Walking the Baltics: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

Click to view map

Day 1: Arrival Vilnius

Check in at your hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital for more than 600 years. Depending on your arrival time, you have the rest of the day to explore the old town, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Private airport transfer available upon request. You can also book an extra night to explore Vilnius more.

• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Vilnius (Railway Hotel*** or similar)

Day 2: Pavilniai Regional Park | 10km

Today you explore a regional park within Vilnius city boundaries (short train ride from the city – 7mins from Vilnius train station to Pavilnio station). As soon as you arrive, take it all in from the 65m-high Pučkoriai Outcrop. The valley of the Vilnia River is the heart of Pavilniai Regional Park. The Pūčkoriai Exposure is a unique geological monument. Take a stroll by the river, examine the dam, old manor and watermill. 

• Walking for the day: 4h, 10km
• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Vilnius (Railway Hotel*** or similar)

Day 3: Vilnius – Trakai – Varnikai – Vilnius | 7-15km

Today, after a short train ride (40min), you will find yourself in the cosy medieval town of Trakai, surrounded by lakes and forests. Trakai, also known as the medieval residence of Lithuanian Grand Dukes, is Lithuania’s historical capital, and famously beautiful too. The town is also famous for its Karaim community living here since the 14th century, known also for making kibinai – the best local pastries in the area. Visit Salos Castle, a stunning example of Gothic architecture in an equally stunning location, on an island in Lake Galve, one of the deepest lakes in Lithuania. Today you have the choice of two hikes – a shorter one around the Trakai town and peninsula or a longer one with an extension to Varnikai Reserve through an old forest and meadow.

• Walking for the day: 2-5h, 7-15km
• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Vilnius (Railway Hotel*** or similar)

Day 4: Vilnius – Plateliai | 7-8km

In the morning take a train from Vilnius to Plunge (3.5h, ticket included), from where a private transfer takes you to Plateliai in the ancient forests, flora and fauna- rich Žemaitija National Park. Rare birds here include hazel grouse, corncrake and whooper swan. The park’s jewel is the biggest and deepest lake in Žemaitija – Lake Plateliai with seven islands. In the afternoon, take a leisurely walk around the national park.

• Walking for the day (optional): 2-3h, 7-8km
• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Plateliai (Pas tėvukus or similar)

Day 5: Žemaitija National Park | 7-22km

Today’s walk starts on the lake shore and then into the forest, with trees stretching up as high as 50m. Today we offer an optional walk from Plateliai to the Cold War Museum (a Cold War Soviet missile base). Built in the 1960s in secret from Lithuanian people, the base had enough firepower to flatten most of Europe and may have played a role in the Cuban missile crisis. Please note that this trail is not circular. If you do not want to walk back, you can take a local taxi (contacts will be provided; bike rental options also available).

• Walking for the day: 2-3h, 7-8km; Optional circular walk: 22km (6-7h)
• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Plateliai (Pas tėvukus or similar)

Day 6: Plateliai – Plunge – Riga | 3-4km

Today you head to Latvia to exploring another Baltic country. Morning transfer to the bus station in Plunge (30mins), where you will take a bus going to Riga (3.5h, ticket included). Private transfer from the bus station to your accommodation. Free afternoon to explore Riga on your own. Founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a true kaleidoscope of various architectural styles.

• Walking in Riga: 2h, 3-4km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Riga (Boutique Hotel Kristofs or similar)

Day 7: Riga – Sigulda/Cesis | 5-7km

In the morning, continue exploring Riga and its narrow streets and ancient alleyways. The Old Town’s walking tour includes Riga Castle, Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, Swedish Gates, Three Brothers, Large and Small Guild House and the Freedom Monument. In the afternoon, a private transfer takes you to the train station to catch a local train to Sigulda (approx. 1h journey). Private transfer from Sigulda train station to your accommodation.

• Walking for the day (optional): 3h, 5-7km
• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Sigulda (Hotel Sigulda*** or similar)

Day 8: Sigulda – Krimulda – Turaida – Sigulda | 12-14km

In the morning, take a local train (1h, €2-3) to Gauja National Park (15mins walk from the station). After arrival at Sigulda, drop your luggage at the hotel. Take a spectacular hike in one of Latvia’s most beautiful nature areas – Gauja National Park. It is the largest and oldest of the national parks in Latvia, and is wonderfully biodiverse with a wide array of landscapes, including natural springs and sandstone outcrops. Also take the time to enjoy Sigulda on a hike that takes in the medieval castle ruins, hills, caves, cliffs, impressive forests and wonderful sights of the River Gauja valley.

• Walking for the day: 6-7h, 12-14km
• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Sigulda (Hotel Sigulda*** or similar)

Day 9: Raganu Katls (Witches’ Pot) – Paradise Hill | 12-14km

Highlights of today include the magnificent Raganu katls ravine, with walls reaching to heights of 20m. Other natural wonders today include Paradise Hill, the Gauja River valley and Petera Ala (Peter’s cave), a narrow gap in a red sandstone wall that is 6.5m deep, 2.2m wide, and 5.3m high. Legend has it that a farmer called Peter hidin this cave during the Swedish War.

• Walking for the day: 6-7h, 12-14km
• Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Sigulda (Hotel Sigulda*** or similar)

Day 10: Tallinn

Today you leave Latvia behind and travel to the smallest Baltic state of Estonia – a wildly beautiful land of pristine forests, biodiverse wetlands and remote offshore islands. Your trip starts late morning, taking a short transfer from Sigilda to the train station, where you take a train to Valga – a small town on the Estonian border (2h, ticket included), where you change trains for Tallinn, Estonia’s capital (3.5h, ticket included). Private transfer from Tallinn train station to your accommodation. You have the rest of the day to explore the town.

• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Tallinn (Gotthard Residents or similar)

Day 11: Exploring Tallinn | 5km

Tallinn, one of Europe’s newest capitals, boasts a rich mix of architecture and culture in a small geographic area. Tallinn’s Old Town in Kesklinn is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Outside the city walls, take in the plethora of brightly painted wooden houses, parks, redeveloped docks, beaches and forests.

• Walking for the day: 3h, 5km
• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Tallinn (Gotthard Residents or similar)

Day 12: Lahemaa National Park | 5km

In the morning, you are transferred to Käsmu captains’ village (1h, drop your luggage and start exploring this tiny coastal town. Käsmu peninsula is the smallest in Lahemaa National Park, known for its historic captain’s village and maritime school that produced ship captains for the whole Estonian fleet at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Käsmu peninsula is also a gigantic natural Ice Age park with a unique boulder field and romantic rocks left behind by glacial drift which you can see during your hike there. There are a few hiking routes in the village, and today you take the shorter Nature and Culture trail, leading you through a pine forest and bouldered coast.

• Walking for the day: 2-3 h, 5 km
• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Käsmu (Rannamannid or similar)

Day 13: Walking in Lahemaa National Park | 15km

The second day in Lahemaa National Park is for exploring Käsmu peninsula, following a second longer circular trail around the peninsula. Explore its stony and sandy seashores, bogs, pine and cliff forests, rivers that cut into the limestone cliff as well as erratic rocks left over from the last Ice Age. Lahemaa is one of Europe’s most important forest conservation areas, where many large mammals live. Located south of the national park, the large forested Kõrvemaa area is home to moose, wild boars, brown bears, lynx, foxes and other wild animals.

• Walking for the day: 6-7h, 15km
• Accommodation: Guesthouse in Käsmu (Rannamannid or similar)

Day 14: Departure

Departure after breakfast. Optional transfer to Tallinn is available upon request.

Click to view default hotels

• Railway Hotel (Vilnius)
• Pas tėvukus (Plateliai)
• Boutique Hotel Kristofs (Riga)
• Hotel Sigulda (Sigulda)
• Rannamannid (Käsmu)
• Gotthard Residents (Tallinn)

*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will give you exact accommodation details upon booking confirmation.