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

EXCELLENT

36 reviews on

Jane Bower

2024-09-30

My partner and I (69 and 75) are just back from a 17 day self-drive tour put together with the help of Valdis from Baltic Nature Travel. It was an absolutely delightful and fascinating experience. We asked for quirky or unusual accommodation and a mix of hotels and self-catering - great fun. We went at our own pace and chose what to see. Everything was beautifully organised - a couple of small hitches were dealt with straight away on the phone. We are well-travelled but didn't know these stunning countries at all. Our overall impression is CLEAN and GREEN. Thank you, thank you for such a unique and special holiday.

Andrew Golding

2024-09-16

First Class Personal Tour of the Baltic Republics organised by Valdis: a bespoke, friendly, intelligent, safe and varied introduction to this wonderful part of the world. Wholly recommended.

David Morris

2024-09-10

Excellent booking experience - very easy and all the information we needed. Hire car arrived at the hotel as arranged and the handover was excellent. All the hotels that were booked for us were great and the itinerary was really wide-ranging and interesting. Estonia people were almost always friendly and helpful, and the restaurant food was great. Would definitely recommend Baltic Nature Travel and Estonia as a destination

Karen Green

2024-07-23

Valdis, the owner of Baltic Nature Travel, is a terrific tour organizer. His advance communication and arrangements were unfailingly responsive, prompt and helpful. On the trip, we had different guides as well as drivers in the different cities (Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.) In each case, they were well-informed and on time at the meeting point. We never needed to worry or contact the guide (though we were provided with their information.) Every hotel Valdis chose for us was of a very good standard, well-run, clean, exceptionally well located, and with wonderful breakfasts. The restaurants he recommended were also excellent – we learned to just go where he suggested! The tour was an exceptionally good value. In sum, we couldn’t have been more pleased. Our trip was wonderful and we left wanting to see more of the Baltics' beauty. If we do go again, we would unquestionably work with Valdis. In the meantime, we will recommend him to all of our friends.

Lucía Gómez

2024-07-17

Fantastic Self-Guided Hiking Experience! We recently completed a self-guided hike in Gauja National Park, which was wonderful. The trails were serene, and we rarely encountered other hikers. The provided materials and app were excellent and highly accurate. The hotels, luggage transfer, and overall transportation arrangements were flawless. Highly recommend this experience!

Paul Green

2024-07-12

Anna Brish was a fantastic tour guide for understanding Jewish history and culture in Vilnius. She was friendly, deeply knowledgeable, eager to answer our questions and accommodate our specific interests. Anna does other tours and we would take any of them, she’s amazing!

James Cornez

2024-07-11

Myself and my best friend came across this company whilst researching options to travel in Latvia and we are very pleased we did. Valdis was very amenable during the planning process by arranging video calls with both of us so we could better understand what was on offer for us to do. He compiled an 8 day itinerary for us that did not disappoint starting in Riga for 2 days. We paid for an optional 3hr walking tour which was very worthwhile to see the main sites of the city. Janis took us on the tour who is a great guy that gives you plenty of interesting information, ready to answer any questions regarding Latvian history/culture. We chose the self driving option to see as much of Latvia as possible which I would definitely recommend if you want to have more than just a city break. It took us to varied places ranging from the heavily forested and pretty areas of Sigulda (where we did a fun kayaking tour on the Gauja river) and Cesis to the pleasant coastal cities of Liepaja and Ventspills. Overall, definitely the company to approach if you want to authentically explore Latvia!

Esther A

2024-06-21

Valdis and his team helped us to organise a guided 16 day trip across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Helsinki. We had a very enjoyable experience! Coming from Singapore and not knowing Valdis beforehand, we were initially worried about language and logistical challenges. All these were unfounded as Valdis and his guides were not only knowledgeable but also responsive, helpful and flexible. We had some minor hiccups during the trip but Valdis was able to resolve them very promptly. I would highly recommend engaging Valdis for your next trip!

Annette Ihrman

2024-06-16

The tour was very versatile and a good addition to our trip to Riga. We can recommend it!

K G

2024-04-06

I joined Valdis for Gauja national park tour and experience breathtaking views, beautiful cave, Plus the experience to see the inside of luge and skeleton track. It’s an unforgettable experience to see something outside the Riga! Highly recommended!!!