Warsaw & The Baltics — Self-Launched
9 days · Poland, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia
Globus charges £1,640
No-markup version: ~£570 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, self-launched version of Globus's 9-day Warsaw-to-Tallinn coach tour. You'll cover the same five-country arc — Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn — using cheap intercity buses (Lux Express/FlixBus) and trains instead of a tour coach, free walking tours instead of a paid tour director, and well-located hostels, guesthouses or budget hotels instead of tour hotels. All costs are approximate per person in GBP, assuming a shared dorm or twin room, self-catered/street-food breakfasts and one sit-down meal a day.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Warsaw — Old Town at dusk
Warsaw, Poland
Fly or train into Warsaw and check into a hostel in Śródmieście, walkable to the Old Town. Spend the late afternoon wandering the rebuilt Stare Miasto (UNESCO-listed), the Royal Castle square and the barbican walls. In the evening, skip the tour's welcome dinner and instead eat pierogi and zapiekanka at a milk bar (bar mleczny) or the street-food stalls near Nowy Świat — expect £8-12 for a full meal with a drink. Buy a 24-hour ZTM public transport ticket (~£3.50) if you're arriving at the airport (bus 175 or the S2 train run into the centre for the price of a normal ticket).
🚌Airport bus 175 or SKM train to central Warsaw (~£1), then walk
🛏Hostel dorm or budget twin in Śródmieście (~£18-25)
- →Stare Miasto (Old Town) wander
- →Royal Castle exterior and Castle Square
- →Milk bar dinner
Warsaw — free walking tour and Wilanów
Warsaw, Poland
Join the free (tip-based) Orange Umbrella or Walkative Old Town walking tour in the morning — the same ground the Globus guide covers, at whatever you choose to tip (~£5-8). Afternoon options: the POLIN Museum of Polish Jews (~£7) or a local bus/tram out to Wilanów Palace, the 'Polish Versailles' (~£8 entry, ~£20-25 with transport). Evening: cheap dinner in the Praga district or a £6-10 beer-and-snack night at a bar mleczny-turned-bar.
🚌Tram/bus to Wilanów (~£1 each way); walk in the centre
🛏Hostel dorm or budget twin in Śródmieście (~£18-25)
- →Free walking tour of Old Town
- →POLIN Museum or Wilanów Palace
- →Praga district evening
Warsaw to Vilnius by bus
Vilnius, Lithuania
This is the long travel day the tour does by coach — replicate it with a direct Lux Express or FlixBus from Warsaw to Vilnius (roughly 8-9 hours, book a week or two ahead for £18-28; Lux Express has reclining seats and onboard coffee). Alternatively, take a morning train to Białystok and continue by bus, but the direct coach is simplest. Arrive Vilnius in the evening, check into a guesthouse or hostel in the Old Town, and grab a cheap dinner of cepelinai (potato dumplings) at a local canteen (~£8).
🚌Lux Express/FlixBus Warsaw–Vilnius direct coach (~£20-28, 8-9h)
🛏Old Town hostel or guesthouse (~£18-25)
- →Scenic coach through the Polish-Lithuanian lakelands
- →Evening stroll on Pilies Street
Vilnius — Old Town and Trakai Castle
Vilnius, Lithuania
Start with the Vilnius free walking tour covering Cathedral Square, Gediminas Tower (climb free or £3 for the funicular), the Old University courtyards and the UNESCO Old Town lanes. In the afternoon take local bus #1 or a marshrutka out to Trakai (~£2.50 each way, 40 min) to see the island castle on Lake Galvė (~£8 entry). Back in town, try a traditional Lithuanian dinner at a Šnekutis-style pub (~£9-12) instead of the tour's chef demonstration.
🚌Local bus to Trakai (~£5 return); walk in the Old Town
🛏Old Town hostel or guesthouse (~£18-25)
- →Free walking tour of Vilnius Old Town
- →Gediminas Tower viewpoint
- →Trakai Island Castle day trip
Vilnius to Riga via the Hill of Crosses
Riga, Latvia
Take a morning Lux Express coach Vilnius–Riga (~4h, £12-18). To see the Hill of Crosses en route, hop off at Šiauliai (coaches stop there) and take a local bus 20 min to the memorial, then continue to Riga on the next coach — doable but adds 3-4 hours, so check timetables the night before. Alternatively book it as an add-on day trip. Arrive Riga, check into a hostel in the Old Town or Centrs, and eat at a Lido canteen (~£7-9) for hearty Latvian food.
🚌Lux Express Vilnius–Riga (~£12-18); optional bus detour to Hill of Crosses (~£6)
🛏Riga Old Town hostel or budget hotel (~£20-28)
- →Hill of Crosses memorial (Šiauliai detour)
- →Evening in Riga Old Town
Riga — Old Town, Art Nouveau and Riga Balsam
Riga, Latvia
Morning free walking tour covering the Freedom Monument, the Old Town lanes and the Art Nouveau District along Alberta iela (the same circuit the Globus guide walks). Recreate the tour's coffee-and-cake stop yourself at a kafija for a slice of rupjmaizes kārtojums and a coffee (~£5), and try a shot of Riga Black Balsam at a bar (~£3-5). Optional afternoon: local bus or Bolt to the Latvian Ethnographic Museum in Mežaparks (~£3 entry, £8 door-to-door) or the Riga Central Market's hangars for a £5-7 lunch.
🚌Walk + occasional tram (~£2); optional Bolt to Mežaparks (~£5)
🛏Riga Old Town hostel or budget hotel (~£20-28)
- →Free walking tour of Riga
- →Art Nouveau District walk
- →Riga Black Balsam tasting
- →Central Market lunch
Riga to Tallinn
Tallinn, Estonia
Morning Lux Express bus Riga–Tallinn (~4h30, £12-18; the 11am departures put you in Tallinn by mid-afternoon). Check into a hostel in the Old Town or Kalamaja and spend the late afternoon walking the medieval walls, St. Catherine's Passage and the Town Hall Square. Dinner at a Kalamaja food-hall or a cheap Estonian pub — £9-12 for a plate of black bread, sprats and a beer.
🚌Lux Express Riga–Tallinn coach (~£12-18, 4h30)
🛏Tallinn Old Town or Kalamaja hostel (~£20-28)
- →Medieval walls and towers walk
- →St. Catherine's Passage
- →Kalamaja district evening
Tallinn — Hanseatic Old Town and farewell dinner
Tallinn, Estonia
Join the Tallinn free walking tour of the Hanseatic Old Town — Lühike Jalg gate, the merchant houses, the medieval wall and towers, and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Toompea. Climb the Town Hall tower or St. Olaf's church tower for views (~£3-4). In the afternoon, take a €3 ferry ride to the Seaplane Harbour museum or wander Telliskivi Creative City. Finish with your own 'farewell dinner' at a traditional Estonian restaurant (~£14-18) or a budget option in Balti Jaam Market (~£8).
🚌Walk; optional tram to Kadriorg (~£1.50)
🛏Tallinn Old Town or Kalamaja hostel (~£20-28)
- →Free walking tour of Tallinn Old Town
- →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- →Town Hall tower views
- →Farewell dinner
Tallinn — depart
Tallinn, Estonia
Breakfast and a final wander through the Old Town or a coffee in Telliskivi before heading to the airport (tram #4 or Bolt, ~£2-6, 20 min). If you're continuing, the Helsinki ferry (Eckero/Viking, ~£15-25, 2h) makes a cheap add-on — several Globus travellers in the reviews noted the original tour skips Finland's capital entirely.
🚌Tram #4 or Bolt to Tallinn Airport (~£2-6); optional ferry to Helsinki (~£15-25)
🛏—
- →Last morning in Old Town
- →Optional ferry to Helsinki
Self-launched vs. Globus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Globus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£570 | £1,640 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,070 per person (65%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Globus-style trips? Check them out here.~£570
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Warsaw & The Baltics — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £570 per person for 9 days in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Globus?+
Yes — Globus charges around £1,640 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £570 — a saving of roughly £1,070 (65%) per person.
How long is the Poland, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, budget trip through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.