When Scheduling Your Flights
This program is offered in conjunction with the Djoser, Netherlands office but must be booked through Djoser, in the United States. On this trip you will join Dutch & Belgium participants. So that all travelers in the group have the same point of reference, the days in the day-to-day descriptions below correspond with the program description for the Dutch travelers, taking into account their travel time from Amsterdam.
When scheduling your flights please use the itinerary above. The days are numbered based on the LAND PROGRAM, ONLY. Thus, our published trip dates are referred to as DAY 1 in the itinerary above. This is also the first accommodated night of the program. When you book your flight, please refer to the (estimated) times of arrival and departure of the Dutch participants. You should plan to arrive prior to the Dutch travelers.
DJOSER Means “FREEDOM & CHOICE”
Our day-to-day program is not strictly regimented but is determined by collaboration between the guide and participants. The guide will organize and accompany many activities but will also make suggestions so that you can explore and dine, safely, on your own.
Lithuania
Day 1 Arrival Vilnius
Day 2 Vilnius
Day 3 Vilnius – Kaunas – Nida
Day 4 Nida
Day 5 Nida – Riga
We fly with Lufthansa to Vilnius. Your trip begins in Lithuania. In Vilnius, the capital of independent Lithuania since 1990, you may enjoy strolling down the old streets in the center of town, which has a Baroque Polish character. The city is stretched out along both banks of the rapid streaming Neris, situated between hills overgrown with coniferous woods. The heart of the old city is around Gedimino Mountain. At the foot of this mountain stands the white cathedral, which symbolized the revival of national awareness in 1990 for the Catholic Lithuanians. When you walk around town you will pass the university complex and some churches.
On the way to the coast we will first drive to Trakai, which lies about 20 miles southwest of Vilnius. In this village with wooden houses stands a beautiful water castle from the 14th century, where the first king of Lithuania was crowned in 1253. We continue and drive to the university city of Kaunas, which used to be the country’s capital in the Twenties and Thirties. In the middle of the old city center you will find residences from the 15th and 16th century.
By ferry we will reach the Curonian Spit, a unique bird sanctuary with high white sand dunes from where you have a view of the water of both sides of the finger of land, which is only 3 miles wide. Here you can take beautiful hikes through the woods or ride your bike on newly created bike paths. In the town of Nida, situated on the bank of the Curonian Lagoon, the former country house of the German author Thomas Mann is now open for visiting. At the tip of the finger we take the ferry back to Klaipeda, former playground of German knights, Swedes, Nazi-Germans and Soviet troops. The harbor town, formerly known under the German name of Memel, has an old center that falls entirely under the protection of a Historical Society.
The Baltic countries are famous for their resources of amber, petrified resin, which holds millions of years old insects captive within, and picks up static electrical force of attraction when rubbed. This quality is the reason why amber (by way of the Greek word “electron”) gave its name to electricity. Now it is found in layers of brown coal. At the market of Klaipeda you will find a huge selection. Driving northwards we will also stop at the peculiar memorial for victims of all persecutions. Kryziu Kalnas is a low hill covered with all kinds of crosses that were put there spontaneously.
Latvia
Day 6 Riga
Day 7 Riga, excursion Gaujas
Day 8 Riga - Saaremaa
In Riga, the capital of Latvia, the old center, called Vecriga (Old Riga), is entirely reserved for pedestrians. The 800-year old city originated as a trading post of German knights. From the tower of the Saint Peters Church, which supposedly was the highest tower in the world in the 17th century, you will have a magnificent view of the city. Among the numerous monuments and museums are “the three brothers”, residences from the 15th and 16th century. At “Alberta iela” (Albert Street) you will find an entire row of homes in Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau).
Numerous shops, cafes and theaters are proof of the newfound vitality after Soviet oppression. Just outside of town on the banks of Juglas Lake you will find the Museum of Cultural Anthropology that offers an overview of Latvian architecture, folklore and lifestyle in the region throughout the centuries. Nearby Jurmala, actually a long stretching series of fishing villages is known from way back as a fancy shore and health resort. Many villas attest to this rich past. From Riga you can reach the central village of Majori very fast by hydrofoil.
In the Latvian forests still live numerous plant- and animal species that are extinct in the rest of Europe. The country is also known as a bird paradise. We may experience this when we go on an excursion from Riga to Gaujas National Park, which is known as Latvia’s Switzerland. There you may visit the mysterious Gutmana Cave and the idyllically situated Turaida Castle.
Estonia
Day 9 Saaremaa
Day 10 Saaremaa – Tallinn
Day 11 Tallinn
In Estonia we will first stay on the idyllic island of Saaremaa, where we will arrive by ferry from Virtsu. Kuressaare, Saaremaa’s capital, is a small quiet town built around a castle of the German Order from the 13th century. Wooden dwellings give the small town a rustic look. Because the island is flat it is easy to explore by bike. The island population has conserved its own traditions, songs and historical costumes. There are also meadows, wooden farmhouses and windmills.
Tallinn at the Finnish Gulf flourished mostly from the 13th to the 16th century, when this old Hansa City was the staple town in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The old center with the Gothic churches within the high walls has been conserved almost undamaged. Strolling through the cobblestone alleys you may easily envision the ambience of these long gone times. A special highlight is the recently discovered alley “Katariina käik”, where now all kinds of workshops are established in the medieval walls. The old town consists of an up-town and a downtown. In the up-town stands the Toompea Castle on the hill of the same name, where the Estonian parliament sits. Of the original castle only three of the four towers have been saved, of which “tall Herman”, decorated with the national flag, is a clear focal point. Across from the parliament is the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with onion shaped domes and mosaics. The demolition of this symbol of tsarist imperialism is still a topic of discussion. The downtown, around City Hall Square, is the lively part of the old town with many shops and restaurants. Across from the train station you may have a drink in the Wagon Lits café sitting on uncomfortable benches from somber Soviet trains. A mile outside the old walled center lays Kadriorg Park, a summer palace of Peter the Great, now the residence of the Estonian president. Further down into the park you will find the half dome of the national song festival. The Estonians are known to be excellent singers. Thousands of choirs perform here at the festival. West of the city is the Open Air Museum Rocca al Mare, where you can see many fine examples of wood architecture from the 18th and 19th century.
Saint Petersburg
Day 12 Tallinn – Saint Petersburg
Day 13 Saint Petersburg
Day 14 Saint Petersburg
Day 15 Saint Petersburg
After two nights in Tallinn we drive to Saint Petersburg that just has celebrated its 300-year existence. “Sankt Peterburg” as the official Russian name is pronounced, was founded in 1703 as an initiative of Tsar Peter the Great, who needed a stronghold against the Swedes. The homogenous architecture of the many city palaces in pastel colors makes this city one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, especially after all the latest restorations. The elegant mixture of Italian baroque and Russian styles is reflected in many city palaces. Along the wide boulevard Nevski Prospekt are large stores and outdoor cafes from where you can observe the hustle and bustle of a metropolis. This part of town has canals like Amsterdam lined with luscious palaces of the old aristocracy. On the Newa lays the Winter Palace, former residence of the Tsar Family. Today this palace along with additions is the home of one of the most impressive and extensive art collections in the world in the largest museum in the world, the Hermitage. On the other side of the powerful Newa you see the Peter and Paul Bastion, the town’s original center in 1703. In the church the 18th- and 19th-century Tsars are buried. Since 1998 also Nicolas II and his family are buried there, in a separate chapel. The fortress was also used as a prison in tsarist times.After three nights, we will depart from Saint Petersburg.
