Cycle the Baltics

A fascinating trip through the 3 Baltic countries. The terrain was quite flat and the cycling easy over an amazing mix of forest trails generous cycle paths and some road travel. We were blessed with good weather and even managed to swim in the Baltic 3 times. The tour gave us a great insight into the conditions within all 3 countries during the Soviet era and how things have changed since then. The trip encompassed a wide range of activities and experiences ranging from climbing a forest fire watch tower to descending into the depths of an old Soviet nuclear missile site. Our travels were very much "off the beaten track" and we were able to meet the locals and had the opportunity to sample the local cuisine, including pink beetroot soup, smoked herring and potato-covered "zeppelins".

A very enjoyable trip thanks to a great guide (Lena), a very friendly group ,a very professional driver, a well planned itinerary &,good weather.

This was our first ever cycling holiday and so we were unsure before going whether we'd be fit and prepared enough. Building up our cycling beforehand as per the Exodus training plan definitely helped our fitness. The distances and routes each day were very manageable. We did buy padded shorts for the trip and these were definitely helpful. We also took our own bike seats and after a couple of days using the one that came with the bikes (which I found a bit narrow and hard) I switched to my own which was definitely more comfortable and supportive for me, while my husband was happy with the Exodus one. The bikes were good with more gears than expected and an easy lever to flick the suspension on for bumpy ground. The pannier bag provided was an unexpected bonus and easily came on and off so can be taken to your room at night and packed for the following day. There are no separate compartments in them so after a few days of groping around in the dark space at the bottom every time I needed something, I organised smaller items into separate plastic bags which could be pulled out easily. Hotel rooms were clean and spacious with good facilities, though we may have hit lucky with our room allocation as some people felt cramped and not so happy with theirs. The hotel in Palmse was more basic but this was definitely compensated for by the lovely location. Breakfasts at all the hotels were good with plenty of choice. A gluten-free Exodus guest managed ok, helped by bringing a print out of 'I can't eat gluten' translated into the 3 languages to show staff and by buying a loaf of gluten free bread for when rice cakes got too boring. As non-meat eaters our meals out tended to be dominated by fish with very limited choices at some places for total vegetarians. Generally though the food was tastier and more varied than I had expected with some great places suggested by Andrius - we definitely needed those bike rides to keep the calories from piling on!

It was a great rip - well-organised, lovely routes, reasonable accommodation and food, excellent guide, great group -met some lovely people who I'll be seeing again.

We had a very enjoyable cycle through the Baltic States form Tallinn to Vilnius. We left on August 28 and finished on September 9th. Our guide Lena was excellent, the group were all friendly and our driver was highly professional. We were blessed with fine weather and we thought that the Grading of 2 was spot on.We would have liked more time in Riga.

A memorable holiday with a group of compatible people who were all keen to enjoy the experience and learn about the region

This trip fully met my expectations. I had never visited any of the Baltic countries and I was pleased to be able to see something of the countryside and coastal areas as well as brief stays in each of the 3 capitals. I also wanted to return to cycling with a fairly gentle trip and the itinerary allowed for a reasonably leisurely pace with mostly quiet roads. I found the balance of cycling, sightseeing and relaxation (sampling local cuisine and drinks!) to be good. What made our trip special was a great bunch of fellow cyclists and a superb guide in Andrius.

A well planned trip visiting the three Baltic Countries which have successfully emerged from being states of the USSR and now showing their individual characteristics. Cycling is an ideal way to see the Countries away from the big cities.

We enjoyed the holiday very much, we had a good insight into the three capital cities and a fiar understanding of how the countyry side worked. The food was much better than expected , we had feared it might mainly be pork and dumplings but it was a good selection of 'western ' and local dishes. The cycling was mainly through forest tracks which do not give many views of the country side but perhaps it is very difficult to design a cycling holiday in a very forested area to include time to stop and look aroun villages . Although the cycling was not technically difficult there were times when it was necessary to keep close to the leader mto avoid getting lost. A back marker would have been very useful and would have been able to cope with any problems (punctures, accidents) as well as ensuring.

Interesting countries that I’d not visited before. Good guide. Lovely food. Interesting cities. Easy riding but heavy bikes making the trip harder and more demanding. Pretty unspoiled countryside and lovely views across the Baltic Sea.