Baltics in August

[Cranmer]

Anyone been?

We have booked 3 days in Vilnius, 3 days in Riga, 3 days in Tallinn and a day in Helsinki.

Any recommendations of things to do, eat or see?

For Rīga on a sunny day you can go on a boat trip down the canal that takes you out onto Daugava river. The Occupation museum and Stūra Māja (KGB prison museum) are an interesting insight into the more recent history of Latvia’s occupation. House of Blackheads is in the old town and has lovely architecture. Free walking tours are available and you tip the host at the end, these are great and have endless good reviews. Have a walk around the old town and the art deco district - tours are available for both of these. The Opera is very reasonably priced if that’s something that peaks your interest. As for restaurants - authentic Latvian experience Ala Pagrabs Follkkubs, Lido - for cheap and cheerful meals, Domini Canes and Kolonnade are very nice too for dinner. Head to the central market for a taste of local fruits, veg, bakery and traditional foods. Parunāsim kafe'teeka is a lovely little cafe in the old town - tourists love it and I’ll admit the cake and coffee is delicious. Enjoy, hope the weather will be bright for you!

@Milkmani8 Thank you! Those are great recommendations.

I have also booked a summer holiday to Latvia. Would it be best to stay in Riga or on the beach in Jurmala? I quite fancy the beach!
We are also considering going to Liepaja - is that a good place to visit?
Going with DS age 17 and his mate, so ideas they might enjoy would be great

@rhinobaby If you haven’t been to Latvia before I would recommend going to Rīga and Jūrmala. Liepāja there is probably less to do if you’re going with teens - depends on when you plan on going, they do often have music festivals and other types of summer festivals going on in Liepāja. Jūrmala is a 30 minute max train journey from Rīga, they have lots of nice new trains running now which make for a pleasant journey - that way you could go between the two more easily and make the most of your time there? Jūrmala has Akvaparks which is a mainly indoor water park. You can also get the train to Sigulda (30/40 mins) they have a cable car, sky diving place, bobsleigh track and an adventure park Tarzāns which is good for teens.

In Helsinki there’s a church carved into a cliff. It’s very Bond villan.

Thanks Milkmani8. We haven’t been to Latvia (or the Baltics) before and have 6 nights in Riga and I was thinking of booking accommodation in Jurmala and getting the train into Riga for day trips rather than 3 nights in each place or staying in Riga and getting the train to the beach. Thanks for the Sigulda tip - that looks fun.

Definitely nice to stay in Jurmala - it’s more holiday and it is v v easy to go in and out of Riga.

2 weeks until we head off. Has anyone got any other recommendations?

For Riga: have drink in one of the rooftop bars. Take a walk along the river in Kipsala and finish at Fabrikas Restorans, they have a floating terrace with a nice view of the Old Town. Best to reserve a spot in advance. You could also check out the small streets of Agenskalns district, there is a nice market there that has a food court upstairs.
For Tallinn: take a walk along Kalaranna Promenade up to Noblessner Port, there are also several restaurants there. Check out Telliskivi, esp. Fotografiska museum, they have a rooftop restaurant/bar as well. Also Literaat nearby is a cool place - mix of a bookstore and a restaurant.

Was in Tallinn a few weeks ago.
Too many museums to visit! Would particularly recommend the TV tower, the Bastion tunnels (and the towers accessed at the same museum), the seaplane harbour; and a quick visit to the Scottish club to see the statue of Sean Connery 🤣
Loads of good places to eat - we found the Farm Restaurant was particularly good, but everywhere we went was good quality.
We spent the first day just walking around the old town. Loved it.

Museum Of occupations and freedom fights in Vilnius is an unsettling but powerful place to visit.
Museum of the occupation of Latvia in Riga is very interesting.

I live in Vilnius and have travelled all your destinations extensively. The weather has been a bit bad right now for the norm at this time of year but hopefully brighter skies lie ahead! I’ll come back later when I’m free with lots of recommendations but let me know if you have any questions and I’ll answer them too.

Vilnius recommendations!

Parks: Bernadiniu is right in the centre and very nice to walk through, you’ll definitely end up near it several times whilst sightseeing so I would really recommend. Vingis is a bit further out of the centre but still very walkable, it’s a lovely big park with a branch of the Botanical Gardens there. There are several other green spaces throughout the city, it is one of the ‘greenest’ European capitals with lots of pockets of nature.

Attractions: If you happen to be there on the last Sunday of the month, all state-maintained museums are free. As you’re only there for 3 days, I’d actually give the Duke’s palace a miss - it’s absolutely massive and you’ll be a bit overwhelmed. You can admire from the outside! It’s next to the Cathedral, a nice square and the bell tower. This area is nice to stroll around.
The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights is very thought provoking but I think there are similar museums in Riga and Tallinn so maybe just decide one of these for your trip if you’re into that.
Vilnius is full of great museums to be honest and you’d be fine picking any of them. If you want something a bit different, you could do a tour of Lukiskes Prison right in the centre - I really enjoyed it. The National Gallery across the river is also fantastic.

General areas to visit of course are the old town, the little streets which comprised the Jewish ghetto during WW2 are one of my favourite areas in the old town. Užupis is great, an artsy district with its own constitution. You can walk through Užupis to Paupys, a big new development with a huge food hall. It’s a nice juxtaposition to the old town.

All central areas are very very walkable.

I have endless restaurant and bar recommendations - it is the most fantastic city for food and drink. Let me know what in particular you enjoy and I’ll suggest a few!

There's a brilliant open air museum just outside Tallinn. We got a taxi there and back last year - bit different to your usual city break stuff and it filled the whole day, but we all really enjoyed it. It's at Rocca al Mare. Spent another day wandering around the centre of Tallinn, browsing the shops. Boat ride in Riga is also nice, but I only spent one day in Riga and that was what I remember the most!

Thank you for the recommendations!

We went to Tallinn in April and went to the Paaskula Bog trail. It’s a boardwalk through the forest, it was beautiful. There is a similar one in Riga too at the Keremi Bog. Also the Museum of Occupations was interesting and eye-opening. Of course the Orthodox Cathedrals are beautiful - in Tallinn there is Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. In Riga there is the pink and blue Church of the Holy Trinity and the Cathedral of the Nativity. We would have liked to experience all four cities but only had time for one. Are you getting a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki? Have a lovely time!

Yes, we are getting the ferry to Helsinki and Flix buses between the 3 cities.

In Helsinki, if the weather is nice, you could get the boat out to Suomenlinna. The food in the fish market used to be very good but it’s a few years since I’ve been. You definitely need to have a coffee and cinnamon bun there!

We are back! Thank you for all the recommendations. Here is what we did in the end:

Vilnius (Thank you @wherecanifindteabags
Day 1
Arrived late evening. Bolt from the airport 12 Euros.

Day 2
AM Walked around the old town, climbed up to Gediminias castle, trekked through the woods up to the Three crosses (lovely views across the city from both places), walked to St John's church (amazing interior)
PM Free walking tour. Loved Uzupis and the university area. Had dinner at Gabi in the old town.

Day 3
Train to Trakai castle (4 euros return). Walked around the lakes to the castle, picnic lunch, tried kibinai pasties, tour of the castle. Lovely day out. Evening walk in the old town.

Riga (Thank you @Milkmani8)

Day 1
Arrived mid afternoon. Walk in the old town, stumbled into a free concert in St Peter's church, listened to an amazing cellist busker in the main square, traditional Latvian dinner (Province) in the old town. Evening walk along the river with a beautiful sunset.

Day 2
AM Free walking tour, late lunch at the central market.
PM Art Nouveau self-led tour in the early evening of all the beautiful buildings finishing with a walk along the river.

Day 3
AM Visit to the Russian Orthodox church (stunning), walked through Freedom Square then across the river to the National library. Visited the Agenskalns area and had lunch at the food market.
PM KGB corner house tour (15 euros). Excellent guide and tour, shocking place.

Tallinn (Thank you @Grumpyoldpersonwithcats, @pinkcrepuscule, @Fleecy, @ELS20 )

Day 1
Arrived mid afternoon. Walk in the old town up the Russian Orthodox church and up to the viewing points. Listened to the street musicians.

Day 2
AM Free walking tour
PM Walk to the food market in the Creative District, walk to the seafront to the seaplane harbour, people watching and ice cream!

Day 3
Bus 21b (2 euros) to the Estonian Open-Air Museum (18 Euros). Great day out, very interesting.

Helsinki (Thank you @ThisCatCanHop )

Day 1
Early morning ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki. Dropped luggage at the train station (8.90 euros for 12 hours)
AM Free walking tour, picnic lunch in the park
PM Ferry across to Suomenlinna island UNESCO heritage site (3.20 euros each way, island free to visit) coffee and cinnamon bun!, lovely walk around the island to the beach.

Evening: Visit to the Helsinki museum, dinner at Levant Boulevard (delicious Lebanese food), quick visit to Helsinki Cathedral (free after 6pm), train to the airport (4.40 euros) for 10pm flight.

Weather was 20-24 degrees most days, sunny and blue skies and perfect for exploring. Thank you for all the recommendations. Hopefully if anyone stumbles over this thread, it will help give some ideas too.

I'm so pleased you enjoyed the open air museum! And that you had a great trip in general.

What a great trip OP. Where was your favourite, if you had to pick? I adore Tallinn and despite living in Vilnius, Tallinn really does have my heart.

Riga was my favourite, mainly for the sun-set river walks through by the beautiful city gardens, the stunning buildings and the street musicians.