Baltic States
 

We're planning on touring the Baltic States later this year - does anyone have any suggestions of things to see, places to go etc. etc? We will be in the area for 2/3 weeks.

Thanks

Mermaid

You're talking about three beautiful but distinct countries (unless you also plan to get further afield -- Kaliningrad, St Petersburg, perhaps home via Finland and Scandinavia? Or Poland and Germany??) that have a lot to offer --

If you give us an idea of what you're interested in, maybe it would be easier to help. History? Culture? Off-roading? Beer? Football? Beaches? Hiking? Music? (All recommended, except perhaps the football.)

--Mike

Hi Mike,

In total we'll be away about 5/6 weeks - going via Germany, Poland and returning through Sweden, Denmark. I'm guessing from the time available we'll spend 2/3 weeks in the Baltics.
I can find plenty to see/do for the rest of the route but anyone I speak to who have gone through the Baltics say that there's nothing but trees apart from the major towns - I don't believe them!!
Our main interests are: 'real' life not tourist life, walking, history, culture, music, natural environment, regional food etc. We prefer to avoid the main roads but as we're both on Triumph Tigers real off roading is a bit too much - gravel tracks/dirt roads are fine.
We're also planning on camping (as well as a mixture of B&B, hotels etc.) but like something in the way of facilities - ie. water, toilet! It sounds as though most camping in the Baltics is basically in a field!

Any help, suggestions etc. would be most appreciated.

Estonia
 

Of course don't believe this kind of BS as it is typical to people who just drive through countries via main transit routes. But we have lots of forest, though.

Actually it is very difficult to give exact suggestions about what to do here as people are all different and have different interests. I recommend to get a travel guidebook, read it to see what is available and then pick places that seem interesting to you. And as you say you like to travel small routes, there is plenty of small gravel roads in Estonia. Avoid main transit routes as these are really quite boring for adventure travel.

About Estonia you can download small travel guide in PDF format.

My quick suggestions would be old town in the capital Tallinn, island Saaremaa (quite touristic in summer) with its nice town Kuressaare. Also, very close to Tallinn is small Soviet chemical factory/mining town Maardu, this is a very strange town that partly feels more like long gone USSR. It is completely untouristic and many Estonians even don't know what is in there. There is more Russian influence in North-East, with abandoned Soviet industrial objects etc. Actually if you take small gravel backroads you can find abandoned houses and stuff like that all over Estonia -- something you don't often see in the West. We also have abandoned Soviet nuclear missile launch base and other military objets.

If you need good maps of Estonia, I strongly recommend this Regio road atlas (available in supermarkets for less than 20 EUR):

It basically has all roads you can drive and also you can easily find unpopulated places as housing is marked on the map. Just keep on small roads and I'm sure you can spend a month here. ;)

Big trailies (like a Triumph Tiger) is an ideal bike here in Estonia, IMHO. If you like gravel roads then this will be your heaven, with decent mix of slow and fast curves, fast straights to get the best joy out of your bike that has both longer distance comfort, power and capability. 600cc or less bikes can a bit too "cramped" when loaded if you plan to ride a lot which you'll probably do.

Some good info already posted by Rebaseonu. I add that Hiiumaa (the second biggest island) is definately better choice than Saaremaa for you, especially in terms of it's having multiple times less tourists, more adventurous dirt/gravel roads and somewhat more unique scenery.

The best if you visit both Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, there's a daily ferry connection between the islands.

Some pics from Hiiumaa and Saaremaa just to get the idea:


In Tallinn "a must" is the old Medieval Town, the rest of the city is relatively similar to anything else you see in Europe.

There are dozens of good roads and destinations in the inland part. From the small village of Vask-Narva in the east to Häädemeeste in the west, from the beautiful banks of Paldiski to the hilly Haanja... Actually I mean the whole contry criss-crossed here. Whether you like to see a sunset on the Paldiski banks along with having a cooling estonian beer or have a swim in the lake Peipsi, visit the highest peak in the Baltic states in Haanja just to get that "ironic feeling" (you'll get it once you're there ;)) or just to ride 400+kms of gravel per day to enjoy the roadside scenery varying from the beutiful nature/forests to the artificial abondoned USSR buildings, ...or have it all mixed is up to you and your travelling style.


A good tip for Estonia: in Regio maps, gravel roads are usually marked with the yellow line: plot your destination(s) to get the most done on the gravel, avoid tar an affordable, slight de-tour compromise if needed. You'll do have some mixture with tar roads anyway (which are "bumpy" in most cases too btw), but the interesting phenomena here is that the scenery on gravel roads can be in 70-80% of cases marked as "beautiful", altough Regio maps mark "beautiful" roads with a green sideline, but only for tarmac roads. Thus the the principle is simple - follow the yellow line to enjoy your ride :)

Another good tip involves a bit more technical tracks which are marked "colourless" (just two parallel lines). in Regio maps. I highly recommend riding those very small roads in the national parks (only where vehicles are allowed), forest areas etc. You just need to check if it's "ridable" or not - some of them may be fully swamped by spring floods or after the rain, but there's no reason not to try - you can always turn around, it's a small country and you'll never get lost or lose too much time in any struggle. But if you find a nice ridable version of that road in a beautiful "environment" (i.e. like national parks), you'll enjoy it. Usually they are some small 4x4 tracks (you can ride them much faster with the bike of course), usually with the condition like these:



Good roads, Margus

My tips pale in comparison to what's gone before, but...:

1. the border at German-Polish border at Swinoujscie is closed to motor vehicles -- swing down via Szczecin to avoid getting very angry with the jobsworth border guards.

2. the Polish-Roosian border at Gronowo is hell on earth if you're Polish or Roosian. But I was waved to the front by everyone in a queue of 400+ cars expecting to take three DAYS to cross the border.. and got through in 2 hours. Be very grateful that the locals are so friendly...

3. Kaliningrad is absolutely worth the hassle of visa, discomfort, dodgy police etc for its slightly alien feel. You won't meet many tourists, or find any tourist literature, or info... what stuff you will find will be cant about Kant.. but people are generally approachable and its a unique chance to get some impression of the Stalinist 'good old days' (mixed with very capitalist casinos.) I was there in November so elected to say in hotel rather than camping!

4. The Curonian Spit between Kaliningrad and Lithuania is gorgeous.. nature reserve, very quiet out of season, good camping, filthy drinking water, highly recommended.

4. In Lithuania, Klaipeda could make more of its incredible history. Good luck finding a museum that's open when you're there. That said, I managed a long night in some heavy nightclubs where you get frisked for guns before you get in.. unless you look like the type who actually carries a gun!.. which was a novel experience.

5. Latvia: Liepaja is a good little town.. Latvia's "summer city".. music festival in the summer.. stay at the Karosta Military Prison (now a B&B) for something different.. I didn't like Riga so much, though the snow may have been to blame. Too many Brit male tourists looking for strip clubs and hookers. The Old Town was less attractive than Tallinn's but perhaps that just means it's less chocolate-boxey. Recommended: the Museum of Occupations in both cities. There'll be more good camping at Saulkrasti, north of Riga.

6: Can't add anything to the great info you've alrady got on Estonia except to say the local bikers are as kind and helpful in the flesh as they are on this site. Was really grateful for their help and time. And for another sense of Soviet times, head up to Narva on the border heading to st Petersburg. It's a depressed, poor, very Roosian town, seems quite different from the rest of Estonia. With fascinating history too -- couple of castles.. centuries of being fought over.

--Mike

That's fantastic - thanks for all your help and suggestions.
I've already downloaded the PDF travel guide which at an initial look through looks pretty helpful. I'll read it properly from a printed copy!
The photos are also useful - nice to see what we're letting ourselves in for on the roads and the scenery looks fantastic. (Great piccies by the way!)
The info on the border crossings is good to know in advance - should save alot of agro.

Looks like we'd better add a bit more time to our trip!

Hi Mermaid, when are you leaving? The reason for this is a mate and I are doing the same trip, but the other way round. We're leaving 16th July to esbjerg. Wanna meet for a beer if we pass each other?

Baltic states
 

Hi Mermaid,

I have just come back from - Denmark,Poland, Kaliningrad, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, sweden and Norway. Absolutly fantastic trip and there is loads to see and do. Definatly take the time to see Belarus and Kaliningrad it's worth it just for the cultural diferences and neither are really touristy. In Kaliningrad I can really recommend a guesthouse called Hotel Paraiso as a good base, it's small and biker friendly and in a safe quiet suburb near the city centre. Watch out for the roads though - made of big cobbles with lots of wheel catching oblique tram lines and I'm sure they have secret diesel sprayers that go out at night!! With both of the border crossings allow 3 hours to get through the paper nightmare involved but we found the staff very helpfull once they find out you are a confused tourist. If you ask they will help you -but you have to ask. On the road from Vilnius to Belarus is a place called Grutus Park which is well worth a visit, it's full of CCCP memorabilia and explains much of the occupation history and why the Baltians hate the Soviets so much - a real eye opening but humbling experience. Norway is well worth a trip to, very expensive but the scenery is worth it. The youth Hostling organisation has places all over the country and you can get a great cabin sleeping up to 10 for about £60 if you want a break from camping. Food and drink are very pricey but if you are near the coast look out for fish and shellfish which you can easily catch and cook for yourself as we did!

Hi Dave O,

We haven't set a date for leaving yet but it will be sometime in the last couple of weeks of July.
Would be fun to meet up for a beer somewhere as it seems quite likely we'll be in the same area at some time. What's the best way to sort it out?

I've sent you a pm mermaid. Hope to hear from you. Are you going to the HU meeting?

Hi Margus and Others
Really good info, and I'm leaving on tuesday. I have a few last minute questions though. Are you allowed to camp wild in Estonia? Legally? Also what are the midges and mosquitoes like at this time of year. Hope you can help. Fancy a beer some time in the next few weeks Margus.
Regards

Looks like there will be a lot of Hubbers in the baltics this summer.

I’m leaving tommorow and will be in Tallin in a few days then heading (slowly) towards Poland/Germany.

Hi I was in Estonia last July and got to see a great Hill Climb Competion I think its held every July at Kivioli where there is a big man made mountain made from ash.
Kivioli is in the North about 100 mile east of Tallain worth going to see if your in the area.
As has been said use the smaller roads, you can also ride through some of the national parks
Good travels

I was literally rushing through the Baltics, 6 weeks ago, to get to St Peter within two and half days of London (did it!) and I did not stop at all other than hotels, but I was particularly impressed with the 'old world' countryside along the A3 road from Riga to Velga and on to Tartu in Estonia. This is not shown properly on my old maps or newer GPS but is well worth the effort for the scenery.

Although now in southern Russia, I plan to ride back the same way in a few weeks time, but taking more time to see what looks like a lovely area.

I might take the advice to visit Kallinningrad - I have no Visa problems (Multi Entry Business, by far the easiest in the long term). And Registration in Russia got a lot easier a few weeks ago.

Hi Dave,

yes you can camp. Only you have to ask a permission from owner if it's a private land (usually marked "Eramaa"). If you see forests with "RMK" or "Riigimets" marking - feel free to camp where ever you like in the free nature. Just don't leave any rubbish behind you please :)

If I'm off the work certanly let's have a beer and maybe I could give you some advice on the map etc where to go what to see.

Ride safe, Margus

Goddag Ali,

let me know if you're around and need any help etc. I'm currently in Tallinn myself too.

Good roads, Margus

Yes me too!

Leaving London 21st July, up to Tallin via the Baltic States (not too quickly). After Estonia, down through Czech Rep etc to France for some wine for sure and window installation...maybe.

Africa Twin, alloy boxes.

Good roads to all

Thank you but no help needed. Would have been nice with a beer anyway:-)

The route:
http://www.actiontouring.com/Baltic.jpg

Resurected thread
 

Hi All,
not seen anyone planning this trip in 2009 yet, but I'm gonna be in the Baltics late summer this year.

From all the advice in this post (and others around HU) this area sounds fantastic and I can't wait to get started. The only downside is having to wait due to holiday restrictions from work :(

My question here is about the amount of time I have for this trip. I'm planning to go:

UK > Netherlands > Germany > Poland > Kaliningrad > Lithuania > Latvia > Estonia > Sweden > Denmark > UK

The interesting part is to do this in 16 days. I realise that I'm not going to get the chance to see as much of these places as I feel they deserve (reinforced by this thread), but due to work this is all I have.
People that have travelled / live in this area - do you think this route is realistic given the time frame? I'll not be camping, as I'll be riding 2-up and we won't have the luggage capacity.

We're doing this in the last week of August and first week of September. Not the hottest time of year, but the guides tell me the weather should be good.

If anyone that can help is going to the ace cafe meet on 8th February I'll see you there and maybe we can chat. I've got the Black KTM 950 Adv.

Also, is vegetarianism popular through these countries. I guess you can get pizza everywhere, but a little meat/fish free local delicacy would be good
:thumbup1:

Thanks in advance.
Rich

Thanks James,
I'll make a point of searching you out!
I should be pretty easy to spot at 6'4", in a light grey Bering jacket (possibly a KTM waterproof :stormy:), and very little hair.
If anyone else wants to grab my attention with advice for the trip (or anything else for that matter) then please grab me.
Thanks again,
Rich

hello mermaid,
we travelled the baltics in 2007.
here is our album about it: Picasa-Webalben - airhead - "escape to th...

if you are interested in the trax, let me know.

I have ridden through the Baltic States a number of times on my way between my bases, using various routes including the Coronian Spit. I am due to fly :rolleyes2:back just in time for the Ace - look for a Dakar with RUS stickers (not VRM).

Be aware that Kaliningrad is Russia. You will need to obtain a Visa before you start your trip. Also, irrespective of your own insurance/green cards/whatever, you will have to buy a Russian Company Road Insurance at the border- about GBP20 for a month. The rest is EU and your UK Insurance Certificate should give you legal minimum insurance.

Having said that, the Kaliningrad border controls are the smoothest RUS border crossings I have had - less than an hour each. And a smile too!

Hi Tony,

if you do manage to make it to the ace cafe it would be great to meet up with you also.

Is it possible to then to ride from Kaliningrad to Lithuania via the curonian split and then get a ferry from the spit to the mainland? I couldn't find details of any ferries that would take the bike so I assumed not. If I can then its great news!

As far as Kaliningrad is concerned I know that I need a visa. I've been in touch with the visa agencies referred to on another part of the HU site, and they've been very helpful. I've also been in touch with the Russian embassy, and while a little cold, they've been helpful too. Its come down to me getting a transit visa direct from the embassy (I have to apply no more than 2 months in advance) and I have to take a load of paperwork with me. I forget how much they charge. I only seem to need a transit visa as I won't be stopping overnight (does this seem correct?). I could do exactly the same using a visa agency, but I have to pay them to issue me an 'invitation'. For those that have had Russian visa's would you advise going through an agency rather than going direct to the embassy? If so why?

I know I won't need a carnet, and I've contacted the RAC (that I already have breakdown cover with) and I can pay to get extra cover for all countries I'm going through (except Kaliningrad - Russia). Haven't contacted my insurance yet. The RAC told me that I will need an International Drivers Permit (IDP) and another type of driving permit for Kaliningrad (I forget the name they used). Does this all sound about right?

Is there anything else that peeps think I may have forgotten?

Thanks all,
Rich

There is a very efficient RUS/LITH border half way down the Coronian Spit. They are more used to hikers and pedal cyclists but got my motorbike through in under 15 minutes.

There is a short ferry ride between the northern end of Spit and Klaipeda. It takes about 15 minutes and runs (sails?) every half hour or so. Me and my bike cost under 3 pounds. No waiting, just turn up and go - although cars may have to queue and wait, they always squeeze bikes on.

I read elsewhere on HUBB just now that Green Cards will be valid in RUS. See my post.

The ДПС (roads police/mafia) are, in the absence of a bribe, always happy with just my IDP, Russian Ins Cert and the Temporary Russian Import Cert (V5 equivalent) for the bike.

I'll PM you my mobile so we can meet up at the ACE.

Quite agree about the northern border post on the Curonian Spit. I was the only vehicle there and both sets of officials were ace. 15 minutes tops.

But it took me two hours to get through the Kaliningrad-Poland border, and to do so I had to queue-jump at *least* 400 cars, driven by Poles and Russians, who were taking up to three *days* to get through.

On a bike, you'll be waved forward with smiles, laughter and cheers. Cars were physically lifted by hand to allow me through.

But I was left with a lasting reminder of how crass and bureaucratic Russia is.

Oh, and as for vegetarian dishes, Rich: I hope you like beetroot and cabbage.

--Mike

I'm planning to arrive in Tallinn, Estonia (riding from Denmark leaving Copenhagen on 27 July so will arrive either by ferry from Stockholm or Helsinki) sometime in the week of 03 August and then travel down to Latvia to be in Riga on 08 August. Then riding via Lithuania to Penza in Russia and back to Kivoli in Estonia for 22 August before departing out of Tallinn for Stockholm on 25 August.

As you can see, I've got some dates I want to be in particular places but other than that, would be great to share some miles or just some stories with anyone on the road.

Ps. If you sense an 800GS rider listening in to your chat and taking notes at the Ace, it's only me! :biggrin3:

Hi Wildman,
we'll be leaving the UK 21st or 22nd of August and then back in the UK no later than 6th September. We'll be about 4 days to a week behind you for most of it, but may catch up with you in Sweden. Keep in touch an we'll see what happens. You can see my rough approximation of a route earlier in this thread.
Rich

don't stand on the sidelines. come and join in. life's not suposed to be a spectator sport :biggrin3:

Hi Rich. Yes, I'll be working for a couple of days in Stockholm so by the time I'm through with that, you may have caught up. My route as it stands:

http://wildmania.smugmug.com/photos/...93_rgneA-L.jpg

Rich, we will be just behind you. Planning to go Bank Holiday August weekend for 3 weeks. Maybe from Tallin try to get into russia to St Petersburgh then ferry to Helsinski and Sweden, Denmark etc... if we can sort russians visa.

WE will be at the Ace on Sunday too. eAsy to spot: husband will be with his Dakar: top box covered on South America flags stickers + alu panniers, selling our BMW spares parts. Next to it a blue brand new Versys.
Hope to have time to speak about this little trip!

see you there!

[so long as the roads here are navigable - ironically] it will be fab to meet up on Sunday. Maybe we should set up a banner for those wanting to talk about the Baltics :welcome:

see you then [hopefully]

Hi Airhead,

Thanks for the info but we did the trip in 2007 - in fact, looking at your link we probably passed each other on the road!

We had a great time and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Watch the food in Riga though ...... Mr Mermaid spent a couple of days in hospital with food poisoning!

Tony P,
does the attached pic look like the route from Riga to Tartu we discussed today at the Ace Cafe?
Rich

No piccy that I can find!

Sorry,
was trying to upload a pic. Found I've exceeded my allocated limit for attachments, then system crashed and couldn't edit post.
I'll sort the mess out and then post a pic.

Thanks for our chat today Tony. A lot of useful advice, and very motivating.

I passed through baltics last summer .....

I loved every village that i passed through, every gas station i filled up and every beach that i slept...so hard to make a suggestion... so i think the countries itself is the suggestion...:thumbup1:

Thanks USL,
everyone I have spoken to has nothing but good things to say for the baltic states, so the excitement is definately growing.

Although the Baltics isn't as 'arduous' or 'adventurous' as battling through the 'stans, or a full on RTW, this is going to be our first stint at this type of travel, and all of the help and advice we've been getting has been truly fantastic. As we are going through everything (visa's etc) for the first time I'm going to start a diary style blog giving pics and details of the planning and riding stages as we do them. Hopefully this will be useful for others that are doing trips for the first time to realise that you don't have to be the next Austin, Charlie, Ted or Lois to do this kind of thing.

Suffice to say, where I can, I'll be giving huge thanks to all that have helped / will help along the way.

As soon as I've got it sorted I'll have a link as a signature.

I'll try again...

http://copwlq.bay.livefilestore.com/...to%20Tartu.jpg

I've started recording screen shots from google earth of routes and photos of the planning stages of this trip.

If you want to take a look they are at:
http://cid-a31aa01e51a54586.skydrive...s%24&ct=photos

Thats the route!
Out of Riga it is a busy and fairly uninteresting dual carriageway. The turning left onto A3, where it says Take exit towards Valmiera, had me (and my Say Nav!) defeated, but eventually I got it right and from there on it was wonderful scenic and riding road.

Being Estonian I think main transit routes are very-very boring. :) If only spending a few days I'd suggest going via Pärnu at west coast and then jumping to island Saaremaa for few days for something different and then continue towards Tallinn.

Thanks Rebaseonu,
on a topic close to my heart - food.
Can you recommend any Estonia specialities OK for vegetarians? [no meat or fish, but dairy is OK]. Or veggie resturants?

Thanks,
Rich

Kama
 

Not sure there are any special veggie restaurants around here. For food, daily we use general food that is common elsewhere in Europe as well and that is not very specific to Estonia. Usually meat is used in many dishes. There are some national dishes but these are usually made seldom, on special occasions. These tend to be quite simple and earthy as poor farmers did in the past and most include meat or other parts of animals. :) Different good breads and joghurts are available.

One special local Estonian thing that I like and you can try is called kama. It is coarse milled grain mix, slightly roasted. You mix it with a cup of buttermilk/kefir, I use 4 huge teaspoonfuls of kama and 1 teaspoonful of sugar, then mix it with kerif to make healthy drink. Many locals don't like it, though. ;) To get to drink it you usually need to mix it yourself (get kama and kefir from supermarket) as it is not available in typical eating places (except in some special national restaurants and there it may be mixed differently).

Most bikers who visit Estonia take the most obvious and boring route, straight from Ikla border crossing, throught Pärnu and onwards to Tallinn.
Dont do that.
Instead cross the border at Ape (Latvia between Sigulda and Ape is very nice as well) and youll end up in one of the prettiest parts of Estonia. Beautiful hilly countryside wit many smaller places worth exploring. Point your bike roughly in the direction of Võru, from there on to Otepää and then work your way up to Tallinn. Visiting Saaremaa is also recommended.