Self-drive tours
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Learn about country lifeLatvia, Lithuania (7 days, ~1000 km)Your tour begins in Riga and ends in Vilnius, passing through the eastern parts of both countries and allowing you to look at the lives of Baltic people through the centuries and to the present day. This is a region in which mass tourism has not yet arrived, and you will find very sincere and hospitable people. You will visit churches and cult locations which bring together paganism, Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Russian Orthodoxy. You will visit craftsmen, spend time in villages where people live almost as they did 100 years ago, try your hand at butter-churning or pottery. To be sure, you will taste the local beer of Latgale and the authentic "cepelinai" of the Lithuanians. Read more about protected nature areas en route in the description below. |
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1st day / Arrival in RīgaArrival.Optional: pick up the hired car**. Pick up the info package with the map and detailed itinerary from the hotel reception. Rīga city sightseeing. Overnight in hotel in Rīga. |
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2nd day / Rīga - Jēkabpils - Preiļi - Aglona (~250 km, 100% Asphalt)(Breakfast is not included in the price).Sites and attractions en route: - The wooden castle in Lielvārde, which has been constructed according to archaeological excavations. - An ethnographic farmstead where the visitor can study typical buildings and farmstead planning from the Latvian region known Sēlija. Visitors are also encouraged to take part in old farm work - churning butter, using an old-fashioned spinning-wheel, doing some work in a blacksmith’s smithy. Than one can put the butter that you churned on some bread and wash it down with tasty herbal teas. - The catholic Basilika in Aglona. - A bread museum and a bakery where various baked goods, including bacon rolls and all kinds of bread are produced. This is the only bakery in Latgale (southern region of Latvia) which uses dried bacon for its bread. During the tour visitors can learn about the process of baking bread and taste and purchase the products. Overnight on the farmstead (shared WC and shower) in Aglona. |
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3rd day / Aglona - Rēzekne - Ludza (~130 km, 100% Asphalt)Breakfast.The road will lead you along one of the largest lakes of Latvia - Rāzna, where there are several beaches with swimming possibilities. Near the lake there is the Mākoņkalns hill situated from which there is a panoramic view over the lake. Sites and attractions en route: - Workshops of two traditional potters, who are famous for their black ceramics which are being made in accordance with ancient pottery methods. The craftsmen can demonstrate the whole process of making ceramics starting with the potter wheel and finishing in the wood-fired kiln. - Sightseeing of the towns Rēzekne and Ludza, the second one is famous for its wooden buildings. Overnight on the farmstead (shared WC and shower) in Ludza. |
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4th day / Ludza - Dagda - Krāslava (~180 km, 90% Asphalt)Breakfast.The road leads through an area which is rich with lakes, there will be many swimming options on the route. Sites and attractions en route: - Cult spring in Opoļi. - The catholic church in Pasiene (1761) - one of the most beautiful in Latvia, built in the stile of baroque. - A monument from the Soviet era which was build in the place where the 3 former Soviet Republics (Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus) bordered and symbolized the solidarity of the Soviet Union. - An ethnographic farmstead, where one can see how the inhabitants of the region have lived and worked 100 years ago. Overnight on the horse farmstead in the surroundings of Krāslava. |
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5th day / Krāslava - Daugavpils - Visaginas - Ignalina (~200 km, 100% Asphalt)(Breakfast is not included in the price).The route leads through a protected nature area along the river Daugava, where the river makes several curves. From the steep riverbanks beautiful landscapes can be seen. Sites and attractions en route: - Beer brewery at Krāslava - possibility to make an excursion through the brewery and to taste and to by the bear. - An ethnographic village near the river Daugava – one of the few old-believer villages in the Baltics. - Observation tower in Naujene and castle mount of Dinaburga on the steep banks of the river Daugava. - Sighsteeing in Daugavpils - the second largest city in Latvia. - The wooden church in Stelmuže (1650) – the oldest church in Lithuania. Near the church there is a giant oak. - Sightseeing in Visaginas - the newest town of Lithuania, which was build during the Soviet times for Russian workers who came to work in the nuclear power plant of Ignalina. Overnight in the hotel in Ignalina. |
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6th day / Ignalina - Aukštaitija National Park - Moletai - Vilnius (~170 km, 30 % gravel road)Breakfast. The route leads through the Aukštaitija National Park for which a hilly landscape with many lakes and ethnographic villages is typical (swimming possibilities). Sites and attractions en route:- Several ethnographic villages with old wooden houses and the watermill in Ginučiai. - A beekeeping museum - one can learn here all about the beekeeping traditions of Lithuania from the old times until nowadays. - A traditional pub where one can taste the traditional meals of Lithuania. - Vilnius city sightseeing. Overnight in the guest house in Vilnius. |
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7th day / VilniusBreakfast.Individual departure from Vilnius or from Rīga (~300 km). |
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Package price: from 260.00 EUR**Minimum number of persons - 2.*A price of the tour can change in case the planned guest houses/hotels are fully booked and we have to choose other accommodation sites. *Prices may change due to changes in national tax legislation or other independent reasons. Services included in the package price:
Extra costs not included in the package price:
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| Information & booking - tel: +371 67617600, e-mail: lauku@celotajs.lv | |
