A voyage of discovery through the Baltic countries

An 8am flight from Luton on a Saturday in the middle of summer is rarely a good way to start a holiday but everything ran smoothly and our Wizz Air flight landed in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, at lunchtime.

Through Regent Travel, we had booked a two-week fly-drive through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia but rather than follow their suggested itinerary of driving to Tallinn and back, we opted to go one way, dropping off our rental car in Tallinn.

The three countries have much in common – excellent roads (borders are crossed almost without noticing), they all use the euro and they are at least as tech-savvy as the UK. They speak different languages; all incomprehensible, but fortunately most people speak English.

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National flags are ubiquitous, as are Ukrainian ones, signalling the national pride that comes with having had to struggle against invasion and occupation for 800 years. They were invaded three times during the last war alone and there is no doubt who their enemy is.

As striking is the overwhelming evidence of civic pride. Roads, streets and public spaces are completely litter free, everywhere is neat and tidy and the flower displays, both municipal and private, in Latvia and Lithuania would attract accolades from the RHS judges at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Historical buildings, often severely damaged by past wars, have been faithfully restored, even rebuilt completely from scratch. After 45 years of Soviet occupation in which national identities and history were suppressed, the last 35 years have been spent rediscovering the past.

Countries of woods and lakes

With a combined area greater than England and Wales, but a population of only six million, the countryside is dominated by forests, swamps, lakes and farmland with little urban sprawl and empty roads. Nowhere is much above 1,000ft above sea level and the coastline has no shortage of beautiful sandy beaches. However, Scottish latitudes mean that it is not an obvious place for a seaside holiday outside high summer.

The capital cities – Vilnius (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia) and Tallinn (Estonia) – have medieval old towns (faithfully restored) as does Lithuania’s old capital, Kaunas.

Klaipeda was the East Prussian city of Memel until 100 years ago and a drive down the Curonian spit, reached by ferry, is not to be missed. Don’t go too far or you will end up at the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg.

Other stopping points include the attractive towns of Kuldiga, Sigulda (both in Latvia) and Tartu (Estonia). Rundale Palace, south of Riga, is magnificent and castle buffs (like me) will be in their element.

Trakai, Turaida and Cesis are well worth seeing, as are the walls encircling Old Tallinn The variety of churches, from Catholic to Orthodox to Lutheran, both in the cities and in the small towns, is exceptional. In an area where there is rarely more than a gentle hill, climbing the towers of castles, churches and town halls provides excellent exercise.

Reliable hotels and great food

With one exception, our hotels were at least good and sometimes excellent. It’s worth checking these out on-line before departure rather than leaving it all on trust to Regent. The Insight guide is a good investment to identify the sights, check the itinerary and propose variations.

The quality of the restaurants was a major surprise. The days of East European stodge are long gone and there are enough Michelin-starred or recommended restaurants to merit a visit focused on eating rather than sightseeing.

In Vilnius, don’t miss the Ertlio Namas where we were served beaver paté (they are a pest in the Baltics) and chocolates flavoured with strawberry and cucumber – the best I have ever tasted. Moreover, prices by UK standards are reasonable.

The only mementoes of Soviet occupation are in the antique/junk shops. These are now prosperous, friendly and safe countries – no wonder so many of those who came to the UK 20 years ago have gone back.

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