Pegontheroad

I'm considering viisting the Baltic States--Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. I just bought an Eyewittness Guide, but I haven't read the whole thing.

What did you like about any of these countries?

spaarne

I visited Tallin, Riga, and Vilnius three years ago. Traveled intercity by bus because the trains were not so good.

I recommend the Lonely Planet guide.

The "old towns" in these cities are phenomenal. Make your trip before they get too westernized.

Marija

Here's our trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-and-rome.cfm

iris1745

Hi; If you love Medieval towns/city, Tallin, Riga and Vilinus are for you. Just great. Traveling by bus [Eurolines] is very easy between cities. Get your ticket a day before leaving a town/city. This web site gives 'downloads' for each of the cities you may be visiting. Click on the city and then 'instant' for your download. www.inyourpocket.com/ iris1745/dick

julies

We've only visited Lithuania, but we really liked it a lot. We visited more than just Vilnius, so my trip report from 3 years ago includes lots of other destinations too.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nderful-we.cfm

skatedancer

We went to Vilnius. The historical sites are unbelievable -- the museum in the KGB building, the Jewish museum, the visit to Panerai where mass executions of Jews took place, and we got a guide to see old shtetls. The city is beautiful and so wonderful to see it come back to colorful life after Soviet rule. I also posted a trip report called "Heritage, Heartache and Holiday" about our trip to Poland, Lithuania and Germany. You can easily find it on the Lithuania forum.

JeremyinFrance

A little off the beaten track is Gruta Park (in Lithuania). It has also been called Stalinland. A successful mushroom grower - one of Lithuania's richest men, brought together a collection of Communist-era statues. Is Gruta Park a museum with dignity or a tasteless themepark? You can decide for yourself. http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/gruta_park.htm

ter2000

We visited Riga, Tallinn (with a side trip to Helsinki) and Parnu three years ago. In Riga we stayed with relatives. The Old City is lovely and well worth a visit - don't miss the Museum of Occupation. It got quite sleazy at weekends though with the throngs of British stag parties taking up the main square and chanting football songs at each other. If you're male - beware of being lured into strip joints and keep your wits about you - my BIL who lives there has lots of hair-raising stories about unwary drunk tourists being taken to the cleaners. Use public transport and stay away from the taxi drivers.

We travelled by bus from Riga to Tallinn. They were repairing the road at the time and while it doesn't look like a long journey on the map it felt absolutely endless - about eight hours. Much of the highway allowed for one-way traffic only so there were a lot of stops. The bus is comfortable though - bring food and drink.

In Tallinn we rented an apartment from here - www.nordlank.ee - and it was very satisfactory. Just a short walk from the absolutely stunning old town. It's been written about before but it is simply gorgeous. Just wander around and enjoy. We ate in Olde Hansa (touristy but fun) and Hell Hunt - a pub that served food. Both good. If you've time on your hands it's worth taking a day trip to Helsinki - the boat links are good, mainly to allow Finns to drink their heads off more cheaply than they could at home. Again, at weekends there are lots of drunken Finns and Brits on stag and hen parties in the Old Town.

Parnu is the summer capital of Tallinn and has a nice beach. We stayed here - //www.scandichotels.com/en/Scandic-Eesti/Scandic-Ranna/ - which was lovely and right on the beach. If the weather is bad - which it was when we were there - then try the waterpark or treat yourself to some spa treatments - they're very cheap and very good here.

Overall we found the Estonians and Latvians quite unfriendly - but I guess that's what 50 years of communist oppression does to a nation. The cost of living is cheap - especially in Estonia. The cities are beautiful and it's well worth the trip.

Amy

I've only been in Lithuania, but loved it! I found it easier to go to Lithuania in combination with Poland (not to mention their shared history) since I was traveling independently. I particularly loved the Curonian Spit and the Hill of Crosses, and Vilnius is charming. Druskininskai, where Grutas Park is located, is interesting as well. My trip report (and a link to pictures) is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-july-2006.cfm

(Oh, and not being at all snarky here, but I believe that "Baltic States" is not the preferred term in these countries--perhaps it's a bit too much of a reminder of pre-1991 days? I'm certainly open to correction on this, and I do see it used a lot, but I thought I had come across that more than once in my research before my trip.)

stephane69r

I'm a french student and I work in Sagadi for 6 weeks' placement. Sagadi Manor is a place for the amateurs of history. It is located in the middle of the Lahemaa National Park at five kilometres from the sea and offered a nice environment for the lovers of nature. It is composed of a Forest Museum, a splendid Hotel & Restaurant, a somptuous pond and a Manor loaded with history.

irishface

The latest issue of International Travel News just arrived with a trip report from a trip to these countries by Charles and Nita Swartz. They included their email for anyone who has questions. [email protected]. They went through Hansa Travel (www.hansatravel.ee) The agent who organized their trip was HelenAllikmae,hansatravel. email [email protected]

The website for ITN is www.intltravelnews.com. This article is too recent to be up yet. However click on features and on that page click on the country you are interested in and it will pop up all past articles on that destination. There are quite a few on the Baltic states.

Denise

I was not impressed with any of the countries, other than for Riga, Lativa, which seems to have had some polishing up, however the people were not overly friendly, the areas just outside of the core were falling apart, the countryside was not impressive and the food not worthy of mentioning.

traveller1959

>>>however the people were not overly friendly, the areas just outside of the core were falling apart, the countryside was not impressive and the food not worthy of mentioning<<<

That's exactly the definiton of "not too westernized".

Talinn, however, has become pretty touristy, since half a dozen cruise ships dock there each day in summer.

Denise

...and the reason why I went, traveller 1958, I wanted to visit and experience it before it became too westernized. My big problem is the fascade - stay in the center and everyone and everything appears prosperous but walk a few streets in any direction and its crumbling. It seems the residents of these cities are still forgotten. A bit of spit and polish to lure tourists and everyone else be damned. My partner and I saw well dressed locals rummaging through garbage bins for food in Vilnius, daytime drunks around the historical center in Tallinn - teens and adults stumbling drunk around the park areas and not just a few in the evenings and weekends, gruff hotel staff, I could go on but let's just put down as my worst trip ever. Possibly if we were on a group tour it might have been better but we saw all the sights and more - just not impressed.

WWanderer

I was in Vilnius for a week about 6 years ago. The old city is amazing--at the time it was undergoing a gigantic transformation, having been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and preparing to join the EU. I loved every minute of it. Great food, good for just walking and exploring. Mind-boggling churches. Also did a day trip south near the Polish border, the countryside is lovely.

MademoiselleFifi

Pegontheroad,

Did you decide to go, and to which cities?

iris1745

Hay Denise; It's too bad you had that experience. We just returned from D.C. and saw everything you saw and that happens to be worldwide. Smell a little 'sewer' in these countries. Same in D.C. See the same in Boston, Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S. But Pegontheroad, these cities are wonderfull. Don't hesitate to go. Loved every minute of our stay thru the Baltics. Richard

Pegontheroad

Fifi: I'm still not sure.

Thanks, everyone, for the responses.