Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga 10 day Itinerary help needed

Hi Michael. Haven't been to Tallinn, but we were in Helsinki and Riga last year and enjoyed them. We were only in Helsinki two days. One day I took short ferry to Suomalina Fort which I enjoyed for history, to see harbor, and to walk outdoors. Only makes sense if weather is nice. Other than that, our idea of a good time is to get an all day transit pass and ride the trams and randomly get on and off and explore neighborhoods. On one random stop, we happened on huge icebreakers and their use and history.
Rick doesn't cover Riga except in his cruise book, but I got the Lonely Planet book on Latvia and it has great info. I loved Riga, partly because expectations were low from Soviet past. But it is nice, very walkable and user friendly. Huge warehouse type indoor and outdoor market area. Interesting architecture. I enjoyed the Latvian war museum. Several restaurants with outdoor seating and music in old town area. Jurmala beach area is close if weather is nice. Sigulda and other areas near there are on the way from Tallinn if you are driving. Bobsled track in Sigulda is open for tours and rides one day a week and was really fun for me to see in person after seeing bobsled on TV in Olympics. Have a great trip!

In recent years I've spent about 8 nights in Helsinki, 11 nights in Tallinn and 13 nights in Riga. My time in Helsinki was primarily spent visiting art and decorative art museums and walking around some of the many Art Nouveau areas. Helsinki isn't as old as the other two capitals, and for historical reasons it doesn't have the "what happened under Communism" museums and historic sites you'll find in Tallinn and Riga. I happen to like that sort of thing a great deal.

I'd tend to give a smaller portion of the available time to Helsinki and roughly split the rest between Tallinn and Riga, tilting slightly toward Tallinn. However, in figuring out how long to stay in Helsinki, you need to consider how you typically react to the overnight flight to Europe. Your arrival day may be jetlagged and sleep-deprived, affecting how much sightseeing you're capable of doing.

I don't know exactly what "10 days" means here. For me, that would be 11 nights, not counting the night on the plane. If that's the case, I'd probably split the time like this:

Helsinki: 3 nights
Tallinn: 4 nights
Riga: 4 nights

If you have only 10 nights, I'd tend to go with this:

Helsinki 3 nights
Tallinn: 4 nights
Riga: 3 nights

There are many ferries running from Helsinki to Tallinn each day, so you can fiddle with your time allocation by taking an earlier or a later ferry, as you choose.

Similarly, you'll have some control over what time of day you move on from Tallinn to Riga.

Important: If sounds as if you are planning to rent a car in Estonia and drop it off in Latvia. Doing that is likely to incur a very substantial drop charge (possibly many hundreds of euros). Check on that before you move too far in planning to use the car.

Buses in the Baltic countries tend to be extremely comfortable, and bus service betwen Tallinn and Riga is frequent. If that isn't an acceptable option for you, you can arrange a private driver for the Tallinn-Riga transfer. I haven't done that in the Baltic countries, but I know others here have been happy with the service provided by DayTrip.com. I think there's at least one tour company that runs van trips between the two capitals, perhaps stopping at one or more points of interest along the way.

Thank you. I will plan for 2 nights in Helsinki, 4 in Tallinn and 3 in Riga last day is travel day.

Besides main “things to see”, any recommendations? Like you must visit… also any stops from Tallinn to Riga? Small cute cities, etc.

We will be driving.

You'd want to walk around the historic area (upper and lower) in Tallinn and see both the historic area and the Art Nouveau district in Riga. Beyond that, it comes down to your personal interests, though I think it would be a shame not to see at least one of the life-under-Communism museums. Those explain a lot about current attitudes.

The In Your Pocket guides for Tallinn and Riga are good. I really dislike the presence of extra "Download" options on the IYP webpages. On the Tallinn page I've linked to immediately below, you need to scroll down to the dark blue, horizontal rectangle, hover over it, and choose the download icon.

IYP guide to Tallinn:

On the Riga page, you need to enter your email address in the "Download using your email address" box.

IYP guide to Riga

One not-often-mentioned possible stop in Riga is the Zana Lipkes Memorial (aka Lipke House of Courage), a place where Jews were hidden during WWII. It's a bit tricky to find. These are the instructions I used: Cross the river over Vansu Bridge and turn right, walking along Balasta dambis. Turn left at the museum sign (“Zanis Lipke memorial”) right after house #36. Follow the narrow street to reach the museum at the end and ring the bell. Download the audio guide. In 2023 the hours were Tue-Wed, Fri and Sun 1200-1800; Thu 1200-2000, Sat 1000-1600. Free/donation requested. https://lipke.lv/en/

I didn't go to really small towns, not having a car. Tartu in Estonia and Kaunas in Latvia were each worth multiple days to me, but they are not at all geographically convenient for you. I just didn't find Parnu, which will be on your route, very interesting. There is so much to see in the capital cities that I would be leery of peeling off time for lesser destinations, given you have only a few days in each county.

I don't think the car will be helpful in the cities of Tallinn and Riga. Certainly in Tallinn, much of what you'll want to see is in the medieval center. I just can't imagine driving around, looking for a parking place near what you want to see, then doing the same thing over and over again.

We travel a lot and having a car is the most convenient way for us to travel. So the question still is...  Should I go outside of Helsinki to visit any other city or village like the these that were mentioned here... Turku, Kotka, Suomenlinna Fort. Is it worth it if I have 2 full days?  What about Sigulda and Kaunas near Riga. Also, Parnu and Tartu. This is what I have collected so far from everyones input.
Just wanted to know which is a must and which ones I shouldn't bother with.

I can’t answer your question on whether various destinations are “musts” because my interests may be different than yours. I did really enjoy our time in Lahemaa National park — east of Tallinn. The walk through the bogs was really interesting and we enjoyed our visit to a manor house. I loved Tartu — university town with a fantastic museum. Pärnu was ok, not my favorite; I like Haapsalu much better. We enjoyed our time in Saaremaa but if you don’t have a night to spend there, I’m not sure you have time.

In Latvia we enjoyed our time in Sigulda. Small town, very relaxing, wonderful hike to the other side of the valley. We were there 3 nights. Two would have been enough. You could just make a stop there in your way. Kaunas is in Lithuania.

I like to do a combination of capital cities and smaller towns on my trips, so my priorities might be different.

I, too, like to include secondary cities in my itineraries, but nine nights for Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga doesn't leave much elbow room as far as I'm concerned. You have to consider how many hours you are giving up in the capital city in order to have far fewer hours at the side-trip destination. In addition to the travel required, in many cases you need to allow time to get from your hotel to wherever you've managed to park your car. (If you stay outside the center in a place that offers parking, you'll waste an equivalent amount of time getting from your lodgings to the tourist sights in your base city every day.)

I'm someone who suffers greatly from jetlag and sleep-deprivation after an overnight flight to Europe. For me, this is an 8-day trip, and there's no way I'd want to add additional stops beyond the three originally mentioned. However, I am all-in on art, decorative art, 20th-century history and interesting architecture. Those with fewer, or less in-depth, interests may be fine with less time in each city.

Turku and Kotka are each about a 4-hour roundtrip from Helsinki (once you've retrieved your car). I haven't been to Kotka. Turku is an interesting place with some good museums, but unless the Aboa Vetus archaeological museum is a powerful draw for you (Turku's much older than Helsinki), Turku pales in comparison to the capital.

Suomenlinna is a sea fortress you reach by ferry. I don't know how long that ferry takes or how frequently it runs. The sights out at Suomenlinna are scattered; it would take a good bit of time to see a few of them unless you chose your targets based solely on proximity rather than interest. I haven't been out there myself due to lack of time.

I haven't been to Sigulda.

Two of us have given Kaunas high marks, but it is a 7-hour round trip from Riga. In the context of your trip, I think it is not a good idea.

I've already given my opinion on Parnu; it's totally skippable.

A quick look at Google Maps tells me you could include a detour to Tartu on your way from Tallinn to Riga at a cost of about 1-1/2 hours of extra driving. That's not a major time expenditure, but I'd think carefully about what I actually planned to do in Tartu and whether it is worth cutting into your Riga time. You have only two days in that city.

I did not remotely cover the full expanse of Estonia and Latvia, but my general comment is that a lot of the scenery is far from spectacular. This is not Switzerland; the journey isn't always visually exciting.

In case you haven't seen them, these are Rick's sightseeing tips for Tallin: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/estonia/tallinn (Click on "At a Glance")

And this is what he lists for Helsinki: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/finland/helsinki (Click on "At a Glance")

I do not recommend the Helsinki City Museum unless the traveler has a great deal of time in the city.

I did a similar trip last September and would offer a few thoughts.

My trip differed in that I included Lithuania instead of Helsinki. I had 5 nights in Riga, 2 in Sigulda, 2 nights Tartu, and 7 nights Tallinn, with a car except in Tallinn.

My opinion is that you don’t have enough time to do more with day trips than to pick one place (or a couple of
short stops) enroute Tallinn to Riga. I can’t imagine renting a car that is big enough for 6 people and luggage and driving on the roads there (which are in good condition but small). That narrows down choices unless you consider 2 vehicles.

I did not use this service (but had originally planned to), but I think CWSocial did. It makes some good stops. Depends on when you are going.
https://www.rigatraveller.com/tour/riga-tallinn-sightseeing-shuttle-bus
Otherwise, you can take the much less expensive bus.

I would advise not driving this time. And certainly not having a car in the cities!

acraven has given you a good breakdown of nights. And I think you are right to cut the night from Helsinki, as opposed to Tallinn or Riga. I differ only slightly in that I really loved Riga and would choose to spend the extra night there as opposed to Tallinn - but that is totally personal.

Here is my trip report in case it is useful.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/baltics-september-2024
Here is CWSocial’s.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-4-capitals-solo-after-warsaw-in-3-baltic-capitals

Thank you so much.
I would love a recommendation of a really nice hotel central to the center where we can easily walk everywhere,

Also, we like to go to at least 1 high-end restaurant. Do you have a recommendation for "the best" restaurant in town?

Which of the three cities are you asking about?

All of the cities

Also, driving to from Tallinn to Riga, there are 3 ways...

1. Tallinn -> Riga
2. Tallinn -> Viljandi -> Valmiera -> Riga
3. Tallinn -> Tartu -> Valmiera -> Riga

I know people have been saying that Tartu is a nice deviation. However, is it worth having to drive an extra hour out of the way. Instead 4.5 hours drive 5.5 hours?

You have so little time that I'd just spend it in the capital cities. Tartu isn't a tiny little village you could get a good look at in 10 or 15 minutes.

You might read back through some previous posts. I know I have seen hotel recommendations but I stayed at some really nice apartments in Tallinn and Riga instead (but not large enough for 6).

I also hate making restaurant recommendations. But a really memorable one for me in Tallinn was Rataskaevu 16. You would need reservations. It’s not what you call high-end but has really great food and staff like I haven’t met anywhere else. Recommended to me by the apartment owner who lives in Tallinn.

In Riga, you might want to check out the Radisson Blu Sky Bar for great views with drinks and light food. Make a reservation by the windows for just before sunset.

Do you have a recommendation for "the best" restaurant in town?

I went back and re-read my own review (kindly linked above by TexasTravelMom) of Rataskaevu 16 in Tallinn. I remember now why I deemed it the best meal of that trip, both for food and for delightful service. It's so interesting how a restaurant just one block off the central square can set a different standard than those on the square.

Oh my, I need to go back to Tallinn!

Suomenlinna is a sea fortress you reach by ferry. I don't know how long that ferry takes or how frequently it runs.

There is both a frequent ferry which takes fifteen minutes (and is part of the public transport network of Helsinki)- https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/visitor/how-to-get-there/hsl-ferry/

and a water bus which also serves other points on the islands (plural) which form the fortress- https://www.frs-finland.fi/fileadmin/user_upload/frs-finland.fi/Suomenlinna/Schedule_2025_Suomenlinna_Lonna.pdf

CW, I TOTALLY missed that was where you ate! I remembered the delicious description but didn’t connect the dots!

And here I was thinking I was so smart for finding such a good place. LOLOL! Because you know I basically copied your trip with Carol’s planned additions. I am laughing at myself.

TexasTravelMom, I'm laughing too because when I read your description, I thought, I need to go there! When you mentioned the service, it rang a bell. There was just something about their service that was... special! I had to read my own notes to refresh my memory!!

I love that we do "research" for each other's trips!! I wouldn't have made it to the fabulous Basilica de San Juan de Dios if not for you!! I'll never forget that one. But I digress.

So now, how can I fit Tallinn and Rataskaevu 16 back into a trip? Since I missed my encore visit last summer!

A few random suggestions. The first two have othing to do with cities, but both easy to do if you do drive from Tallinn to Riga. First of all, we loved visiting the bogs in Estonia and stayed a few days at Soomaa National Park. If you like nature, just passing by on your driveand taking a walk out to a bog on the easy to access and use boardwalks they have at several places is cool, especially if you've never seen a bog. The little lakes scattered around are so cool and the couple of towers they have for you to climb up and get a nice view of the area, which looks sort of like an African plain with no giraffes or elephants.

My personal favorite part of the bog was, after walking through one forest in all my rain gear to get there (I'm a mosquito magnet), right after we passed out of the forest, we stripped down to shorts and t-shirts because there are NO mosquitoes in bogs! Wow. We swam in a bog and enjoyed a beautiful sunset another time sitting on a bench in one.

We also spent a few days in the Sigulda/Cesis are of Latvia on the drive and while we enjoyed all of it, for someone just passing through in a car, I'd recommend the Secret Societ bunker in Ligatne, if you can time it right for a tour. It was fascinating to see all the materials they had just abandoned there, and no one really knew about it for so many years! The historian that led our tour in English (a Mexican expat) was very well-informed and we really enjoyed it! https://www.latvia.travel/en/sight/once-top-secret-soviet-bunker-rural-ligatne

In Riga, if you have time, we thought the library was interesting not just for the outside (architecture) but it's like a free museum inside - lots of interesting exhibits, and the view from the top is not to be missed!

I wouldn't recommend any city in the immediate vicinity of Helsinki, given the choices you are faced with. We went out to the Turku and Aland Islands and that was great, but need more time.

Oh, if you do drive and ever pass any stands next to farms, always stop and buy whatever they are selling. The summer fruit freshly picked is to die for.

Edited to add: enjoyed the Contemporary Art Museum in Tallinn! Very small, very experimental feeling. If you have just an hour you want to fill, this is a great choice!

Your trip looks like you have it quite filled up already with what's on your menu. That said, some random items mentioned above and a few not yet...

We did 18 days and nights, from Vilnius to Tallinn. So I'll leave out anything about Lithuania (you're not going) or Helsinki (we didn't go there). Of course, Tallinn is easy to love (love it soon, before the Russians go take it back). We also like Haapsalu a lot (don't miss the historic railway museum); we liked the nearby big islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa even more - though all those are off your planned route and you would need to trade something away to get there. We did not find Parnu particularly interesting.

In Latvia, we spent a couple days wandering Sigulda, Cesis, Turaida and enjoyed them all. Riga is the Big Kahuna, of course - or as called it "Prague without crowds." Be sure to spend some time in the big market (housed in and around WWI-era Zeppelin hangars!), and one could spend days wandering the old center gushing at the architecture. Everyojenswoons for Tallinn, and for good reason, but Riga is bigger and we felt had as many charms (which is saying a lot).

While in/around Riga, don't miss a side trip out to Rundale Palace, south of the city. It's an utterly spectacular baroque palace, in the same league as any other great palace in Europe (think Versailles, Schonbrunn, Nymphenburg, etc) - but without the crowds. There's a small, older castle (Bauska) in the same town which is worth a short stop but it pales in comparison to Rundale.

We drove all the way along the Baltic coast (along the Gulf of Riga, around Cape Kolka, and the open Baltic Sea) between Riga and Klaipeda in Lithuania. There is all sorts of weird abandoned Sovet Stuff around there, along with cute little towns, churches, and seaside relics. You probably don't have time but it was lovely and filled with all sorts of curiosities.

As for the car rental drop-off fee: Yes there will be one, but in our case it wasn't astronomical (IIRC I think about €100) which was acceptable to me as it allowed us the freedom to explore lesser-known corners even with a relatively short trip. YMMV. We found driving in the Baltics easy as pie (except of course parking in the old city centers, but that was only tricky in Riga and Tallinn, and in both cases we had modern hotels on the edge of the old center with parking included, so upon arrival we followed our GPS to the hotel, parked the car, and spent the rest of our time in the big cities on foot).

Even though you're going in summer, be prepared for some rain. We got several days (in July) that were pretty soggy and washed-out (and I live in Seattle so a little rain doesn't bother me).

It's a very cool, very under-appreciated corner of Europe. We loved the Baltics (and I seriously worry about their future).

I have to respectfully disagree with the people who suggested cutting down on Helsinki. I went to Helsinki and Tallinn a few years ago (so things could have changed) and found Tallinn charming but a bit sterile in the old town and a high barrier to entry figuring out what to do in the rest of the city. Helsinki has a very different look than other European capitals but I loved it. Great vibes. And I was there in November. Seconding Suomenlinna. You can spend several hours there and it has a really fascinating history. It's an island so you can spend plenty of time walking around if you like to be outside. I went to a very bizarre museum called the Helsinki City Museum which was part childrens museum but also had a very graphic exhibit on about boats carrying refugees sinking or something. But there was an interesting exhibit on the Finnish Civil War which I knew nothing about. I'm really confused why people are saying Helsinki doesn't have the history element - a ton of fascinating history unfolded for me for the very first time when I was there. I also liked the Design Museum and the Kiasma contemporary art museum. I hear EMMA is good too but I didn't make it. Tallinn was nice but Helsinki was exciting. Have fun no matter what your itinerary is!

Hi All. Thank you so much for all these suggestions.
Ill take a look at them all, map them out, etc.

If you have GREAT restaurants to recommend... I'll tale it!

Thanks.