I think that 3 years of regular travel gives me the right to generalize "innermost knowledge" and write notes in the style of FAQ for those interested in this area. All information provided here is based on personal experience and communication with like-minded people. Our 3-week trip to Latvia and Lithuania (12/19/2012 - 01/10/2013) is taken as a basis.

Visa. We became the happy owners of the 2-year Latvian Schengen Peninsula! The Latvian Consulate willingly issues multiple-entry visas to those who have already visited them, and gives one-time visas to “newcomers”. Last year, we introduced an electronic questionnaire that can be filled out in Russian, but in Latin letters. The list of documents is on the official website.
The closer to the holidays, the more people who want to get a visa, so it is better to apply in advance (maximum 90 days before the trip). All the useful information in my article How to get a Schengen visa yourself

On the positive side: payment for accommodation is not required, any reservations are accepted, including those from airbnb, the main thing is that they contain the correct dates and names of all tourists, preferably on a letterhead signed and stamped (usually sent by fax or e-mail to scanned form). This time we brought 5 reservations, and to make it clearer for the visa officer, we wrote out everything step by step in the document “travel itinerary”, which is mandatory for those traveling by car.

At the moment, the Latvian visa is the most successful option. For comparison: you can make an appointment at the Estonian consulate by phone (in the high season very early), multiple-entry visas are issued "according to your mood"; the consulate of Lithuania requires confirmation of 100% payment for accommodation and issues single entry visas.

P.S. In 2015, we again applied for a Schengen visa through Latvia and received multivisa for 2 years according to the validity period of foreign passports.

Accommodation. I plan this part as soon as the dates are determined. In principle, if you have an open visa and travel in off-season or off-season, then you don't have to rush. In recent years, more and more people want to spend the New Year in the Baltics, and here the earlier they booked, the better. Hotels in Latvia are the cheapest in the European Union (meaning price per room, not quality). Read my recommendations on choosing a hotel in Riga and Vilnius, and it will be easier for you to decide on the place and prices:
Choosing a hotel in Riga
Vilnius hotels overview

Usually we go to Riga right after the New Year, having met him at home, which I advise everyone, so you will avoid overpaying for hotel, air or railway tickets, and if by car, then queues at the border. This time we caught all the holidays, including both Christmas and New Years. Finding a room for Catholic Christmas in Riga is not a problem - the excitement is created not by English, but by Russian tourists who come later, but with the New Year there is a problem - there are no places and hotels are raising prices, imposing a festive dinner.

Thanks to last year's contacts, this time I booked an apartment in Sigulda with a discount, a suite at a standard price in Kedainiai, and in Riga I was able to quickly solve the problem of changing the hotel.

The goal of our 22-day trip was to change the environment, calmly and inexpensively resting. We lived in 4 places, alternating between a hotel and an apartment, the average cost of a night for two was € 37 (breakfast was included in hotels).

While looking for accommodation, I found out and used the airbnb booking system. Unlike others, airbnb only specializes in private accommodation, and the booking process allows for preliminary communication and negotiation with the host. We liked the apartment in Vilnius very much, the initial price was € 45, we were rented out for € 35.

Road. We are traveling by car. You can drive to the Baltic States under Russian license and in winter on studded tires. Currently, the only good road to Latvia and Lithuania is along the M1 through Belarus. Previously, we stopped halfway for the night, now we get there in one day, we are resting on the other side in Daugavpils. The border crossing depends on many factors, and you never know how long it will take. On December 19, we passed the Grigorovschina-Paternieki checkpoint in 15 minutes, on January 10, Medininkai-Kamenny Log in 20 minutes. Prior to that, the border, on average, took 1-1.5 hours. More cars drive on weekends and in summer, before the holidays the situation is such that it is better not to drive (on December 30, people stand in line for 5-11 hours).

The price of a train ticket, in my opinion, is overpriced in this direction, and besides, you cannot buy them for the New Year, though now they have started to run additional trains. For the price, the plane can even be cheaper than the train, if you take it for a promotion or in advance. The bus is inexpensive but not comfortable.

The roads within the Baltic countries are different, the best and fastest in Lithuania. It is easy to navigate, there are pointers, but it is advisable to have a printed map (tourist can be used) and a navigator. It is not worth breaking the rules, especially speeding, special signs warn about cameras, but there are also "ambushes", fines are high. Once in Riga, when leaving Mezaparks, we were stopped and asked about the use of alcohol. Immediately fined for parking in the wrong place or non-payment. When booking accommodation, ask about parking, in the old town of Riga the price of parking per day is very high. If you drive somewhere for a few hours, then it makes no sense to look for free parking and then walk from it for a long time. In Kaunas, on the Town Hall Square, the hourly wage was only 20 rubles. It is useful to have a parking clock.

Even if you are by car, you don't want to go somewhere every day. Public transport runs frequently and well. It is better to buy an e-ticket at a kiosk (from the driver it is 2 times more expensive), while it is important to know that one ticket with two trips for two will not work, you need to have 2 separate ones. Do not throw away the card with unused trips - the validity period is one year (reason to return). The stops are highlighted with a running line, if it is not clear you can always ask passengers if they will help. And be careful: buses and trolleybuses in Riga are very similar.

Weather and clothing. The Baltics do not guarantee 100% sun in July or snow in December. According to my impressions there is a lot of "variable cloudiness", wind and rain.

For three December-January weeks in Latvia-Lithuania, we found frost, snow, rain, dry asphalt and several sunny days, the temperature range was from -20 ° С to + 3 ° С.

Before the trip, I always look at the forecast on local sites, and, in principle, it comes true. In winter, you need to have several options for clothes for very cold-warming with the possibility of combining. This New Year we walked in the rain on the ice, our shoes were protected from moisture by impregnation, and we ourselves were protected by a large umbrella (the latter is required at any time of the year). On the coast, piercing winds often blow (a hood for help).

Money and shopping. I am surprised by the fact that Russian tourists still use currency exchangers. Credit cards are accepted everywhere, cash can be withdrawn from the ATM in local currency to pay for the rest (parking, entrance tickets, tips). The most advanced country is Estonia, with their card you can buy a ticket for a bus at a kiosk and pay almost everywhere to enter the museum.

We do not go shopping specifically, but we go to stores if there is time and desire. As elsewhere, the most favorable time is the sales, in our case the January sales. Shoes in Vilnius, in comparison with Moscow, are 2 times cheaper and the choice is different, moreover, you can apply for tax free and get back the amount of tax. Hotels and info centers always have city maps with addresses of shops and shopping centers. I wrote about shopping in Vilnius.

Excursions. Good tour guides are in high demand during the New Year holidays, so it is worthwhile to arrange an excursion in advance. There are many offers: on foot and by car, combined, individual, for a group. Choose according to your taste:

Nutrition. You will not stay hungry and do not go broke on food. In large cities, especially in capitals, there are many establishments for every taste, prices are lower than in Moscow, but again, if you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a restaurant on Dome Square, it will not come out cheap.

The most popular option is the Lido national cuisine enterprises, there are several of them in Riga, including a large entertainment complex on ul. Krasta. You walk around with a tray, choose what you like, everything is fresh, does not stale, the prices are very affordable. In Tallinn, there is a Lido in the Solaris shopping center.

It is imperative to try the national cuisine, but all the time there is only it quickly gets boring, especially since this is not Italy or France. For example, traditional gray peas with bacon - a hearty dish of Latvian peasants, which I would not have taken in a restaurant, once I ordered boiled pork ears - they did not appreciate it. Lithuanians are very fond of potatoes, they are even served with soup, zeppellins were a "heavy burden" on my stomach, I had to take one portion for two. In Lithuania, Belgian beer is well represented, in Latvia mainly local (large selection) is popular, in Estonia there are two main brands.

Drinking coffee with a bun was most profitable for us in Kaunas, where on Laisves aleja there are cafes-pastry shops with a huge selection of pastries and coffee. In winter, when you just want to go in to warm up, use the Internet-toilet, you should pay attention to special offers such as coffee + croissant or the morning menu. Cafe in a good location with service not cheap anywhere. Traveling to cities and villages, while eating "on the way out", one must bear in mind that in many places after 16: 00-18: 00 everything closes and people stay at home, especially in the off-season.

We prepare our own breakfasts and dinners in the apartments. It is very interesting to go to different supermarkets, enjoying the range of products and their quality. I always take local dairy products - yoghurts, curd snacks, cheeses, milk. Meat is mainly represented by pork and poultry, which are skillfully cut. Fresh vegetables, fruits. There are many wines, including Georgian ones.

Delicious blackcurrant juice Sido is produced in Latvia, which goes well with Riga balsam; under this brand, non-alcoholic mulled wine is produced, which is drunk hot. Latvian chocolate and sweets from the Laima factory are very popular, bitter chocolate, sweets with balsam are good, there are beautiful boxes with views of Riga as a gift. In Latvia, they sell a lot of different varieties of natural marmalade, I buy sea buckthorn and cranberry. Estonian "Kalev" makes my favorite sweets with liqueur and marmalade fillings, marzipan bars.
Even in large supermarkets, you can profitably buy souvenirs and small items for your home.

I want to tell you how my friend and I ourselves, without agencies, visited the Baltics. I will not talk about the sights, only about the case. How to go yourself. This is my first independent trip.

At the time of our trip, such a tour of the three capitals of the Baltic countries cost 44,000 per person per week, but we got 23,000. Almost two days in each city. There is a difference!!! TIP: I always buy books from the Orange Guide series. A wonderful series. I take it with me on all trips when I go myself.

VISA. I must say right away that we decided to submit documents to the visa center. A little more expensive, but easier: if something goes wrong, they will still reprint the documents on their forms. For money. Documents are submitted to the embassy or visa center of the country where you will spend more time, namely nights, regardless of the sequence of visiting countries. We started from Lithuania, but we applied for a visa to the visa center of Latvia, because there were two days in Vilnius, but one overnight stay, and in Riga and Tallinn for two nights. The list of documents can be found on the websites. Along with the documents, be sure to bring copies of hotel reservations and copies of all tickets, insurance is required. Read carefully. For example, at the time of our registration, they did not accept hotel reservations from booking in Lithuania. Maybe something has changed. We booked on Hotels.com. There were not many people in the center, they handed over an hour and a half. We waited longer for the documents to be retyped. After 10 days my husband arrived and took the passports with visas. When submitting documents, you mark who will pick it up. Very comfortably.

MOVING BETWEEN COUNTRIES: we chose the bus. Tickets were booked on the website.

Very user-friendly site. Buses take 4 hours on average. There is not much to see on the road. The buses were empty. Maybe it's not a tourist season, or maybe so lucky. We chose the afternoon, left at 5 pm, arrived at 9 pm, slept, and in the morning with fresh strength to walk around the city. Hotels were chosen closer to the center and to the bus stations, so as not to spend extra money on the road ..

HOTELS. We chose inexpensive ones with the expectation of just spending the night. Breakfast.

VILNIUS. Arrived on an airBaltic plane. The plane is tiny: rows of 15, two seats across the aisle.

We flew perfectly. From the airport we took a bus to the Comfort Vilnius 3 * hotel. There are two hotels with a similar name in Vilnius and the locals misinformed us a little, but from the same hotel

to our extra 15 minutes on foot. Found. The hotel is small but cute. For a night or two, no more. There was not even a closet in our room.

We took only breakfast in all hotels. The food was decent, the linen was clean. All attractions are within walking distance. They did not spend money on the road anywhere.

We arrived in Vilnius at 10 am, the bus to Riga was the next day at 16.30. From the hotel to the bus station on foot 10 min. Almost two days were enough to see the main attractions and just walk around the city. But the review is not about that. Travel yourself, fear nothing.

RIGA. From the bus station to the hotel 4 * on foot 10 minutes. The hotel is very good. We got a discount when booking. Breakfast for slaughter, there was even champagne. There is no such breakfast in Turkish fives. Clean, quiet, 5-7 minutes to the center. The room even had an ironing board with an iron, kettle, tea, coffee. Bus to Tallinn at 17.00. Everywhere we went on foot, we did not spend on transport.

TALLINN. In Tallinn, from the bus station to the hotel 3 * by tram 10 min and walk 5 min. The hotel is not bad, but there is no shower tray in the shower, and water almost did not go into the hole in the floor and flooded the entire floor in the bathroom. But in a mock there was a mop, you know, with such an elastic band to collect water. But across the road is the Old Town and all the sights. Back to Moscow by airBaltic. By taxi 15 euros and in 20 minutes on the spot.

CONCLUSION: By yourself it is twice cheaper, you are your own masters, travel yourself and everything will be fine. We walked in all cities, I can’t say anything about the prices for transport.

Finally, I got around to writing a text about our autotravel route in the Baltics.

The total length of the path is 2,975 kilometers, but taking into account the trips inside the cities and to the surrounding attractions, we hit much more - 3,672 kilometers. I must say right away that it is worth going on a journey only if you have a love for traveling by car, and if you are traveling with a child, it is desirable that he shares this passion.

Our daughter, fortunately, is growing up as a tireless traveler, and takes long trips more than favorably - after all, during this time you can listen to a whole bunch of fairy tales!

So, the route is broken down by day:

In the morning we leave Moscow along the M-1 highway and drive towards Smolensk (380 km). To save time and nerves, I highly recommend using the Odintsovo toll bypass.
In Smolensk we have lunch (I highly recommend the Peter Push cafe @restoran_peterpush on Lenin Street, 14) and move on towards Belarus. There is no border between countries, even the most formal one.
We didn’t like a single hotel in Minsk, so we spent the night in the "Quiet Dvorik" agro-estate in Lagoisk (306 km from Smolensk)

We will have breakfast and drive to Minsk (distance from Lagoisk - 40 km).
There we went to the zoo @minsk_zoo_official (Tashkentskaya street, 40), had lunch and moved towards the border with Lithuania (to the Benyakoni crossing point - 191 km)
We cross the border and go to Vilnius (distance from the border - 53 km), where we settle for the night

The third day takes place in Vilnius - we have already been here, so they did not repeat the tour of the historical center. Instead, we visited:
Open-air museum "Park of Europe" (Joneikisku village, LT-15148)
Cafe with a huge playground "The World of the Dwarfs" (Laisvės pr. 88)
Interactive Toy Museum (Shiltadarzho str., 2)

We begin to move to the sea. We leave Vilnius in the direction of Trakai, but on the way we enter a wonderful corn maze (Vilnius – Trakai 16 km)
After getting out of the labyrinth, we go to Trakai and walk around the castle there (only 11 km to go)
From there we leave for Kaunas for a walk and lunch (on the way - 87 km)
After Kaunas we continue to go to the sea. Our correspondent on the coast was the town of Sventoja (from Kaunas - 250 km)

We come to our senses after a busy day and explore the surroundings. In the morning we went to the beach, and then went to the HBH entertainment complex Palanga (Zhibininkai, Lepu, 23). You can easily hang out there for the whole day.

In the morning - the sea, and then we go to the dinosaur park DINO.LT (Radailiai, Klaipeda region). After the lizards, you can have lunch and walk in Klaipeda or Palanga, they are very close.

We will have breakfast and go to the old port of Klaipeda, where we will take a ferry to the Curonian Spit. In this part of the spit, you should definitely visit the Lithuanian Sea Museum, it is beautiful.
We return on the ferry back, get into the car and drive towards the border with Latvia. Again, there are no borders between countries.
We spend the night in a small but wonderful town Liepaja (from Šventoji to Liepaja - 61 km)

We walk in Liepaja, swim, weather permitting, and go to Riga (drive to the capital 216 km)
There we went to the Latvian Museum of Nature (K. Barona st. 4), had dinner and went to bed.

This day takes place in Riga - we dedicated it to a walk through the huge open-air Latvian Ethnographic Museum (10 Bonaventuras street).
Then I recommend stopping by for lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants of the Lido chain - it's delicious, cheap and very colorful.

We will have breakfast and go to wander around the historical center of Riga. To appreciate all the beauty of the city, we climb the tower of St. Peter's Church (Skarnu street 19).
Then we leave the capital and go to Cesis to see the local castle (88 km)
After we say goodbye to Latvia and leave for Tallinn (on the way - 300 km)

We walk around Tallinn, although one day here, of course, is not criminally enough.
We went to the Tallinn Zoo @tallinnzoo (Ehitajate tee 150 / Paldiski mnt 145), the medieval restaurant Olde Hansa @olde_hansa (Vene 1) and went to the Pirita beach 15 minutes from the city center.

In the morning we walk around Tallinn, and then we move towards the border with Russia - it was more convenient for us to leave through Narva (211 km). Don't forget to sign up for the electronic queue!
Once at home, we go to rest and sleep in Veliky Novgorod (distance - 272 km)

We will have breakfast, walk around the Novgorod Kremlin and set off towards Moscow. I would make the most of the paid Leningradka, because it saves a lot of time.
We have lunch and stretch our legs in Tver (from Novgorod - 387 km)
The last push to Moscow (176 km)

It so happened that PRTBRT often broadcasts from the Baltic countries - one of the editorial bases is located in Latvia. We often look at how our friends and acquaintances travel across Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, and grab our heads. Therefore, we decided to write this column about how to truly feel these small countries, where you really need to look for color.

Do not take the Tallinn - Riga - Vilnius route at one time

For several days, you just walk around the Old Towns of the three capitals, drink, eat, stare and spend money, and then say: yes I was in this Baltic, everything is the same. Although all three cities are peculiar and very different, you can understand this only by visiting each one separately.

During your trip to the three capitals, you will remember some passages, but everything will stick together into one lump of cathedrals, towers, food and drink. At the same time, each city has its own face and its own unusual places that you most likely will not see. Simply because, the format "three (five, seven) days - three cities" does not mean anything but an endless race and walks in the Old Town together with British fans to fly cheap to bachelor parties and get drunk, old people and tourists from ferries.

Advice: Don't be fooled by the size of the countries — each is best viewed separately. Therefore, do not seek to go around everything during the allotted vacation time.

Tallinn old town

But if you do, don't spend all your time in the Old Town.

As already mentioned, each city has its own face and its own places of power: in Tallinn, this is the Telliskivi district, which is located outside the Old City. In Riga, for example, the best bars have never been located within the Old Town: just go for a walk along Krisjana Barona Street and turn into small streets. It is there that the most interesting places and establishments will be located, such as the editorial staff's favorite bar - Taka or the most up-to-date dance floor of the city - Piens.

In the Old Town there are average entertainment, typical bars and restaurants, of which there are many in any cities of Eastern and Northern Europe from Krakow to Stockholm. This is not why you are going to see the country.

Advice: If you know that there is no life in the Old City, then there is no need to rent housing there either. Look for Airbnb apartments or hotels near places of power: save both time and money.

Telliskivi district in Tallinn

Another cool place outside the old city of Riga - Kaņepes Kultūras center

Don't linger in cities

In cities, you don't see the country, so be sure to plan for visiting alternative or suburban attractions.

From Tallinn, you can easily go to see the quarry in Rumma (there is still where to climb, do not be afraid of the fence), and then go to the island of Saaremaa, where there are almost more attractions than in all of Estonia.

From Riga, you should definitely go to Irbene - a ghost town with a huge radar, spend the night at Cape Kolka, see the seaside Ventspils and Liepaja. Who knows about the existence of the Mark Rothko art center in Daugavpils? The famous artist was born in this city.

From Vilnius, you should definitely go to the Hill of Crosses, visit the Europos Parkas landscape park - an analogue of the Russian Nikola-Lenivets, explore Klaipeda and cross the border with Russia on the Curonian Spit.

In all three countries, there are many opportunities for a variety of tourism: alternative attractions, eco-farms and national parks - plan your route in such a way as to be in the capitals for one or two days, get acquainted with the main places and cultural life, and then go inland!

Countries are teeming with craft family businesses for everything from cheese to amber. An annual fair is held in Latvia, where you can buy not just hand-made things, but modern and beautiful accessories and clothes. It is pleasant to use such things not because of their craftiness, but simply because they are comfortable and beautiful.

Hill of Crosses

Quarry in Rummu

But if you are still late, be sure to leave the city at least one of the days.

If it's too late and you stay in each of the capitals for three days, then do not worry: there are many interesting places around each of the cities:

near Vilnius - the beautiful Trakai Castle;

from Riga you should definitely go to Jurmala or to the Kemeri National Park;

from Tallinn, head to Laachema National Park.

By the way, the locations from the previous paragraph are also applicable to this: this is the Baltics, and you can go there and back to any place within the same country! The main thing is not to be lazy and plan. It is quite possible to rent a car for one or two days, or find a driver with BlaBlaCar, use Lux Express buses, or maybe even hitchhike. In the summer, Estonia is flooded with friendly Finns, while Latvia and Lithuania are flooded with Poles and Germans (and less fearful tourists in Russian cars).

Kemeri National Park

Spend more time searching

Not all good hotels, campgrounds and guesthouses are on the usual booking sites. For example, the editorial staff's favorite camping Saulesmājas with barrel houses on Cape Kolka (another chic Latvian location - the meeting point of the waves of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga) appeared on booking.com only in May of this year!

Or another great option is the Klaukas glamping in the region of Sigulda and the Gauja National Park. And that's just that there are dozens of such places on the surface, but you have to prepare well and look.

Camping Saulesmājas

Do not forget that these are different countries for a long time

If in the heads of the older generation it is still a homogeneous Baltic, then the modern traveler is struck by the striking differences: Estonia and especially Tallinn are full-fledged Northern Europe, Lithuania gravitates towards Poland, and Latvia is still at an undecided crossroads, but with European features. Moreover, in each of these countries, unique distinctive places and cultural features have been preserved. Understanding this simple fact will help you to look differently at these neighboring countries and choose the one that is closer in spirit for a full-fledged trip!

Check tickets to Tallinn, or maybe Riga or Vilnius

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Soon, very soon it's already New Year's holidays. Where to go for the holidays? The company "A-Renta" is ready not only to provide you with really inexpensive prices for car rental from Moscow, but also to submit ideas for holidays. For example, why not arrange a romantic car trip in the Baltics?

Many treat the Baltics with disdain: they say, the countries of the former USSR, which zealously rushed to Europe, although there is no European smell there. There is nothing to watch, zero service, and the attitude of the Balts towards us, Russians ... to put it mildly, leaves. However, those who think so are fundamentally wrong. Let's try to break the prevailing stereotypes by driving a car across the Baltic states.

Traveling to the Baltics by car

Taking care of the documents in advance is a must:

1. For those who go on a trip by car, it is necessary to issue a so-called Green Card, which will need to be presented when crossing the border.
2. And do not forget that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are members of the European Union, therefore passports must have valid visas.

How to get there?

You can get to the Baltics in two ways: through Belarus and through the Leningrad Region. Residents of central Russia, as a rule, get through Belarus. Therefore, if you need a car to the Baltics from Moscow, then at the same time you can also look at some of our former out of the corner of your eye, as they say.

Tests at customs

The first and, perhaps, the only thing that darkens the journey by car is the incredible queues at the border with Lithuania. You can stand for 6, 8, 12 hours. This is as lucky as anyone. You need to be prepared for the fact that impudent drivers on cool cars with thieves' numbers pass through the queue. And for some reason they are allowed to pass.

Before the trip, it is better to "scan" the forums of auto travelers, where people share their observations and thoughts about what time it is best to cross the border.

The very procedure of inspecting the car and passports takes a little time.

Traveling in the Baltics ...

Lithuania

And the cherished stamps about crossing the border are in the passports: you are in Lithuania.

The most famous Lithuanian city of Vilnius is a must-see. Do not be confused by the old five-story buildings of the Khrushchev era. Yes, they are the ones who will meet you at the entrance to the city. But the so-called Old Town in Vilnius is incredible:

• cozy atmosphere,
• small streets,
• beautiful architecture of ancient buildings,
• paved paths,
• hospitable cafes - that's what you should visit Vilnius for!

In addition to visiting sights in Lithuania, you should definitely ride along the coast. Both Klaipeda and little-known Palanga are perfect for a seaside holiday. Palanga, by the way, is the largest resort city on the Lithuanian coast. And the prices for housing, as, indeed, for food, are very bite there.

Latvia

You don't have to cross any borders to get to neighboring Latvia. It takes about four hours to drive from Lithuania to Latvia.

Naturally, the first city to see is stunning Riga. The old town in Riga is one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. There are incredible old buildings, cathedrals, squares at every step. An ideal place for romantic walks for two or for visiting with the whole family.

Cozy cafes are located here and there on small streets. The prices are truly European. A fairly modest dinner for three will cost no less than 50-60 euros.

The most important thing to know about Riga for those traveling by car is paid parking in the Old Town itself. You can leave the car for free only in specially designated places and only for a few hours. Usually at night.

When booking a hotel, it is important to clarify if there are free parking spaces, which, most likely, will not be included in the price. In addition to Riga, auto travelers are advised to look into Jurmala, Cesis and Liepaja.

Estonia

The last in line, but not the last in beauty, is Estonia.

Traditionally, start your acquaintance with the country from the Old Town in Tallinn. There are a lot of incredibly beautiful towers, town halls, fortresses and cathedrals. The center of the Old Town is the famous Town Hall Square. The place is truly amazing: once you find yourself there, it is as if you are transported to the Middle Ages. It seems that a little bit more and a knight will gallop up to the square from the neighboring street on horseback.
By the way, many cafes that are located in the Old Town at every step are decorated in a medieval style. The prices are quite high. The closer to the Town Hall Square, the more expensive.

Another must-see place in Estonia is Tartu. A very beautiful city with one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe. Take the time to get to Haapsalu - the "Venice of the North" in Estonia. Haapsalu will amaze you with its small streets and cute wooden houses.

Sharing impressions

So, the general impression of the Baltics:

1. Incredible, beautiful, atmospheric.
2. The tracks and roads are perfect, everything is very clean and comfortable.
3. Ancient buildings and churches are amazing.
4. They treat our compatriots very well, they are always ready to help suggest a route or any other question.
5. Cafes and restaurants have a menu in Russian. The waiters are very welcoming and friendly. They are constantly wondering if everything is good and if they liked the ordered dishes.
6. Almost everyone speaks excellent Russian. The only exception is young people. She hardly speaks Russian.
7. Hotels for every taste and budget, and there are almost always free places. (It is better to book the room you like for the night, if you wish it can always be extended).
8. Be sure to take warm clothes with you. Even in summer it can be very cold in the Baltics. Nature is especially capricious in Estonia: it often rains there, the temperature in July-August can reach as little as + 16-17 degrees.
9. Cons: long border crossing from Russia and back. And also the prices in the cafe: they are quite high, designed for wealthy Germans and French, of whom, by the way, there are a lot.