General information

Ancient Terra Mariana is like a seaside land. The modern Baltic states including Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania are pines and sand, drops of amber on deserted beaches, rebellious waves of the Baltic Sea, measured rhythm of life and carefully preserved folk traditions. Despite that the Baltic region is small in size, it offers a great variety of places to visit and activities to take.

An impressive amount of health resorts combined with a mild climate, where summer is not too hot, and winter is moderately cold, provides the Baltics with a steady flow of tourists throughout the year. There are a lot of places to visit the Baltic states including historic sights, interesting museums, delicious national dishes accompanied by the permanent hospitality of local residents.

What to see in the Baltic states

You might be surprised, however, the best places to visit in the Baltic states are not located in the big cities and while planning your itinerary and questioning yourself “what to visit in Lithuania, Estonia or Latvia?” focus on the smaller towns, because the capitals offer mostly the same kind of attractions.

First of all, you are extremely recommended to visit a few amazing places in Lithuania suburbs while you travel around the Baltic countries.

One of the most visited places – an old water mill in Viekšniai built in 1897. At first, this technical monument served to grind wheat, then to card wool, and after that in 1928 supplied the city with electricity as an ecological energy generator.

The Old Town of Kėdainiai was decorated in the 17th century. The Town Hall, one of the three of such a kind in Lithuania, is the only Renaissance style building that testifies to the significance, status, and prestige of the city. It is one of the few towns in Lithuania that has an old town with buildings of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism. In the Old Town you will find museums, cozy cafes, restaurants, shops.

The Mūša Tireli Wetland Complex was recognized as a valuable and protected area relatively late. This unique natural complex of Northern Lithuania consists of high bogs, intermediate type swamps, marshes, peat bogs, and wet forests.

If you, while travelling around the Baltic States, by chance come to Latvia and will be thinking about what to do and where to go to gain as best exploring experience as possible, you might want to see such amazing places in this tiny but beautiful country.

Gauja National Park is the largest national park in Latvia. The windy underground lakes are the only underground lakes in Latvia, and they are invulnerable with their beauty and icy, cold underground water! The 19-meter high Zvārte rock is one of the most popular, and most spectacular sandstone rock outcrops in Latvia. And from there you can go hiking along the Amata nature trail, which runs along the river bank.

Velnezers or Chertoks, located in Latgale. This lake is wrapped up in many legends. There are no aquatic plants, and animals never drink from it. Fish are present but very few. The lake changes its color from blue to emerald. It is believed that this place has some special energy, as many call it the Devil’s Eye.

A Pokaini Forest is a mysterious place, especially during the dusk. The Blair Witch could be filmed here easily. It is believed to be a very old sanctuary, as evidenced by rock stacks. However, the secret of Pokaiņi forest was never revealed.

Mikelbaka. It is the highest lighthouse in Latvia, and it is a real test for those who are afraid of altitude of 56 meters.

Lake Kaniera and the Lake bird watching tower. There are 14 islands in the lake and 237 bird species. This tower is included not only in Latvia’s but also in Europe’s most important bird watching places. Moreover, this is also a good trail for walking, even if you do not have a particular bird in sight.

While visiting Estonia, do not forget to put your eye on these attractions

The famous Estonian island of Saaremaa, named by German settlers Ezel, is an interesting site to visit. It is on the fourth place by size among all the islands of the Baltic Sea. The flat surface of the island is formed by a press of ice and multi-tonne layers of snow during the Ice Age.

The most significant elevation is considered to be Raunamägi Hill. It rises 54 meters high. In the central part of the island the main attraction is located – Meteorite craters in Kaali. The largest of them was abandoned several thousand years ago. It was the last fall of a large meteorite on a densely populated point. It is surrounded by 8 smaller craters.

You can also visit the Karija Katarijna Church, Viidumäe Nature Reserve, Angla Windmills and many other beautiful places of Estonia on the island.

There is a huge amount of the places to visit in the Baltic States , as it is a region with amazing nature, friendly people and European calmness. This is a place which you will definitely like, whether you are a city lover or a country hiker.