Three countries on the shores of the Baltic Sea – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia may be surprisingly contrasting, as each country has a different language and belongs to different branch of Christianity, but all three are united by their common history going back many centuries, and the joint struggle for independence. To fully experience the Baltic flavour, one should visit all three.
The largest by territory and population, but with the smallest of the Baltic States coastline, Lithuania was first mentioned in written in the early 11th century. Lithuanians always opposed the outside influence, would it be Crusades and later on Reformation, or Soviet Occupation, longer than their neighbors. With almost four fifths of Lithuanians belonging to Roman Catholic Church, it’s no surprise they are jokingly accredited the “Baltic Italians”.
Vilnius, the largest Lithuanian city and capital, being named in the past “The Jerusalem on North” and “Baroque City”, has minimum similarities to other Baltic capitals due to the domination of Baroque and Renaissance over Gothic style in the architecture and presence of 65 churches. Vilnius University, the oldest in the Eastern Europe, was founded in 1579.
Being often referred as the “heart” or the “pearl” of the Baltics, Latvia is one of the least populous and least densely populated countries of Europe. Predominantly plain with most of the territory less than 100 meters above sea level, Latvia has the 4th highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union.
The capital of Latvia – Riga, lies on the Gulf of Riga and with its population of briefly 700000 inhabitants is the largest of the Baltic capitals. In just a bit more than eight centuries from its foundation in 1201, Riga has grown from the traders’ settlement to the global city. Once a member of the Hanseatic League, later the biggest city of the Swedish Kingdom and the 3rd biggest city of Russian Empire in pre-WWI period, Riga bears traces of all these époques in its architecture. By virtue of Gothic Old Town along with Art Nouveau city and the wooden architecture, Riga’s historical center is reasonably listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The smallest by area and population out of three Baltic States, but definitely not the least economically, Estonia has the highest GDP per capita among the former Soviet republics. Estonia’s coastline is 3794 km long due to 1500 islands and islets and this is not the only way to outdo the neighbors. Estonia is often described as one of the most “wired” countries in Europe and was the first to join the Eurozone.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and the oldest capital city in Northern Europe, is world-famous for its well-preserved Old Town. Port of Tallinn is one of the biggest in the Baltic Sea region in passenger and cargo turnover.
The Baltic States are profiting from geographical location that allows easy itinerary combinations with Scandinavia, Poland and Belarus. Helsinki, the capital of Finland is just 2 hours trip by a comfortable ferry. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden is just an overnight away from Tallinn in nice ferry cabin. The Baltic States are easily accessible by air, land or water transport. We will help you plan your trip to the Baltic States with different types of route combinations!
