Tour
Individual arrival in Tallinn. At 6.00 pm (local time) your tour guide will welcome you at the hotel. You will start your cycling tour in the beautiful Old Town of Tallinn with an Estonian dinner followed by a city walk together with your tour guide.
Thanks to the mild climate and the lime-rich soil, the island of Saaremaa has a rich variety of flora and fauna. Discover the largest island of Estonia with beautiful bathing bays, and get to know the medieval spa town of Kuressaare with its medieval bishop's castle, numerous cafés and galleries.
In the morning you will travel approx. 30 km by bus to the south of the island. Today you can expect wonderful bathing opportunities and pure nature. In the evening you cycle back to Kuressaare.
After breakfast the escort bus takes you to the north of the island. There the cycle tour starts at a viewpoint and leads along the picturesque Panga cliff to a beautiful beach, where the cycle tour ends. After a swim, the bus transfer starts to the medieval town of Pärnu. This romantic and elegant town is Estonia's most important resort and has spas, large swimming pools, to cosy and historic bathhouses.
After breakfast we leave Estonia and drive to Latvia. After about 2 hours drive we reach Cesis, where the castle park with castle hill and ruins is located (optional visit). Then take a bike ride along the river Gauja towards Sigulda and Turaida. After reaching Sigulda, a guided tour of Turaida Castle awaits you.
Afterwards your bus transfer (approx. 1 hour) to Riga (Latvia). Overnight stay in Riga.
Riga, the "Paris of the North" impresses with 800 restored Art Nouveau houses, elegant boulevards, small winding streets and a lot of joie de vivre. After a guided tour of the city, the afternoon is free for your own explorations.
After breakfast, the bus takes you from Riga towards the Baltic Sea. Near the river Lielupe you start the cycle tour and visit the seaside resort Jurmula. At the beach we take a bathing break. Our destination today is Liepaja, one of Latvia's important seaports. We reach our hotel by bus in the late afternoon. This evening we have dinner outside the hotel, in a Latvian restaurant. Overnight stay in Liepaja.
In the morning we leave Latvia well refreshed and continue by bus directly to Lithuania. In Sventoji we start our cycling tour today, which leads along a beautiful cycle path along the Baltic Sea coast to Klaipeda. On the way in Palanga, Lithuania's famous Baltic Sea resort, we take a break and visit the famous pedestrian zone. Arriving in Klaipeda, a guided tour of the old town (including the famous Ännchen von Tharau) awaits us. We enjoy dinner in a cosy restaurant in the Old Town. Overnight stay in Klaipeda.
Right after breakfast a bus transfer will take you to Vente. There a boat trip (about 2 hours long) awaits you across the Curonian Spit to the former artists' colony Nidden, today Nida. The Curonian Lagoon is almost 20 km wide at this point, so the opposite shore is difficult to see with the naked eye. Here you can marvel at a dune landscape up to sixty metres high, which is why the spit is also called the "Lithuanian Sahara". After a stopover in Juodkrante (Schwarzort), where the bizarre carvings on Witch's Hill bring you closer to the Lithuanian mythological world, your cycle route leads along the Baltic Sea to Klaipeda. Dinner and overnight in Klaipeda.
After breakfast you will have a bus transfer to Krukai, from where you will start your cycling tour along the picturesque banks of the Nemunas River. You will cycle to the former capital of Lithuania, Kaunas. Accompanied by your guide, you will explore the most beautiful corners of the impressive city of Kaunas. Overnight stay in Kaunas.
A bus transfer takes you to the lake district of Lithuania. Here, in beautiful surroundings, you get back on your bikes. You cycle through the slightly hilly lake landscape to Trakai with its famous Gothic island castle from the 15th century. You can look forward to a guided tour of Trakai. Afterwards, continue by bus for about 30 kilometres to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Discover historic Vilnius on an informative guided tour during a walk through the Old Town. In the evening, look forward to a festive farewell dinner with Lithuanian specialities (Cepelinai, Koldunai, Blinas).
If you have not opted for an extra night, your cycling tour ends after breakfast and your individual return journey follows.
Map
Prices / Dates
Services / Info
- 11x accommodation in good, typical hotels and guesthouses
- Local taxes
- Half board (breakfast and warm dinner) - vegetarian food possible with advance reservation
- Mineral water on all cycling days
- 6 picnics (cold buffet with Baltic fish, typical local specialities, plus water and juices)
- Guided city tours in Tallinn, Turaida Castle (incl. entrance fee), Riga, Trakai (incl. entrance fee) and Vilnius
- Ferry and boat trip across the Curonian Lagoon
- Visit to the Thomas Mann Museum
- Escort bus
- Luggage transfer
- Rental 28 inch unisex bikes with low step-in, equipped with 7-speed Shimano hub gears
- Breakdown service
- German speaking tour guide from Tallinn to Vilnius
- Map of the area
Below you will find specific information about the guided cycling tour in the Baltic countries. If you have any further questions about this tour, just give us a call: Tel.: 06421 - 886890.
Arrival and departure
Flights to Tallinn and return flights from Vilnius are offered by various airlines.
It is approx. 4.5 km from the airport to the Hotel Metropol in Tallinn. The easiest way to reach the hotel is by cab. The cab ride takes approx. 15 - 20 minutes depending on traffic and costs around 15 euros per trip. A bus ride costs around 5 euros.
The hotel in Vilnius is approx. 0.5 km from the bus or main train station. We recommend taking a cab. The journey costs approx. 10 - 15 euros.
The cab ride to the airport in Vilnius costs approx. 25 euros.
Although the distance is not great, the journey can take up to 1 hour due to traffic jams. However, it usually takes about 15 - 20 minutes. Ask at the hotel reception: You can order a transfer to the train station / airport at the hotel.
Condition of cycle path
Latvia and Lithuania's main roads and main roads are without cobblestones and mostly without potholes. There are many dusty sandy and gravel roads. The majority of the roads are paved, but rough, as they are often covered with coarse gravel after the last layer of asphalt. There is now dense traffic in the big cities and their immediate surroundings. The bike tour is mostly flat, but also includes smaller slopes. You cycle on cycle paths, paved secondary roads but also on some forest and dirt roads.
Available rental bikes
The price includes a 28" unisex rental touring bike with 7-speed hub gears and low entry. For an additional charge, a 7-speed unisex electric bike with low entry can be booked.
Climate
Warm summers, spring and autumn are relatively mild. The precipitation is distributed relatively evenly throughout the year. Best travel time: May to September.
Pests
Ticks: warning area! Vaccination recommended!
Mosquitoes: At the lakes in the three countries, in the warmest months of the year abundant mosquitoes can occur. By contrast, it is directly on the Baltic Sea because of the consistently light breeze usually there are few mosquitoes.
Currency:
Estonia: Euro / Latvia: Euro / Lithuania: Euro
In all cities and larger towns there are now ATMs ("Bankomat") where you can withdraw money with a debit card or credit cards (Eurocard/Mastercard, Visacard). Credit cards are accepted not only by banks and large hotels, but also more and more by the larger stores. Bank opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, sometimes longer.
Language
Every country has its own language. Estonian is very similar to Finnish. Latvian and Lithuanian form their own Indo-European language group, but have some loanwords from German and Russian. Although most people speak Russian, it is generally rather unpopular (except for populations of Russian origin) and is mostly not learned by young people in school. With German or English you have mostly more success, especially in Estonia and increasingly also in Latvia and Lithuania. But there are enough situations in which even low language skills of the respective country help.
Extra costs, which are not included in the travel price
A possible fuel surcharge, due to the sharp rise in fuel prices, is not included in the tour price. Any charging fees for bicycle batteries are not included in the tour price and must therefore be paid at the hotel.
7 day hotline service
In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 7 days a week in case of emergency.
Passport and visa requirements
For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.
Travel insurance
The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.
Velociped can withdraw from the tour twenty-one days before the starting date of the tour, at the latest, in case the minimum number of participants stated under the tour description is not attained. You will duly be informed without any delay in case of a withdrawal. Velociped will of course refund the paid tour price immediately. Please note our General Terms and Conditions.
I provide you with advice and assistance
Steffi Groß