Polish and Baltic Highlights Escorted Vacation

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Tonight, enjoy a welcome drink and meeting with your tour director at the hotel.

For half a millennium Krakow was the royal capital of Poland and for centuries the city walls have guarded its traditions and secrets. Your morning sightseeing tour takes you to the Old Town with the St. Mary’s Church, the Jagiellonian University, the Cloth Halls and Wawel with Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. In the afternoon, consider joining an optional excursion to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine, an amazing labyrinth of tunnels going down as far as 1,070 ft. Enjoy an optional Polish dinner at Restaurant Hawelka in the evening. (B)

Depart Krakow for Czestochowa, the spiritual heart of Poland, where you will visit the Jasna Gora Monastery with the Black Madonna. Traveling through the flat low-laying plain of Central Poland you will reach Warsaw in the early afternoon. (B)

Warsaw is essentially a post-war city with a meticulously reconstructed Old Town. Your morning sightseeing tour includes the Royal Route and the Old Town with the Royal Castle, St John’s Cathedral, the Old Town Market Square and the Barbican. In the afternoon, you may join an optional excursion to the Royal Lazienki Park with the Palace on the Water. The evening offers an optional Polish dinner at Restaurant Bazyliszek. (B)

Today we continue through the well forested Eastern Poland to Podlasie region and Bialowieza. The forest there represents the ancient forest that once covered all Europe. We will visit Bialowieza National Park and its famous European Bison Show Reserve. After light stroll along nature trails of the forest, we continue to Biaylistok where we check in at Hotel Ibis Styles Bialystok*** or similar. In the late afternoon we visit Bialystok and its landmark Branicki Palace. (B)

We depart from Bialystok heading to Vilnius through attractive resort towns into Lithuania. We do a stop in Kaunas, the former capital of Lithuania, to admire the beautiful Old Town and the elegant white Baroque Town Hall before we arrive in the late afternoon to Vilnius. (B)

Vilnius is known for its more than 1,200 medieval buildings and 48 churches. Your morning sightseeing tour includes a panoramic tour of the city and a walking tour of the Old Town including the Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower, Peter and Paul Church, St. Anne’s Church, the Old University and the Gates of Dawn. In the afternoon, consider joining an optional excursion to Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania, with the well-preserved Trakai Castle, beautifully located on an island in Lake Galve. In the evening, enjoy an optional folklore dinner at Restaurant Belmontas. (B)

Heading for Riga, the first stop is the Hills of Crosses, one of the most holy sites of Catholic Lithuania. After crossing into Latvia, you will soon reach the magnificent Rundale Palace, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. Following a guided tour of the palace, you will travel through the rolling hills of Southern Latvia to reach Riga in the late afternoon. (B)

Founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert, Riga is the largest of the three Baltic capitals and boasts a real kaleidoscope of architectural styles. Join your walking tour of the Old Town which includes Riga Castle, the Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, the Swedish Gate, the Three Brothers, the Large and Small Guilds and the Freedom Monument. The afternoon is reserved for an optional visit to Jurmala, the vibrant Latvian sea resort, famous for its wooden architecture and sandy beaches. In the evening, enjoy an optional Latvian dinner at the stylish Restaurant Forest. (B)

After getting acquainted with Riga, you will have the possibility to discover medieval Latvia. This morning's optional tour takes you to the stunning scenery of the Gauja National Park and to the town of Sigulda. Learn about the medieval Latvian legend of the Rose of Turaida, and see the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and of the Castle of the Knights of the Sword before returning to Riga. In the afternoon, you may join an optional visit to the Ethnographical Open Air Museum, a spacious exposition of 18th century country life. The evening offers an optional organ concert at the Dome Cathedral. (B)

Your tour continues along the coastal highway to the Estonian summer resort of Parnu. You will have a short tour of the resort before continuing through the North Estonian forests. Arrive in Tallinn by early afternoon. (B)

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquility and modern urban life. The medieval Old Town is a busy place in the summer with its many shops, galleries, souvenir markets, outdoor cafés and restaurants. This morning’s sightseeing tour takes you around the old medieval city walls and into the Old Town where you will see Toompea Castle, the Dome Church, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the medieval Old Town Hall and the Great Guild Hall. In the afternoon, consider joining an optional excursion to Kadriorg Park and KUMU, the award-winning new Estonian art museum, with its collections of classic and contemporary fine art. The evening offers an optional medieval dinner at Restaurant Peppersack. (B)

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Tallinn airport for your return flight home. (B)