Baltic Christmas Markets: Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn

1. Day 1: Arrive in Vilnius

   Vilnius Airport (VNO) to your hotel in or near the Old Town

   • Dinner
   • Stay in Vilnius
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Vilnius Airport (VNO); the transfer to the Old Town hotel is proposed and its time confirmed with the supplier. If you land early, ask the hotel whether bags can be held (not assumed) and walk to Cathedral Square, where the Christmas tree and market are planned to be open from 28 November. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the seven days: which days are long road days, how much daylight to expect, what to pack for streets that can be icy and temperatures that may stay below freezing. We then walk to a welcome dinner of Lithuanian dishes nearby, perhaps potato dumplings called cepelinai or a bowl of beetroot soup. Tomorrow starts with Trakai, so tonight is for resting after the journey.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Vilnius Airport (VNO), proposed
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   

2. Day 2: Trakai castle and Vilnius Old Town

   Vilnius: Trakai Island Castle, then the Old Town, Cathedral Square and Užupis

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Vilnius
   Day 2 details

   We plan to drive out to Trakai in the morning, about half an hour from Vilnius by road (an estimate), to see the red-brick island castle on Lake Galvė. The museum's page still carries a Dukes Palace renovation notice with no completion date, and its hours differ by month: Tuesday to Sunday in November, Wednesday to Sunday from December, with no year stated. The visit date is the departure date plus one day, so we check the castle's access for that actual date before offering any interior, and walk the lakeshore if it is closed. Back in Vilnius we walk the Old Town with a guide: the cathedral, the university courtyards and the lanes toward Užupis, the small district that declared itself a republic. Late afternoon is free for the Cathedral Square market, whose crowds and stalls we cannot predict. Whether the lake is frozen, or any snow lies on the castle, cannot be promised.

   Included

   • Trakai Island Castle visit, subject to opening days and ticketing
   • Vilnius Old Town walk with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • Hot chocolate or mulled wine at the market; the Gediminas Tower climb if conditions allow (the museum lists daily 10:00 to 20:00, with different holiday hours)

   Easier option: Skip the Užupis lanes and shorten the Old Town walk; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   More active option: Climb Gediminas Hill in the free afternoon for the view over the Old Town roofs

   Free time: Free late afternoon and evening

   Activity: Check Trakai access and renovation status for the actual day 2 visit date

   

3. Day 3: Hill of Crosses on the road to Riga

   Vilnius to Riga by road, with a stop at the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Riga
   Day 3 details

   This is a long road day, an estimated four to five hours of driving in total plus stops, which we explain rather than hide. We leave Vilnius in the morning and drive north across Lithuania to the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai, a pilgrimage site where visitors have planted many thousands of crosses. The local tourism office says it can be visited at any time; in winter the paths can be frozen and slippery, so boots with grip matter. We stop here for about an hour, then have a lunch break before crossing into Latvia. Latvia is also in the Schengen Area, so we do not expect a routine border stop, though checks can be reintroduced temporarily, so carry your passport. The sun sets in mid-afternoon at this time of year, so expect to reach Riga in the dark and check in. The evening is free; the Old Town lights and the market are a short walk from most central hotels, though we do not name hotels yet. Drive times are estimates to be confirmed with the supplier.

   Included

   • Hill of Crosses stop
   • Lunch on the road

   Easier option: View the hill from the nearest point and skip the paths; icy paths may limit access

   Free time: Free evening in Riga

   

4. Day 4: Riga Old Town and the Christmas market

   Riga: Old Town walk, Dome Square and the House of the Blackheads

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Riga
   Day 4 details

   Today is Riga on foot in the short winter daylight. The guided walk takes in the Old Town lanes, the House of the Blackheads with its Roland statue and the square where, by local story, the first decorated Christmas tree stood in 1510; Tallinn tells a similar tale, and we treat both as lore rather than proof. We go through to the cathedral at Dome Square and past the Three Brothers houses. The Riga Christmas Market is listed from 27 November with hours that differ by weekday, so lunch and afternoon browsing are yours and we check the listing for your day. We suggest trying grey peas with bacon and, as an optional extra for adults, a taste of Black Balsam, the dark herbal liqueur, at a venue to be chosen. In the evening we share a dinner of Latvian dishes in the Old Town, then the night is free. Church opening times are rechecked before departure.

   Included

   • Riga Old Town guided walk
   • Dinner in the Old Town

   Optional experiences

   • Black Balsam tasting, adults only, venue and cost not included
   • A museum visit in the free afternoon

   Easier option: Shorten the walk; public tram or taxi use is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included

   More active option: Walk the riverside and Bastion Hill park in the free afternoon

   Free time: Free afternoon and late evening

   

5. Day 5: Pärnu and on to Tallinn

   Riga to Tallinn by road via Pärnu

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tallinn
   Day 5 details

   Our second long road day starts with the coast road north from Riga, an estimated four hours of driving plus stops, which we plan to break at Pärnu, Estonia's seaside town. In summer it is a beach resort; in late November and December we make no promise about what will be open or how busy it is, so we plan a short walk, a coffee stop and a free lunch instead of a full programme, and we do not promise any particular weather. We then continue to Tallinn, arriving in the afternoon or at dusk, in time to check in and walk to Town Hall Square, where the Christmas Market is listed to be open from 20 November. The tree and the stalls are lit after dark, so we plan the first look in the early evening. Dinner tonight is free. Winter ice or fog could slow the road; the guide decides on the day whether to shorten the Pärnu stop.

   Included

   • Pärnu walk and coffee stop
   • Town Hall Square first look

   Free time: Free evening in Tallinn

   Activity: Winter road conditions may shorten the Pärnu stop

6. Day 6: Tallinn medieval walls and market

   Tallinn: Old Town, Toompea hill and the medieval town walls

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Tallinn
   Day 6 details

   Our last full day is Tallinn on foot. The guided morning covers Toompea hill with its viewing platforms, the lanes of the lower Old Town and the medieval town wall. The Hellemann Tower wall walkway is listed Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00, from 15 October to 15 April, so it is closed on Tuesdays, and the climb is by steep stairs without handrails; the listing carries no year, so we recheck it for your date and do not promise access. After a free lunch at the market or a café, the afternoon is open for the Town Hall Square market, handicraft stalls and mulled wine. Tonight we share a farewell dinner of Estonian dishes in the Old Town. Lahemaa National Park is not part of this plan. Whether Tallinn has snow, a bright sky or fog on your date cannot be promised.

   Included

   • Tallinn Old Town walk with your guide, with the wall walkway where open
   • Farewell dinner

   Easier option: Skip the climb to Toompea and walk the lower Old Town only; the wall walkway has steep stairs without handrails

   More active option: Walk the Hellemann Tower wall walkway if open on the day

   Free time: Free lunch and afternoon

   

7. Day 7: Departure from Tallinn

   Hotel to Tallinn Airport (TLL)

   • Breakfast
   Day 7 details

   After breakfast we transfer you to Tallinn Airport (TLL), which is close to the centre, for your onward journey; we confirm the transfer time with the supplier. Please book flights with this in mind: we do not set a default flight deadline, and an early departure may mean skipping breakfast. If you have time before a later flight, you could take one last walk through the Old Town or a final market stall if time allows; luggage storage at the hotel is not assumed and must be asked about. The trip ends at the airport. If you wish to stay longer in Tallinn, or continue to Helsinki by sea, tell us before booking so we can price an extra night, which is not included. Nothing is promised about the weather on the departure morning.

   Included

   • Transfer to Tallinn Airport (TLL), proposed

   Free time: Free until your transfer

Wildlife and weather: Late November to December is cold and dark: daytime highs near or below 0 °C are common, with snow, sleet, fog or rain all possible, and only about six to eight hours of daylight (fewer in Tallinn in late December). Snow cover and frozen lakes are not guaranteed.

• Vilnius2 nights
• Riga2 nights
• Tallinn2 nights