Baltic Capitals with the Curonian Spit TOUR SAMPLE

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1st day: Vilnius

We start the Baltic Capitals with the Curonian Spit tour with the arrival to Vilnius. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in Vilnius.

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2nd day: Vilnius - Trakai - Kaunas

Breakfast and sightseeing tour in Vilnius. The capital city of Lithuania is situated on the confluence of two rivers: Neris and Vilnele. The Old Town looks like a maze of small streets. In the center of the Old Town stands the Cathedral with a bell tower. It occupies the site of an ancient pagan temple to the God Perkunas and originally lay within the fortification system of the Lower Castle. In the narrow old streets one will see numerous pieces of historical heritage, like St. Anne’s Church, University complex of buildings, Church of St. Peter and Paul, the Gates of Dawn.

The tour to Trakai is following in the afternoon. Trakai is an ancient capital of Lithuania, situated 25 km South from Vilnius. The famous Trakai Castle occupies one island of Lake Galve. This unique fortification used to strike fear into the hearts of crusaders in the Middle Ages. Departure to Kaunas. Overnight.

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3rd day: Kaunas - Klaipeda - Curonian Spit

In the morning sightseeing tour in Kaunas, including Kaunas Castle, Town Hall, known as “White Swan”, passing Vytautas Church, “Thunder” House and 1408 founded Cathedral. Trip to the War museum’s park, where one can see statues of Lithuania’s people of merit. A walk through pedestrian street Laisves aleja (Freedom Avenue) is a must. Departure to Curonian Spit in the afternoon.

Visit to Klaipeda on the way. Klaipeda is often called “Gateway to The Sea”, because it is the main Seaport of Lithuanian State. City tour including the Old Post Office, historical Old Town full of handicraft shops, the Old Theatre and Simon Dach square are worth seeing.

Drive to National Park of Curonian Spit, which is included to UNESCO World Heritage List. Overnight in Nida.

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4th day: Nida - Šiauliai - Riga

After breakfast sightseeing tour in the National Park of the Curonian Spit – a peculiar unique patch of land, washed by the Baltic Sea in the West and the Curonian Bay in the East side. No one can leave this natural wonder without seeing the great sand dunes. Those who see them for the first time are really breathless and feel the urge to run on and on till the top of the dune, and float down afterwards like a bird on the stretched out wings. During the tour one will see fisherman’s village in Nida, Kazimieras Mizgiris museum of Amber.

Continue to Riga in the afternoon. Stopover at the Hill of Crosses – a unique expression of religious feeling of Lithuanian people – near Siauliai. Arrival to Riga in the evening, overnight.

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5th day: Riga - Rundale - Riga

Riga sightseeing tour after breakfast. The Old Town of Riga is located between Daugava river and the city canal. The Old Town contains a big number of historical buildings, not to mention the Medieval town walls, dating back to the 13th century. During this tour one will also see the Dome Cathedral and St. Peter’s Church with it’s 120 m tower.

Afternoon tour to Rundâle Palace – the summer residence of Duke of Courland, which was designed by the architect B.F. Rastrelli of Italian – Russian origin, who also designed famous Winter Palace and other great buildings in St. Petersburg, as well as Catharine Castle in Tallinn. Overnight in Riga.

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6th day: Riga - Tallinn

Departure to Tallinn after breakfast. Visit to Gauja National Park near Sigulda on the way. The surroundings of the park are often named as Latvian Switzerland. Three once famous castles were situated on the hills around. Stopover at the ruins of the 13th century Order of Knights Castle, which was connected with other small buildings by underground passage ways, at the Sculpture park dedicated to Latvian folklore, at Bishop’s Castle in Turaida and Gutmann’s cave. Trip to Tallinn, overnight.

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7th day: Tallinn

Guided tour in Tallinn in the morning. Tallinn’s old city has remained much the same from the previous ages, but in a way it has changed more in the past decade than it did in the past 100 years. Vital symbiosis of past and present opens in front of curious spectator’s eyes. During the tour one may see the Old Town, the towers “Long Hermann” and “Fat Margarete”, the Town Hall, the Dome Cathedral, St. Olav’s and St. Nikolay’s Churches.

Trip to Ethnographical Open Air Museum Rocca-al-Mare in the afternoon. All aspects of Estonian rural architecture are exhibited there, with houses of rich and poor, it now consists of 70 buildings. Overnight in Tallinn.

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8th day: Tallinn

Free afternoon to enjoy Tallinn’s spirit. Transfer to airport. Departure.

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