9 days · 4 countries
Highlights of Helsinki & the Baltics
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Ask about new datesHelsinki and all three Baltic capitals, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, across the Baltics and Northern Europe in nine days.
- Duration
- 9 Days / 8 Nights
- Route
- Helsinki → Vilnius
- 4 countries on this tour
- Finland
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Activity level
- Moderate (3 of 5)
- A multi-country coach tour alternating travel days with free days, plus a walking tour of up to three hours in each city
- Accommodation
- 3- and 4-star hotels throughout, for 8 nights
- Meals
- 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners
- Group
- Small group, up to 14
- Guide
- English-speaking tour leader throughout, plus local guides in each city
- Transport
- Air-conditioned coach
- Best time to go
- Runs in October: cool autumn days across the Baltics, with crisp air and cold evenings
Tour overview
This nine-day Highlights of Helsinki and the Baltics tour has a guided tour in each of Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Along the way you stop at Pärnu and Saulkrasti, two seaside towns, and visit Trakai Island Castle, with history and charming cities throughout.
Highlights
- Helsinki, Finland’s capital, on a walk with a local guide
- The ferry crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn
- Lunch in one of Tallinn’s medieval restaurants
- Tallinn with a local guide
- Sightseeing in Pärnu, a resort city in Estonia
- Saulkrasti, a Latvian seaside town
- The Latvian War Cemetery and its history
- Riga, Latvia’s capital
Show all 11 highlightsShow fewer highlights
- Lithuania’s Hill of Crosses
- Trakai Island Castle
- Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania
Route and hotels
Where the tour goes and where you sleep, night by night.
Helsinki
2 nights · Days 1–2
Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel
Tallinn
2 nights · Days 3–4
Metropol Hotel
Pärnu
Day 5 · on the way
Latvian Military Cemetery
Day 5 · on the way
Riga
2 nights · Days 5–6
Hestia Hotel Jugend
Hill of Crosses
Day 7 · on the way
Trakai
Day 7 · on the way
Vilnius
2 nights · Days 7–8
Art City Inn Hotel
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
Start of tour in Helsinki
Dinner included
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is where you arrive and meet your tour leader and the rest of the group at the hotel, before a locally-guided tour takes in top sights, among them Senate Square, the Uspenski Cathedral, the Havis Amanda and the Kauppatori Market. A welcome dinner awaits this evening at a local restaurant.
Included
- Guided walking tour of Helsinki: Havis Amanda, Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral
- Dinner with the group
- Overnight
- Helsinki
- Hotel
- Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel
Day 2
Helsinki: Free Day
Breakfast includedHelsinki offers a free day to discover a city consistently ranked among the world’s happiest and most liveable. The optional Helsinki+ excursion includes a guided tour of Suomenlinna Fortress, out on the island for a picnic lunch, and some local delights at a well-known café. Or you can spend the time exploring by yourself, however you wish.
Included
- Free time in Helsinki
Optional extras
- Helsinki+ · AED 340 per person
- Overnight
- Helsinki
- Hotel
- Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel
Day 3
Helsinki – Tallinn
Breakfast and lunch included
The Baltic adventure begins today, with a ferry crossing over the Gulf of Finland towards Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. In the afternoon, lunch is at a historic restaurant in the Old Town. A locally-guided tour then takes in Tallinn’s cobblestone streets and medieval architecture, with more of the city’s history along the way.
Included
- Lunch at a medieval restaurant in Tallinn’s Old Town Square
- Guided walking tour of Tallinn, including St Olav’s Church and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Travel
- Helsinki → Tallinn by ferry across the Gulf of Finland
- Overnight
- Tallinn
- Hotel
- Metropol Hotel
Day 4
Tallinn: Free Day
Breakfast includedHaving had an introduction to Tallinn’s top attractions yesterday, today is a chance to discover this city in more depth. Its small size makes it simple to get around and explore on foot. You can visit the 12th-century St Olaf’s Church, or join the optional Essence of Estonia excursion, offering a look into the country’s rural past.
Included
- Free time in Tallinn
Optional extras
- The Essence of Estonia · AED 320 per person
- Overnight
- Tallinn
- Hotel
- Metropol Hotel
Day 5
Tallinn – Pärnu – Latvian Military Cemetery – Riga
Breakfast and dinner included
Pärnu comes first, before the border crossing into Latvia. Known as a popular summer spot among Estonians, this seaside resort town welcomes a stop. Saulkrasti follows, a picturesque Latvian coastal town. Later, in Riga, the group pays respects at the Brothers’ Cemetery, before checking into the hotel. An orientation tour then covers Riga’s Old Town and its Art Nouveau architecture.
Included
- Orientation stop in Pärnu
- Stop in the seaside town of Saulkrasti
- Visit to the Latvian Military Cemetery
- Orientation tour of Riga’s Old Town
- Travel
- Tallinn → Pärnu → Riga by coach, via the Latvian Military Cemetery
- Overnight
- Riga
- Hotel
- Hestia Hotel Jugend
Day 6
Riga: Free Day
Breakfast included
Riga is yours for a full free day. With more than 800 years of history, the city has plenty to offer in architectural wonders and green spaces. The House of the Black Heads stands among its sights, with local cuisine to try at the Central Market and Soviet history to uncover on the optional Riga+ excursion.
Included
- Free time in Riga
Optional extras
- Riga+ · AED 300 per person
- Overnight
- Riga
- Hotel
- Hestia Hotel Jugend
Day 7
Riga – Hill of Crosses – Trakai – Vilnius
Breakfast and dinner included
The border crossing from Latvia into Lithuania brings the first stop of the day, the Hill of Crosses, a site of real religious importance. Trakai is next, a quaint town where the fairytale Trakai Island Castle stands. Later, the tour reaches Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, where an orientation tour takes in the Vilnius Cathedral, the Church of St Anne and Gediminas Tower. Local cuisine is served at dinner this evening.
Included
- Visit to the Hill of Crosses
- Visit to Trakai Island Castle
- Orientation tour of Vilnius’s Old Town
- Dinner with the group
- Travel
- Riga → Hill of Crosses → Trakai → Vilnius by coach
- Overnight
- Vilnius
- Hotel
- Art City Inn Hotel
Day 8
Vilnius: Free Day
Breakfast included
Vilnius wakes to a morning of its own. Lithuania’s turbulent past shows through striking street art and museums around the capital. Yet there is plenty of life in Vilnius too, and locals take every opportunity to celebrate the city’s freedom. You can head up to Gediminas Tower or the Hill of Three Crosses for views across the city, or simply walk the cobbled lanes through what is one of Europe’s biggest old towns.
Included
- Free time in Vilnius
- Overnight
- Vilnius
- Hotel
- Art City Inn Hotel
Day 9
End of tour in Vilnius
Breakfast includedAfter 9 days of top attractions in Helsinki and many Baltic highlights, this trip from Helsinki to Vilnius draws to a close this morning, with one final breakfast together. It is worth swapping contact details with the travel friends you have made, before everyone goes their separate ways.
Dates & prices
New dates coming
The operator has not released the next dates for this tour yet. Leave your details and we will tell you when they are out, or suggest a tour on a similar route.
Ask about the next datesWhat’s included
Included
- 8 nights in mostly 3-star and 4-star hotels, in twin rooms with a private bathroom
- A room to yourself for a single supplement, subject to availability
- 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners
- A modern coach with air conditioning, reclining seats and a toilet
- Public transport the tour uses, except on free days
- Guided from start to finish
Not included
- Flights to the start of the tour and home from the end: we can book them from Dubai
- Travel insurance: take out a policy that suits your trip
Optional extras
Excursions and upgrades you can add to the tour. Prices are per person.
Helsinki+
Day 2AED 340per personA visit to Suomenlinna island begins with a guided tour, continues with a picnic lunch, and finishes with coffee and a Finnish pastry at a well-known café. €80, booked with your tour leader on the day.
See day 2 in the itineraryThe Essence of Estonia
Day 4AED 320per personA guided walk through the Estonian Open Air Museum’s historic farmsteads and windmills, with a lunch of two courses, served at a traditional tavern on site. €75, booked with your tour leader on the day.
See day 4 in the itineraryRiga+
Day 6AED 300per personA tour of the House of the Black Heads, time at the Riga Central Market, and a visit to what was once the KGB’s headquarters, now known as the Corner House Museum. €70, booked with your tour leader on the day.
See day 6 in the itinerary
To add an extra, mention it in your booking notes, and we confirm it with your seats before you pay. Some are booked with your tour leader on the day instead: their description says so.
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Good to know
Practical details to read before you travel.
Passport & visas
Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all in the Schengen area, so one Schengen visa covers the whole tour.
UAE passport holders don’t need a visa for stays of up to 90 days, but will need the EU’s new ETIAS travel authorisation once it starts: we can tell you where it stands when you book. Most other nationalities living in the UAE need a Schengen visa. You can apply up to six months before you travel, and appointments in Dubai fill up quickly before the summer, so start early.
Your passport must be valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area and have been issued within the last ten years, with two blank pages. Your UAE residence visa should be valid for at least three months after you return. Our visa team handles Schengen applications: ask us when you book.
Flights and timings
Flights to Helsinki and home from Vilnius aren’t included.
Day 1 starts at the Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel in Helsinki, where you check in from 11:15 am and meet your tour leader. The tour ends in Vilnius on day 9, after breakfast.
Our team can book your flights from Dubai to match.
Meals and dietary needs
Breakfast is included every day, plus a lunch in Tallinn and three dinners along the way.
Tell us about any dietary needs, halal included, when you book, and we pass them on before the tour.
Money
Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all use the euro, so you won’t need to change currency during this tour. Cards are widely accepted, but it is worth carrying some cash for markets and small cafés.
Optional extras booked on tour are paid to your tour leader in cash or by card, in the currency shown.
Weather and packing
Pack layers for cool autumn days and cold evenings, a rain jacket and comfortable shoes for the included walking tours in each city.
Visiting the Hill of Crosses
The Hill of Crosses is an active pilgrimage site with more than 200,000 crosses, carvings and shrines left by visitors over centuries. Dress modestly and keep noise down out of respect for those visiting to pray.
Plan your trip
Our Dubai team arranges what goes around the tour, so it is booked in one place.
Visas
One Schengen visa covers the Schengen countries on this route. Our visa team in Dubai applies for UAE residents once the tour is booked.
Flights
Flights are not included. We can book them with the tour: Dubai to Helsinki, and home from Vilnius.
Pay in instalments
Split the cost with Tabby or Tamara, or over 3 to 12 months on a UAE bank credit card for bookings from AED 1,000.
Ask about the next dates
There are no dates on sale right now. Leave your details and we will tell you when the next ones are out.
Questions about this tour
What will my days look like?
Days are full. Most start with breakfast, then the main sights with a local guide or your tour leader. Afternoons often leave free time to wander, stop for a coffee or join an optional extra. Expect a fair amount of walking: some days mean two or three hours on your feet, so bring comfortable shoes.
Who will I be travelling with?
Travellers from all over the world, of different ages and backgrounds, who share a wish to see more. This tour runs as a small group of up to 14, and most people know each other’s names within a few days.
What are the hotels like?
Mostly 3 and 4 star, all clean, comfortable and well located, with private en-suite bathrooms. They are chosen so you sleep well and are ready for the next day. The destinations come first, but the hotels are never an afterthought.
How active is this tour?
You carry your own luggage, sometimes up hotel stairs. Some walking tours run for up to three hours, and a few sites have plenty of steps. The itinerary and the activity level at the top of this page show whether the pace suits you.
How do optional extras work?
Optional extras run in the tour’s free time, and your tour leader tells you what is on offer as the tour goes. The ones on this tour are booked with your tour leader on the day, and the Optional extras section shows each one with its price.
Will I have time to explore on my own?
Yes. The itinerary builds in free time to wander at your own pace, and your tour leader can point you to the places that suit you, so you are never left to work it all out alone.
What support do I have while I’m on tour?
Your tour leader travels with you from start to finish. They know the places most visitors miss, can suggest a restaurant before you ask, and deal with whatever crops up on the way. Transport and hotels are all arranged for you.
There is also an emergency number staffed 24 hours a day, and our team in Dubai is there to help.
How do I book Highlights of Helsinki & the Baltics?
Press Book now, choose a date, your travellers and rooms, and give your name, email and mobile. We hold your seats and email your booking reference straight away; you then add each traveller as their passport shows on your booking page. Our Dubai team confirms the seats with the tour operator, then emails you a secure payment link. Nothing is charged when you book.
When do I pay?
Once the tour operator confirms your seats. We email you a secure payment link for the total in AED, and your booking is complete when it is paid. To pay in instalments, say so in your booking notes.
Is the price per person?
Yes. Prices are per person sharing a double or twin room. Travelling alone? A single room costs the supplement shown next to each date.
Are flights included?
Only when the tour lists them under what is included. We can book flights from the UAE to the start city and home from the end city with your tour.
Do I need a visa?
That depends on your passport and the countries on the route. Our visa team arranges Schengen and other visas for UAE residents, and can apply for yours once the tour is booked.
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