Self-Drive Tour of The Baltic States
Self-Drive Tour of The Baltic States
Self-Drive Tour of The Baltic States
15 Days Starting and ending in Tallinn
Visiting: Tallinn, Tartu, Riga, Vilnius, Klaipėda, Pärnu City, Kuressaare
Tour operator:
Tour code:
MI2
Group Type:
Independent
Guide Type:
Self Guided
Physical rating:
Low
Age range:
10-99
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians, Vegans
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Tour Overview
The best way to discover the Baltic States is to plan a self drive tour. This 15 days tour starts and ends in Tallinn and will allow you to discover all the best destinations in the Baltic States. NB For non EU residents, the international driving licence is required During the tour, you will discover: Tallinn old town, Tartu, Cesis, Sigulda, Riga old town, Rundale Palace, Hill of crosses, Vilnius old town, Trakai castle, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Curonian Spit, Pärnu, Saaremaa Island, Haapsalu, Lahemaa National Park and much more.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Tallinn
Location: Tallinn
Accommodation: Hotel
Arrival to Tallinn and transfer to the hotel. Check-in and rest of the day free. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2 : Tallinn
Location: Tallinn
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast and full day dedicated to the free visit of the Estonian capital.Tallinn, is the oldest capital in Northern Europe. The city was first recorded by the Arab cartographer al-Idrisi back in 1154. Tallinn’s subsequent 800 years of history has created a city of colourful buildings, slender spires, ancient hostelries and pleasant squares. Tallinn’s Old Town is one of Europe’s best preserved mediaeval cities and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the visit you will discover the Toompea hill (the upper part of the old town) with the Castle, the Cathedral and the Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral and the lower part of the old town with the Town Hall Square, the gothic Town Hall, the Town Hall Pharmacy (one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe), the St. Nicholas Church, the St. Olaf’s Church, the Great Guild Hall and the mediaeval merchants buildings. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 : Tallinn-Tartu
Location: Tallinn
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast and, in the morning, delivery of the car at the hotel. Drive from Tallinn to Tartu. We suggest to drive through a secondary scenic route which allows you to see a nice part of the Estonian countryside. You can also plan to make a detour along the Lake Peipsi before arriving to Tartu. Arrival to Tartu and visit by foot of the nice and quite old town. Tartu is the second town in Estonia and it is the main university centre of the country. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 : Tartu-Cesis-Sigulda-Riga
Location: Tartu
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. From Tartu you’ll drive to Riga. On the way we suggest stopping in Cesis to visit the medieval castle. The next stop is in Sigulda, situated in the Gauja National Park, also called the „Latvian Switzerland” because of its green and hilly landscape. Do not miss the visit of the Turaida castle. Arrival to Riga in the late afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 : Riga
Location: Riga
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast and full day dedicated to the free visit of the Latvian capital. The heart of Riga lies in its old town. Each step on its cobbled streets reveals a page of the eight centuries long history of the city. It is small enough to make you feel at home and at the same time also big enough to keep you enraptured by its history and UNESCO world heritage. During the visit you will discover the most historical spots of the old town like the Cathedral, the Riga Castle, the Swedish Gate, the St. Peter’s Church, the Dome square, the building of the Three Brothers, the Freedom monument and many other sites. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6 : Riga-Bauska-Siauliai-Vilnius
Location: Riga
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Driving from Riga to Vilnius we suggest stopping near Bauska for the visit of the Rundale Palace (The Rundale Palace is an example of Baroque and Rococo architecture of outstanding brilliance. Designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the Russian Imperial Court architect, it was built between 1736 and 1740 as the summer residence for Ernst Johann Biron, Duke of Courland. Nowadays the Palace has been converted to a museum and houses a large collection of paintings and various exhibitions of applied art, also a collection of Latvian church art.) and near Siauliai for the visit of the hill of crosses (The hill-fort of Jurgaičiai near Šiauliai, known as the Hill of Crosses, is a favourite attraction for tourists and pilgrims. The hill is literally smothered with crosses; there are over 50,000 crosses, shrines, statues of saints and rosaries on the hill. Arrival in Vilnius. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 7 : Vilnius
Location: Vilnius
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast and full day dedicated to the free visit of the Lithuanian capital.Overnight at the hotel. Located at the confluence of the rivers Neris and Vilnia, Vilnius is one of the most visited cities in Eastern Europe. The Old Town, a Baroque masterpiece, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Vilnius holds almost 50 Churches of various architectural styles and several authentic buildings with Gothic, Renaissance and Classical features.
During the walking tour you will discover the small and cosy Old Town, the well known Gates of Dawn, the Cathedral, the Gediminas Tower, the old University, the St. Anne’s Church and many others unique spots. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 8 : Vilnius-Trakai-Vilnius
Location: Vilnius
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast and day to be spent visiting Trakai. Trakai, the old capital of Lithuania. Trakai, located between Kaunas and Vilnius, was the 14th century capital of Lithuania. It is renowned for its magnificent castle, the largest of this kind in Eastern Europe, located on an island in a picturesque lake. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 9 : Vilnius-Kaunas-Klaipeda
Location: Vilnius
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Drive from Vilnius to the Lithuanian coast having a break in Kaunas, the second largest town of Lithuania. Arrival in Klaipeda, main sea port of Lithuania with a long history as a Prussian capital called Memel. Free time to visit the town. We suggest planning a visit to Palanga, summer capital of Lithuania with beautiful sandy beaches. Do not miss the Palanga Amber Museum, the biggest in Europe. Return to Klaipeda in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10 : Klaipeda-Curonian Spit-Klaipeda
Location: Klaipėda
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Full-day excursion to the Curonian Spit (Neringa), a thin 100-km stretch of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, with small fishing villages, pine forests and endless sandy dunes. Pay a visit to the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante and then continue to Nida, charming seaside resort famous for its high dunes and Thomas Mann’s summerhouse. Drive back to Klaipeda in the late afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 11 : Klaipeda-Pärnu
Location: Klaipėda
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Departure from Klaipeda in the morning by driving along the coast until Liepaja, popular latvian seaside resort.Departure through Riga and arrival to Pärnu, the most popular seaside resort of Estonia. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 12 : Pärnu-Kuressaare
Location: Pärnu City
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. When the sun is shining you can decide to spend some time in the morning on Pärnu beach. Then you will drive to Saaremaa Island, the biggest of the over 1200 islands in Estonia. The ferry will take you in about 30′ from the inland to the small island of Muhu and from here you will drive to Kuressaare, the island’s capital. Visit the historical old town and the medieval castle. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 13 : Kuressaare-Haapsalu-Tallinn
Location: Kuressaare
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Saaremaa is a perfect place to discover by car. Take as much time as you can to drive along the coast and see those beautiful sceneries like Panga Cliffs. You will also see the rests of the Soviet military base and the lighthouse. Don’t miss also the meteorite crater. Returning to the inland you can make a stop in Haapsalu, popular spa resort with Tschaikovski bench, dedicated to the famous composer. Arrival to Tallinn in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 14 : Tallinn-Lahemaa National Park-Tallinn
Location: Tallinn
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Full day dedicated to the excursion to the Lahemaa National Park. You’ll drive eastward about 50 km along the large St. Petersburg Road. The Lahemaa National Park is rich of marvellous landscapes, old fishermen’s villages and historical manor houses. We also suggest having a very pleasant walk on the naturalistic track on the bogs. Return to Tallinn in the afternoon and drop-off of the car at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 15 : Tallinn
Location: Tallinn
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast. Free time to visit Tallinn and for the shopping. Transfer to the airport. Departure from Tallinn.
What's Included
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Accommodation
14 overnights in shared dbl/twin room. Hotel 4-star
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Meals – Breakfast Only
14 Breakfast at the hotels
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Airport Transfers at Destination
Arrival and departure transfers by private car/mini van
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Free Wi-Fi at Accommodation
Free Wi-Fi if available at the hotels
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Local Taxes
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Services and taxes
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GPS Navigation rental for 12 days
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Car rental
Car rental from day 3 to day 14 (full kasko insurance, self risk approx. €400, for minivan approx. €500). For 2 people : VW Golf or similar, for 3-4 people: Renault Megane SW or similar, for 5-8 people: Renault Trafic or similar.
What's Not Included
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1 bottle of Mineral Water per person per day
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All Domestic Transportation (including internal flights)
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Country Entry Visas
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Drinks with Meals
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Entrance Fees
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Fully Guided
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Game Drives on Safari
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International Travel
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Meals – Full Board
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Meals – Half Board
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Tipping and Gratuities
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Train Tickets
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Anything not specified under included
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Parking fee
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Return ferry tickets to Saaremaa
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Return ferry tickets to Curonian Spit
Optional Extras
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Package price in dbl/twin shared room Hotels 3-star
Package price in dbl/twin shared room Hotels 3-star: 1665.00 Eur pp
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3 hours walking guided visit of Riga old town: 185,00 Eur
3 hours walking guided visit of Riga old town: 185,00 Eur
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3 hours walking guided visit of Tallinn old town: 185,00 Euro
3 hours walking guided visit of Tallinn old town: 185,00 Euro
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3 hours walking guided visit of Vilnius old town: 185,00 Eur
3 hours walking guided visit of Vilnius old town: 185,00 Eur
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Package price in single room Hotels 3-star
Package price in single room Hotels 3-star: Eur 2325.00 pp
Check out our Q&As
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Are flights included in this tour?
No, flight are not included
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Company Instant Book
yes
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Is there any free time to explore places during the tour?
Yes, the tour planning includes at least one half day for private visits
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Can you assist with pre or post tour accommodation?
Yes, we can offer pre and post stay at the same hotel booked for the tour. Price information will be shared separately.
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Will I know the names and details of all the accommodation before I depart?
Yes, accommodation details will be sent 3 weeks prior the departure of the tour
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Are pet accepted?
Unfortunately pets are not accepted
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Are all entrance fees included in the price?
No, only the ones specified in the program
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Is there a limit to luggage that can be brought on the tour?
Normally we are looking for 1 luggage per participant
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Is the tour coach air conditioned?
Yes, the coach has air conditioning
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What is the fitness level required to do this tour?
Normal, regular
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Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?
The cost for visa has to be covered by the guests. We only provide invitation letter if required
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Will passengers from another country be participating in the tour?
Yes
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Do you require a visa for this holiday?
All depends from the guest nationality. The Schengen visa is fine.
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What is the tipping policy?
We suggest 10 Eur per person for the guides and 5 Eur per person for the bus driver
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What happens if a group doesn’t make its minimum required number of passengers?
The minimum group size of 1 pax is always guaranteed
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Is there a supplement for solo travellers?
Yes, there is a supplement for single room
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Are vaccinations required for this tour?
No
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What is the standard of the hotels on this tour?
The tour offer the option of 3-star or 4-star hotels
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
No, they are optional
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Is free Wi-Fi available in the accommodation used?
Generally, the WIFI is available in the hotels
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
The guides are English speaking but the we can offer the tour in German, Italian, Spanish and French
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What currencies are required for this tour?
Euro
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Will there be an escort accompanying this tour?
The tour includes a guide for the guided cities visit as well as for all the tranfsers between cities
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
Yes, children are welcome for this tour
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What is the maximum group size?
Generally the maximum group size is 30 pax
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Smart Travel requires a minimum deposit of 20% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 45 days before departure.
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