First time trip to Helsinki and the Baltic Region! I was inspired to take this trip by my RS forum friends. I'm so glad I did!
Dates traveled: July 28 - Aug. 20, 2026
Length of trip: 22 nights
Favorite Travel Partner: My husband
Trip planning: Rick Steves Scandinavia guidebook (covers Helsinki and Tallinn), Lonely Planet, RS travel forum.
Tech travel planning: TripIt Pro
Transportation:
Airline: Lufthansa SFO - FRA - HEL Return trip: VNO - FRA - SFO
Viking Line Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn (2 hours)https://www.sales.vikingline.com/find-trip/
LUXexpress Bus from Tallinn to Riga (4 hrs 35 min) Riga to Vilnius (4 hrs. 20 min) https://luxexpress.eu/en/
Itinerary and Hotels:
Helsinki- 4 nights. Hotel Haven https://www.hotelhaven.fi/en/. (My splurge hotel, but found a 25% discount on their website!)
Tallinn - 7 nights. My City Hotel https://www.mycityhotel.ee/en/ (3 nights or more 15% discount)
Riga- 6 nights. Wellton Riverside SPA hotel https://www.wellton.com/en/hotels/wellton-riverside-spa-hotel
Vilnius- 5 nights. Rinno Hotel https://www.booking.com/hotel/lt/rinno.htm
Weather: While so much of Europe was suffering through heat waves, we enjoyed daily 72 -79°F weather in Helsinki and the Baltic region.
Arrival in Helsinki, Finland:
HEL is a sleek, impressive, very manageable airport. We took the 30 min train from the airport to the Central Train Station and then walked to our hotel.
Highlights:
Senate square
Upsenski Cathedral
Oodi Library
Sibelius Monument
Market Square
The Esplanade
Suimenlinna Fortress
How we got around:
Walked everywhere including RS Helsinki City Walk and Peninsula Promenade.
Rick’s Helsinki Tram Tour.
Ferry to Suomenlinna island.
Delicious meals:
Stalls on Market Square and Old Market Hall for grilled salmon, salmon soup, Scandinavian meatballs.
Fazer Café for lunch
Café Bar No. 9 for friendly environment and simple good food with locals.
Fun day trip:
Suomenlinna Fortress by ferry is a super fun day trip! Highly recommend!
Arrival in Tallinn, Estonia:
Helsinki to Tallinn by Viking Line ferry. Very pleasant trip with free entertainment and plenty of seating. We brought our own food and drink. Boarding was a bit of a crush but very quick. Walked from the dock to our hotel in Tallinn.
Highlights
“Old Town” is fairytale-like and picturesque with a lot of cobblestones.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Balti Jaam Market for fresh fruit and lunches
Tellskivi Creative City for great meals
Rotermann Quarter is cool and futuristic
How we got around
Walked everywhere including RS Tallinn Walk
Easy 10 min. tram ride to Kadriorg park
Bolt taxi (4.3 Euros) from hotel to bus station upon leaving Tallinn for Riga.
Delicious Meals
Pelmen Kohvik. Fun retro cafe with authentic pelmeni (dumplings).
Kompressor Pancakes. Another fun restaurant with great prices!
F-hoon Restaurant. Part of the lively Tellskivi Creative City food scene.
Rataskaevu 16: Popular, high-end cuisine.
Røst. Scandinavian style bakery in Rotermann
Pierre Chocolaterie Café. 1930's Parisian style café tucked away in a pretty courtyard in "Old Town."
Delightful Day Trip outside Tallinn's core area: Kadriorg Park (free and beautiful!) and the lovely Kumu Art Museum. Highly recommend!
Special Events
Two sights that we really enjoyed include a bonus music event!
Church of the Holy Ghost known as the “Clock Church” dating back to 1633. Medieval gem that is authentic, peaceful and unassuming from the outside but worth exploring the pretty inside. Free organ concert with your ticket.
St Nicholas Church is a gorgeous art museum now. Elevator to top of steeple for amazing views of Tallinn. Free organ concert with ticket.