Vilnius
The 'Republic' of Užupis's Constitution is engraved in English, French, Lithuanian and several other languages on plaques running along Paupio gatvė. It…
Must-see attractions in The Baltic States
Latvian Academy of Science Observation Deck
Maskavas Forštate, Avotu Iela & Grīziņkalns
This Stalinesque tower is a not-so-welcome Soviet-era present from Moscow, which has seven towers just like it, only bigger. Construction of what is often…
Latvia
This Cold War–era site contains a large radio telescope now run by an academic institute and used for astronomical studies. Hidden in the forest 24km…
Lithuania
Though the wooden mosque in this historical village dates back to 1909, record show that there has been a mosque on this site since 1684. It is one of the…
Latvia
Slītere National Park protects 265 sq km of land back from the coast on the Kolka peninsula. The park's focal point is the Slītere Lighthouse, a towering…
Lietūkis Garage Massacre Memorial
Kaunas
This small memorial in the courtyard marks the spot where, on June 27, 1941, during the first days of the Nazi occupation of the city, Lithuanian …
Latvia
Like a big pink birthday cake sitting on a verdant lawn, Bīriņi Castle governs a scenic tract of land overlooking a tranquil lake. Located on the…
Latvia
What poses as a dreary rehabilitation centre is in fact a top-secret Soviet bunker, known by its code name, the Pension. When Latvia was part of the USSR,…
Lithuania
Displaying traditional dress, arresting photographs and items from daily life, this small ethnographic museum traces the ancestry of the Karaites, a…
Salaspils Concentration Camp Memorial
Latvia
In October 1941 the Nazis sent 1800 German Jews to Latvia to build a concentration camp at Salaspils, 18km southeast of Rīga. Over 1000 died during the…
Šķēde Dunes Holocaust Memorial
Latvia
The beauty obscures the horror. Some 10km north of Liepāja, off a long dirt coastal road, is a memorial at a place of death. Amidst a flawless white sand…
Vilnius
Flamboyant and Gothic St Anne's Church, a vision of undulating lines and red-brick arches, was built in 1500 on the site of a wooden church that burned to…
Latvia
The large old castle hill (pilskalns), 2.5km north of town on the western bank of the Venta, was the fortress of Lamekins, the Cour who ruled much of…
Mickiewicz Memorial Apartment & Museum
Vilnius
‘Lithuania, my fatherland…’ is from Poland’s romantic masterpiece Pan Tadeusz. Its Polish author Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855) – muse to Polish nationalists…
Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
Vilnius
The peachy facade gives an understated first impression but there's an electric atmosphere inside Lithuania’s chief Russian Orthodox church. The 16th…
Kaunas
The open-air museum consists of re-created 18th- and 19th-century villages representing Lithuania’s main regions (Dzūkija, Aukštaitija, Suvalkija,…
Vilnius
The 'Green House' exhibits the unvarnished truth behind the destruction of Lithuania's once-vibrant Jewish community, the Litvaks. The displays – mostly…
Latvia
More grotto than cave, this 19m-deep fissure in the earth is most famous for its role in the tragic legend of the Rose of Turaida. Most tourists visit to…
Lithuania
The region around Biržai is famous for its karst sinkholes, formed when underground water sources wash away the gypsum supporting the soil. More than 9000…
Lithuania
A pine forest 10km south of Anykščiai contains the Puntakas Stone (Puntuko akmuo), a boulder 5.7m tall, 6.7m wide and 6.9m long, which legend says was put…
Vilnius
The massive buttresses and towering walls of this, one of the most impressive churches in Vilnius, are capable of providing defence as well as worship…
Ventės Ragas Ornithological Station
Lithuania
The first bird-ringing station was established here in 1929, but it was not until 1959 to 1960 that large bird traps were installed. Today around 100,000…
Estonia
This massive 7-tonne, 3.5m-high, 7.1m-long statue was completed by local artist Tauno Kangro to commemorate the town’s 700th anniversary in 2002. You…
Lithuania
Horse lovers – and kids – will want to make the journey 6km north to Lithuania’s only horse museum, in the tiny village of Niūronys. Set out as a…
Kaunas
This branch of the many-tentacled Čiurlionis museum exhibits works by 20th-century Lithuanian artists, including a particularly poignant Lithuania In…
Latvia
Veczemju klintis, halfway between Saulkrasti and Salacgrīva, is a dramatic spot for a picnic and a walk. The jagged cliffs have a deep reddish hue and are…
Čepkeliai Strict Nature Reserve
Lithuania
The 112-sq-km Čepkeliai reserve, the largest area of untouched nature in Lithuania, is a glorious wet wilderness of bogs, black alder swamps, Cladinoso…
Lithuania
This once-grand Romantic estate, built by Count Mykolas Tiškevičius in 1862, is beautifully sited on the northern shore of Lake Širvėna. It's subsequently…
Molėtai Astronomical Observatory
Lithuania
There are spectacular views of Molėtai’s lake-studded landscape and the stars above from the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory on Kaldiniai Hill (193m)…
Make Everything Great Again Mural
Vilnius
In 2016 the mural by artist Mindaugas Bonanu, depicting Trump and Putin kissing and the slogan 'Make Everything Great Again', went viral. It was a…
Latvia
This centre in an old brick and wood building set back from the street features a great array of locally made handicrafts, including beautiful wool…
Museum of Deportation & Resistance
Kaunas
The Museum of Deportation & Resistance documents Lithuania's struggles with foreign oppression, between 1940 and 1990. The spirit of resistance was…
Southern Latvia
Stop at Koknese to admire the ruins of Kokenhausen, a medieval castle. It has a stunning location overlooking the confluence of the Daugava and Perse…
Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
Kaunas
With over 250,000 specimens spread over three floors, this museum covers the animal kingdom from the imposing taxidermy mammals (bison, muskox, big cats,…
Vilnius
The Old Arsenal, built in the 16th century and restored in the 1980s, houses temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection showcasing 15th- to 19th…
Vilnius
This squat, unlovely Soviet-built 'palace', home to the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament), was the scene of a historic standoff. On 13 January 1991…
Southern Latvia
Grandly named the Garden of Destiny, this sprawling project on an island in the river celebrates Latvia as a nation and opened for the centennial in 2018…
![Western Siberian Eagle Owl [Bubo Bubo Sibericus] in full flight](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2019-06/531770715_high.jpg?fit=crop&w=360&ar=1%3A1&auto=format&q=75)
