Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Estonia

The smallest Baltic country, Estonia still makes a big impact on the traveler thanks to its charming seaside villages, pretty green forests and picturesque countryside dotted with incredible crumbling castles. Once known as Europe’s best-kept secret, Estonia attracts visitors who want to experience natural pleasures along with cities that mix the medieval and the modern, like Tallinn. As Estonia’s premiere metropolis, this city of cobblestone streets offers an exciting range of historic ruins, café culture, art galleries and a nightlife scene to write home about. Visit Estonia for a truly unique European experience.

Tallinn

Estonia’s miraculous capital is bound to inspire awe. It’s an exciting, thriving center that has recently emerged from Soviet occupation, with many breathtaking Gothic buildings that have somehow escaped war damage.

Tallinn’s Old Town is one of the last remaining truly medieval cities in Europe, with subterranean bars that serve locally-made vodka and absinthe and cast an enticing glow from their stone doorways. You can walk the dozens of winding, cobbled streets within the high wall and ramparts, and then stop for a cheap sandwich made on native thin, dense black bread at one of the many cafés - known as “kohviks.”

Latvia

With an air of mystery and the atmosphere of an undiscovered gem, the Baltic country of Latvia is bursting away from its cold reputation with a newfound passion that enchants the modern traveler. From the cobblestone streets and art nouveau edifices of Riga to the magnificent castles of Siguida and the beach resorts on the coast of the beautiful blue Baltic Sea, Latvia offers an experience of Europe unlike any other. Enjoy an afternoon at a beer garden, head to the pine trees of Gauja National Park or party until dawn in the wild rock and roll clubs of Liepaga.

Riga

Riga is a genuinely beautiful old capital that is just waking up and reinventing itself. With one of the finest collections of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) buildings anywhere in the world, Riga is a feast for the eyes and exhilarating to explore on foot. The movement’s eclecticism shows in ornate tiled entrances, smooth-faced giant modern gargoyles, and stained glass in intricately webbed ironwork. Along these museum-like streets, you’ll find a mix of the old and the new, from head-scarved women selling bunches of flowers to younger urbanites congregating among the beer terraces, cafés and late-night clubs. Smart and cosmopolitan, Riga is quickly working to regain its 1930s reputation as the “Paris of the Baltics.”

Lithuania

Nestled in the heart of Northern Europe with a small slice of coastline on the Baltic Sea, the country of Lithuania is a land of folklore and forests with a colorful history. From magical lakes set into a serene landscape to exciting nightlife in destinations like Palanga and the capital city of Vilnius, Lithuania offers an experience of contrasts between artistic communities and natural masterpieces. Go boating on the lakes of Aukstaitija National Park and pick fresh berries in the forest, hit the sand dunes of the Curonian Spit or visit the Hill of Crosses, a uniquely Lithuanian attraction.