BALTIC CAPITALS AND POLAND

TOUR DESTINATION

Warsaw- Vilnius – Riga – Tallinn*

*The tour can start in Tallinn and end in Warsaw or Krakow, tour destination could be changed on your request.

TOUR DESCRIPTION

Across Poland and the Baltics is a carefully arranged tour to the four capitals: Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. Each of them represents a face of each country:Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

With the company of a dedicated guide and driver, you will enjoy crossing each country:

admiring beauty of nature, getting  in touch with history and destinies. You will also enjoy traditional dishes of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this 9-days vacation exploring 4 countries with us!

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

4 capitals: guided visits of Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn;

Lunch and dinner;

Entrances to the churches;

Visits: Wilanow palace, Castle of Trakai, Rundale Palace, Art Nouveau of Riga, Gauja National Park, Parnu.

…And many more!

1 DAY: Arrival at Warsaw International airport; transfer to hotel; check-in;

2 DAY: Warsaw

Panoramic tour of Warsaw, including the Old City, the Royal Castle, the Jewish Gheto Memorial, Lazienki Park. Among other monuments within the capital of Poland we will visit Palace of Culture and Science, Church of the Holy Cross, Grand Theater and St John’s Archcathedral . Lunch in the center.

In the afternoon, visit to Wilanow Palace, one of the architectural pearls of Polish Baroque. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

3 DAY: Warsaw  – Augustow – Marijampole – Vilnius

We will leave after breakfast towards the Polish – Lithuanian border, and crossing the vast forest of Augustow, we can enjoy the natural swamp area, the largest in Europe. Wigry National Park where the Grand Canal is located; a monument of hydraulic engineering, unique in Europe, built in  XIX century, to join the slopes of the Vistula and Niemen rivers. Lunch in the area.

Short stop will be in Marijamapole –  the 7th biggest city of Lithuania which became a significant center of national movement in the 19th century. Keeping going towards Vilnius. Overnight in Vilnius.

4 DAY: Vilnius – Trakai

Panoramic tour of the city entering the church of St. Peter and Paul – known as one of the 16 most beautiful churches in the world with more than 2000 stucco sculptures with different faces, who smile in the morning and in the afternoon look tired. The Cathedral of St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav – the center of Lithuanian speaking Catholics, the Gothic corner with the churches of St. Francis, and St. Anne – the one that Napoleón wanted to take to Paris. The Gates of the Dawn- known by all the pilgrims from Lithuania, Poland, who usually travel to the gate and have mass in the street full of pilgrims.

Transfer to Trakai historical national park (27 km from Vilnius). Following the tour you will visit the medieval capital Trakai famous for its Island castle from which the enormous territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was governed, which extended from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. In the medieval capital there is local tribe (the Karaites), who lives in Trakai since 15 century.  Although today there are only 60 people of this ethnic group who live in Trakai. In the Trakai peninsula there are many religions such as Catholicism, Karaism, Orthodox Christians and Islam.

5 DAY: Vilnius – Hill of Crosses – Rundale – Riga

Transfer from Vilnius toward Riga. The trip takes all day visiting the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, the Palace of Rundale in Latvia. Hill of Crosses is a place of religious pilgrims. A hill completely planted with thousands of crosses and crucifixes of all sizes, acquiring its world-wide fame when being visited by John II. After visiting the Hill and having lunch near the hill we continue towards Rundale castle – a grand residence –  monument to 18th-century aristocratic ostentatiousness  dedicated for the Duke of Courland and designed by Italian baroque genius Bartolomeo Rastrelli, known as genius for the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.

After visit of palace and gardens of Rundale transfer towards Riga – capital of Latvia.

6 DAY: Riga

Panoramic tour in Riga start wit market of Riga – one of the biggest markets in Europe. Keeping visiting the district of Art Nouveau of Riga. Walking by Town Hall Square always full of locals, tourists and musicians with beautiful House of the Blackheads –  the guild of unmarried German merchants;St. Peter’s Church,  the Livu Square surrounded by impressive buildings as the Cat house,  The Great Guild House which was dedicated for married merchants now is home to the Latvian Symphony Orchestra, and The Small Guild House.

7 DAY: Riga – Gauja National Park – Parnu – Tallinn

Firs visit will take a lot of time for to have so many historical and natural objects of nature. Gauja as a river and all this park protects the rich nature, which is surrounded by histories, legends about people, tribes who used to live here. Selecting the most beautiful and interesting places tourists will be involved in 2-hours tour visiting the Turaida Castle, the wooden church and many other buildings, as well as the sculpture garden, the Gutman’s cave with magical water. Lunch in Sigulda.

Next stop in Parnu after crossing the border of Latvia – Estonia. This is the seaside resort town of Estonia. It is the summer capital, where Estonians come to spend their holidays. The white beaches of fine sand, the sea with strong waves if the wind makes, and the areas of pines, formed by the wind creates romantic and quite wild landscape. The city in history was very important to the Danes, Swedes, Russians and Estonians. So far many people come here for medicinal mud. Following the path through the woods we approach Tallinn by bus. Dinner at the hotel. Night tour of Tallinn’s Old Town (optional).

8 DAY: Tallinn

Panoramic tour of the medieval city and then along the promenade. Visit of the Gothic convent of the fifteenth century dedicated to St. Bridget where they had nuns, and monks living.

9 DAY: End of the trip. Transfer to the airport.