Jewels of the Baltic Sea

Depart the US on your overnight flight(s) to Lithuania.

Travel into the nearby countryside to visit the lovely old city of Kaunas, capital of Lithuania from 1920 to 1939. Kaunas, strategically located in the center of the country on the banks of the Nemunas and Neris Rivers, has always played a pivotal role in Lithuania's history. Your guided tour will take you to the remains of Kaunas Castle. Built in the 13^th century and mentioned in the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, it was Lithuania's first defensive bastion and only double-walled castle. Visit the Old Town of Kaunas with its Church of St. George, a typical example of this region’s spare brick Gothic architecture, and the Church of the Holy Trinity, which is part of the only seminary allowed to remain open during the Soviet era. Conclude your walking tour in the large and beautiful Town Hall Square, ringed with Medieval and Renaissance merchants’ houses, the nearby Vytautas Church, and the Cathedral, by far the largest Gothic church in Lithuania and the only one with a basilican plan. Enjoy lunch in a charming traditional restaurant, sampling Lithuanian specialties including blynai (similar to crepes) and cepelinai (meat filled dumplings). Stop to visit the Freedom Monument, a well-recognized symbol of Lithuanian statehood and a memorial honoring the memory of those who died in the anti-Nazi resistance.   

In the afternoon, continue into the countryside to visit Trakai Historical National Park, with its forests, lakes and islands. The Park surrounds the 12^th-century town of Trakai, a historically important site now known for the colorful old wooden houses of the tiny Karaite religious community and for the Karaite Museum, which you will visit. Cross the lake footbridge to the ancient Trakai Island Castle. Return to Vilnius for dinner and the night. B/L/D Hotel Radisson SAS Astoria (5-star)

Enjoy a guided tour, by bus and on foot, of beautiful Vilnius. Visit the Church of Saints Peter & Paul which has a Baroque interior of stupendous richness, and see the Parliament Building (Seimas), where the restoration of national independence was declared on March 11, 1990. Continue to the Castle area and visit the Museum of Applied Art with stunning examples of Lithuanian craftsmanship and a special exhibition, “Christianity in Lithuanian Art, ” that displays treasures hidden in the Cathedral in the 17^th century and unearthed in 1985. You will see the beautiful Vilnius Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, as well as the 16^th-century University and the extraordinary Church of St. Anne. The flamboyant Gothic façade of this church is built of bricks baked into six different shapes. Napoleon, who coveted it, said he wished he could take it back to Paris in the palm of his hand! See the only Renaissance building remaining in Vilnius, the Church of St. Michael, which was once the residence of the Russian Governor-General and site of meetings between Czar Alexander I and Napoleon in the fateful year 1812.

After lunch in the Old Town, take a guided walk through the former Jewish Quarter, where only one synagogue survives of the hundred that were active there before World War II. The rest of the afternoon will be free for you to visit the Vilnius Picture Gallery in Chodkevicius Palace, the National Museum of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Jewish Museum, or the Amber Gallery, or just to enjoy shopping, walking and exploring the quaint narrow streets and open-air markets. B Hotel Radisson SAS Astoria (5-star)

NOTE: The largest and finest source of amber in the world is along the Baltic coast.  Amber is fossilized pine resin that is 40 to 50 million years old and washes up on beaches in the form of pebbles of various sizes and shapes. When polished, it ranges in color from honey to cognac, and in translucency from clear to opaque. The most valuable pieces contain insects that were caught in the sticky pinesap and fossilized. Throughout this trip you will see shops and sidewalk merchants selling amber, ranging from polished pebbles strung to form glowing honey-hued necklaces to unique, fine pieces of amber set in exquisite artist-designed jewelry. Several of the shops have small museums where you can see amber in its natural form, as well as some unusual pieces that have been found throughout the centuries. Merchants traded the prized Baltic amber all over the ancient world, and specimens from this region can be found worldwide in museums that display royal treasures.

Take a morning bus tour along elegant tree-lined avenues past parks, gardens, statues and monumental buildings. See Riga’s “Little Big Ben,” the Laima clock (a favorite meeting place) and the National Opera, as well as the National Theater, the University, the famous Freedom Monument, and the Bastejkalns Memorial. The huge Orthodox Church with its “onion” domes is now being restored, after having been converted by the Russians to a planetarium. The bus tour concludes in a part of the city noted for its fine examples of Art Nouveau architecture designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, father of the famed Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein.

Then enjoy a guided walking tour of the Old Town* with a local expert. Stroll the narrow, cobblestoned streets and squares to see the remaining City Walls, the Powder Tower, The Swedish Gate, Riga Castle, and St. Jacob's Square with its tall church tower.  Around you are 14^th-century guild halls, elegant merchants’ houses, and Medieval warehouses. See the Doma laukums, Riga’s main square, with its outdoor cafés and the magnificent Cathedral, and visit the Dutch Renaissance Blackheads House, named for its 14^th-century Moorish patron.

Have some free time to explore this delightful city on your own. For a superb city panorama, you might take the elevator up the tower of Riga’s landmark St. Peter’s Church, where a golden rooster sits perched atop a 380-foot spire. Have dinner on your own, and attend an evening performance of music or dance if one is available. B Hotel Radisson SAS Daugava (5-star)

Enjoy a guided tour this morning of Tallinn’s magnificent Old Town,* which is divided into Toompea, the Upper Town where bishops and nobility once lived, and the Lower Town, home to seafarers, tradesmen & craftsmen. The Northern War, started in 1700 by Czar Peter the Great of Russia, brought the prosperous period of Tallinn’s history to an end. As St. Petersburg grew in importance, Tallinn became more of a provincial town. As a consequence it kept its 17^th-century appearance, and the buildings today reflect the contrast between the Upper and Lower Towns of centuries past.

Your walk takes you through history, as in the 15^th and 16^th centuries Tallinn was one of Europe’s greatest cities. The fine guildhalls, graceful merchants' homes and many churches date from this time. Begin in the Upper Town in Castle Square, high above the city, with the onion-domed Orthodox St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on one side & the 13^th-century Castle on the other. Visit the late Gothic Toomkirik (the Lutheran Cathedral), its interior beautifully decorated with hand-carved Medieval coats-of-arms and the sarcophagi of famous people. Pass by the 16^th-century Knighthood Hall that currently houses the Estonian Art Museum. Before leaving the Upper Town, step out to the edge of the observation area to enjoy stunning views of the Lower City below you and the Gulf of Finland in the distance. Descend to the Lower Town through the gate that once divided the two towns, coming to the late Gothic St. Nicholas Church, built by German merchants and dedicated to the patron saint of merchants and sailors. Arrive in the Town Hall Square, which has the only surviving Gothic town hall in Northern Europe, as well as Estonia’s oldest bell and oldest public clock. On the square you will see the 1422 chemist's shop, the homes of rich merchants, splendid Renaissance guild halls and the city walls, most of them still standing, complete with gates and towers. Tour the outskirts of the Old Town by bus, passing Kadriog, the summer gardens and palace built for the wife of Czar Peter the Great, and the monument by sculptor Amandus Adamson to the sailors lost on the warship Rusalka.

Enjoy a free afternoon to explore this delightful Old Town, its museums and shops. If you like, visit the famous flea market Kadaka Turg, that is held in a huge former greenhouse. Return to the hotel for dinner on your own, perhaps in one of the traditional Estonian restaurants. B Hotel Sokos Viru (4-star)

Have a free day in Helsinki to explore the market area near the port, shop, visit one of the museums, or take a ferry to the islands in the archipelago. Gather in the evening for your Farewell Dinner. B, D Hotel Radisson SAS Royal (4-star)

Suggestions for your free time in Helsinki:

Kansallismuseo: National Museum, impressive building in National Romantic style from 1906. The very interesting collections contain furnishing, ethnological materials religious art and archeological finds.

Kiasma: A new national museum of contemporary art housed in a new building that is a work of art in itself; opened in 1998

Ateneum: The national gallery of Finland, with Finnish and international art from the 18^th century to mid-20^th century

Suomenlinna: An island with an old fortress to explore, along with two military museums and a 1930s U-boat. Boats leave the Helsinki harbor frequently for the short trip to the island.

Seurasaari: A pretty, unspoiled island, reached by a bridge from the mainland, that is devoted to a charming open-air museum of traditional wooden buildings, brought from all over Finland. They are beautifully furnished with handcrafted items, and costumed guides are on hand to tell you about them.

Korkeasaari: An island that is used as the Helsinki Zoo and can be reached by ferry.

Kauppatori (Market Square): An open market on the harbor quayside, where you may find Laplanders selling items made from reindeer horn or reindeer hides, and local people selling traditional handcrafts. Take a pleasant walk around the lovely old harbor filled with colorful fishing boats and surrounded by attractive buildings. At the end of the harbor walk is an indoor market with many small stalls offering Finnish gourmet specialties and handcrafted items.

There are wonderful shops near the waterfront in Helsinki, including the original Marimekko and other shops with beautiful artistic objects of Finnish and other Scandinavian design. In the central shopping area, and in a large department of nearby Stockmann’s Department Store, are items for your sauna.