Planning for the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
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Planning for the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Has anyone gone to the Baltics without a tour? We would like to go to Tallinn, which everybody says is a beautiful city, Riga, Vilnius & Kaunas.
How do the trains, planes & buses work? How a
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Planning for the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Has anyone gone to the Baltics without a tour? We would like to go to Tallinn, which everybody says is a beautiful city, Riga, Vilnius & Kaunas. How do the trains, planes & buses work? How about a visa for Kaliningrad, is that still difficult? Could someone give me some help that went to the Baltics in 2003. I know they will be part of Europe in 2004 and will have the Euro as their currency.
We just returned from Russia and the Baltic countries. My advice would be to fly into Frankfurt and fly from there using a Europebyair.com Flightpass to any one of the cities you mention, except Riga. That's one of the best deals going. For $99 plus some airport fees you can travel throughout Europe. You must buy these coupons before you leave but they are changeable at any time. Go to their website to see where they fly and get details.
To get between the cities we used Eurolines buses. Nice tour type buses with toilets, and comfy seats. Better than the train, and cheaper than air. Plus you get to see the countryside. Fares between the cities you mentioned are less than $15 per person.
Hotels are moderately priced but food is cheap. Even really nice restaurants are priced reasonably. Department stores, grocery stores, and restaurants abound in all three countries. You will love visiting this part of Europe although there is little to see in the way of grand palaces, museums and scenery. The old towns are great, and the people friendly. Beware of pickpockets though. Have fun.
I was in Estonia and Latvia in June, 2003, and rented a car and drove all around and stayed in university dormitories and other low cost places. No problem with language. We used Lonely Planet Guidebook extensively. Riga and Tallinn were very interesting cities but little villages and churches and cemeteries and grocery stores, etc are also interesting.
There is very good bus traffic between Riga and Tallinn, and of cource buses from Riga to Vilnius. No trains from Tallinn to Riga, but train from Riga to Vilnius. Eurolines buses are really nice and comfortable. But I m not sure that bus is the best way see country (of cource you can see some landscape), because there are only some short stops during your drive. Kauanas is so near to Vilnius (around 120 km), that even idea about one day sidetrip from Vilnius could be under discussion. If you have plans to visit Russian enclave Kaliningrad, a visit to Lithuanina single large seaport Klaipeda (with almost satellite resort town Palanga) could be reasonable.
A note about Europe. If someone is saying that Baltic countries will be in Europe since may 2003, what part of continent these counrties are now? Where is going the border of Europe ? Bwteeen Poland and lithuania ? Or between Poland and Germany ? Joining EU does not mean automatic using Euro in the Baltics. Maybe it will happen 2006 0r even later.
Several years ago we took a ferry from Helsinki to Tallin got a rental car there and drove to both Riga and Vilnius and encountered no problems. All three cities are great but we found not too much to see in the countryside. Driving is no problem and it gives much more flexibility. We made car and hotel reservations in the US before we went which we always do.I highly recommend all three cities. Prices were very good.
I believe the Balics have always been in Europe. We,too ,traveled by hydrofoil from Helsinki to Tallin. It is a nice town with medieval architecture. We then took a Euroline bus to Riga. We enjoyed the city very much. We found that the women dress in black and I felt out of place in colorful clothes. Very nice place to buy amber at good prices. We,then, flew to Warsaw. The only thing I didn't care for was the prejudice agaisnt the old Russian peasant women.
I am living in Hungary. Hungary will be joining the EU in May also. However, the 10 joining countries will not be allowed to use the Euro until at least 2006. Each country will have its own official date depending on their specific economic situation at that time. France and Germany set the standard for this, but both have been out of compliance with the rules for the last year.
You will still need to deal with different currencies in your travels for now. Ryan
Has anyone visited the Baltic Countries in winter? I have vacation the third week of February. Are most tourist things open? How cold and how much snow can be expected?
Looks like you have a wealth of information already. An additional suggestion for you would be to go to virtualtourist.com. This is a fantastic travel site made up of members from throughout the world. It's free to join. You'll find members from the countries you're planning on visiting as well as members who have visited those countries. Many/most have their own homepages which list an abundance of information on countries to which you'll be traveling. Looks like there are about five members from Tallin alone. I just recently planned a trip to Iceland by communicating with members from there on the virtualtourist site. Anyway, I think you'll really enjoy and benefit from this site in planning your travel.
I was in Estonia last summer and even I am from Prague, which is famous for beautiful architecture and tradition I was surprise how nice Tallinn is. I can recommend 3h sunset cruise which leaving the harbour located 15min from Tallinn by taxi. It is nice dinner included 3h cruise on historic sailing boat. If any one will be interested, our travel agency does whole packages to Tallinn and other European cities.
We were in Riga last summer. We have family there so had a car but did use buses in town a couple of times; they are very cheap and easy to use. You buy your ticket on board from a person who comes to you after you sit down. It is a good walking city, especially Old Riga. Food and drink is cheap compared to the rest of Europe and there are now many sidewalk cafes and bars. We stayed in a great B&B that provided breakfast and dinner for about $65.00 (can't remember for sure). It wasn't fancy but was clean and had a grocery right across the street where we could buy very cheap wine and beer and food. We found English isn't spoken as widely as in other parts of Europe but we speak Latvian so didn't have much trouble that way. However, there are many Russian speaking people who do not or will not speak either Latvian or English (mostly in stores) and that can be tricky. If you're interested in the B&B email me and I'll send you the info. (zvejniek@mcmaster.ca) Someone said everyone wears black; we certainly didn't find that to be true of younger people. They dress very fashionably. Beware that Old Riga has cobblestone streets that are hard to walk on! Have fun!
I go to Lithuania every year. Flights to Vilnius, taxi (about $7.00) to old town Vilnius, stay at Litinterp B&B, about $30/night. Buses and trains (I prefer bus) to all of Baltics, cheap and comfortable. Lots to see, good choice of restaurants, about $6 for lunch with beer or wine. Young people speak English for most part.ATMs everywhere. Be careful late at night. Otherwise very safe. Beautiful country!
My wife asked me to respond to your request for information. I travelled in the Baltic Republics when they were still in the Soviet Union. They were wonderful places to visit then and everyhting I hear convinces me that they would be easy to visit now. All of these cities are linked by rail service. Tallinn-Riga, Riga-Vilnius are overnight trips by train. Riga and Tallinn are serviced by Baltic ferries. Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius have a great deal to offer in terms of medieval architecture. Accommodation, travel and eating can easily be arranged privately so there is no need for travelling in a group especially since there are no security risks there.
Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg) is still part of Russia. It was a closed city for so long that few westerners have been there since 1945. I would very much like to visit some day as i have had a liftime's interest in the Hanseatic League and the Teutonic Knights.
Visited Baltic countries August 2002. 1st. took two week Russian River cruise from St. Pete to Moscow which I highly recommend. Stopped in Helsinki then boat to Tallin for a few days, rented a car and drove to Riga. Made day trip to Lithuania to hill of crosses. Stayed in Regel Hotels. Cities were great but not much in countryside. Much like parts of N. US. Food was great. Tallin was great unless if cruise ship is in. Riga has a restaurant called Charleston.
I hate to give out secrets (rather quasi-secret), but....while in riga you must go to jurmala, a beautiful beach town accessible by a 30-min train from the central train station in riga.
as far as bus v. train--bus is by far the better method of travel. the train rides are not straight shots, as a true rail system (connected all three countries) is suprisingly absent.
prices in tallinn are quickly becoming very "european"-like (but you can still search out cheaper places) while latvia and lithuania remain relatively cheap.
also, the antagonism towards russians mentioned in a previous reply is really only prevalent in latvia, and even there is has started to dissipate (at least the laws refelct such a change).
My wife and I drove around Estonia for 10 days last summer. Overnight in hotels, reserved the night before -- except Kuressaare. Here you better plan months in advance. Use the 'net for reservations. Our favorite was Kuressaare on the island of Saaremaa. Very interesting, historic museum, great food and people. Viljandi is a pretty town. Pärnu Ranna hotel is great, on the beach - the town has several excellent restaurants and we enjoyed concerts in the Elizabeth church.
Estonia is big on music in the summer. Try to plan your trip to catch the festivals. You'll find choices in classical, rock and jazz. Great!
The prices are good although rising with the rise in the Euro.
How about Gay life in these countries? Are there any gay clubs and fun places at night? How about nice hotels? Any sites to any of the hotels in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania? How about Belarus? How easy is it to get from St. Petersburg to Estonia? Should I start in Finland? I love cruise ships and ferries? Any internet sites to any of these companies? Is it a easy train or bus ride from Estonia to Latvia, Lithuania to Poland? How about May? Is it a good time to go there? Or should I go at the end of Aug? Thanks, Alan and you can send me an email to AlanLouganis@yahoo.com
