Grand Baltic Explorer

What's Included

• ​Return flights from Heathrow with British Airways
• 9 nights in 4-star hotels
• 14 meals: 9 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners and welcome drink
• Travelsphere Tour Manager and Specialist Local Guide
• Overseas transfers, other transportation and porterage
• Audio Guide

• Visit Helsinki and discover its historical centre​
• Explore Tallinn
• Turaida Castle and the town of Sigulda
• ​Latvia's capital Riga
• Fine dining in one of R​iga's renowned restaurants
• Lunch experience at Riga central market
• Discover the Hill of Crosses and Rundale Palace
• Typical Lithuanian dinner with folk show​
• Tour of Vilnius, Lithuania's historical capital
• Grutas Park's sculptures
• Guided tour of Polish capital Warsaw

Not Included

Itinerary

• Day 1 UK - Helsinki
• You'll depart on your scheduled flight to the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Upon arrival you'll have some free time to explore at your leisure and find a spot for dinner to sample the local cuisine.
• Day 2 Helsinki - Tallinn
• Discover Helsinki today with a full day of exploration. After you've enjoyed breakfast, join your Tour Manager on a stroll around the city's historical centre. Notable sights include Senate Square, the Presidential Palace, the Parliament building and Finlandia Hall, home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Dedicated to the famed composer, the Sibelius Monument is our next highlight, followed by the Temppeliaukio Church, carved into solid rock and crowned with a copper dome. In the afternoon we'll take the ferry to Tallinn. 
• Day 3 Tallinn
• Enjoy a walking tour of Tallinn this morning which will introduce you to districts dating back to the Middle Ages. Together we'll walk along narrow streets lined by Gothic-style merchants' houses to discover Toompea Castle, Town Hall Square and the Russian orthodox Alexander Nevskij Cathedral. In the afternoon there is an optional tour of the grand Kadriorg Palace, a gift from Peter the Great to his wife Catherine I in the 1720s.
• Day 4 Turaida Castle - Sigulda - Riga
• The next leg of your journey takes you into Latvia, where you'll stay in Riga for two nights. Our drive here gives us the chance to enjoy further sightseeing, firstly with a stop at the reconstructed medieval Turaida Castle. Later, we can stretch our legs in the pretty town of Sigulda. Located in Gauja National Park, you'll soon see why it's labelled the Latvian Switzerland!​ In the evening, dine on fine food at a renowned restaurant owned by three famous chefs. 
• Day 5 Riga
• Explore Riga today on a walking tour with a Local Guide. Your sightseeing will include the Dome Cathedral, Riga Castle and St Peter's Cathedral. Here, we'll take the lift up to the viewing platform to see the city from a different angle. The tour ends at the famous Riga central market where we'll stop at a fish bar and enjoy a buffet of local fish specialities (as well as meat and cheeses). Latvia has a strong fishing tradition and fish dishes feature prominently in Latvian cuisine.​ If you feel brave you could even do as the locals do and try sprats on bread with a shot of vodka. There's an optional afternoon visit to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-air Museum on the banks of Lake Jugla. Its ancient buildings have been brought from all over the country and give a fascinating insight into Latvia's culture and traditions.​
• Day 6 Rundale Palace - Siauliai - Vilnius
• We then take to the road for a drive to Vilnius, where you stay for two nights. En route to Lithuania's capital we'll call at the pilgrimage site of the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai as well as Rundale Palace. This masterpiece of Baroque architecture was created by Italian architect FB Rastrelli, who was responsible for many of St Petersburg's finest buildings, including the Winter Palace.

  This evening enjoy the traditional atmosphere of Senoji Trobele restaurant and be entertained by a folk show performed by local musicians and dancers. In this restaurant, traditional dishes are prepared from the oldest recipes and corn bread is baked daily, a staple of Lithuanian cuisine that is not to be missed.  

   

• Day 7 Vilnius
• After breakfast it's time to discover Vilnius with a guided tour of its UNESCO-listed Old Town, one of the largest surviving medieval towns in Europe. You'll see St Anna's Church, St Peter's and Paul's Church, the cathedral and the Gate of Dawn, one of nine defensive gates built in Vilnius between 1503 and 1522. There's an optional afternoon excursion to explore the 14th century Trakai Castle, located on an island and home to a museum of art.​
• Day 8 Druskininkai - Grutas Park - Warsaw
• Today's journey by road takes us to Warsaw in Poland. On the way we'll stop off to explore the spa town of Druskininkai, which boasts many mineral springs and mud baths. Close by, we'll also visit Grutas Park, an extraordinary collection of Soviet-era sculptures that escaped destruction when Lithuania gained its independence in 1990-91. Enjoy a traditional dinner at a restaurant in Warsaw.
• Day 9 Warsaw
• You'll discover the best of Warsaw as your Tour Manager and Local Guide point out all the highlights on today's tour. There's Castle Square, which fronts the Royal Castle, Sigismund's Column – the city's most famous landmark, and St John's Cathedral. Together we'll stroll through the Market Square and stop to admire the Monument of Warsaw's Uprising.
• Day 10 Warsaw - UK
• You'll head to the airport today for your flight back to the UK.

Accommodation

• • Radisson Blue Aleksanteri Hotel
  • Located in the heart of Helsinki, the hotel combines home-like boutique with modern decor with rooms being based on real Helsinki homes. The hotel also boasts a restaurant, a social living room, a sauna and a fitness area. Rooms are cozy yet modern and come equipped with wifi, tea and coffee facilities, safe, hairdryer and TV.
• • Park Inn by Radisson Meriton
  • Located in the heart of the capital, this modern Tallinn hotel offers easy access to the Old Town and the Parliament of Estonia. The hotel is only a short distance from many city center attractions, including shopping, theaters, and restaurants, and only 10 minutes from Telliskivi Creative City with several small designer stores and studios, unique eating and drinking places, photo galleries, and a lot of street art. Chic and contemporary, the hotel welcomes you with 465 tastefully decorated rooms that include tea and coffee supplies and air conditioning.
• • Wellton Riga Hotel & Spa
• • Holiday Inn Vilnius
  • Holiday Inn Vilnius is a light and comfortable 4 star Hotel in the heart of Vilnius'' postcard-pretty Old Town. Bursting with a heady mix of European architechture, vibrant markets and the Vilnius Cathedral, making it a great place to explore. Hotel Facilities include a restaurant and lobby bar. All bedrooms have delightful views, complimentary internet access, individually controlled air conditioning systems, private facilities, mini bar and satellite TV.
• • Radisson Blu Sobieski
  • The 4-star Radisson Blu Sobieski is conveniently situated closed to some of Warsaw''s most famous attractions, including the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Facilities include a restaurant, bar, hairdresser and a fitness centre.

Optional Excursions

• Tour of Kadriorg Palace​
• The Open Air Museum in Riga
• Trakai Castle and its art museum

Further Information