Friday 18th April – Tallinn (Estonia)

• Arrive at your own leisure in Tallinn. The capital city of Estonia is well connected with many European countries. Self-transfer to our centrally located hotel.
• A pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 9:00 am to discuss the tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Meet our local guide and start our city walking tour exploring Tallinn’s old town and UNESCO World Heritage. We’ll visit a small tavern that serves ale in clay cups. We’ll continue to the viewpoint overlooking the town, a perfect spot to capture some pictures.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a local tavern. We recommend trying solyanka, a delicious Eastern European soup served with rye bread.
• Once we’re ready, we’ll start making our way to the KGB museum. Here we’ll learn about how the Estonians lived under Soviet occupation and the tactics that were used to spy on its citizens.
• We’ll have some time to explore the capital at our own pace, an opportunity for those who would like to take pictures and purchase souvenirs.
• For dinner, we’ll head to a local brewery that serves delicious Estonian cuisine. We recommend trying the pigs ears alongside the porter.
• For those inclined for a few more drinks, we’ll head to Depeche Mode Bar. The bar is totally dedicated to 1980s bands, only playing their tracks!
• Overnight stay in Tallinn.

Saturday 19th April – Tallinn – Riga (Latvia)

• Early morning starts with breakfast at our hotel before we check out.
• We’ll take the scenic coastal route to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Along the way, we’ll explore many abandoned Soviet apartments. Unfortunately, many of these are slowly disappearing.

Afternoon

• Lunch along the scenic journey. If we see a fisherman’s stall, we’ll take the opportunity to try some smoked fish, a popular choice for locals.
• On arrival in Riga, we’ll check into our centrally located hotel, before we meet our local guide.
• You’ll get the chance to explore Riga’s old town and UNESCO World Heritage, seeing the House of Blackheads, and the controversial Rifleman monument. Only recently the Monument dedicated to the Soviet liberators was taken down, we’ll head there to see the remains of the huge memorial complex. We’ll continue exploring Riga heading toward Cathedral Square where we’ll see Latvijas Radio (Latvia Radio Station), which is always a great spot to have a beer.
• For dinner, we’ll head to a local restaurant that serves amazing Latvian cuisine with locally brewed beers. Here you can sample the traditional black pudding with sauerkraut accompanied by a refreshing beer. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes also. For those wishing to stay out, Cathedral Square has excellent choices for bars.
• Overnight stay in Riga.

Sunday 20th April – Riga – Vilnius (Lithuania)

• Early morning starts before we depart Riga and head towards the Lithuanian capital.
• We’ll visit the Hill of Crosses, a pilgrimage site since 1831. The site gained more purpose during the Soviet occupation as a symbol of independence resulting in it being destroyed a number of times. However, Lithuanians kept placing crosses on the hill to defy the Soviets. Today, there are over 100,000 crosses, with pilgrims coming from all over the world.

Afternoon

• Time for lunch in Kaunas old town, considered to be one of the most important and beautiful cities in Lithuania.
• Next, we’ll head to the Ninth Fort Memorial and Museum. This powerful memorial is dedicated to the 45,000 Jews massacred at this site during the Nazi occupation.
• On arrival to Vilnius, we’ll check into our hotel before heading straight for dinner at our favourite restaurant. We recommend trying the boiled pig’s ears with peas and zeppelin. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes also.
• As it’s our final night, we’ll head out for some drinks and enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
• Overnight stay in Vilnius.

Monday 21st April – Vilnius

• Breakfast at our hotel, we’ll be able to store our luggage in the storage room.
• We’ll head out to explore Vilnius’s communist-era architecture. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Lithuanians wanted to discard the reminders of their occupiers. However, there are a number of beautiful brutalist buildings located around the capital that you can appreciate.
• The walking tour will take us to the old town and micronation Užupis which means “beyond the river” in Lithuanian. The district declared itself an independent republic (The Republic of Užupis) in 1998. You can request for your passport to be stamped with the coat of arms of the republic here.

Afternoon

• Farewell lunch in Vilnius old town.
• End of tour – YPT can assist with onward travel advice or accommodation or continue onwards to Kaliningrad and Belarus. Alternately for best value, join the Baltics, Kaliningrad and Belarus Combo!

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