Baltic cities - Baltic Nature Travel

Baltic cities must visit

Places to visit

in the Baltics

Plan to visit the Baltics? Perhaps you’ve been to this part of the world before or prefer to venture deeper than a country’s capital and top attractions. We’ve got you covered with our tips on things to do in the Baltics. Keep in mind, Baltic Nature Travel is always happy to arrange a bespoke tour, should you wish to explore specific areas or themes such as Soviet architecture, local design, military heritage or residential neighbourhoods.

Smaller cities in the Baltics are not all sleepy and quaint

Baltic people have a great taste for culture. No matter the size of the town or city, you’ll often find it has at least one events venue and a jam-packed cultural agenda. Try:

Latvia

Cesis

Home to a purpose-built concert venue and host to the annual Cesis Art Festival. This medieval gem of a town has welcomed the likes of Lithuanian filmmaker Jonas Mekas, Icelandic singer songwriter Högni and Inese Galante – the Latvian opera talent of New York Met and La Scala fame. Nearby is the town of Ligatne with its secret Soviet bunker. Read more here.

Latvia

Kuldiga

With its very own coffee roastery, one of Latvia’s top 30 restaurants and a selection of holiday apartments which wouldn’t look out of place in Wallpaper magazine, Kuldiga has become a favourite among Latvian weekenders. They’re happy to share this gorgeous town with travellers interested in architecture, history and the arts. Annual highlights include the Design Film Festival and the town fair. Read more here.

Latvia

Liepaja

World class performers frequent the stages of the stunning Great Amber Concert Hall. After an evening of culture, join the locals hanging out at Juliannas pagalms (Julianna’s Courtyard) creative quarter. During the day, explore the eerie former military prison and sea forts in the Karosta area, which tell of Latvia’s history from Tsarist times in the late 19th century through the Soviet years. Read more here.

Lithuania

Klaipeda

Well worth spending a few days in the charming port city before a trip to the popular Curonian Spit. Get a true feel for the city’s maritime history and architecture at Friedrich’s Arcade and on a stroll along the Dane riverfront. In February, Klaipeda hosts its annual Festival of Lights. Read more here.

Lithuania

Kaunas

Kaunas was once Lithuania’s capital and will be the European Capital of Culture in 2022.

The city’s modernist architecture is a big draw. Roam the streets and drop by Kaunas Photography Gallery or Mykolas Zilinskas Art Gallery for exhibitions by local and international artists. Read more here.

Estonia

Tartu

Estonia’s second largest city and a students’ favourite. The Aparaaditehas (The Widget Factory) creative quarter houses two galleries. After exploring, browse the nearby design shops. In August, city visitors should definitely attend the darling tARTuFF love film festival taking place outdoors. Read more here.

Estonia

Viljandi

Viljandi’s world-renowned Folk Music Festival and medieval fair draw visitors every year. The town is known for its wooden architecture and scenic lakeside. Read more here.

Creative quarters in the Baltics - a hive of activity

Urban regeneration is in full swing in the Baltics. A number of entrepreneurial visionaries have given a new lease of life to previously derelict spaces such as Soviet era factories by transforming them into creative quarters, which host events like arts and crafts markets, street food festivals and gigs. Get a feel for the local creative scenes at spots including:

Estonia | Tallinn

Telliskivi Loomelinnak

Formerly used for fixing locomotives. Nowadays, the rejuvenated industrial area is one of the trendiest hangouts for creatives young and old. Housing design shops and studios, bars and world cuisine restaurants, there’s never a dull moment at Telliskivi whose hotspots are also host to concerts during the annual Tallinn Music Week festival. Make sure to check out the nearby Kultuurikatel creative hub for pop up events such as crafts markets as well. Read more here.

Latvia | Riga

Kalnciems Quarter

A cosy enclave of lovingly restored wooden buildings from the 19th century. Every Saturday, farmers and craftsmen gather here from all over Latvia to sell their wares. In summer, this is the place to be seen on Wednesday and Thursday nights when the courtyard hosts street food and live music events. Read more here.

Lithuania |Vilnius

Uzupis

Not quite a quarter, but rather a whole neighbourhood or republic as its bohemian residents have declared! Uzupis even has its own constitution, which you can read on the wall panels lining Paupio Gatve. The area is often compared to Christiania in Copenhagen thanks to its liberal spirit. Look out for events taking place here! Read more here.

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What travelers say about us

Rob and Natalie

2025-10-08

Baltic Nature Travel (BNT) did an outstanding job organizing our 17 day self-driving tour through Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania in Sept. 2025. Every detail was carefully planned and implemented - transportation from & to the airport and ferry; rental car delivered to our hotel; personal guides in the capital cities. The hotels were in excellent locations and often family owned, with great breakfasts included. The trip was designed so that we spent two nights at several places, which made pace of our trip just right. Two hotel had saunas and pools - a good respite. Our trip included urban and rural experiences, lots of opportunity for walking and exploring. As American visitors, we appreciated the reception we received from local residents and the fluent English spoken by most. BNT has our very highest recommendation.

Micha Wierdsma

2025-09-28

We had booked the Best of Ķemeri National Park tour. We had an amazing day together with Rolands. He picked us up right on schedule, and in the car his enthusiasm for the tour was immediately apparent! He told us all about the day, about what we could expect. The tour exceeded all our expectations, it was truly beautiful. Rolands was very informative, told us all about the area, the history, the nature. Not only did we enjoy the hiking and breathing in the fresh air, we also learned some very interesting things! Rolands was very friendly and talkative and we could ask all the questions we want, even about the Latvian language and traditions. He was also very helpfull, when my wife had trouble with some paths, he helped her. Even when she stubbed her toe, it didn't take any joy out of the day.

Julie Grewe

2025-09-22

Our family had the privilege of working with Valdis and his company Baltic Nature Travel, both as our travel planner and guide for what became the most significant, symbolic, and memorable trip of our lives - a family heritage discovery journey through Latvia. Valdis brought Latvia to life for our family in a way we will never forget. From the very beginning, he thoughtfully prepared an itinerary that balanced cultural highlights with deeply personal experiences. He went out of his way to make phone calls and track down historical places in the countryside - sites that were far off the beaten path - so we could walk the same roads our ancestors once did. Because of his dedication, we were able to visit the towns our relatives grew up in, stand in the schools they attended, and step into the very churches where they were married. These moments were profoundly moving and would not have been possible without his diligence and care. Beyond the heritage aspect, Valdis ensured that every detail of our journey was seamless. He made restaurant reservations, arranged impeccable hotel accommodations, comfortable transport, and found us the most wonderful driver, Aldis, whose skill, kindness, and courtesy elevated the entire experience. Both Valdis and Aldis were not only professional, conscientious and gracious at every turn, but they quickly became trusted companions - friends we now consider part of our extended family. We could not recommend Valdis and Baltic Nature Travel more highly. From the first time we were in contact, until our trip was over, Valdis truly took care of us. For anyone seeking assistance or guidance in their travels to Latvia or across the Baltic States, I would choose Valdis a hundred times over. His passion, knowledge and personal touch transformed our trip into something truly unforgettable. -Julie Birznieks

Joan Burns

2025-09-15

Our road trip through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was outstanding! Baltic Nature Travel made it easy by suggesting the itinerary, choosing accommodations and arranging car rental. They provide great advice on things to do, places to eat and they were happy to make special arrangements to personalize our experience. A first-rate company!

Hodo the Frobbit

2025-09-12

We had the most amazing trip hiking through the Gauja national park. Valdis at Baltic Nature Travel was absolutely brilliant. He made planning the holiday incredibly easy, and was always on hand to answer any questions we had. If I could rate the experience ten stars, I would.

Jessica Dickstein

2025-09-01

I would highly recommend Valdis and Baltic Nature Travel for a trip to Estonia and Helsinki. I worked with Valdis over a few weeks to plan a custom trip for my family - including a toddler and our parents. He was very easy to communicate with and helped me plan the perfect trip for 12 days - the quality of the guides was fantastic and the itinerary was well planned for self drive. We absolutely loved Estonia and everything we were able to see and on our grand adventure!

ellen drost

2025-08-30

Odense Carolinekilde Rotary klub is very satisfied with our experience in Riga and Jurmala. Everything was well organized. Good restaurants. Our guide Rita was very skilles with great knowledge and serviceminded. She spoke very understandable English. We really liked her personality. We give your company the bedst recommendations.

Bobothetroll

2025-07-18

Excellent company. If you want to tour the baltics, I recommend their self drive tours

Velta Worley

2025-07-17

Valdis was a great tour guide and very knowledgeable about history. And there is centuries of history in Latvia so there is a vast amount of information that he has to know. I really recommend utilizing the services of Baltic Nature Travel. An added plus is that Valdis can conduct tours in several languages. It was helpful that he is fluent in English. Thank you Valdis for an amazing week in Riga and surrounding areas!

Krzysztof Narkiewicz

2025-06-30

Excellent Experience – Highly Recommend We were a group of 15 people traveling from Gdansk (Poland) to Lithuania for a combination of a short visit to Vilnius and a four-day canoe trip. The agency did a fantastic job from start to finish. They gathered detailed information beforehand (including a teleconference), prepared an excellent offer that took all our wishes into account, and organized transportation with a comfortable minibus from our location to Lithuania. The tour itself went exceptionally well: we had a very good bus and a professional driver, excellent lodging throughout Lithuania, an outstanding guide, and great paddling opportunities. Valdis, the company owner, stayed in touch the entire time, was responsive, and handled last-minute minor changes without any problems. Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend this company to anyone considering a trip to Lithuania.