During our bike tours, some days we bike for the day and return to our lodgings. Other days we make a multi-day bike tour.  On rest days you can choose to bike more or choose to do other things. The tour leader will make suggestions.  You are free to participate or not, in any activity. Due to the nature of the trips and local circumstances, unexpected situations may occur and a ride or activity may be canceled or adjusted.

You will need to schedule your flight to arrive prior to the Dutch participants.

The Dutch participants are scheduled to arrive on DAY 1 at:  7:05 PM

On the final day, the flight for the Dutch participants is scheduled to leave at:5:05 PM

Vilnius

Day 1 - Vilnius

Day 2 Vilnius, Trakai

The journey begins in Lithuania where you will meet the guide and group participants. Since 1990 Vilnius has been the capital of the independent Lithuania.  Before we begin cycling you can wander through the ancient streets of the city, with its  Baroque Polish character. Along the winding streets are churches and monasteries dating from the late Gothic and Baroque. The bright pastel-colored houses give the city a pleasant atmosphere.The city stretches along both banks of the fast flowing Neris, nestled between wooded hills with pine forests. The heart of the old town is next to the Gedimino Hill. At the foot of it is the white cathedral built in 1990 for the Catholic Lithuanians which symbolized  the revival of national consciousness.We make our first bike ride of about 19 miles from Trakai, which 12 miles southwest of Vilnius. The village has beautiful wooden houses and beside the best known and largest lake Galve, lies the beautiful island castle ,where in 1253 the first king of Lithuania was crowned. In this area, there are about 200 lakes so cycling is great along the river and through the woods surrounding the historic National Park Trakai. At the end of the afternoon the bus us back to Vilnius.

Klaipeda

Day 3 Vilnius - Creative - Klaipeda

Day 4 Klaipeda, Nida, Curonian Spit

We leave Vilnius and the bus takes us to Creative Commons in Nemunas River Delta Regional Park. We get back on our bikes and we cycle along the coast south to Vente Horn, an ornithological station from the 19th century. We stay overnight in the port city of Klaipeda, which in the past saw German knights, Swedish, Nazi Germany and Soviet troops. The port city, formerly known as Memel German name, has an old center. The Baltic countries are known for their deposits of amber and fossilized resin, which is millions of years old. Buffs collect the amber with entrapped insects. This property has ensured that his name amber (from the Greek electron) has special powers. It is now found in lignite layers. There is plenty to be found at the markets. From Klaipeda the next day we visit the Curonian Spit. This peninsula is rich with  birds and wildlife. There are beautiful clean beaches, tall white sand dunes and grand vistas of the lagoon and the Baltic Sea.

The bus brings us to the old fishing village of Nida, where the bank of the Curonian Lagoon is located. In Nida, the former summer residence of the the German writer Thomas Mann, is now on display. The town was once an exclusive holiday destination for the communist elite. From the beautiful village with colorful wooden houses and a huge sand dune that is backdrop to the village village you step back on the bike and make a trip to the Curonian Spit National Park.

The cycle journey is  about 19 miles along the dunes and through the woods. We cycle to where you can walk on wooden decks overlooking the  Dead Dunes. From here you can enjoy a magnificent view over the sea and the Curonian lagoon. In Juodkrantė we stop at the Witch Hill with a forest full of wooden sculptures and here you discover the colonies of cormorants and herons that live here.  Enthusiasts can  bike the route back to Klaipeda.

Riga

Day 5 Klaipeda - Palanga - Riga

Day 6 Riga, Jurmala

From Klaipeda we bike today about 19 miles. We cycle through the forest of Giruliai and the through beautiful nature along the coast. The "Olandu Kepures" "is a 78 foot high cliff in the fishing village Karkle, which we stop to  admire. Central to the Botanical Park of Palanga is a palace that now serves as the Amber Museum, where beautiful jewelry can be found. After arriving in Palanga we load our bikes on the bus and you have a moment to visit one of the cafes or restaurants or you can walk along  the long pier in the Baltic Sea to Palanga.

In the afternoon we drive to Riga. Vecriga  is located n the Latvian capital of Riga's old town. The 800 year-old town, originally a trading settlement of German knights. From the tower of St. Peter, in the 17th century, it would have been the highest tower in the world. From here you have a fantastic view over the city. Among the numerous monuments and museums you will find "the three brothers' houses from the 15th and 16th centuries.

In Alberta Iela you find a whole series of houses in art nouveau style. There are numerous shops, cafes and theaters which demonstrate the vitality restored after Soviet domination. Riga is also said to be the pulse of the Baltics.  Just outside the city you will find on the shores of Lake Juglas the anthropological museum, which provides an overview of Latvian architecture, folklore and lifestyle in the region for centuries. The nearby Jurmala, is actually a long chain of fishing villages, and  traditionally known as a posh resort and spa. Many villas testify to this rich past. The surrounding forests are perfect for a bike ride where we follow a specific cycle that goes through all the towns. The total trip is approximately 19 miles long.

Tallinn

Day 7 Riga - Laheem National Park

Day 8 Lahemaa NP - Tallinn

Day 9 Tallinn - Land ends

We leave Latvia today and the bus brings us to Estonia our last Baltic country to cycle. We stay the first night Laheema National ark, the land of coves. This is the oldest and largest national park in Estonia with a beautiful coastline that is made by striking boulders from glaciers in Finland and Sweden. We cycle a route of about 25 miles through picturesque villages and as Vosu there and enjoy the versatile Estonian flora and fauna. You can choose the length of your ride.

The bicycle tour will end in Tallinn, with its romantic medieval town. The old Hanseatic city of Tallinn on the Gulf of Finland flourished from the 13th to the 16th century, when it was warehouse in the eastern Baltic Sea. The old center with its Gothic churches, within the high walls, is virtually preserved intact. Walking through the alleyways paved with cobblestones you can easily lose yourself in the atmosphere of that bygone time. Very special is the newly reopened Kata Riina käik alley, where many workplaces are housed behind the medieval walls.

The old city consists of an upper and lower part. In the upper town is on the same hill Toompea Castle, where the Estonian Parliament sits. From the original castle  only three of the four towers survived; "Llong Herman", wears the national flag and is a clear landmark. By the parliament is the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its onion domes and mosaics. There is much debate about the demolition of this symbol of tsarist imperialism.

Downtown, around the town hall square, the vibrant part of the old city, with many shops and restaurants. Opposite the station you can drink in a Wagon Lit cafe, sitting on the uncomfortable benches of austere Soviet Trains. 1.25 miles outside the old walled city center is located in the Kadriorg Park one summer palace of Peter the Great, now the residence of the Estonian president.

A little further in the park you will find the half-dome of the national contest. The Estonians are known as great singers, ie, there are thousands of choirs at the festival. West of the city you will find the Rocca al Mare open air museum, where many fine examples of wooden architecture can be seen from the 18th and 19th centuries. On the last day you still have enough time to Tallinn to explore before you  fly back home.