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Traveling with Atlas Obscura amid COVID-19 How We’re Adapting Our Trips Destination Requirements (via Embassy Pages)Take a deep dive into Baltic history and culture on this immersive adventure through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We’ll travel from Tallinn to Vilnius exploring architectural marvels, abandoned sea forts, and some outrageously pretty towns along the way. We’ll cover everything from ancient traditions to the bunkers, silos, and grand memorial complexes (in addition to two formerly closed cities) left behind in the wake of the Soviet Union. We’ll be escorted by expert AO leader Darmon Richter, a British travel writer and Ph.D. researcher with a particular interest in the ideological architecture of Eastern Europe. Over the course of three countries and 12 days, we’ll meet the people who make up this diverse corner of northern Europe on a unique trip that promises to be both visually and intellectually stimulating.
Arrive in Tallinn today and settle into our hotel in Tallinn’s Old Town, “Vanalinn.” A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its cluster of spires and red-tiled rooftops rise above the treeline beside the Baltic coast. We’ll meet this afternoon in the lobby before heading out for a short walking tour of the Estonian capital. Later we’ll have dinner and drinks at a cozy Old Town eatery, and have an opportunity to get to know your guides and fellow travelers.
Local Hotel, Tallinn
Welcome Dinner
Spend the morning getting familiar with some of Tallinn’s less conventional landmarks. We’ll see the looming Patarei Prison—a seaside penitentiary disused since 2002, and now featuring a museum about the victims of Communism—as well as Linnahall, a sprawling Brutalist building complex and one of Tallinn’s most imposing Soviet souvenirs. We’ll eat lunch in Kalamaja, a picturesque district of old-style wooden houses, before heading out of town in the afternoon to see Rummu Quarry, the flooded remains of a former forced labour camp.
Local Hotel, Tallinn
Breakfast
Today we’ll leave Tallinn, driving east—but not without first stopping at the striking Maarjamäe Memorial Complex, built to remember the victims of World War II. From there, we’ll drive to Sillamäe. A former secret city during the Soviet period, when the chief local industry was uranium extraction, Sillamäe is now open to visitors and makes for a fascinating (and surprisingly quaint) stop along our journey. Finally we’ll arrive in Narva, a border town where Russia and Estonia are divided by a single river. Here we can see the local Lenin monument, the last in Estonia and one of the last still standing in the EU, before having dinner at the waterfront.
Local Hotel, Narva
Breakfast
Leaving Narva behind, we’ll follow the border south along Lake Peipsi, the fifth-largest lake in Europe—first to Mustvee, where we’ll learn about the local community of Russian Old Believers, a splinter sect of Orthodox Christians who have been settled in this region for many generations. We’ll spend the night a little further south, in Tartu. Tartu is a lively place, a college town with a delightfully bohemian vibe. After getting settled into our hotel, we’ll take a short walking tour followed by some free time to explore. In the evening, we’ll meet back up for dinner at an iconic local restaurant situated inside a former gunpowder vault.
Local Hotel, Tartu
Breakfast
As we cross from Estonia into Latvia today, we’ll visit a number of this region’s Soviet-era memorial sites. We’ll stop at a waterside World War II memorial park in Tartu, then visit a memorial to the socialist revolutionaries of Valga. We’ll drive on to Līgatne, in Latvia—a stunning little village built around the local paper mill. Here we’ll take a tour of an extensive fallout shelter built during the Cold War period, before settling for dinner, then later retiring to our accommodation in some of Līgatne’s picturesque wooden cottages.
Wooden Cottages, Līgatne
Breakfast
From Līgatne, it’s just an hour to the Latvian capital of Riga. Stopping first to see the powerful sculptures at the Salaspils Memorial Park en route, we’ll spend the rest of the day exploring Riga. From modern architecture to historic German mausoleums, and from picturesque church spires to colorful, chaotic, open-air markets, get ready to explore the Latvian capital and all its unique charm. To cap off the day, we’ll visit one of Riga’s best up-and-coming breweries for a gastronomic tour through the menu.
Local Hotel, Riga
Breakfast, Dinner
Crossing to the west coast of Latvia, we’ll visit the abandoned Northern Forts—the dramatic, sea-blasted ruins of an imperial naval defense system. From there we’ll drive into Karosta, once a closed, high-security naval district, where Khrushchev-era housing blocks rub shoulders with the sublime domes of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. Just south along the coast, Liepāja is a charming Latvian port city where maritime history meets with quirky modern culture. You’ll have a chance to wander on your own before we settle down for dinner and an overnight stay in Liepāja.
Local Hotel, Liepāja
Breakfast
Once upon a time, Karosta Prison was one of the most notorious high-security prisons in the Baltics. Nowadays it offers an immersive museum experience, and we’ll pay it a visit this morning. If you prefer, you can also explore Liepāja some more and we’ll pick you up later. Later today, entering Lithuania, our first stop is the Plokštinė Missile Base, a Cold War nuclear missile silo complex that’s now a museum. Finally, we’ll explore the famous Hill of Crosses, a deeply moving site of Catholic pilgrimage where more than 100,000 individual crosses form an extraordinary shrine to those who died in the struggle for self-determination. We’ll wind down at the end of the day at our accommodations in the small city of Šiauliai.
Local Hotel, Šiauliai
Breakfast
Today we’ll visit Kaunas, recently announced as the 2022 European Capital of Culture. Before we hit the city, we’ll stop at the Ninth Fort and its Memorial to the Victims of Nazism, a massive monument raised in memory of the many political prisoners who perished here during World War II. We’ll find our hotel in Kaunas, then relax over lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll learn from a local guide about the city’s long and complex history, its eclectic architecture, fortress, and rich Jewish heritage. After exploring Kaunas on foot for the afternoon, we’ll rest our feet and enjoy a dinner of traditional Lithuanian cuisine.
Local Hotel, Kaunas
Breakfast
Take the morning in Kaunas at your leisure. You can explore more of the city’s many hidden gems, or sleep in and relax. We’ll meet around midday for lunch, followed by a drive south to visit Grūtas Park. Since opening in 2001, this lush, wooded park has collected the Soviet-era monuments that were torn down in the restoration of Lithuania's independence. We’ll stroll the forest tracks looking at stone mementos of Lithuania’s recent history, then stop for the night in nearby Druskininkai. Since the Tsarist era, Druskininkai has been a popular spa destination, and you’ll have the option of trying some traditional treatments this evening before dinner.
Local Hotel, Druskininkai
Breakfast
Last but not least, we’ll head northeast to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. Our last Baltic capital is a smorgasbord of medieval baroque and neoclassical architecture. We’ll take a tour through the city’s Old Town and learn about Užupis, a self-declared independent republic—complete with its own bill of rights—nestled in a bohemian district of Vilnius. Later we’ll go for a final dinner at a superb local restaurant, where we’ll eat, drink, and reminisce on all we’ve seen together.
Local Hotel, Vilnius
Breakfast, Dinner
Breakfast in Vilnius will be our last meal together. If you’re heading home straight from here, we wish you a safe trip!
Breakfast
The listed price of this trip is per person based on double occupancy.
For those traveling by themselves, single accommodations can be provided, subject to availability, at an additional cost of $765. Please contact us to request a single room.
Sometimes we’ll stay at modern 4-star resorts, while other nights we’ll be immersed in retro hospitality at mid-century modernist hotels (some of these buildings are attractions in their own right!).
You’re in good company. Solo travelers typically make up about half of our small groups. With curiosity at the center of our experiences, there’s a natural camaraderie that develops over the course of a trip. We have two options for you:
Shared Room (subject to the latest Covid-19 guidelines): You'll be matched with another solo traveler of the same gender.
Private Room: Have your own room, subject to availability, for a supplemental cost of $765. After booking your trip, please request a private room when you fill out your traveler information form and we’ll send a separate invoice for the cost.
This trip is suitable for guests of all ages (18 and above) and is not very physically strenuous—just be sure to pack your walking shoes, your flashlight, and your sense of adventure. Be aware that this trip also involves a good amount of driving time, so dress for comfort.
You should plan to arrive in Tallinn, Estonia by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart Vilnius, Lithuania anytime on Day 12. Both cities have well-connected international airports.
Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated, though in most cases ingredients can't be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. If you have a severe allergy, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.
Too often, the Baltic countries are covered in just a few days by whizzing through the capitals. Tourism agencies in all three countries are increasingly trying to tempt visitors out of the economically fast-growing (and disproportionately large) capitals to the captivating smaller towns and unspoiled countryside, but this is still a slow process. While we'll certainly get a thorough taste of the delights of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, we'll also delve deep into further-flung and less tourist-heavy regions, making valuable contributions to local economies in doing so. Simply getting a better understanding of this part of the world through our ten days of total immersion will make a difference too—the Baltics are three fiercely distinct but very sparsely populated countries and for most of their history, they've been dominated by their larger neighbors, and for these reasons are often overlooked and misunderstood. Local people are invariably delighted to see foreigners showing an interest in their history and culture, or even trying a few words of their languages.