Discover the Baltics

This tour gave an overall look at the history, cities, castles and country areas of the 3 countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Really interesting trip made extra special by our guide Melia, whose knowledge was incredible. We were really lucky with the weather and had a really good group of people.The

3countries I never thought I would get to visit, but so glad I did. With our great guide Andrius and some witty, funny, knowledgable local guides , not only did I visit these countries but understood the history of the Baltic countries , their independence yet ease of interaction. The trip was full of surprises- a phone box turned into a church in Tallin, walking around the lovely university town of Tartu, paddling in the icy cold Baltic Sea in Jurmala, visiting an opulent Baroque palace, walking the sand Dunes at Nida, visiting an old soviet missile site was interesting and frightening at the same time particularly in May 22.Riga with the zeppelin hangar market places,baroque buildings -The hill of crosses, the wood carving at Nida-so many interesting things to see. Andrius with his great sense of humour looked after us all, chose fantastic eating places and kept us amused on the bus with interesting stories and jokes. A throughly enjoyable holiday and well managed-Go for it yourself

Really nice mix of different experiences, ably led by our superb tour leader Jolita.

This is my 8th Exodus trip since 2017. I appreciate the variety in the cultural tours, such as Discover the Baltics. Over the 12-day period, we visited all three capitals of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, explored historic towns (Tartu, Kaunas, Cesis, and Klaipeda), learned about architecture (Art Nouveau in Riga and Jarmala), trekked in national parks, visited famous churches, took a crash course on Soviet occupation at famous museums, and enjoyed free time to explore on our own. The pace is brisk. Be prepared to board your bus at 9 am each day to begin your tour. There are several long days on the bus as we typically visited two venues. I highly recommend this tour.Exodus should replace two of the hotels used. They were poor. I did not like being assigned a tiny room with a twin bed. My Top 12 Memories of the Baltic Republics1. Meandering the cobblestone streets of Old Town Tallinn, Estonia2. Foraging for berries in Tartu National Park3. Riding a giant adult swing between Estonia and Latvia4. Admiring the red roofed homes of historic Cesis5. Roaming in the sculpture garden at Gauja National Park6. Visiting the Art Nouveau Museum in Riga, Latvia7. Admiring the colorful wooden houses in Jurmala, a 19th century seaside village 8. Learning the etiquette of “fan flirtation” at 18th-century Rundale Palace9. Walking the trail of tears at the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania10. Searching for seaside stones at the Curonian Spit, a Unesco World Heritage site between the Curonian Lagoon and Baltic Sea11. Taking a boat ride on the lake in Trakai, the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania12. Discovering Vilnius’ old town with our Exodus Travel guide

This tour covered a lot of ground in a short time. We learned so much of the history of this area and its people. It was good to have mix of activities in the cities and country areas. We visited old castles and palaces, national parks, museums, cities and small towns. There was a very good balance of organized activities and time to explore on our own.

A varied tour covering 3 countries, 3 capital cities, beaches, castles, country houses, cathedrals, countryside and national parks

The real strength of this tour was the use of local guides who gave us their stories of life under Soviet occupation and family histories of displacement. Learning about the terrible war time history of the region was balanced by moments admiring beautiful buildings and lovely beaches and forests. There was enough free time to wander and visit a few museums - recommended the Maritime museum in Tallinn, The Occupation Museum (take a tour) and Art Nouveau Museum and Ghetto Museum in Riga. In Vilnius and Tallinn the KGB Museums. There were some long bus journeys, very flat landscape but plenty of coffee and toilet stops!

The trip was very good. We had 11 in our group and were a mix of American, British, Australian and an Italian. Hotels were pleasant and transport was comfortable with pleasant bus drivers although some of the trips were long. There were enough stops along the way to keep things interesting. The major areas of the three countries were covered with a variety of cities, culture, nature and sea although the main focus was cultural even in the national parks. I would have preferred some walks on the many trails and boardwalks we were told about. The guided tours and time on our own was evenly divided. In Riga, there was plenty of time to see the Old Town, visit museums, relax in parks and cafes, and shop. In Tallinn and Vilnius, not so much. Overall, the trip was true to the itinerary.

I have just come back from a wonderful tour exploring these beautiful 3 countries. It was nice and relaxed with reasonable start times each day but still felt you utilised each day to explore. There was a good range of sights to see and you didn’t feel rushed at any. I came back feeling as though i had a really good insight into these beautiful countries. I felt safe as a lone female in all areas and saw no adverse affects due to the current situation in Russia/Ukraine. Our tour guide Simona was excellent & really went above & beyond what was expected, her knowledge throughout was phenomenal. The hotels were small & standard but brilliant locations. Breakfasts standards varied slightly in each but all had a very basic version of continental, a few you couldn’t get black/english tea in at all. The rooms in most were very small and i would say 100% not suitable as a room share option. Some beds there was no space or had fixed furniture so could not be separated into 2 singles. Disappointing when booking regional flights through Exodus you no longer get included transfers. Not worth the price or wait to pay exodus for them. I got 1 bus directly outside airport to a 1 min walk from hotel (you could see hotel from main bus station ) for €1.50, easy to get as stay on until last stop which was main station. My return flight i had to be at airport early hours so i got a bolt (local taxi) for €5.60 Overall this was a really lovely tour and i’m happy i’ve visited the 3 main Baltic countrys.