Estonia
Narva Museum occupies the Hermann Tower and east wing of the castle. Climb the tower's 51m to a wooden viewing gallery, checking out the exhibits on each…
Must-see attractions in The Baltic States
Kalamaja & Telliskivi
A sea fort built in the classicist style in 1840 as part of the defences of the Russian Empire, Patarei was subsequently used as a prison by the Estonian…
Old Town
The blue-and-gold clock on the facade of this striking 13th-century Gothic church is the oldest in Tallinn, dating from 1684. Inside are exquisite…
Tartu
Aparaaditehas (the Widget Factory) is an old 14,000-sq-metre Soviet-era industrial complex where refrigeration equipment and secret submarine parts were…
Southern Estonia
This dignified, compellingly picturesque 17th-century church, with its pale-grey walls and stone altar, has been restored since its Soviet incarnation as…
Jūrmala
Jūrmala's ribbon of white sand stretches for 24km. The sand is hard-packed and ideal for walking – or packing into sand sculptures or castles – and the…
Old Rīga
The spooked black cats mounted on the turrets of this 1909 art nouveau–influenced building have become symbols of Rīga and Instagram stars. On any tour,…
Pirita
Set on 1.2 sq km in the Pirita River valley and surrounded by lush conifer woodlands, these delightful gardens boast over 8000 species of plants,…
Latvia
Vendors have touted their wares here since the mid-17th century. The market expanded in 1910, when an art nouveau–style pavilion was constructed adjacent…
Latvia
Explore this lovely collection of retro bicycles, including a 130-year-old specimen assembled in Latvia. Better yet, choose from a range of modern rental…
Western Estonia & the Islands
In a pretty setting southeast of Kihelkonna, this early-18th-century farm has been preserved in its entirety, complete with thatched-roof wooden…
Latvia
Features a variety of impressive displays, such as an interactive exhibit that brings to life the tough lives of people living in the South Kurzeme in the…
Latvia
On a little hill, the proud white 1645 church looks mundane outside but inside is a national treasure: the towering 17th-century altarpiece is a…
Latvia
Among many fine beaches, the one directly west of the Pabaži train station and the A1 highway has bright white sand, shallow, pine-covered dunes and very…
Lahemaa National Park
Housed in a 19th-century forestry office, with displays on Lahemaa's flora and fauna, outdoor exhibits including a plant trail, hay barn and ice-cellar…
Latvia
The city's main synagogue was built in 1850 and beautifully restored in 2005, thanks to the contributions of Mark Rothko's children. Arrange a visit (by…
Western Estonia & the Islands
The 3km-long peninsula south of Rumpo, plus the 30 islets in Hullo Bay, are protected as the Vormsi Landscape Reserve. It's a haven for rare lichens and…
Old Rīga
Behind a row of granite heads depicting Latvia's most prominent artists, the imperial arsenal, constructed in 1832 to store weapons for the Russian tsar's…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Kuressaare's jauntiest statue, created in 2002, features Saaremaa's legendary gigantic hero, Suur (meaning 'the great') Töll and his wife, Piret, carrying…
Vilnius
West of Jasinskio gatvė across the Neris River is this kenessa, a traditional Karaite (sect of Turkic Jews) prayer house, built in 1911. It's one of three…
Central Rīga
Affectionately known as ‘Milda’, Rīga’s Freedom Monument towers above the city between Old and Central Rīga. Paid for by public donations, the monument…
Vilnius
This wide-ranging museum (inside the New Arsenal) exhibits art and artefacts from Lithuanian life from Neolithic times to the present day. Early history…
Vilnius
The Bishops of Vilnius’ Palace in the 16th century, this classical edifice now houses the president and chancellery. It gained its current Russian empire…
Kalamaja & Telliskivi
Resembling a cross between a nuclear bunker, a WWII sea-fort and some inscrutable temple to a vanished god, the Linnahall is in fact a covered concrete…
Southern Estonia
Sitting on a band of sandstone nearly 500m thick, Piusa was the site of a major quarry from 1922 to 1966 when it was discovered that the stone contained…
Latvia
Gluttons for punishment will get a bellyful in this creepy old Soviet-era prison, which operated right up until 1997. Built in 1900 as an infirmary, it…
St Michael the Archangel Church
Vilnius
This grand early-17th-century chuch, built by the Sapiega family, now houses a wonderful museum of sacral art. The building itself, with its single Gothic…
Western Estonia & the Islands
The great hulking shell of this burnt-out, 14th-century Cistercian monastery practically insists on exploration. Stairs lead up into the ruins, where you…
Old Rīga
Built in 1330 as the headquarters of the grand master of the Livonian Order, this building has been much mutated over the years and now only looks…
Vilnius
Crosses were first erected in the 17th century, in memory of a group of monks martyred by pagans three centuries earlier. The current crosses replace…
Estonia
Built between 1885 and 1895, the five green onion-domed towers of Pühtitsa Convent, crowning Kuremäe (Crane Mountain), are visible for miles. Murals by…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Occupying the keep of Kuressaare Castle since the late 19th century, this museum is devoted to Saaremaa’s nature and history. A large part of the fun is…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Dating from 1874, this 43m lighthouse watches over Tahkuna Peninsula’s northwest tip. Beyond the lighthouse stands an eerie memorial to the victims of the…
Estonia
Originally a Danish stronghold of the 13th century, Rakvere’s star attraction is a hulking, atmospheric semi-ruin that now aims to transport visitors back…
Lithuania
This small museum is densely packed with details about the atrocities committed in Paneriai's forests. Between 1941 and 1944, around 100,000 people …
Kadriorg
This open-air amphitheatre is the site of Estonia’s quinquennial National Song Festival, assorted blockbuster rock concerts and other momentous events…
Southern Estonia
This museum is spread over an 18th-century parish clerk's house and focuses on the life of rural schoolchildren in 19th-century Estonia; the schoolhouse…
Southern Estonia
According to legend, 3.5km-long, 8.5m-deep Pühajärv (Holy Lake) was formed from the tears of the mothers who lost their sons in a battle of the Kalevipoeg…
Lahemaa National Park
The photogenically tumbledown, neoclassical manor house at Kolga dates from 1642, but was largely rebuilt between 1768 and 1820 by the wealthy Stenbock…
Latvia
Photogenically set on an islet in the middle of Āraiši Lake, Āraiši Archaeological Park is a reconstruction of a fortified settlement inhabited by…
![Western Siberian Eagle Owl [Bubo Bubo Sibericus] in full flight](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2019-06/531770715_high.jpg?auto=format&fit=crop&w=360&ar=1:1&q=75)
