included.