Planning Baltic visit after RS tour. Moscow 3 days, Vilnius 2 days, Riga 2 days?

You won't need visa for Baltic Republics and for certain visits to St.Petersburg. You will need visa for Moscow. To get visa is a little bit hassle and also it is relatively expensive. I personally would not bother with visa just for 3 days. Few years ago we did 5 days in St.Petersburg, 5 days in Moscow. Some days were on our own, some with a guide. It also helped that I speak some Russian. We also did 14 days cruise on the river Volga - from Moscow to Astrakhan. When we decided to go through the visa hassle then we also decided to make it worth it.
http://www.expresstorussia.com is a Russian travel agency which was very helpful with the logistics of our trip.

The RS tour requires that you get a Russian visa.

I visited the three Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) last summer and loved all of them. We had just shy of 3 weeks, and I felt like we could have spent double that easily. While you could get a very quick taste of them with your plan, I'm not sure it's realistic to try and do Lithuania and Latvia with just a couple days each. But if that's all you have...tough call.

There is an amazing "Air Museum" in Riga. I just wrote up a blog post on it but I have not yet published it. I will send you a link via PM once it's available.

If "air museums" are an interest, there's at least one near Moscow that I believe is unequaled. There's also a great one just outside of Krakow, if you're passing through.

Latvia is a (largely) undiscovered gem. It blew me away. It deserves more than 2 days. And the Baltics in general are wonderful (way better than I had expected...shhhh).

Hi David,
Which air museum do you think is better, the one in Riga or Moscow? We just have time to visit one of them.
Thanks,
Mary

I have not been to any of these countries but I am planning a trip to Latvia and Lithuania for 2 weeks this summer. In the fall, we may go to Russia. This trip is not yet planned but I’m thinking we will visit St. Petersburg, Moscow and possibly some smaller places near Moscow. I don’t think we will need a guide.

I think 2-3 days in Vilnius and Riga will be about right but, if you plan to do any day trips, you’re a little short, and there are a number of non-capital destinations that are worth seeing. Many people seem to do just Vilnius and Riga and are happy with their itineraries.

Travel between cities will take about half a day. We plan to travel by bus. It takes 4-5 hours to go from Vilnius to Riga, but there are many buses so you can choose your time. You could fly too, but when you add waiting time, and time to and from the airport, you probably don’t gain much. Train is not a viable option. You could drive in a rental car, probably with a drop off fee, or hire a driver and see the Hill of Crosses and Rundale on the way, but that would mean less time in the big cities. It’s a balancing act — more places, but less time.

In my planning, I thought of Lithuania and Latvia each being one week countries. Of course, when I actually started planning, I was short a few days. We will save Estonia for another trip.

There are plenty of things to do in both Vilnius and Riga. You could spend more time in either, but if 2 days each is what you have available, you will enjoy them.

In Vilnius I'd certainly visit the Grand Duke's Palace. If you like getting creeped out, try the KGB museum. Trakai Castle is a short bus ride out of the city.

Riga is famous for its Art Nouveau district. Try to get there early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive. Their military history museum is also quite good.

As others have said, the bus system in the Baltic states is good. I'd use that to go from Vilnius to Riga.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and recommendations. I have added them to my list of things to do. As always, there is always more to do, than time allows. This will be an overview, and we will have to return to do justice to these destinations.

I just want to add that Riga has the highest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe. There it’s called Jugendstil. They are everywhere in the city Center, if you know what to look for. The majority of the city center was built in that style in the first 2 decades of the 20th century. Tour groups only go to one street where the most extravagant examples of eclectic art Nouveau style are. The majority of streets in the city, outside the old Medieval town, are not touristy and not crowded at all.
Riga is a real gem for architecture lovers.

Thank you! We will be sure to look for examples as we move around the city, now that we know what to look for.