winter self-drive Lithuania - Baltic Nature Travel

Self-drive winter experience in Lithuania

Self-drive

Winter experience in Lithuania

7 days / 6 nights

Vilnius - Trakai - Kaunas - Mindunai - Paluse - Vilnius

November - March

Program

DAY 1. ARRIVAL IN VILNIUS

Welcome to Vilnius! Pick up your rental car at the Vilnius airport and check into the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: Vilnius at Hotel Vilnia**** or similar.

DAY 2. CITY TOUR OF VILNIUS

Spend the morning on a guided walking tour of the Old Town, the medieval heart of Vilnius. The highlight of Vilnius is the Cathedral Square. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1783. It is Lithuania’s premier Roman-Catholic church. Moreover, its mausoleum is the final resting place for some notable figures throughout the history, including grand dukes of Lithuania and even King Alexander of Poland.

On the tour you will see the Gediminas Tower, the 15th-century St. Anne’s Church, Vilnius University, the oldest university in the Baltics, the Gate of Dawn, and the city’s medieval defensive fortification, built around a chapel that remains a major catholic pilgrimage site in Lithuania. Free time in the evening.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: Vilnius at Hotel Vilnia**** or similar.

DAY 3. ANCIENT LITHUANIA | VILNIUS – TRAKAI – KAUNAS (DRIVE ~110 KM)

After breakfast, drive from Kaunas to Trakai. Join a guided snowshoeing tour. The tour will bring you around the medieval Trakai Castle, the landmark of the area. Afterwards you will visit this impressive gothic fortification, built in the second half of the 14th century out of red brick and stone. Next, continue to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. You will continue to Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: Kaunas in Best Western Santakos hotel****

DAY 4. EXPLORE KAUNAS OLD TOWN

In the morning join a guided walking tour will take you around the Old Town and show you such landmarks as the Town Hall Square and the House of Perkunas, a gothic merchant house that dates back to the 15th century. You will also visit Kaunas Castle, a gothic fortress built on a hill overlooking the Nemunas River, dating back to the middle of the 14th century.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: Kaunas in Best Western Santakos hotel****

DAY 5. AUKŠTAITIJA NATIONAL PARK | KAUNAS – MINDUNAI – PALŪŠE (DRIVE ~110 KM)

In the morning, drive to Aukštaitija National Park, which is the oldest national park and has preserved its pristine nature. Hundreds of lakes are covering its land. To see a magnificent view of the surroundings climb an observation tower in Mindunai. After, continue to Palūše. Before steering in your accommodation, stop at Palūše wooden church that is one of the oldest praying houses in Lithuania.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: Palūše in Tiki Inn guest house or similar.

DAY 6. BIKE TOUR IN AUKŠTAITIJA NATIONAL PARK & TRADITIONAL SAUNA

In the morning you will join a guided fat – bike tour. A fat-bike allows you to get through otherwise impassable woodland areas, such as muddy off-road, iced and snowy hills, swampy terrain. On the tour you‘ll discover authentic cultural heritage sites, dense forests, and beautiful lakes. After the tour you will relax in the heat of the traditional sauna and taste some sauna-special tea, brewed with local herbs and enjoy your delicious hot lunch cooked over open fire.

Meals included: Breakfast, and lunch

Overnight: Palūše in Tiki Inn guest house or similar.

DAY 7.DEPARTURE FROM VILNIUS (DRIVE ~115 KM)

Drive back to Vilnius. On the departure day, drop off the rental car at the Vilnius airport.

Meals included: Breakfast

Tour map

Request a tour

Price in double occupancy

Two persons travelling is 910 EUR per person.

Included

4 overnights per program in centrally located 4-star hotels;
2 overnights in Palūše guest house;
VW Polo car rental for 7 days;
Walking tour in Vilnius, and Kaunas;
Snowshoeing tour in Trakai;
Fat-bike tour in Aukštaitija National Park;
Entrances in Vilnius University and Kaunas Castle.

Not included

Any meals or drinks not mentioned in program;
Gratitudes.

How to dress

In winter, temperatures often drop well below zero degrees Celsius. Please, dress accordingly to the weather forecast! Due to very changeable weather, layering is the key to enjoying the tour. Any warm and comfortable shoes are good enough for this tour.

Request a tour

Read our Terms & Conditions thoroughly and carefully before booking

Baltic nature travel

5.0

Based on 13 reviews

Tom Moore

2022-11-19T14:17:21+0000

Had a fantastic hike with Valdis today. He's really friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend him.

Zijian Hua

2022-10-16T08:47:16+0000

Valdis is an experienced guide, a local from Riga. He has a wealth of knowledge and is always able to tell you... interesting history along the way. The route plan of the hiking is also reasonable. In autumn, the fallen leaves near Sigulda are also very beautiful. If you are planning to do an outdoor hike in Latvia too, then don't hesitate to join a walking group organized by Valdis.🇱🇻read more

Sheila Dunk

2022-06-04T01:33:30+0000

Absolutely brilliant day out with Valdis, we didn’t stop talking from the moment he picked me up. He was knowledgeable... about the area, answered all my questions about Latvia and was just delightful to be with.The area of the hike was stunning, we got some good spots for views and pictures, the weather was beautiful and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the day. The hike isn’t difficult, plenty of ups and downs and with a decent level of fitness anyone can do this hike.read more

Betti Sewell

2020-11-28T17:19:37+0000

The hike was beautiful and Valdis was relaxed, helpful and informative. Highly recommended.

Chris Palin

2020-11-15T07:39:38+0000

Had a great experience with Valdis. The hike was really interesting with lots of points of interest including an... abandoned bob sleigh track. A great guide, fantastic day out.10 out of 10 I would definitely recommend to anybodyread more

Elisa Bozzotto

2020-10-31T21:30:28+0000

I love the atmosphere in the group and the offered trails. They show a part of the countryside that is still not yet... well know but definitely worth seeing. With woods that look like the one from a fairy story book and really good company it's definitely a suggested tou experience for the lovers of outdoors activities..The guide is super available and offer explanations and curiosity. Particularly useful is the description of how to reach the starting point with public transport (even with the specific schedule time). So I definitely recommend it 😉read more

Lina Kulikauskaite

2020-10-31T18:04:12+0000

Nicely chosen trail 🍂🌲very friendly and supportive guide. Had a lot of fun! Looking forward for next trip 👣📸

Kristīna Kļimoviča

2020-10-05T05:49:53+0000

I am very grateful to Valdis for leading our hike through the Gauja National Park near Sigulda. It was the perfect... combination of the city sightseeing and enjoying nature. Valdis made stops at the most remarkable objects both in the city and in nature and told the most important things, which were neither too much nor too little. He really took good care of the group. Thank you for this day! Highly recommended!read more

Victor Papin

2020-10-04T15:43:17+0000

Great welcoming & service, great hike.

Oskars Ikstens

2018-04-27T12:18:35+0000

Zane Kurševa

2018-04-22T14:12:43+0000

Armīns Maslovskis

2018-04-22T13:39:50+0000

Liene Lote Čemme

2018-03-01T14:27:46+0000

Next Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

Zijian Hua

2022-11-02

Valdis is an experienced guide, a local from Riga. He has a wealth of knowledge and is always able to tell you interesting history along the way. The route plan of the hiking is also reasonable. In autumn, the fallen leaves near Sigulda are also very beautiful. If you are planning to do an outdoor hike in Latvia too, then don't hesitate to join a walking group organized by Valdis.

bllhmn

2022-10-31

I took the tour in Lilaste. The train ride was very relaxing. The lakes and coast were amazing. It is great exercise and a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

John B

2022-10-30

Great hike at Lilaste. Friendly tour guide. Definitely looking forward to the next hike. Highly recommended for those who want a short break from the daily routine.

Rachel Pamplin

2022-10-18

I enjoyed I enjoyed my tour of Cesis: Medieval Heritage and Natural Treasures! I loved being able to do a little of many things. Exploring the old city, touring a medieval castle, and a walk through a national park. The scenery was amazing and my guide was knowledgeable and helpful! As a single female, I felt safe the entire time and and would recommend to others!

Colleen Bramanis

2022-10-11

We have enjoyed 2 days with Valdis who has shown us around Riga Old Town and a tour out to Sigulda. A very friendly tour guide who tailored the days to our needs with no fuss. Valdis is easy to get along , has a good sense of humour and is extremely knowledgeable. Fortunately for us Valdis is also very fluent in English. I can highly recommend him as a tour guide.

Barry Toward

2022-09-18

We have just spent 9 days travelling through the Baltic countries with Valdis as our guide. Although the itinerary and accommodation had been pre-arranged Valdis supported our trip brilliantly, bringing to life the individual countries with city walking tours, nature trails and visits to other sites. He is great fun, extremely knowledgable and became an integral part of our small group. His contribution to our holiday played a key part in making it a great and enjoyable experience (and he recommends good places to eat!)

Sam Paliwal

2022-09-02

If you are looking to go to the Baltic's on an active vacation, make sure to check out Baltic Nature Travel as your travel advisor. We recently finished a 10-day self-driving tour of the Baltic's and wanted to have an active trip whilst not missing out on all the cultural highlights of the region. Valdis, the owner of Baltic Nature Travel was very responsive and organized a trip that included kayaking, long distance bicycle riding, hiking in different forests, cooking activities, cultural highlights, hot-air balloon riding, etc-- all in a matter of 10 days and customized the trip to our liking. We were very satisfied with his responsiveness to our needs and his ability to stay ahead and plan various activities appropriately. Just to give you one example of Valdis's ability to think ahead: in one of the hotels, they have very limited parking. On his own initiative, Valdis made a to call to the hotel and reserved a parking spot for us for the one night that we were going to stay at that hotel. It helped out a lot, as we had to leave very early in the morning. There are other numerous examples where he was available to answer questions and help us as necessary, both before and during the trip. He is an excellent guide, calm and collected and his team of guides around the region were quite knowledgeable and fluent. The accommodation for the trip were quite good and and they can be easily adjusted based on your budget. I highly recommend his touring company for your Baltic travel experience and would like to add that as a person he's very likable and easy-going.

Lajos Nagy

2022-07-23

A perfect series of daily hiking tours and town walkarounds. I especially was amused by the jungle-like forests and friendly conversations along the way. Everything was perfectly planned and organized, I definitely recommend, worth thousand-times more than simply visiting cities in a rush.