Baltic Adventures: Tallinn to Riga Self-Launched

Fly or ferry into Tallinn (Stockholm–Tallinn ferries are a good no-fly option). Take public transport — tram/bus line 2 or 4 from the airport, about €2 — into the centre. Settle into a hostel in or near the Old Town, then spend the evening wandering the medieval lanes and getting your bearings with a cheap dinner in the Kalamaja district or a supermarket picnic.

🚌Airport tram/bus ~£2

🛏Old Town hostel dorm, e.g. a central budget hostel near Viru or Kalamaja (£12–18/night)

• →Self-arranged airport transfer by public tram/bus
• →Evening orientation walk around Tallinn Old Town
• →Supermarket supplies for breakfasts

Do the same medieval Old Town circuit the tour covers, but self-guided or on a free walking tour (tip-based, usually €5–10 tip). Hit Toompea Castle, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St Mary's Cathedral, the Town Hall square and the Great Guild Hall. In the afternoon, tram out to Kadriorg Park and pay the modest KUMU art museum entry yourself (about €14 rather than the €55 excursion price). Optional: a medieval-style dinner at a cheaper Old Town tavern.

🚌Walking + tram to Kadriorg ~£3

🛏Old Town hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Free walking tour of Tallinn Old Town (tip-based)
• →Toompea Castle, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St Mary's Cathedral
• →Town Hall Square and Great Guild Hall
• →Kadriorg Park and KUMU art museum (self-booked, ~£12)

Reach Lahemaa independently: take a Tallinn–Võsu or Tallinn–Palmse bus (about 1.5 hours, €5–7 each way, book on Lux Express or check peatus.ee). Walk or rent a bike between Palmse, Sagadi and Vihula manors — manor entries are a few euros each. Skip the overpriced Vodka Museum unless it appeals; a local lunch in Võsu is cheap. Return to Tallinn in the evening.

🚌Return bus Tallinn–Lahemaa ~£11

🛏Old Town hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Local bus to Lahemaa National Park
• →Palmse, Sagadi and Vihula manors (self-guided, small entry fees)
• →Coastal walk at Võsu

Take a Lux Express or Elron train/bus south to Tartu (about 2.5 hours, £8–12). If you want the Põltsamaa Castle stop, break the journey by bus and rejoin — otherwise head straight to Tartu and spend the afternoon on a free walking tour of the Old Town, climbing Toome Hill and visiting the University of Tartu and its botanical gardens.

🚌Lux Express/Elron Tallinn–Tartu ~£10

🛏Tartu hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£12–18)

• →Train/bus Tallinn–Tartu
• →Optional stop at Põltsamaa Castle
• →Self-guided Tartu Old Town walk
• →University of Tartu and Toome Hill

This is the trickiest leg — the tour uses a private coach. Take a bus from Tartu to Valga/Valka on the Estonian–Latvian border, then a regional bus toward Valmiera or Gulbene, breaking at Cesvaine to see the brewery and castle ruins and at Stāmeriena Manor. Timetables are thin, so check 1188.lv and plan a flexible afternoon. Stay in a rural guesthouse near Gulbene/Cesvaine.

🚌Regional buses ~£12

🛏Rural guesthouse near Gulbene or Cesvaine (£15–22)

• →Public bus Tartu–Valga/Valka–Cesvaine
• →Cesvaine beer brewery visit and castle
• →Stāmeriena Manor

Continue by local bus east toward Preiļi — visit the castle and a ceramics workshop (call ahead; small fee). Then on to Aglona Basilica, Latvia's most important Catholic shrine, and if transport allows, the Old Believers village of Slutišķi on the Daugava. Buses here are infrequent; a shared taxi or hitch-hike is a legitimate fallback. Overnight in a guesthouse near Aglona or Svente.

🚌Local buses / shared taxi ~£12

🛏Guesthouse near Aglona/Svente (£15–22)

• →Preiļi Castle and ceramics workshop
• →Aglona Basilica
• →Slutišķi Old Believers village (if transport allows)

Morning bus to Daugavpils, Latvia's second city, to see the fortress and the Mark Rothko Art Centre (entry ~€5–8). In the afternoon take a bus onward to Vilnius (about 3 hours, £10–14). If you have time, break at Ignalina or Palūšė in Aukštaitija National Park to see the wooden church. Arrive Vilnius and check into a hostel in the Old Town.

🚌Buses Daugavpils–Vilnius ~£12

🛏Vilnius Old Town hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Daugavpils Fortress
• →Mark Rothko Art Centre
• →Optional stop at Palūšė wooden church, Aukštaitija NP

Free walking tour of the Old Town covering Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower (cheap lift or free climb), Peter and Paul Church, St Anne's Church and the University, finishing at the Gates of Dawn. In the afternoon, pay a few euros to explore the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania yourself rather than the €50 tour add-on, and eat at a Lithuanian canteen (valgykla) for under £8.

🚌Walking

🛏Vilnius hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Free walking tour of Vilnius Old Town
• →Gediminas Tower and Cathedral Square
• →St Anne's Church, Peter and Paul Church, Gates of Dawn
• →Palace of the Grand Dukes (self-booked, ~£8)

Bus to Trakai (30 min, ~£2) for the island castle on Lake Galvė — entry is a few euros, and you can rent a kayak or walk the lakeshore. Back in Vilnius in the afternoon, visit the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (the former KGB prison, ~€6) — a sobering contrast to the tour's optional add-on pricing. Evening dinner at a traditional Lithuanian restaurant in Užupis.

🚌Bus to Trakai ~£4

🛏Vilnius hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Local bus to Trakai and island castle entry
• →Lake Galvė lakeside walk
• →Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
• →Užupis district evening

Take an early train or Lux Express bus to Kaunas (1.5 hours) for a self-guided Old Town and Town Hall walk, then continue by bus to Klaipėda (another 2 hours). Walk the old town, cross by local ferry to Smiltynė (£1–2), and take the public bus down the Curonian Spit to Nida. Stay in a guesthouse or hostel in Nida.

🚌Train/bus to Kaunas ~£6, bus to Klaipėda ~£8, ferry ~£2, spit bus ~£3

🛏Nida guesthouse or hostel (£15–22)

• →Kaunas Old Town and Town Hall
• →Klaipėda Old Town walk
• →Local ferry to Smiltynė and bus along the Curonian Spit

Spend the morning on the spit: climb Parnidis Dune for the sun dial, walk to the Naglis Dune, and if you have time bus up to Juodkrantė for the Hill of Witches and Thomas Mann's summerhouse. Rent a bike to cover more ground cheaply. In the afternoon, cross back to Klaipėda and take a bus north along the coast to Liepāja (about 2 hours, £8–10).

🚌Bike rental ~£8, spit bus ~£4, bus to Liepāja ~£9

🛏Liepāja budget guesthouse (£15–22)

• →Parnidis Dune and sun dial
• →Naglis Dune
• →Hill of Witches, Juodkrantė
• →Thomas Mann summerhouse
• →Bus Klaipėda–Liepāja

Morning walk through Liepāja's Old Town, the Trinity Church and the former Naval Port with its Orthodox cathedral — much of the Karosta area is free to explore. Then take a bus toward Riga (about 3.5 hours, £10–12); to include Rundāle Palace, route via Bauska and take a local bus (£3), spending a couple of hours in the palace and gardens (entry ~€10). Arrive Riga and check into a hostel.

🚌Bus Liepāja–Bauska–Riga ~£13 + local bus ~£3

🛏Riga Old Town hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Liepāja Old Town and Trinity Church
• →Former Naval Port (Karosta) and Orthodox Cathedral
• →Rundāle Palace and gardens (self-booked)
• →Optional stop at Jūrmala on arrival

Free walking tour of Riga's Art Nouveau district (Alberta iela) and Old Town — Riga Castle, the Dome Cathedral, St Peter's Church tower (cheap lift up for the view), the Swedish Gate, Three Brothers, the Large and Small Guilds and the Freedom Monument. In the afternoon either take a cheap train to Jūrmala beach (£2) or catch an organ concert at the Dome Cathedral.

🚌Train to Jūrmala ~£4

🛏Riga Old Town hostel dorm (£12–18)

• →Free walking tour of Riga Old Town and Art Nouveau district
• →St Peter's Church tower
• →Swedish Gate, Three Brothers, Guilds, Freedom Monument
• →Train to Jūrmala beach or Dome Cathedral organ concert

Last morning to explore Riga Central Market (housed in old zeppelin hangars) for breakfast and souvenirs, then take the cheap public bus or tram to the airport. If you're continuing overland, buses run to Vilnius, Klaipėda (for DFDS ferries to Kiel or Karlshamn) or Warsaw.

🚌Airport bus/tram ~£2

🛏None (departure day)

• →Riga Central Market breakfast
• →Public transport to Riga Airport
• →Optional onward bus to Klaipėda for DFDS ferry