The Baltics

Jay and I traveled to the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia) in the Summer of 2015 for vacation. What an underrated part of Europe (at least for Americans)! I didn't know much about the region before I went there, but it's since been a destination I recommend others to visit for its history, warm & friendly people, and kick ass food. We specifically spent time in the capitals (if you have time, travel more through the countries!) - Riga, Vilnius & Tallinn, and also camped out at the Positivus music festival in Salacgriva, Latvia (where we almost were struck with lightning! For real!). This destination guide combines the three cities into one larger post, not because they are not stand alone incredible places, but because it's so easy to travel between the countries that I recommend doing all three on a trip. Enjoy!

First, your Baltics 101...

• Guys, the Baltics are NOT the freaking Balkans. I can't tell you how many times people mix up the regions in conversation. The Baltics refer to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia - three countries in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic sea; the Balkans is in southeastern Europe. Very different. 
• The Baltic states are classified together more for geographic & shared historic reasons than for cultural similarities. Linguistically, Latvia & Lithuania are more similar than Estonia (Estonian is more similar to Finnish), but they are politically fairly different. However, there is a shared history of occupation by the Soviet Union (in the 1940s), so it is interesting to visit the Occupation museums in all three capitals and note the differences. The three capitals are also all firmly northern European, and have that "vibe," though Estonian cuisine more closely resembles Finnish food (i.e., lots of fish!). 
• They speak better English than you do. It's a huge plus to travel to a region where there isn't much of a language barrier, but generally English is very strong here. 
• They're cheaper than the Nordic countries. Way cheaper. Jay and I took the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki for the day, and it was crazy how much more expensive Finland was comparatively. Your money goes a long way here.
• In Tallinn especially, a lot of the best restaurants are closed in July. We traveled there in July, sad face. So just be aware of that fact!
• If you go in the summer, prepare for the daylight! (Likewise, if you go in the winter, be prepared for no sun.) As is the case with most countries in Northern Europe, there's a lot of daylight hours, which can be a bit confusing (I always thought it was way earlier than it was) but also an opportunity to constantly enjoy being out and about.

Where we got our Baltics Insider Tips:

• NY Times 36 Hours in Vilnius- This came out the day before we got to Lithuania, so great timing! Obviously, it is now slightly dated, but I thought the suggestions were great (written again by travel writer Sarah Khan, who wrote the Cape Town 36 Hour guide I mentioned in a past post).
• Travel bloggers - For Riga specifically, I loved finding gems through expat travel blog Ferreting out the Fun (who now lives in Taiwan, but lived in Riga at the time.)
• Live Like a Local - This website is awesome - all tips for places a bit off the beaten path or where locals hang out. I used it for all three cities! In my research to make sure I was as updated as possible for this guide, though, In Your Pocket also is very good.
• FRIENDS! We had a bit of an advantage in the Baltics because my husband had spent the summer working in Riga the year before, and he had friends in the city who gave us great recommendations for places to go. For Tallinn, big shout-out to my friend & fellow foodie Menaka who had lived there and gave me great recommendations for our trip. 

Where we stayed

Because of the aforementioned advantage in Latvia (i.e., friends who lived there at the time), we used our buddy Evan's place in Riga as our base during our vacation, and then traveled to Vilnius & Tallinn via bus from there (I recommend going by bus - it's very easy and affordable!). It was a very ideal situation, (also because his place was very central & in the Art Nouveau district w/ lots of beautiful architecture) so massive thanks to Evan & his dog Henry for hosting us!

Airbnb is obviously a great (and generally my fave) option, but we decided to do the hotel thing this time around in Vilnius and Tallinn. In Vilnius, Lithuania we stayed at the Shakespeare Boutique Hotel (very kitschy and charming, and had the BEST complimentary breakfast ever), and in Tallinn, Estonia, we stayed at the Hotel Palace, which was a bit more "typical" but was very close to everything we wanted to see in the city. (For more charm, we tried but were unsuccessful in getting rooms at the Three Sisters Hotel and the Hotel Telegraaf.)

**RIGA, LATVIA**

Of all the Baltic capitals, Riga is the largest city, and there's plenty to do here - from strolling among the medieval buildings in Old Riga to observing the Art Nouveau architecture to checking out museums and cool restaurants, bars, and cafes. It's super charming with a lot of well-preserved history, though beware of the obvious tourist traps in places like Old Town. Here's my list:

The Touristy Stuff You Gotta See:

1. My husband Jay is really into history (especially war museums), so our trips are generally a compromise between what he wants to see and what I want to eat/drink/do. The Occupation Museum in Riga is his fave among the Occupation Museums in the Baltic capitals, and I'd recommend paying a visit to understand the history of oppression and occupation of Latvians at the hands of the Russians and the Germans. If you're into history of the Soviet occupation (I know, super specific), I'd also recommend visiting the "Corner House", i.e., the former headquarters of the KGB in Riga. I found it fascinating, even as someone not as familiar with said history.
2. Walk around Old Town Riga and check out the gorgeous old medieval buildings (like the famous Dome Cathedral), and walk up to the top of St. Peter's Church, a Lutheran Church built in the 13th century. The view of Riga from the top of the church is pretty breathtaking, but the church itself is also gorgeous. 
3. In terms of monuments, Freedom Monument, located in the city centre, is very powerful (it honors the soldiers killed during the Latvian War for Independence and continues to be an important patriotic symbol today) and it's also very central so makes for an easy meeting point.
4. Visit the Art Nouveau district - the architecture is truly beautiful and Riga's major claim to fame is that it is the city with the highest concentration of art nouveau architecture in the freaking world, so go nuts. 

If You're Hungry/Need Caffeine/Drinks After All that Walking...

1. I really loved the growing coffee culture here in Riga, and stumbled upon some fairly cool coffee places in the city. If you like your coffee non-fuss and to-go, check out one of the Coffee Tower stands around the city. If you prefer a more elegant & cozy sit-down spot, Art Cafe Sienna in the Art Nouveau area had plush sofas & art books, with yummy pastries & cakes and great coffee. Finally, if you like your coffee with a side of hip(ster), do check out Rocket Bean Roastery in the very hip area of Miera Iela. The space used to be an old sock factory (seriously!) and your coffee is served with a tag so you know where it was sourced & roasted. Miera Iela is also a fun place to walk around - lots of galleries & places to pop into.
2. We ate a lot of great food in Riga, but our fanciest (and "foodiest") dinner was had at 3 Pavaru Restorans (or "3 Chefs") in Old Town Riga. Really innovative & interesting food - not for everyone, but I loved my entire experience there (for a similarly highly recommended & foodie experience that is newer than when we were there, check out Restorans 3). Another place that had been on my list but we didn't get to check out was KID*, which is also an Editor's Pick on In Your Pocket.
3. For kitschy but good fun, check out Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs (aka, Ala) which is super lively with live music five nights a week & lots of beer consumed by everyone - locals, expats & tourists alike. It's a fun time.

**VILNIUS, LITHUANIA**

From Riga, Jay and I took a bus to Vilnius (it took about 4 hours) for a quick 36 hour trip. I didn't expect to love Vilnius as much as I did - it was interesting, eccentric & quirky. You'll notice a lot of churches, especially in Old Town, mainly due to the fact that Vilnius managed to maintain its Catholic identity, even during Soviet rule.

Our trip was quick, but here's what I'd recommend:

1. Hike up to the Gediminas' Castle/Tower, which was built in the 14th century and reportedly withstood many Crusaders' attacks. It's a cool spot to visit, and boasts gorgeous views of Vilnius.
2. In keeping with our "Must-Visit-All-Occupation-Museums-in-the-Baltics" commitment (I love you, Jay), we paid a visit to the Museum of Genocide Victims, housed in Vilnius' former KGB headquarters. This was probably my favorite of the three we saw in the Baltics because of how powerful it was to walk through the prisons in the basement of the headquarters. I'm not normally one for tour guides, but I'd recommend getting one for this visit so you can absorb it all.
3. Vilnius loves its artists, so pay a visit to Literatu Gatve, or Literary Street, which pays homage to the country's most famous writers and authors, commemorated through plaques, trinkets & tiles in a sort of open air gallery. Very cool. In keeping with this theme, also check out & maybe grab a drink in the Uzupis area in Vilnius, or the "Artists' Republic." This Bohemian area even has its own constitution, with rights like, "Everyone has the right to love & take care of a cat." There's lots of fun cafes and bars here, but beer lovers should check out Spunka.
4. We ate great food at the very hip Kitchen in Vilnius, where the food was bright and fresh, and took a break to try traditional kibinai pastries at Pinavija, a lovely tearoom & bakery (close to Gediminas' Castle), but didn't get a chance to eat at Bistro 18 (a lot of spots in the Baltics close for the summer!), even though it came highly recommend by the NY Times 36 Hours Guide. Another spot we didn't get to try, on account of being exhausted & jetlagged, but looked amazing was Sweet & Sour Bar, a very cool & affordable speakeasy. 

**TALLIN, ESTONIA**

Tallinn is probably the most well-known of the Baltic capitals, at least to Americans (and Finnish bachelor(ette) parties). As someone working in innovation & entrepreneurship, I've followed Tallinn for awhile because of their e-governance initiatives (you can file your taxes in five minutes!), and also because it's the birthplace of Skype (!), which I use way too often. Similar to Riga & Vilnius, Tallinn has a lovely Old Town, filled to the brim with medieval buildings, churches & towers, but it also has a ton to see and do outside that area (Old Town Tallinn actually felt the most "Disneyland" to me, so I liked getting out & around). The food & language are closer to its neighboring Finland, and Helsinki is so close that we took a ferry one day from Tallinn to visit. We spent a few days here in Tallinn (taking a bus again from Riga), and we just loved it. 

Here's What to Eat/See/Do in Tallinn:

1. Climb ALL THE STEPS (all 258 of them) to get to the top of St. Olaf's Church in Old Town. It was built in the 12th century and boasts one of the best views of Tallinn.
2. Again, definitely walk around the Old Town, where people are dressed up in traditional costumes (hence why it felt Disneyland-ish to me), but also try and explore and get lost in the little passageways, and in particular visit Katariina Kaik (St. Catherine's Passage), which is home to the St. Catherine's Guild, a collection of craft workshops run by women artisans. Beautiful to walk around in, and a good place to buy gifts!
3. There's lot of churches to see & walk into, but I'd recommend walking up Toompea Hill (great views!) and checking out the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church.
4. FOR FOOD: We ate such great food in Tallinn. If you're a Monocle Magazine fan like me, you'll appreciate Sfaar, a restaurant/store serving modern Nordic cuisine but also boasting cool clothing, coffee table books & home decor. It's very hip & great for people watching. Our favorite meal was at Rataskaevu 16 - the food was amazing, the spot is super charming & the staff was really nice and accommodating. 
5. When you go to Tallinn, you must, must, MUST visit Telliskivi Creative City, an old factory complex that's been converted into a warehouse hosting very cool boutiques and vintage shops  - I shopped my heart out here. Telliskivi is right in/by the very hip Kalamaja neighborhood, so once you're done shopping, wander around & check out the cool art installations & street art, and grab a bite at one of the many awesome spots - we tried Kukukeke, but bloggers/locals also suggest F-Hoone, Frenchy, and Lendav Taldrik.
6. Did I mention that a lot of great restaurants close in July?! Bah. If you don't go in July, try to make reservations & check out Cafe Moon, Kolm Sibulat (Three Onions), or Neh, the sister restaurant to Alexander, the reported best restaurant in Estonia (on Muhu Island). 
7. Finally, one thing we didn't get to do but I wish we had time for was the KUMU, an art museum located in Kadriorg, where Peter the Great's summer house is located. The museum itself is supposed to be one of the largest art museums in northern Europe, but Kadriorg is supposed to be gorgeous, and lovely to wander around. 

I hope you enjoy any/all of these incredible cities - we had such an amazing time! If you do go, and you discover new places I should include in this destination guide, let me know!