Latvia, Lithuania, cycling 7 days
The Baltic coast and National Parks of Lithuania explored on very scenic routes, including the two capital cities – Riga and Vilnius – with their old towns designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The tour includes cycling in two national parks – a historical Trakai Insular Castle and on the Curonian Spit called the Lithuanian Sahara. Travel from Riga, Latvia, in the north, on to Lithuania in the south, enjoy a great variety of towns, villages and landscapes, and get an excellent feel for the different characters of these Baltic sister countries.
The tour begins in Riga where you get your tour maps with detailed program and route description, as well as rental bicycles. This trip is a half-guided tour ie during the whole trip, except Jurmala and the Curonian Spit, our driver with a minibus and bike trailer will be always with you, so that you can take part in city tours (Tallinn, Riga) lead by professional guides. Every day your luggage will be delivered to the next hotel. In case of a breakdown our driver will take care of everything.
Cycling Conditions: We rate this trip as Moderate one. Daily biking routes mainly on low traffic roads and cycle paths range from 20 to 57 km (13-36 miles) each day). The terrain is varied and rolling with a few gradual hills on some riding days on the Curonian Spit and dead flat most of the tour. The tour covers Latvia & Lithuania and therefore it includes a few long minibus transfers between the most interesting cycling destinations and the capital cities. Our walking sightseeing tours in the capital old towns are along cobbled streets.
Destination: Baltic states
Duration: 7 days
Departure: every Sunday from May 31 until September 6
Price: 715,00 eur per person in double room; 950,00 eur per person in single room
- 6 nights stay in 3* or 4* hotels, including all taxes
- Breakfast daily
- Transfers as per itinerary by air-conditioned minibus
- Luggage transport as per itinerary
- Guided tours in Riga and Vilnius (entrance fees excluded)
- Crossing the Curonian Lagoon by boat from Nida to the mainland
- Emergency contact numbers for our English or German speaking representatives
- Individual information package (city guides, maps, programme and route description)
- GPS Tracks
- Arrival and departure transfers
- Lunches and dinners
- Bicycle rent
- Entrance fees
- Tips
- Insurance
- anything not mentioned under “the price includes”
Itinerary
Sunday: RIGA - the capital of Latvia
Arrive in Riga. Individual transfer to the hotel (not included) where you get your tour maps with detailed program and route description, as well as rental bicycles. Check-in at the hotel.
17:00 you can join a guided tour of the charming Old Town famous for its Art Nouveau buildings.
Overnight at the hotel in Riga.
Monday: RIGA & JURMALA Seaside resort, Latvia (cycling ~35 km/22 miles, by train ~25 km)
Today you are free to explore Riga on your own and take a cycle ride on a bicycle path to Jurmala, a renowned Latvian seaside resort well known for its long, white, sand beaches, mineral waters and mud with healing properties. We recommend that you take the opportunity to bath in the sea and try cycling along the beach – its well worth it! In the evening take a local train back to Riga (30 min; not included), overnight in Riga.
Tuesday:Hill of Crosses & Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route (cycling ~42 km/29 miles or 32 km/20 miles, by minibus ~290 km)
Transfer by minibus to Lithuanian Seaside. En-route stop at the Hill of Crosses, the unforgettable sight of thousands of crosses on two small hills. Begin your cycle ride to Klaipėda on a beautiful bicycle path, which lies along the Baltic Coast in the Seaside Regional Park. En route pass Palanga, the well-known Lithuanian seaside resort. Enjoy a break here; perhaps visit the renowned Botanical Park, Amber Museum and the 470m pier heading out into the Baltic Sea. Check-in and optional dinner at the hotel.
Wednesday: CURONIAN SPIT & the Hill of Witches, Lithuania (cycling ~57 km/36 miles)
After breakfast you cross the lagoon by ferry (not included) and start cycling on an asphalt bike path which takes you along the Curonian Spit to Nida, the most beautiful resort in Lithuania famous for impressive sand dunes, the Amber Gallery, etc. En route you can visit the Hill of Witches which houses almost a hundred whimsical wooden sculptures about Lithuanian legends scattered along a forest path. Or, if you prefer, watch a colony of grey herons and cormorants, explore the “Dead” sand dunes on foot, swim in the Baltic Sea or, simply relax, & take in the sun on golden beaches. Check-in and overnight at the hotel in Nida.
Thursday: Crossing the Curonian Lagoon by ship – KAUNAS, Lithuania
Take a morning boat across the Curonian Lagoon to the mainland (~1.5 hours), en-route enjoy a beautiful view of the Curonian Spit sand dunes. Cycling to Ventė Horn where you may visit a bird observatory and the 19thC lighthouse which was used for more than 100 years. Afternoon ride through the Nemunas River Delta Regional Park and transfer by minibus along the Nemunas River to Kaunas, en route passing 16th-17thC castles of Raudonė and Panemunė. Check-in and overnight at the hotel in Kaunas.
Friday: TRAKAI Insular Castle and the ancient city of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania (cycling ~20 km/13 miles, by minibus ~97 km)
After breakfast you are transferred by minibus to the Lake District where you begin cycling through picturesque countryside on gentle hills. Arrive in Trakai, the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Here you may visit the famous 14thC Gothic island castle erected on a small island in Lake Galvė. Finish the tour with a short transfer to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania for more than 600 years. The Old Town is stunning with many, varied & beautiful Baroque and Classical buildings. This evening, a guided tour of the city awaits you. Check-in and overnight at the hotel in Vilnius.
Saturday: VILNIUS and departure
Individual departure after the breakfast.
Why I love this holiday
Inese Kalnina
