A memorable holiday with a group of compatible people who were all keen to enjoy the experience... Simon Underwood, 2019 See more reviews
Three different countries starting a little chilly but warming up nicely. Three different... Liz halpin, 2019 See more reviews
Interesting countries that I’d not visited before. Good guide. Lovely food. Interesting cities.... Alison Fuller, 2019 See more reviews
Excellent trip with wonderful guide. Andrius was extremely interesting, focussed and engaging. We... Lorain McCann, 2019 See more reviews
The trip was well organised and the leader was excellent. The bikes were disappointing. The bikes... yvonne sharp, 2019 See more reviews
There were only seven of us on our trip but we all felt this was a perfect number. Our guide... Lily Surgeon, 2019 See more reviews
A very enjoyable trip thanks to a great guide (Lena), a very friendly group ,a very professional... Brian Brasier, 2018 See more reviews
We had a very enjoyable cycle through the Baltic States form Tallinn to Vilnius. We left on... Brian Brasier, 2018 See more reviews
I chose the itinerary as it was rated a 2 for physical exertion. (not too many hills) It was... Steve Martin, 2018 See more reviews
The riding was great. The leader knowledgeable and inspirational. ... Marnie Mitchell, 2018 See more reviews
Itinerary Expand all Day 1 Start Tallinn; transfer to hotel. On arrival, there should be some time to explore Tallinn. Tallinn is a fascinating historical city with many sites to explore. We recommend strolling through the streets of the Old Town to Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square); the square historically served as a market and meeting place and is surrounded by elaborate merchant houses – the perfect setting to enjoy a coffee. If you find the round stone with a compass rose in the middle of the square you will be able to see the 5 church spires of the old town. The Cathedral of Saint Mary, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Olav's Church have long characterised the skyline of the old town and are well worth a visit, as are the old town walls. Braavo Hotel or similar Day 2 Explore Tallinn; transfer to the Lahemaa N.P. for a scenic ride. This morning there is some free time to further explore Estonia's capital (timings will be confirmed by the guide in the welcome briefing). In the afternoon we leave Tallin behind and drive out of the city (approx. 1h), we will begin our first ride through National Park Lahemaa. The park, one of the last unspoilt regions of the Baltic Coast, extends over 700 square kilometres. Its nature is rich and unique. Here you will cycle through thick woods, marshes and lakes. Above all, the coastline is what makes this area so distinctive. It is also a rich environment for wildlife with moose and wild boar, although difficult to spot, and over 220 species of bird – keep your eyes open! Our accommodation for the evening is situated in the national park itself and is in a spectacular setting in the grounds of an old distillery. Park Hotel Palmse or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 3 Full day riding through Lahemaa N.P. Today we have a full day to explore the largest national park in Estonia and one of the biggest in Europe. We will embark on a circular route taking in as many of the parks wonderful attractions as possible. Starting from Palmse Hotel (the former park manor house), we will pass Sagadi manor, the 400 year old fisherman’s village of Altja, the popular seaside resort of Vosu, and Kasmu village which is home to the fisherman’s museum. We finish the loop cycling back through Estonian forests and meadows until we arrive at the hotel.Park Hotel Palmse or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Transfer to Peipsi and cycle along the shore of the lake; transfer to Tartu. We start the day with a bus transfer to the shore of Peipsi Lake (approx. 1.5h), then start cycling from the 17th Century fisherman’s village of Mustvee. From here we pass through ancient towns and churches. Following an old Russian tradition, villages in Peipsi only have one street. Because of this, the shore of Peipsi Lake is one long street with lots of small settlements dotted along it. We continue cycling into Varnja and then transfer to Tartu (approx. 30min). Tartu Hotel or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 5 Cycle through 'Estonian Switzerland' to Otepaa; transfer to Riga. After breakfast, we have a 40km transfer to Otepaa. This area is known as ‘Estonian Switzerland’ because of its stunning scenery and pine forests. As you would expect, there are a few hills on today’s ride, though nothing too steep and challenging with the gradient not going above 7%. Once over the hills, we cycle through beautiful forest and meadows and past Lake Puhajarve on our way to Sangaste town. We will visit the park and castle in Sangaste – walking up the castle tower gives us a great view over Otepaa and the surrounding green natural areas. After visiting the castle we continue cycling to Valga city, and from here we transfer by bus to Riga (approx. 2.5h), our base for the next two nights. Ibis Centre Riga or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 6 Cycle to Jurmala; transfer to Riga for the night. Our journey today will start in the bustling town Riga, Latvia’s largest town and capital city. The city has a mediaeval old town which is famous for its wooden buildings and art nouveau architecture. We will then follow the cycle paths to the beautiful town of Jurmala, which is famous for its incredible wooden buildings and 19th Century Russian villas. Jurmala is also one of Latvia’s largest seaside resorts – it has a 33km stretch of white sandy beach for us to explore on our bikes. There will be plenty of time to have a swim in the sea before we transfer back to Riga for the night. Ibis Centre Riga Meals included: Breakfast Day 7 Transfer to Sventoji; cycle to Klaipeda. After breakfast, we leave Latvia and transfer directly to Lithuania (approx. 4h). We begin our ride in Sventoji on a beautiful cycle route to Klaipeda, which lies along the Baltic Coast. On the way we pass Palanga, a traditional bucket and spade seaside town with a long stretch of sandy beach. It's a really fun place to stop, have a wander around, a dip in the sea, and see one of the most favoured seaside towns among Lithuanians. We will visit the Palanga Botanical Gardens and manor house which is now home to the amber museum. There are numerous cafes to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and have some lunch before we set off again for our final destination of Klaipeda, our base for two nights. Our hotel is close to the Old Town, so a good spot from which to explore.Amberton Hotel Klaipeda or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 8 Transfer to the Curonian Spit N.P; explore by bike. We transfer to Nida (approx. 1.5h including the ferry ride), known as the town of retreat, and an artist’s resort. It was home and inspiration for two summers to the author Thomas Mann and its affluent feel and tranquillity encourages the feeling that you are on a holiday within a holiday. From here we explore the 68km long Curonian Spit. The high dunes (up to 60m) running along the spit have encouraged the local people to refer to the area as the 'Lithuanian Sahara'. During our ride we will make a stop in Juodkrante and admire the bizarre wooden carvings on what is known as Witch Hill. The sculpture park was started in 1979 and now has more than 70 wooden carvings representing characters of Lithuanian folktale and legend. We will then continue along the spit with the Baltic Sea extending far into the distance. We finish the ride at the ferry port, and from here we take the ferry across the lagoon then transfer back to the hotel in Klaipeda for the night. Amberton Hotel Klaipeda or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 9 Transfer to Kintai village; cycle to Vente Cape and Silute; transfer to Vilnius. We start the day with a bus transfer to Kintai village (approx. 45mins), and from here we cycle through dense green forests and beautiful meadows to Vente Cape. There is a lot of wildlife at Vente Cape as it is a popular resting place for birds on their migration, and it's home to one of the first bird ringing stations in Europe. We will visit the 11m high lighthouse which offers breathtaking views of the lagoon and golden sand dunes of the Curonian Split; the lighthouse is a fascinating place, built in 1863 when the cape was still part of Germany. We continue cycling to the town of Silute where we get on the bus and transfer to Vilnius (approx. 4h). Panorama Hotel or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 10 Transfer to Trakai; cycle around town and visit Trakai Castle; return to Vilnius. After breakfast, we transfer by bus to the small village of Semeliskes(approx. 1h). From here we have a picturesque ride over undulating terrain to Galve Lake. Here the magical and famous Trakai Castle sits, as if floating on its own island in the middle of the lake – it’s a truly magical place. We will explore the surrounding areas of the lake and visit the Castle before transferring back to Vilnius for the night. Panorama Hotel or similar Meals included: Breakfast Day 11 End Vilnius. We have a free morning in Vilnius before the trip ends here. Meals included: Breakfast
Hotels 10 nights in 3-star hotels, all with en suite facilities in good locations. There are some fantastic hotels on this trip, including two nights in a converted distillery set in the magnificent grounds of the Lahemaa National Park.
Charlotte Newman Operational Quality Executive (Health & Safety) Cycling Holidays, Self-guided, Belize, Eastern Europe, Italy, Mexico
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Reviewed June 2019 Simon Underwood Trip: Cycle the Baltics A thoroughly enjoyaqble trip A memorable holiday with a group of compatible people who were all keen to enjoy the experience and learn about the region What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Perhaps not inspirational in the normal sense, but the ride on the first day around the northerly peninsula to Vinistu and Peripea brought home how oppressive the Soviet occupation had been. Subsequently we were able to appreciate just how much all three states valued the fact that they had been able to re-establish their independence and re-assert their own cultures. What did you think of your group leader? Our Group leader, Lina, was extremely knowledgeable about the geography, history, culture and cuisine of the three Baltic states and she shared that knowledge in a most engaging manner. She coped admirably with a group of cyclists with widely different levels of experience, four, and sometimes five of whom were using e-bikes. She chose meal stops where we enjoyed lovely local food during the rides and very good restaurants for our evening meals. Her organisational skills were excellent and she was unfailingly good humoured throughout the trip Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take a plug for the washbasins - the hotels don't provide them. Is there anything else you would like to add? The weakest aspect of the holiday was the hotel accommodation, which varied between being good and being pretty poor in terms of room size and quality.
Reviewed June 2019 Liz halpin Trip: Cycle the Baltics Baltic by bike Three different countries starting a little chilly but warming up nicely. Three different capitals with lots of different foods to try. Generally flat cycling with good maps on bikes which were adequate but probably heavier than most people were used to. Hotels variable but always well positioned. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing the Constitution posted for all to see in every language. What did you think of your group leader? Andreas was very knowledgeable about the history of all the countries visited. He was willing to answer questions. On longer bus journeys he found ways to keep us amused. Andreas treated all the group members with respect and ensured that the cycling was accessible to all. He took us to some zany places to eat and explained all about the foods etc.. In all he was great! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Ensure you have clothes for all weathers! Be prepared to try different foods. Always laugh at Andreas jokes!! Is there anything else you would like to add? Hope you like castles.
Reviewed June 2019 Alison Fuller Trip: Cycle the Baltics Cycling the Baltics Interesting countries that I’d not visited before. Good guide. Lovely food. Interesting cities. Easy riding but heavy bikes making the trip harder and more demanding. Pretty unspoiled countryside and lovely views across the Baltic Sea. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Loved the fish lunch at the Fisherman’s museum. Just gorgeous! Loved hearing about the history and what it was like living in a communist country Loved the hill of crosses. So weird! Loved visiting the capital cities. All very different. What did you think of your group leader? Andrius worked really hard to make our trip enjoyable. He had some lovely surprises for us like a glass of Prosecco overlooking the lake and was always so excited for us to see the upcoming highlights! He loved us trying the local food but was mortified to discover a traditional Lithuanian kybyn was in fact a Cornish pasty! He was really interesting talking about the countries and their history. It was tricky for him as half the group were pushing the average pace up but he managed to support the slower riders whilst allowing the faster ones to go on or do a little extra. A really nice guy. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? This isn’t a tough trip in that it’s fairly flat or gently undulating, but the bikes were very heavy which made it harder. Also on some of the more exposed roads you can get headwinds. So it’s not always as leisurely as you’d imagine. I do think lighter hybrid bikes would be better.
Reviewed June 2019 Lorain McCann Trip: Cycle the Baltics Cycle the Baltics Excellent trip with wonderful guide. Andrius was extremely interesting, focussed and engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary and the add-ons he introduced. Cycle tour of Vilnius was terrific. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Sun dial on the Curonian Spit What did you think of your group leader? Andrius was extremely interesting, focussed and engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary and the add-ons he introduced. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I would be happy to recommend this trip. Is there anything else you would like to add? No
Reviewed June 2019 yvonne sharp Trip: Cycle the Baltics Cycling through the Baltics The trip was well organised and the leader was excellent. The bikes were disappointing. The bikes were new and in excellent condition but they were very heavy and had only 8 gears and were not to the standard I have experienced in previous exodus cycling tours. In addition neither the guide nor the driver were experienced mechanics which resulted in one of the experienced cyclists on the tour helping out. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The places we visited could only have been found through local knowledge. The smoked salmon lunch was excellent and every member of the tour party commented on this lunch for days afterwards. The tour around Vilnius was also excellent. What did you think of your group leader? He was very good and knowledgeable on the history of all 3 countries visited. He was enthusiastic and helpful throughout the trip.
Reviewed May 2019 Lily Surgeon Trip: Cycle the Baltics Our Baltic Cycle Was The Best! There were only seven of us on our trip but we all felt this was a perfect number. Our guide Minda was wonderful. He was patient, flexible, had a great sense of humour and was full of information. He answered all our questions and had so much knowledge about the history of the Baltics. We rode in May and it was cool when we started in Estonia but warmed us as we went south. The added bonus was we were doing it before the season really started so we didn’t have the crowds. We all enjoyed the varied itinerary and have learned so much from our experience. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were many wonderful moments. It is difficult to pinpoint one! What did you think of your group leader? Minda was wonderful and is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour leader.
Reviewed September 2018 Brian Brasier Trip: Cycle the Baltics Excellent trip.. A very enjoyable trip thanks to a great guide (Lena), a very friendly group ,a very professional driver, a well planned itinerary &,good weather. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Palmse Manor and the Distillery accommodation . The Onion Villages on the shores of the Lake. Guild Hall in Tallinn What did you think of your group leader? Lena was outstanding. She was knowledgeable about the three countries and was a very good communicator. We appreciated the way she shared some of the story of her own family in the changing situation of Lithuania. She selected good places for lunches and dinners. She took great care of the slower riders (us ) and ensured that we didn't take wrong turns and get lost. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Do some training so that you can ride 50 km on fairly flat country without discomfort. Take the right sort of gear - lycra makes life much easier on the saddle. Is there anything else you would like to add? We would have liked more time in Riga but understand that it's hard to cover everything. The accommodation was very satisfactory throughout.
Reviewed September 2018 Brian Brasier Trip: Cycle the Baltics Excellent trip.. We had a very enjoyable cycle through the Baltic States form Tallinn to Vilnius. We left on August 28 and finished on September 9th. Our guide Lena was excellent, the group were all friendly and our driver was highly professional. We were blessed with fine weather and we thought that the Grading of 2 was spot on.We would have liked more time in Riga. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The time spent at Palmse at the Manor house grounds. The Onion Villages on the side of the lake were also notable. The Guild Hall in Tallinn . What did you think of your group leader? Lena was outstanding - could not have done more for us all. She was knowledgeable and was able to communicate the stories of the three countries very well.We appreciated the way she was prepared over the trip to share elements of her family story. Always thoughtful and took great care of the tail end riders - us ! She selected very good places for lunches and dinners. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Be prepared - do some training beforehand and have the appropriate gear - lycra pants make the ride more comfortable. Is there anything else you would like to add? Highly recommend this trip to cyclists of a range of abilities.
Reviewed September 2018 Jacqui Cottom Trip: Cycle the Baltics Cycling the Baltics If you like flat cycling and to see three countries and three capital cities in 11 days, this is for you. The weather was colder than expected and much of this was down to the strong headwinds. Much of the cycling is in forests so the scenery isn't as varied as other trips we have done. There are some lovely, old villages to cycle through as well as the 40 mile long sand spit and a few lakes. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Watching the bird ringing at the Vente Cape and being able to hold one then release it after the ringing took place. So cute! Eating smoked fish for lunch on the Curonian sand spit. What did you think of your group leader? Andrius was a great guide who was friendly, personable and great fun to be with. He was knowledgeable and passionate about his country (Lithuania) and also Estonia and Latvia. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take layers and wrap up warm. There are strong headwinds a lot of the time that makes the cycling more difficult, even though it is only classed as a leisurely/moderate. Most of the terrain is flat with greater undulations on the final day. We all got bitten during the daytime in Estonia in the forests so take bug spray and use it!!! Some of the bus transfers are long, especially the one to Vilnius so be prepared and take a book! Spend an extra day in Tallinn. You won't regret it. It was the best of the three capitals and so pretty. In the summer period, there are free tours of the city of Tallinn which start at the Tourist office and are well worth going on. We did the Medieval Tour which is delivered by actors and was the BEST city tour we have ever been on! Half a day in Villnius is enough to see the majority of the city and you get this on the last day of the trip. Is there anything else you would like to add? Interesting history in all three countries. Ask your guide to take you to The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania. Impressive.
Reviewed September 2018 Steve Martin Trip: Cycle the Baltics Quality product - loved the History, Culture, Food, and scenery I chose the itinerary as it was rated a 2 for physical exertion. (not too many hills) It was quite different from 3 other European bike tours I have completed in that most of the country side is either heavily forested or agricultural. Not a lot of villages in close proximity. Exodus has done a great job designing the itinerary to get you into the most interesting scenic areas, the 3 capital cities that have stunning "old city quarters, some beautiful national park regions I each country. The variety of accommodations made it memorable, and the food in all 3 countries is outstanding for freshness of taste and the artistic presentation of meals. All in I thoroughly enjoyed the 11 days experience. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Thoroughly enjoyed the 3 capital cities Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius. Learning the history of the region over the past 100 years with the brutal occupation by the Germans and the Russians. What did you think of your group leader? Simon was outstanding. If you are lucky to have him as your guide, enjoy every moment of him. He is from Lithuania and is impassioned about the Baltic Region its history, culture and people. He entertained us with his musical skill and singing voice. Added in many personal experiences, took us to great restaurants and gave us 3 hour bike city tours in Riga and Vilnius. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Hope for some good weather - we had the best average 25c each day
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