Tour – Baltic Capitals

Witness a world transformed with a fascinating and historic journey through the Baltic Capitals.  Discover Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, a UNESCO site, and one of Eastern Europe’s oldest “Old Towns.” While there, walk through the fascinating KGB Museum. Travel on to Trakai, Lithuania’s medieval capital, and visit 15th-century Trakai Castle. Tour magnificent 18th-century Rundale Palace.  Enjoy the Latvian capital, Riga, the “little Paris of the North.” Take a day trip to Sigulda’s Gauja National Park, the “Switzerland of Latvia.” Explore historic Tallinn, the Estonian capital. See Estonia’s open-air Rocca-al-Mare village museum. The journey ends in Czar Peter the Great’s “window on the West,” St. Petersburg, where touring includes St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Nevsky Prospekt, the Peter & Paul Fortress, and the Hermitage Museum. Join a local family for lunch, and visit the dramatic Peterhof palace.  

Open for booking soon! Call 1.800.293.5725 or email travel@architecturaladventures.org for more details.

Architectural highlights

• Take in the amazing UNESCO World Heritage site, Vilnius.
• Explore the Peter and Paul Church, which contains over 2,000 stucco figurines by Italian sculptor Pietro Perti.
• Marvel at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Riga’s 13th-century red-brick cathedral that boasts a 6,789-pipe organ.
• See the majestic 15th-century Trakai Castle, scenically located on an island in Lake Galve.
• Admire the Rundale Palace, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also designed St. Petersburg’s magnificent Winter Palace.
• Marvel at the Old Town section of Riga with cobblestone streets and buildings constructed during different periods of history including Romanticism, Gothic, Mannerism, Baroque, Eclectic, and Modernism.
• See the Toompea Castle, an ancient stronghold which now houses the Estonian parliament.
• Visit the Rocca-al-Mare open-air museum containing more than 100 traditional buildings transported from across the country.
• Visit the Hermitage, one of the world’s greatest museums of fine art, which is located in the Winter Palace, home of the last of Russia’s czars.

More highlights

• Attend a lunch with a local Russian family and get a fascinating look into the everyday life of an average family living in St. Petersburg.
• Stroll down the famed Albert Street, known for its Art Nouveau buildings.
• Explore the fascinating KGB Museum.
• Enjoy the Hill of Crosses, which draws pilgrims from around the world, many of whom add their own small crosses to an ever-increasing mountain of religious icons.
• See the Gauja National Park in the Gauja River Valley, called “little Switzerland” because of its deep gorges and flowing rivers.
• Walk through the sobering Museum of Genocide Victims.

Also included

• 12  nights’ accommodations in listed properties
• 24 meals: 12 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 7 dinners
• An experienced Tour Director, in addition to the Architectural Adventures Educational Expert.
• Entrance fees for all included visits
• Private motorcoach transportation throughout the trip
• Gratuities for local guides, bus drivers, porters, airport, hotel and restaurant staff
• Luggage handling for one bag per person

Accommodations

• Set in the Old Town, Radisson Blu Astorija is an upscale Baroque-style hotel dating from 1901 and is a 6-minute walk from the landmark Gates of Dawn.
• Radisson Blu Elizabete Hotel is a quick 7-minute walk from the Freedom Monument, a 9-minute walk from the Latvian National Museum of Art and a 15-minute walk from Riga Cathedral.
• Radisson Blu Sky Hotel is a contemporary high-rise hotel located close to the medieval Vanalinn (Old Town) district and the Kadriorg Palace.
• Set in an opulent 19th-century building just off Nevsky Prospekt avenue, the polished Belmond Grand Hotel Europe is a 10 minutes walk from the Church of the Savior on Blood and 1.5 km from the waterfront Winter Palace.

Day 1 Begin your journey

Day 2 Arrive in Vilnius

Day 3 Explore the majestic Vilnius

Day 4 Discover the medieval town of Trakai

Day 5 The historic Latvian countryside

Day 6 Sightsee through Riga

Day 7 Discover “Little Switzerland”

Day 8 Enjoy seaside Parnu

Day 9 Tallinn, the Estonian stronghold

Day 10 Walk through Rocca-al-Mare

Day 11 Arrive in St. Petersburg

Day 12 Explore the Window on the West

Day 13 Royal summer palaces

Day 14 Return Home