Explore our Baltic destinations. 

At each destination, we've chosen a hotel or guesthouse that reflects its history and personality - a stylish boutique hotel in Helsinki, a fully restored Art Nouveau gem in the center of Riga's Old City, a contemporary hotel hidden behind a fin-de-siècle façade in Kuldīga, Latvia; and reimagined country manor houses dating from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries in Raseborg, Finland; and Cēsis and Rundāle, Latvia. Each carries a 4- to 5-star rating;  each provides a hearty Baltic breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Each offers a unique travel experience.

DAYS 1-8 LATVIA

Latvia's bread culture, like that of its Baltic neighbors, Lithuania and Estonia, is built on rye. As Vija Kuldiņa, founder of Aglona's Bread Museum explains, "We believe that bread is not just food, but a gift from God, a holy thing. If it falls on the floor, we must pick it up and kiss it; if one turns a loaf upside down, bad luck will surely follow."

In Latvia, we'll explore that culture, from the massive food halls of Riga's Central Market and the cobbled streets of the Old City to the medieval village of Cēsis and the verdant countryside and Baltic beaches of Kurzeme, the westernmost of Latvia's four provinces. We'll visit farms, bakeries, cellar nightclubs, breweries, a baroque palace and the skeletons of ancient fortresses, And we'll eat the best that Latvia has to offer. 

Our guide/interpreter will be Eva Koljera, a knowledgeable and experienced tourism professional who has worked with us since our first tour in 2018.

DAY 1 - RIGA

  • Our group will assemble in Riga at Neiburgs Hotel, in the heart of Riga's Old City.
  • Welcome dinner featuring the best of Latvian fusion cuisine at 3 Pavaru Restorans, one of Riga's finest restaurants. 

DAY 2 - RIGA

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Walking tour of the Old City, including visits to Dome Square, the House of Blackheads, the Three Brothers and city views from the spire of St. John's Cathedral. Stop for coffee and pastries at Rigensis, one of Riga's finest patisseries
  • World famous Riga Central Market – a vast food hub spread among four former dirigible hangars, with hundreds more outdoor vendors selling everything from mittens and Russian toothpaste to Uzbek flatbreads. 
  • Lunch break at Central Market
  • Walking tour of Riga's UNESCO World Heritage Jugenstil (Art Nouveau) district, which boasts the world's largest concentration and finest examples of fin-de-siècle architecture 
  • Dinner reservations at Ala Folkklubs, a lively cellar music club where you can rub shoulders with locals, enjoy Latvian beers and spirits, as well as traditional specialties like garlic-rye beer snacks (grauzdiņu), Latvian meatballs (kotletes), grey peas with bacon, beer fritters with honey and rye bread pudding.
  • Overnight at Neiburgs Hotel.

DAY 3 - RIGA-SIGULDA-TURAIDA-CĒSIS

  • Breakfast at Neiburgs Hotel and checkout
  • Presentation and coffee at the Latvian Bakers Association (Latvijas Maiznieku Biedriba). 
  • Travel by coach to Sigulda to wander the red brick ruins of 13th century Turaida Castle, and revel in the autumn splendor of Gauja National Park.
  • Walking tour of Cēsis Old Town, former seat of the Masters of the Livonian Order, whose 13th century castle dominates the town.
  • Visit and tasting at Cēsu Maize bakery, whose owner, Agnis Elperis, is blazing new trails in Latvian bread baking.
  • Check in to Villa Santa and dinner.

DAY 4: CĒSIS-RANKA-LIKTEŅDĀRZS-MAZMEŽOTNE

  • Breakfast at Villa Santa and checkout
  • Coach to Ranka. Tour and tasting at Ķelmēni Bakery, whose rye breads are widely considered the best in Latvia
  • Tour of Ranka Manor, a well-preserved Latvian late 18th- early 19th century country estate
  • Cruise on the Daugava River that will take us past important cultural and historic sites
  • Coach to Mazmežotne . Check-in and dinner at Mazmežotnes Manor. 

DAY 5: MAZMEŽOTNE-RUNDĀLE–TĒRVETE-KULDIGA

  • Breakfast at hotel and checkout
  • Visit to Rundāle Palace, a spectacular exemplar of 18th century baroque architecture that's often described as "Versailles of the Baltics." . 
  • At Tērvete Maiznica, baker Jānis Kurpnieks has synthesized traditional and contemporary flavors and techniques, producing  classic 8-9 kg Latvian rye loaves, as well as berry and fruit rye breads.
  • Brewery tour and tasting of some of Latvia's finest beers and kvass -- a popular fermented beverage made from old rye bread -- at TērvetesAL . 
  • Drive to Kuldiga for check-in and dinner at Metropole Hotel.
DAY 6: COASTAL KURZEME
  • Breakfast at Virkas Manor.
  • Organic farm tour and fread baking at Ievlejas in a wood-fired oven using a traditional blend of rye and barley flours.
  • Stand atop the 70-foot high Jūrkalne bluffs and look out over the dark water and waves of the Baltic Sea. . 
  • Lunch at Pilsberģu Krogs, a hotel-restaurant built in a converted manor house just steps from the Jūrkalne bluffs. 
  • Tour and beer tasting at Užavas Alus Brewery.
  • Visit Spēlmaņu Krogs for a demonstration/tasting of sklandrausi -- traditional carrot-potato tarts -- and the rye breads of the Suiti, an ethnographic and culturally distinct national minority, followed by dinner.
  • Overnight at Virkas Manor.

DAY 7: KULDĪGA–SABILE-RIGA

  • Breakfast at hotel and checkout
  • Walking tour of Kuldīga, a well-preserved 13th century town overlooking the Venta falls, the widest in Europe. 
  • Walking tour of the Abava River valley town of Sabile and tasting at Sabilessidrs, a local cider brewery.
  • Lāči Bakery, where founder-owner Normunds Skauģis will give us a tour of the bakery and show us how to shape our own loaves of Lāči's world-famous sweet-sour rye bread (saldskāba maize).
  • Coffee break at the Lāči  Cafe while our loaves bake.
  • Return to Riga, check-in Neiburgs Hotel. Free.evening.
DAY 8: RIGA-HELSINKI
  • Breakfast at Neiburgs Hotel and checkout
  • Free morning in Riga for shopping, sightseeing or just sleeping late
  • Our coach will take us to Riga International Airport for our airBaltic flight to Helsinki

NEIBURGS HOTEL (RIGA)

Located in the heart of Riga's Old City, the Neiburgs Hotel was built around the turn of the 20th century as a rental apartment building.  It was nationalized after World War Two, when Latvia fell under Soviet rule and used as a "business hotel" for ranking Party officials, with collective flats on the lower floors. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the building was returned to the Neiburgs family, who restored it back to its Art Nouveau glory and is considered one of Riga's finest hotels.
Luxury boutique hotel, 4.5 stars
VILLA SANTA (CĒSIS)
Nestled in the woods alongside the Gauja River, Villa Santa consists of three former dachas built by Russian nobility around the turn of the 20th century. Following the fall of the Russian empire in 1918, Latvia nationalized the dachas and used them first as a military field hospital and later as a tuberculosis sanatorium. In 2014, Latvia's largest magazine publishing company bought the dachas from the municipality and completely renovated them into a luxury boutique guesthouse. Today, Villa Santa offers deluxe accommodations and an acclaimed restaurant featuring a Mediterranean-Latvian fusion menu designed by Executive Chef Juris Pētersons.
Historic guesthouse, 4.5 stars
MAZMEŽOTNES MANOR (MAZMEŽOTNE)
Located on the right bank of the Lielupe River, Mežotne Manor is considered one of Latvia's finest examples of architectural classicism. The main house was designed by the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi and built in 1802 for Princess Charlotte von Lieven, a mistress of Catherine the Great. Today, the main house and outbuildings have been converted to a 4-star hotel and restaurant offering the best of Latvian hospitality.
Historic guesthouse, 4 stars
VIRKAS MANOR (KULDĪGA)
Virkas Manor dates back to 1494, when the Livonian Knights granted the property to Jürgen von Firks, commander of the Kuldiga garrison. The main house was built in the 16th century and is regarded as an important historical landmark. Kuldiga's attractions are only a few steps away from the hotel. These include Ventas Rumba, the widest waterfall in Europe, the longest brick bridge in Europe, the narrow streets of Kuldiga's Old Town, and picturesque historic houses with red-tile roofs.
Historic guesthouse, 4 stars

SCENES FROM LATVIA

DAYS 8-14/FINLAND
It is said that Finland is the country where Eastern and Western rye breads meet, and indeed, that is true. In Helsinki and Espoo, we'll taste the dark, sour breads of eastern and central Finland. In Raseborg, where two-thirds of the population are Swedish-speakers, we'll enjoy the sweet, Swedish-style mixed-grain breads, like the Archipelago bread (skårsgårdlimpa) and malt bread (mallas limppu),  characteristic of the region.
 
Our translator/guide will be Eliisa Kuusela, one of Finland's best-known sourdough bakers, bread blogger (http://www.leipäpaja.com) and author of Leipävallankumous (Bread Revolution).

DAY 8: RIGA-HELSINKI

  • Our guide and chartered coach will meet us at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport for transfer to Hotel Fabian, where we'll check in and freshen up
  • Welcome dinner at Finnjjavel Salonki, a Michelin-starred restaurant featuring modern interpretations of traditional Finnish cuisine.

DAY 9 - HELSINKI

  • Early breakfast at hotel 
  • Visit to Leipomo Väyrynen, where owner Mika Väyrynen, will take us through his bakery during production of their highly regarded eastern-style rye breads. 
  • Finnish Bakery Federation (Suomen Leipuriliitto) for a presentation on the current state of Finland's bread baking industry and market. 
  • Guided walking tour of Helsinki's best-known sights – the Market Square, Senate Square and Esplanadi, Helsinki's Fifth Avenue. Coffee and pastries at Cafe Ekberg, Helsinki's oldest bakery-cafe. 
  • Free evening.

DAY 10 – HELSINKI/ESPOO

  • Breakfast at hotel 
  • Travel by coach to Espoo, northwest of Helsinki and visit the bakery of Emil Halme, who produces some of Finland's finest eastern-style breads.
  • Nyby Gård, an organic farm where owner Magnus Selenius collects and grows heirloom Finnish ryes, including huuhturuis ("swidden rye"), a unique variety that can only grow on fire-cleared land. 
  • Return to Helsinki for a free evening.

DAY 11 – HELSINKI-RASEBORG

  • Breakfast at Hotel Fabian and checkout
  • 1-hour drive through the birch and pine forests (with moose crossings galore) that skirt the Finnish coast to Raseborg. 
  • Buffet lunch (not included) at Wi-Box Bakery followed by a tour of their facility. 
  • A walk through the autumn forests of 4,000-acre Västerby Outdoor Recreation Centre, where we'll enjoy coffee and Finnish cinnamon rolls (korvapuusti) around a campfire overlooking a lake. 
  • Check into Svartå Manor, sauna followed by dinner at the hotel's outstanding restaurant.

DAY 12 – RASEBORG

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Meet Anna Alm, 10th generation owner of Mörby Gård organic farm, for a tour of her fields and a briefing on her operation and the economics of farming in modern Finland. 
  • Visit Backers Bageri to help owner Olle Lindholm shape and bake his award winning hapanleipää (ring bread).. 
  • Lunch at Backers Bageri
  • Guided tour and tasting at Fiskars Brewery (extra charge).
  • Tour of 13th century Raseborg Castle
  • Enjoy dinner in Fiskars or at the hotel during this free evening.

DAY 13 - RASEBORG-FISKARS-HELSINKI

  • Breakfast at Svartå Manorand checkout
  • Fiskars Slow Food Festival, an annual gathering of farmers, fishermen, meat producers, bakers, and restaurant and café pop-ups. 
  • Return to Helsinki
  • Check into Hotel Fabian and farewell dinner at Ragu, a Michelin-starred Helsinki restaurant specializing in Finnish-Italian fusion cuisine.
Day 14 - HELSINKI 
  • Breakfast at Hotel Fabian and checkout
  • Tour concludes

HOTEL FABIAN HELSINKI

Centrally located on a quiet street in the Kasarmitori neighborhood, which boasts some of Helsinki's best restaurants. A few steps from the Market Square, Kauppatori Market Hall, the Esplanadi gardens and the Museum of Finnish Architecture. Trip Advisor ranks Hotel Fabian as one of Helsinki's top hotels and has awarded it the coveted designation of "Traveler's Choice." 
Luxury boutique hotel, 4.5 stars
SCENES FROM HELSINKI
SVARTÅ MANOR RASEBORG
Svartå Manor is a luxury guesthouse and spa set in a breathtaking wooded location on both banks of the Svartå River. It consists of five different 19th century buildings that formerly housed workers at the local ironworks. The manor house, which was built between 1783 and 1792 by Magnus Linder II, is the largest non-ecclesiastic wooden building in Finland. The manor's former coach house is now the 5-star Slottskrogen Restaurant.
Historic guesthouse and spa, 4.5 stars
SCENES FROM RASEBORG 

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