17 Days Baltic and Russia Tour

About the destination: One of Europe’s most charming cities, Tallinn is a perfect mixture of medieval and modern, with its narrow cobbled lanes filled with baroque architecture, and its wild nightlife. Estonia's capital city has been dubbed the ‘New Prague’ but this city stands out on its own. The World Heritage-listed Old Town has plenty of distractions for even the most exigent traveler. Best explored on foot, Tallinn’s evocative Old Town is replete with castles, Russian Orthodox churches and Dominican monasteries. These historic gems share the streets with old merchant houses and medieval meeting halls where visitors can witness locals displaying centuries-old artisan traditions of glassblowing, weaving and pottery, and, why not, take a peculiar souvenir back home. At night the Old Town transforms. Inside its ancient walls travelers will be able to party in steamy nightclubs, slinky lounges, expat bars and colourful gay clubs until the early hours of the morning. Outside the medieval quarters, there's lots to see. On the fringes of the old borough a new district is emerging, with gleaming new hotels, offices and plenty of restaurants, cafés, boutiques and nightclubs. Anyone arriving in Tallinn with the idea of an old Soviet Bloc grey city will be as surprised by this new skyline as they will be by the charming old core. Tallinn is proud of its old soul but it is also fashion forward, vibrant, colorful, cultural and wild.

About the destination: Riga is the crown jewel of the Baltic States and it’s the region’s cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial epicenter. Charmingly divided by Daugava River, it presents itself as a city of colours, church spikes and beautiful nights of yellow lights. Even though the city is rapidly overflowing with a collage of glass and steel skyscrapers, it is still defined by its stunning chocolate box old town that Disney executives can only dream of. Art-Nouveau is also a big thing in Riga. The city’s notable art nouveau district was declared World Heritage Site and it is commonly regarded as the finest and best-preserved collection of art nouveau architecture in Europe. Aside from its toy town cuteness, this city is funky and vibrant with a big city soul. The Latvian capital is the perfect fusion of old and new; visitors will find the trendiest club inside a spectacular art-nouveau building. The city has been dubbed “The Second City that Never Sleeps” and rightly so; in Riga one can go out every night of the week until the early hours of the morning and there are even 24h restaurants to satisfy anyone’s appetite at any time. With its timeless elegance and its cosmopolitan ambitions, Riga has been declared European Capital of Culture for 2014. The city is now chic, lively and green, parks cover a fifth of the capital, and has left its grey past behind and has no intention of looking back.

About the destination: This Baltic capital is bizarre, decadent, eccentric and bewitchingly beautiful. Located at the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers, Vilnus preserves its medieval soul. Its astonishing Old Town, one of the largest in Europe, was declared World’s Heritage Site. Church spires dominate the city as there are 65 churches in Vilnus. The sight from the city’s castle is dazzling and is the best place from which to appreciate a magnificent panorama of this green metropolis. Vilnus has big plans for its future and is becoming a cosmopolitan city. Quirky bars are found inside the dark medieval courtyards. Užupis, declared the bohemian sector of the city, is booming with art galleries and workshops. In its main square there is a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet that represents artistic creativity and freedom of expression. On the north bank of the Neris, a new Vilnius is taking shape, a 21st-century skyscraper skyline is being developed to accommodate the emerging business community, a symbol that the city and Lithuania are moving forward and ditching its Soviet past. The Lithuanian capital will seduce visitors with its exciting, spirited and charming personality.

About the destination: Kaliningrad, also known by its original German name, Königsberg, is the capital city of Kaliningrad Oblast. The Kaliningrad Region is the most western part of Russia, one of the most beautiful and unusual regions of the country. Nowadays the Kaliningrad Region is known for its well developed cultural, health and ecological tourism. The largest tourist centers of the region are the city of Kaliningrad and the Curonian Spit. Nature has endowed this land with picturesque landscapes and unique sources of health tourism.

About the destination: Moscow, the political, historical and economic capital of Russia, displays the country's most extreme contrasts. The old and the modern come together perfectly in this city of 10 million people. The Russian capital is today a dazzling metropolis whose sheer grandeur never fails to amaze. Take the metro from one of the ornate stations to get close to the city’s main attractions that are a symbol of the great and terrible past of the city. The remains of the Soviet state are scattered all around the city. Monuments remember fallen heroes and victorious battles, while museums attempt to analyse and synthesise the past. See Lenin and Stalin – off their pedestals – at the whimsical Art Muzeon. Step into the Socialist Realist fantasy at VDNKh. Descend into the depths of the Soviet system at Bunker-42 Cold War Museum. And remember the millions who suffered at the Gulag History Museum. Nowadays, many fun or clever retro clubs and cafes give their guests a taste of the Soviet experience. The very founding site of the city (and arguably, the country), the Kremlin and Red Square are still at the heart of Moscow – historically, geographically and spiritually. Among the city’s most recognisable sights are the almost cartoon-like onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral that tower above Red Square, UNESCO gems that were built between the 14th and 17th centuries. Modern-day Moscow defies its grey Soviet past and has developed a hedonistic atmosphere and the sense that great things are once again happening here. Shopping for designer labels at frighteningly expensive boutiques has become a national sport, but Moscow is regarded as one of the world’s most culturally sophisticated capitals, with world-class institutions like the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. The city is also proud of its great writers, playwrights, composers, choreographers, and film-makers. Glitzy, historical and screaming hedonism, Moscow is truly beguiling.

About the destination: Inextricably linked to the major events of Soviet Union, St. Petersburg cannot escape its imperial past. Physically, at least, St. Petersburg has been the city of the tsars since Peter the Great founded the city in a swamp and moved the capital here from Moscow in 1712 to provide greater contact with the West. Many of the major baroque and neoclassical buildings and well-designed streets and landscaped parks are the work of imperial French and Italian architects. St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, is often called Russia’s Western Gate, and the City of White Nights. For a splendid overview of the city, climb the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral on Isaakievskaya square, a massive example of 19th century civic-religious architecture; its dome is covered in pure gold. Nearby, on Senate Square overlooking the Neva, is Falconet’s Monument to Peter the Great. Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter the Great and was erected in just one year between 1703 and 1704 during the Great Northern War against Sweden. The fortress was never used to defend the city but it was used as a political prison under the Tsar. Inside the fortress is the main attraction for visitors: the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul containing the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas II and other tsars. Nevsky Prospect is St. Petersburg’s main avenue and one of the best-known streets in Russia. The buildings along Nevsky Prospekt are a treasure house for art-nouveau-fans. Nevsky Prospect is also the city’s central shopping street and the hub of the city’s entertainment and nightlife. Even if the rest of the city were non-existent, the Hermitage alone would merit a week-long visit to St. Petersburg. Located in the magnificent, luxurious Winter Place, former residence of the tsars, this collection of art unquestionably ranks among the world’s finest. But before you immerse yourself in the art, take in the main halls where the tsar reigned and entertained, especially the awesome Malachite Hall, where the provisional Government held its last meeting before the revolution exploded around it. Cool and aristocratic St. Petersburg is a magnificent city with beautiful architecture everywhere. Often described as the Venice of the North, St Petersburg is a city defined by water. Whether you’re cruising the elegant canals, crossing one of the 342 bridges in the city, or just watching them being raised over the mighty Neva River at night to allow ships to pass through, you’re never far from water in St Petersburg.