trip to Latvia and Lithuania

We did a tour of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2011 after a tour of Russia. We spent two days and nights in each country. We saw a lot, didn't go to the beach.

We loved those countries. After going through Russia, we enjoyed them so much more. Everyone in those countries thanked us for the US supporting their freedom from the tyranny of the former Soviet Union.
All three countries were significantly ahead of Russia in infrastructure improvements.

Enjoy.

Just took a trip to the Baltics last December. I would definitely say 5 nights in Vilnius is too much. It just lacks the charm that Riga and Tallinn have. In fact, I'd highly recommend opting for Tallinn, Estonia instead of Vilnius if you don't have time for both. It is one of the best preserved medieval old towns in Europe, very magical. Further, you can take a ferry across the Baltic sea to Helsinki for a day trip (the ferry is like a mini cruise ship, very fun).

We went Helsinki (1 night), Tallinn (3 nights), Riga (1 night), and Vilnius (2 nights) and really felt like we missed out on Riga. In fact, we wished we had stayed there for 3 nights and completely cut out Vilnius.

Warning: Would recommend taking Air Baltic between the Baltic capitals if you have the funds. We took the flix bus from Tallinn to Riga and it was an absolute nightmare... I wont get into the details but trust me, take the plane. It was so bad I booked a flight from Riga to Vilnius the next day to avoid another bus and it was 100% worth it even with the last minute premium. The plane was brand new, clean, and we had the whole cabin to ourselves.

These are both great places! From Riga, I also recommend Sigulda National Park, which is a beautiful area and includes a Soviet-era bunker under a spa complex that you can tour. That was maybe the highlight of the trip for me. From Vilnius you can very easily get a bus to Trakai which has a lovely castle. It's also very inexpensive to take a hot air balloon in Lithuania- we did our first ever balloon ride over Trakai Castle and it was an amazing experience. We spent four days in Vilnius and that seemed the right amount of time but you could always add more day trips. Tallinn's old town is quite special if you have the time to fit that in.

A few thoughts.....there are numerous ways to get between Riga and Vilnius.

If you want to take the bus, Flix would not be my choice. Look into Lux Express. I used them last year between Vilnius and Riga. I upgraded to their premium section. Bigger seat, 1-2 configuration rather than 2-2 configuration, free wifi, free tea and coffee, free bottled water and a toilet. There was even an entertainment screen but there were no options in English. Very comfortable. The total fare including the upgrade was 28 Euros.

There is also a train between Riga and Vilnius that I'll be taking this spring.

Five nights is probably too much for Vilnius. The train/bus system is good and you could take a day trip to Kaunas or even spend a night or two there.

You could also go in the opposite direction and spend time in Tallinn with a day trip to Helsinki.

My suggestion would be to fly to Tallinn. Spend some time there. Then either bus or plane to Riga for the dates of the conference and maybe an extra and then travel down to Vilnius.

I was supposed to take the bus between Riga and Tallinn but at the last minute decided to fly on Air Baltic. Nice new planes. Pleasant staff.

Some of this is just choice. But if you are set on these 3 locations, I think I might choose option 2 and begin with Vilnius. 5 nights gives you 4 days, which isn’t too much. It’s a delightful relaxed town and a good place to begin. Then you do have options getting to Riga: those mentioned above but also these’s a sightseeing bus that makes some interesting stops along the way. CWSocial did this and reported on it. I almost did, but ended up driving and just used the stops to create my own sightseeing.

And you can certainly finish with a beach town for relaxing. Don’t let anyone convince you differently if that is what you want to do. Latvia is my favorite of the three Baltic countries, but we are all different. However, it would also be very easy to take those days and see Tallinn if that sounds interesting. Fly in to Vilnius and out of Tallinn.

I like that you aren’t rushing!

Here’s my trip report from last year, if any part of it helps.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/baltics-september-2024

The three Baltic capitals are all great, and they're visually quite different. Tallinn has a large medieval core. Riga's claim to fame is Art Noveau architecture, though it has a lot of older buildings as well. Vilnius is Baroque. I found lots to see and extended my time beyond a week in each of those cities, but I am fond of art, decorative arts and Cold War history. People's interests vary.

I liked Liepaja, but you cannot remotely be sure of beach weather at any time of year on the Baltic coast. If that's the main reason it was recommended to you, I'd say three full days could be pretty long if you have cool, wet weather. I'd opt for Tallinn instead, without a second thought. I like the idea of flying into Tallinn a few days before the conference and going to Vilnius after the conference.

Weather Liepaja -- July 2024

Weather Liepaja -- July 2023

I, too, would recommend Lux Express rather than Flixbus. I think Lux has a larger network in that area, and I believe it is more reliable about adhering to its schedule.

Between Riga and Liepaja there is a small town called Kuldiga. I would definitely recommend checking it out too.