Cycle the Baltics

On arrival, there should be some time to explore Tallinn. Tallinn is a

fascinating historical city with many sites to explore. We recommend

strolling through the streets of the Old Town to Raekoja Plats (Town Hall

Square); the square historically served as a market and meeting place and

is surrounded by elaborate merchant houses – the perfect setting to enjoy

a coffee. If you find the round stone with a compass rose in the middle of

the square you will be able to see the 5 church spires of the old town. The

Cathedral of Saint Mary, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Olav's Church have long

characterised the skyline of the old town and are well worth a visit, as are

the old town walls.

This morning there is some free time to further explore Estonia's

capital (timings will be confirmed by the guide in the welcome briefing).

In the afternoon we leave Tallin behind and drive out of the city (approx.

1h), we will begin our first ride through National Park Lahemaa. The park,

one of the last unspoilt regions of the Baltic Coast, extends over 700 square

kilometres. Its nature is rich and unique. Here you will cycle through thick

woods, marshes and lakes. Above all, the coastline is what makes this area so

distinctive. It is also a rich environment for wildlife with moose and wild

boar, although difficult to spot, and over 220 species of bird – keep your

eyes open! Our accommodation for the evening is situated in the national park

itself and is in a spectacular setting in the grounds of an old distillery.*

*

Today we have a full day to explore the largest national park in Estonia and

one of the biggest in Europe. We will embark on a circular route taking in as

many of the parks wonderful attractions as possible. Starting from Palmse

Hotel (the former park manor house), we will pass Sagadi manor, the 400 year

old fisherman’s village of Altja, the popular seaside resort of Vosu, and

Kasmu village which is home to the fisherman’s museum. We finish the loop

cycling back through Estonian forests and meadows until we arrive at the

hotel.

We start the day with a bus transfer to the shore of Peipsi Lake (approx.

1.5h), then start cycling from the 17th Century fisherman’s village of

Mustvee. From here we pass through ancient towns and churches. Following an

old Russian tradition, villages in Peipsi only have one street. Because of

this, the shore of Peipsi Lake is one long street with lots of small

settlements dotted along it. We continue cycling into Varnja and then

transfer to Tartu (approx. 30min).

After breakfast, we have a 40km transfer to Otepaa. This area is known as

‘Estonian Switzerland’ because of its stunning scenery and pine forests.

As you would expect, there are a few hills on today’s ride, though nothing

too steep and challenging with the gradient not going above 7%. Once over the

hills, we cycle through beautiful forest and meadows and past Lake Puhajarve

on our way to Sangaste town. We will visit the park and castle in

Sangaste – walking up the castle tower gives us a great view over Otepaa

and the surrounding green natural areas. After visiting the castle we

continue cycling to Valga city, and from here we transfer by bus to Riga

(approx. 2.5h), our base for the next two nights.

Our journey today will start in the bustling town Riga, Latvia’s largest

town and capital city. The city has a mediaeval old town which is famous for

its wooden buildings and art nouveau architecture. We will then follow the

cycle paths to the beautiful town of Jurmala, which is famous for its

incredible wooden buildings and 19th Century Russian villas. Jurmala is also

one of Latvia’s largest seaside resorts – it has a 33km stretch of

white sandy beach for us to explore on our bikes. There will be plenty of

time to have a swim in the sea before we transfer back to Riga for the night.

After breakfast, we leave Latvia and transfer directly to Lithuania (approx.

4h). We begin our ride in Sventoji on a beautiful cycle route to Klaipeda,

which lies along the Baltic Coast. On the way we pass Palanga, a traditional

bucket and spade seaside town with a long stretch of sandy beach. It's a

really fun place to stop, have a wander around, a dip in the sea, and see one

of the most favoured seaside towns among Lithuanians. We will visit the

Palanga Botanical Gardens and manor house which is now home to the amber

museum. There are numerous cafes to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and have

some lunch before we set off again for our final destination of Klaipeda, our

base for two nights. Our hotel is close to the Old Town, so a good spot from

which to explore.

We transfer to Nida (approx. 1.5h including the ferry ride), known as the

town of retreat, and an artist’s resort. It was home and inspiration for

two summers to the author Thomas Mann and its affluent feel and tranquillity

encourages the feeling that you are on a holiday within a holiday. From here

we explore the 68km long Curonian Spit. The high dunes (up to 60m) running

along the spit have encouraged the local people to refer to the area as the

'Lithuanian Sahara'. During our ride we will make a stop in Juodkrante and

admire the bizarre wooden carvings on what is known as Witch Hill. The

sculpture park was started in 1979 and now has more than 70 wooden carvings

representing characters of Lithuanian folktale and legend. We will then

continue along the spit with the Baltic Sea extending far into the distance.

We finish the ride at the ferry port, and from here we take the ferry across

the lagoon then transfer back to the hotel in Klaipeda for the night.

We start the day with a bus transfer to Kintai village (approx. 45mins), and

from here we cycle through dense green forests and beautiful meadows to Vente

Cape. There is a lot of wildlife at Vente Cape as it is a popular resting

place for birds on their migration, and it's home to one of the first bird

ringing stations in Europe. We will visit the 11m high lighthouse which

offers breathtaking views of the lagoon and golden sand dunes of the Curonian

Split; the lighthouse is a fascinating place, built in 1863 when the cape was

still part of Germany. We continue cycling to the town of Silute where we get

on the bus and transfer to Vilnius (approx. 4h).

After breakfast, we transfer by bus to the small village of

Semeliskes(approx. 1h). From here we have a picturesque ride over undulating

terrain to Galve Lake. Here the magical and famous Trakai Castle sits, as if

floating on its own island in the middle of the lake – it’s a truly

magical place. We will explore the surrounding areas of the lake and visit

the Castle before transferring back to Vilnius for the night.

We have a free morning in Vilnius before the trip ends here.