Posted on February 20th, 2013.
“Baltic States are Beautiful and Quirky”
Writes Rob Crossan and he is right. He continues by suggesting road trip, the distance from Vilnius in south to Tallinn further north is only 600 km ( appx. 400 miles ) so you can make the trip in a day, unless you want to explore for example as the two-lane ribbon of tar in Estonia cuts through verdant pine forests and tiny villages. Riga has appx. ¾ million inhabitants and in size is the only so called city with its boulevards and Renaissance wedding cake buildings give the scale of a Paris or a Vienna. Onwards to Vilnius which is a treasure trove of Baroque architecture and atmospheric alleyways.
Stay in a boutique hotel,
Which there are now plenty of. In Tallinn Hotel Von Stackelberg (doubles from £ 32) is one of the most characterful ones, originally the family seat of a baron, the “hotel is now a demure warren of exposed brick walls and cosy suites. In Riga, nestled in the centre of the Old Town lies Hotel Justus (doubles from £ 55), another new boutique opening in an 18-century building that formerly housed a pharmaceutical lab. The 45 rooms contain grand old iron frame bedsteads, red colour schemes and drawings by local artists. In quirky Vilnius, the hip new place to stay in the Florens Apartments (doubles from £ 28). The ten rooms all have whirlpool baths and an air of almost Nordic simplicity. There are plenty of lovely hotels in all 3 cities, just give us a call.
Get outside
Away from the capitals, the Baltics are overwhelmingly rural and, if you fancy a detour one of the most compelling is the opportunity to go canoeing in the Soomaa National Park, in the west of Estonia. Along with the chance to spot bears, elk and lynx in the riverine forest you can also paddle a traditional canoe made from the trunk of a tree. Locals call it a haabja.
There are also some scenic, albeit rather short, ski slopes in the Baltics and the snow is not guaranteed. The Gauja Valley in the east of Latvia has en Olympic standard bobsleigh run in the popular Sigulda park.â€
The above article was written by Rob Crossan and appeared in the published version of the Metro on Sept 28th 2012
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 at 10:42 am; on the subject of Baltic Region, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.