I thought I would travel during the whole summer 2020. But due to the pandemic I ended up traveling just for a week in the Baltic countries. In a week I did have time to explore most of Lithuania and Latvia and loved it there!
I have collected all my best travel recommendations for the Baltics in my article here.
There was not much left of the former Soviet spirit in the nowadays modern and beautiful Baltic countries. Lithuania and Latvia has a lot to offer: amazing food, beer and wine, friendly people and many both historically interesting and modern urban areas to stroll around in. I loved to spontaneously walk into small local bars, talk to local bartenders, try the local beers, traditional beer snacks and of course "kvass", the fermented rye drink that’s become my favorite after last summer in Russia.
You can order a local craft beer for a euro or two - and fried pig ears, the only local dish I haven’t tried yet. Try out the traditional potato dumplings "cepelinai", potato pancakes and the cottage cheese pastries!
I specifically wanted to explore the small towns in Lithuania and Latvia to really experience the culture and interact with locals. In Lithuania I visited Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda and Nida. Nida on the beautiful West coast is a must to visit! There you find the biggest sand dunes in Europe and amazingly beautiful beaches!
In Latvia I visited Riga, Liepaja and Jurmala. The small town Liepaja on the West coast was such a cool town with lots of local craft beer breweries, cozy bars and super good food! In Jurmala I can truly recommend hiking in Kemeru national park! This national park is located 7 km from Jurmala (or only an hour train ride from Riga) and is truly worth a visit for this beautiful scenery (Although the best part was the ice cream afterwards)
As I loved traveling in the Baltic countries (Estonia I've visited previously), I would be curious to hear your recommendations if you have been there too. I really want to go back and have more time to explore these interesting countries.
Read all my best recommendations for the Baltic countries in my article here, and please feel free to comment in the article with any further questions you may have!
Truly extraordinary