The distinguished Latvian author an painter Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš (1877-1962) spent six years of his childhood at Riekstiņi in Nereta.  He was born into a servant family and moved to Riekstiņi together with his mother after his father passed away.  The household inspired him for his "White Book."  In honour of Jaunsudrabiņš, a museum was opened at Riekstiņi in 1967, and it is in an authentic Selonian farm with its spirit and aromas.  You can tour the residential building and the homestead's granary and wheelhouse, also houshold building from 1820.  The apple orchard has trees that are 100 years old and older.  Nearby is the Ķišķi cemetery (on the side of the Vecumnieki-Ilūkste road), where members of the Jaunsudrabiņš family were interred and Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš was reburied in 1997.  The Nereta Administrative District still has many single family farms and place names which Jaunsudrabiņš mentioned in his books. 

The Lode (Apši) Lutheran Church is between Lake Bānūži and Lake Ilze. It is a unique example of wooden architecture and dates back to 1780. The log church had a straw roof until the early 20^th century, at which point a shingled roof was installed instead.

Before the stone Turaida Castle was built beginning in 1214, there was a wooden castle there that had been built by the Livs.  The Turaida Castle was owned by the bishop of Rīga.  It remained in place until 1776, when it burned down.  The initial entrance to the castle's main tower was 9 m above ground, and in 1936, a viewing platform was installed at a height of 27 metres.  There is no other view in Latvia that is like the one from the Turaida Castle!  Restoration work at the castle began in 1953, when the upper level of the tower was restored and a roof was installed.  Also restored was the former granary, which was home to an exhibition about the Sigulda region, along with the semi-circular tower and the southern segment of the castle complex, complete with the full reconstruction of its historical interior.  Archaeological work was done around the castle between 1976 and 2001, and this led to the restoration of a large part of the complex.  The castle now contains a museum exhibition related to the historical events of the surrounding area.  The Turaida Castle is in the Turaida Museum Reserve (see above).

The largest town in the region dates back to the 19th century, when three local fishing villages – Neibāde, Pēterupe and Katrīnbāde – became a popular location for leisure and swimming.  This led to the construction of many summer homes, and the development of the spa was facilitated by the opening of a rail line between Rīga and Saulkrasti in 1905.  New spas and restaurants were opened, and the spa infrastructure was developed.  During the summer there were various entertainments, including balls and concerts featuring orchestras from Rīga.  Also facilitating the development of the spa was a road and railroad line between Rīga and Saulkrasti that were installed during the 1930s.  During the Soviet occupation, leisure homes, sanatoriums and new summer homes were built in Saulkrasti, which was given the status of a city.  Today Saulkrasti is attractive because of its white sand beach, as well as various annual events, the Saulriets trail, the White Dune, the unique bicycle museum, Sea Park, the “Centrs” swimming facility, Sun Square, etc.

This tour offers a panorama of three Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia visiting the most important cities and towns. Explore the capitals and smaller towns at your own pace, travelling by train and bus. Enjoy the capitals with their vibrant rhythm, medieval Old Towns in the middle of modern cities, romantic seaside resorts and charming small towns with attractive architecture.

The tour starts in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Kaunas and Klaipėda are popular tourist attraction towns. The Curonian Spit is a scenic 98 km long sand-dune, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Latvia you’ll visit Riga, the capital, several cities with ambient historical old towns Liepāja, Ventspils, Tukums, Jūrmala, and Kuldīga Old Town that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List of Latvia. In Estonia visit Pärnu and Haapsalu resort towns, and Tallinn, the capital. As an option you can take extra few days to visit Kuressaare which is the capital of Saaremaa island.

Tourist information centres in cities and towns will help you with maps, information on sights, attractions and guided tours, food, shopping and public transport.

Atrodas Burtnieka ezera austrumu krastā – uz ezera poldera dambja. Pavasara un rudens migrāciju laikā – laba putnu vērošanas vieta. Putni redzami ne tikai ezera piekrastē, bet arī poldera mitrajās pļavās.

Aukštaitija is the largest and one of the most ancient Lithuanian regions, known since the 15th century as "Real Lithuania."  This trip will allow you to enjoy country goodies that the region offers today.  In the Anykščiai District you will visit a farm where medicinal plants are grown, enjoy some oak acorn coffee and herbal teas, and then head off for the fishing village Ginučiai, where a special fish soup recipe dates back to the 17th century.  In the area of Ignalina, you will visit a watermill and a beekeeping museum.  A restaurant that is part of the European culinary heritage offers traditional dishes and a chance to learn how to bake the traditional Lithuanian sweet, šakotis.  After a stroll along the beautiful banks of Lake Zarasai, you will visit a windmill to learn how to bake bread and pancakes with rye flour.  A nice end to the tour will be a visit to a brewery where unfiltered and living beer is brewed.  There is also a collection of antique brewery tools.

At Estonia's oldest and largest beverage producer, brewery A. Le Coq, visitors of the brewery museum are invited to get acquainted with the history of beer brewing and beer culture, modern beer production as well as taste the beer. More than 2000 exhibits, opportunity to taste beer and other delicacies in the tavern of museum. You can buy beer and snacks to go with it, as well as souvenirs in the small store of the museum.

The craftspeople use natural materials to produce rattles, wind chimes and musical instruments. They teach children how to make pipes out of reeds. Aleksandrs has a collection of some 100 different instruments which he knows how to play. You can commission or purchase products from the craftspeople.