Latvian Midsummer festival experience

Riga city break - Latvian Midsummer festival experience

guaranteed escorted tour

Riga city break - Latvian Midsummer festival experience

6 days / 5 nights

Latvia

Riga - Jurmala - Garkalne - Gauja National park - Riga

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Program

DAY 1: (JUNE 20th) ARRIVAL RIGA

Arrival in Riga, optional transfer to the hotel Konventa Sēta ***or similar, check-in, welcome meeting with your tour leader in hotel lobby.

DAY 2: (JUNE 21th) MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION

This is the time when the day is the longest and the night is the shortest of the year. We go for the traditional Midsummer celebration with the locals. We learn to sing traditional songs and dance traditional dances. The celebration can last till the sunrise if you have the will to do so. We enjoy the house owner’s hospitality and join them for a home-made dinner.

A very important part of the local culture is the sauna. To take a break from singing and dancing, we offer an optional local sauna ritual to restore the balance of our mind and body. The local sauna master will involve you in the traditional sauna ritual. We stay overnight at a countryside guest house with sauna access and enjoy the tranquility that brings Latvian forest.

DAY 3: (JUNE 22th) OPEN-AIR MUSEUM – RIGA

In the morning we will make a visit to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-air Museum. During the tour we will learn about the Latvian farmer’s life. We will have a degustation (light lunch) of local food like cottage cheese, house made bread and honey. Return to Riga and check-in hotel Konventa Sēta*** or similar.

In the afternoon we will have the possibility to make an optional visit to a local household named “Carpenter’s workshop”. Here we get to know typical Latvian trees, work along with experienced craftsmen, try out traditional toys and games. As well as enjoy a very special tea recipe brewed in a bonfire house.

In the evening we offer an optional dinner on the ship Rīgas Pērle with evening cruise to sunset. You will have the possibility to enjoy the evening admiring the sunset on the river Daugava.

DAY 4: (JUNE 23th) RIGA – SIGULDA

Founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a real kaleidoscope of architectural styles. During Riga walking tour we will see the Art Nouveau most famous buildings on the streets of Alberta and Elizabeth. TheOld Town with Riga’s Castle and the Three Brothers houses, which were built between the late 1400s and mid-1600s and are the oldest dwellings in the city. At lunchtime we make a visit to the Riga Central Market. To try, such as smoked meats, pickled vegetables, Latvian bread, seasonal treats, and more. The market opened in 1930 and it consists of five former Zeppelin airship hangars and is one of the largest covered markets in Europe.

After we will continue to Sigulda, where we will stay overnight in hotel Sigulda***

Everyone is welcomed to the St.John’s night celebration in Sigulda Livonian Order castle and continue to enjoy the magic of Midsummer night open-air party next to a large bonfire.

DAY 5: (JUNE 24th) GAUJA NATIONAL PARK – SIGULDA – RIGA

We enjoy a slow start of the day and continue with an optional visit to the Gauja National park and town of Sigulda. Gauja National park is the largest and oldest National park in Latvia. To enjoy picturesque views over the river Gauja Valley we take a cable car. We continue to the Gutmans Cave to listen to the medieval Latvian legend of the Rose of Turaida. Enroute to Riga we make a stop at two highlights of the National park – the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and the Castle of the Knights of the Sword.

Before returning to Riga, we will enjoy the silence of nature. We offer an optional local herbal tea workshop in which the local herbal tea traditions are explained by a medicine man. We create our own herbal tea and have house made traditional lunch. Late afternoon we will arrive to Riga, check-in hotel Konventa Sēta*** or similar.

DAY 6: (JUNE 25th) DEPARTURE

Departure day, optional transfer to the airport

Package Price Per Person

EUR 720.00 (double occupancy)
EUR 320.00 (single supplement)

Optional Activities

5 h Herbal tea workshop and meditation – EUR 50.00 pp
Sauna ritual –EUR 60.00 pp
Carpenter’s workshop– EUR 45.00 pp
Gauja National Park tour – EUR 45.00 pp

Optional Transfers

Transfer airport to Hotel : EUR 35.0 for private car (1-3 persons), EUR 55.00 for private van (4-7 persons)
Transfer Hotel to airport: EUR 35.00 for private car (1-3 persons), EUR 55.00 for private van (4-7 persons)

Optional Meals

Dinner on the ship Rīgas Pērle with evening cruise to sunset – EUR 40.00 pp

Tour information

Group size: 2 – 12 persons

Note:

Due to very changeable weather, layering is key to enjoying your trip to the Baltics and rain protection is a must-have

Services included

4 overnights at centraly located hotel Konventa Sēta*** or similar with breakfast buffet
1 overnight at a cozy guest house with sauna access and breakfast
Private car or minivan throughout the itinerary
Welcome meeting
English/ German speaking tour guide during the program
Riga old town and Art Nouveau walking tour
Latvian open-air museum and Central Market food degustation
Entrances: Open – air museum
Home-made dinner at the guest house on 21th June
Traditional midsummer festival celebration

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Tour map

What travelers say about us

EXCELLENT

36 reviews on

SisterBliss66

2024-11-02

Great day out - lovely walk in Gauja - Līgatne trail - in the crisp autumn air followed by the paper mill. Then on to Sigulda Castle and Gutman Cave. Valdis was very knowledgeable and we had some interesting conversations about the places visited, history, culture and lots more besides. Friendly guy, fluent in English. It was awesome getting out of Riga to see more of the country.

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!