Cycle the Baltics

Begin your adventure in the medieval city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. If you have time after your arrival, we recommend strolling through the streets of the Old Town to Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square), which is surrounded by elaborate merchant houses and is the perfect setting to enjoy a coffee. Around 6pm, say tere (hello) to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big Estonian welcome by arranging a group dinner together. Want to explore Tallinn further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

This morning there is free time to further explore the Estonian capital (timings will be confirmed by the guide in the welcome briefing). In the afternoon, we drive out of the city (approximately one hour) to Lahemaa National Park for our first ride. The park, one of the last unspoilt regions on the Baltic Coast, covers more than 270sqmi (700sqkm). Here you will cycle through thick woods, and past marshes and lakes. Also keep your eyes peeled for moose and wild boar, although they’re difficult to spot, and more than 220 bird species.

Today we have a full day to explore the largest national park in Estonia and one of the biggest in Europe. We will take a bus to Vihula manor, then we cycle through the 400-year-old fisherman’s village of Altja, the popular seaside resort of Vosu and Kasmu village which is home to a fisherman’s museum before we reach Sagadi. From there we take a bus back to our hotel.

We start the day with a bus transfer to the shore of Peipsi Lake (approximately 90 minutes), then start cycling from the 17th-century fisherman’s village of Mustvee. From here, we pass through ancient towns and churches. Following an old Russian tradition, villages in Peipsi only have one street. Because of this, the shore of Peipsi Lake is one long street with lots of small settlements dotted along it. We continue cycling into Varnja and then transfer to Tartu (approximately 30 minutes).

After breakfast, we have a 25mi (40km) transfer to Otepaa. This area is known as the Estonian Switzerland because of its stunning scenery and pine forests. As you might expect, there are a few hills on today’s ride, though nothing too challenging with the gradient not passing seven percent. Once over the hills, we cycle through beautiful forest and meadows and past Lake Puhajarve on our way to Sangaste town. We then continue cycling to Valga city, and from here we transfer by bus to Riga (approximately 2hr 30min), our base for the next two nights.

Our journey today will start in bustling Riga, the capital of Latvia. The city has a Medieval old town with wooden buildings and art nouveau architecture. We then follow cycle paths to the beautiful town of Jurmala, which has more incredible wooden buildings and 19th-century Russian villas. Jurmala is also one of the largest seaside resorts in Latvia – it has a 21mi (33km) stretch of white sandy beach for us to explore on our bikes. There will be plenty of time to swim in the sea before we transfer back to Riga for the night.

After breakfast, we leave Latvia and transfer directly to Lithuania (approximately four hours). We begin our ride in Sventoji on a beautiful cycle route to Klaipeda, which lies along the Baltic Coast. On the way, we pass Palanga, a traditional bucket and spade seaside town with a long sandy stretch. It's a fun place for a wander and sea dip, and one of the most favoured seaside towns among Lithuanians. There are numerous cafes where we can lunch and enjoy the atmosphere before we set off for our final destination of Klaipeda, our base for two nights.