Tour
At 6:00 p.m. (local time) your tour guide will welcome you at the hotel for an information meeting. There you will also receive your detailed map material, the stage description. You will start your cycling tour in the beautiful Old Town of Tallinn with a guided city walk.
After breakfast you start with a bus transfer. After a bus ride of about 60 km you will start your first cycling stage through the charming Lahemaa National Park, one of the last untouched regions at the Baltic Sea with dense forests and lakes - a great landscape and a paradise for a unique wildlife.
In the morning you will take the bus to Mustvee, where you will start the cycling tour to Varnja. Today's cycling tour leads along the shore of Peipsi järv / Lake Peipus. This is one of the largest lakes in Europe. The border with Russia runs through the lake. In the late afternoon you will reach Tartu / Dorpat where there will be enough time for a stroll through the worth seeing old town.
After a short bus transfer you will get on your bikes. The bike paths lead over small roads through the hilly so-called Estonian Switzerland (altitude differences up to 280 meters) towards Latvia. The bus will finally bring you to the Latvian capital 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.
In the morning you will take the train or bus to Jurmala. The seaside resort, which has been famous for about 150 years, is visited by Latvians and Russians alike. By bike you will ride along a beautiful cycle path along the Baltic Sea. After bathing breaks on beautiful beaches, you will head towards the day's destination, the important seaport of Liepaja.
By bus you will soon cross the Latvian-Lithuanian border to Sventoji, where today's bike tour begins. On a beautiful cycle path along the Baltic Sea you cycle to Klaipeda. In Palanga, the famous Baltic Sea resort of Lithuania, you will take a break and stroll through the pedestrian zone of the seaside resort. You may also want to visit the Amber Museum of Count Tyszkiewicz. Upon arrival in Klaipeda, there will be enough time for an extensive stroll through the city.
Right after breakfast, you will go by bus to Vente, from there a boar will take you thought the Curonian Spit to 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 meters high, which is why the spit is also called the "Lithuanian Sahara". After a stopover in Juodkrante (Schwarzort), where the bizarre carvings on the Witch's Hill will give you an understanding of the Lithuanian mythological world, your cycle path will lead you along the Baltic Sea to Klaipeda. Overnight stay in Klaipeda
Look forward to a boat trip across the Curonian Lagoon (approx. 2 hours) to the Lithuanian mainland. The lagoon is almost 20 km wide at this point, so the opposite shore is hardly visible to the naked eye. On the Minija River you will reach the mainland again. Afterwards you cycle through the Memelland to Kintai, where the bus is waiting for you. You will take a leisurely bus ride to Kaunas, the former capital of Lithuania. After dinner, your guide will take you on an informative walking tour of the most beautiful corners of this impressive city.
A bus transfer takes you to the lake district of Lithuania. Here in beautiful surroundings you will get back on your bikes. Through the slightly hilly lake landscape you cycle with pleasure to Trakai with its famous gothic island castle from the 15th century. Look forward to a guided tour of Trakai. Afterwards you will continue by bus for about 30 kilometers to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Discover historic Vilnius on an informative city tour during a walk through the Old Town.
After breakfast your cycling tour ends. We are happy to book an extension for you or you can already start your individual return journey today.
Also for this individual tour there is a general minimum number of participants of 6 persons. (This does NOT mean that you have to register a group of at least 6 people yourself).
Velociped may cancel the tour if the minimum number of participants is not reached up to 21 days before the start of the tour.
Map
Prices / Dates
Services / Info
- 10x accommodation in good, typical hotels and guesthouses with breakfast
- German speaking guided tours in Tallinn, Riga, Kaunus, Trakai and Vilnius
- Boat trip on the Curonian Lagoon
- Rental 28 inch unisex bikes with low entry, equipped with 7-speed Shimano hub gears.
- All transfers according to the program
- German-speaking contact person on site
- An escort vehicle for luggage transport, breakdown service, help in case of emergency is present the whole time. The driver (your contact person on site) is available by mobile phone and speaks German or English.
- Maps of the area and detailed route descriptions with GPS tracks
- Local taxes
Below you will find specific information about the individual bike tour in the Baltic countries. If you have any further questions about this trip, just give us a call: Tel.: 06421 - 886890.
Your contact person during the tour
At the beginning of the tour, your German or English speaking tour guide will be waiting for you on the day of arrival at 6 pm at the starting hotel. He will hand out your detailed map material with a detailed description of the stages.
Your luggage will be transported in the accompanying bus every day. You will receive the tour guide's cell phone number for the road, so that although you will be alone on your bike tour, you will always have a contact person in case of questions, breakdowns and emergencies. The guide will also stay in the same hotels as you and will arrange meeting points with you for the transfer routes.
Rental speedo
Since the route descriptions indicate the mileage, we recommend that you bring your own speedometer (free installation by the accompanying driver) or rent a speedometer on site (10.00 Euro incl. installation). Please note the rental speedometer on the registration form!
Arrival and departure
Flights to Tallinn and return flights from Vilnius to and from Germany are offered by varios airlines.
From the airport to the Hotel Metropol in Tallinn is about 4.5 km. The easiest way to reach the hotel is by cab. We recommend the cab company Tulika Takso, which drives white Opel. The cab ride takes about 15 - 20 minutes depending on traffic and costs about 10 euros per ride. A bus ride costs about 2,- Euro.
The hotel in Vilnius is about 0.5 km from the bus or main train station. We recommend taking a cab. The ride costs about 8 - 10 euros.
The cab ride to the airport in Vilnius costs about 20 euros.
Although the distance is not great, the trip can take even up to 1 hour because of traffic jams. However, it is usually about 15 - 20 min. Ask at the reception of the hotel: In the hotel you can order the transfer to the train station / airport.
(as of 2023)
Condition of the cycle paths
The main roads of Latvia and Lithuania are without cobblestones and mostly without potholes. Instead, there are many dusty sandy and gravel roads. The majority of roads are asphalted, but rough, as they are often covered with coarse rolled chippings after the last asphalt layer.
Dense traffic now exists in major cities and their immediate environs. The bike tour is mostly flat, but includes some minor climbs. You will ride on bike paths, asphalt side roads, but also on some forest and gravel roads.
Rental bikes
Included in the price is a 28 inch unisex rental touring bike with 7 speed hub gears and low entry. For a surcharge, a 7-speed unisex electric bike with low entry can be booked.
Other
Climate: Warm summers, spring and autumn are relatively mild. Rainfall is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. Best time to visit: May through September.
Pests:
Ticks: Warning area! Vaccination recommended!
Mosquitoes: At the lakes in the three countries, mosquitoes can be abundant during the warmest months of the year. On the other hand, directly at the Baltic Sea it is mostly pleasantly mosquito-poor because of the constant light breeze.
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
Each 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 can speak Russian, it is generally unpopular (except in areas with a population of Russian origin) and most young people do not learn it at school. German or English are usually more successful, especially in Estonia and increasingly in Latvia and Lithuania. However, there are enough situations in which even a small knowledge of the language of the respective country can help.
Extra costs, which are not included in the travel price
A possible fuel surcharge, due to strongly increased fuel prices, is not included in the travel price. The amount of the surcharge, if any, we will inform you about 3-4 weeks before arrival.
7 days hotline service
If the bicycle chain is broken, floods make the further journey impossible or other bad surprises are waiting for you: We are available 7 days a week for you and organize help as soon as possible.
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