Latvia - Estonia - Finland

Arrived at Riga airport and took bus no 22 into town. It costs €2 per person and takes about 30 minutes. Had late lunch at Gan Bei Asian restaurant. Very good food and service.

Walked around old Town. Nice old buildings, pretty churches.

Beautiful town hall.

Had dinner and drinks at this outdoor restaurant. Good food and service. There was a DJ playing music.

Walked back to our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel we packed up and headed to the long distance bus station.

We boarded a bus to take us from Riga, Latvia to Tallinn, Estonia. The trip takes about 4.5 hours. The bus is very comfortable with wifi, seat back entertainment system with movies and games, free coffee and chocolate drinks and a restroom.

In Tallinn we took a cab to our hotel, the Citybox Tallinn.

Tallinn Old Town is simply exquisite. It was our favorite place in this trip.

Walking around Tallinn is like stepping back in time. Such a charming old city center.

Very good Russian/Estonian food at this restaurant.

Continued our walk after our early dinner.

Beautiful Eastern Orthodox cathedral.

Very nice pastries and orange juice/coffee for breakfast near the hotel.

Took the tram to Kadriorg Palace and Gardens.

This pretty palace was build by Peter the Great. It is now an art museum. The gardens around it are beautiful.

Walked down to the Baltic Sea. This is a very nice well kept beach though the weather was not perfect for a swim. We observed some young kids swimming.

Walked back to Tallinn harbor along the water.

Citybox Tallinn was our favorite hotel on this trip! Our room had amazing views of the harbor. I could have sat there all day watching the cruise ships and ferries come and go. After walking back from the beach we did just that for a while.

Then it was time for a late lunch and this time we chose an Italian restaurant in Old Town. Very tasty food.

We walked around a bit more in Old Town after lunch and got some souvenirs. Then we headed back to the hotel once again.

Had dinner and drinks here. Very nice salad for dinner for me. And a Hugo to drink.

Headed back to our hotel.

Had breakfast at Loulou which is downstairs at Citybox. Very nice breakfast of avocado toast.

Checked out of the hotel and walked to the ferry terminal

Took a ferry from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland.

Arrived in Helsinki, Finland.

Took a tram to our hotel, the Radisson Blu Seaside.

Helsinki public transportation is very good. I suggest you buy a one day or a two day ticket. We opted for the 2-day which cost €12.

Beautiful Helsinki Cathedral stands on a small hill. This part of the world is really quite flat so any small elevation counts as a hill. 😄

Walked to market square and checked out the vendors.

We then boarded a tour boat for an1.5 hour sightseeing cruise.

The cruise took us last these ice breakers which were enjoying their summer vacation.

The trip ended back by Market Square.

Wandered the streets of Helsinki and had dinner.

After breakfast we took the tram to Market Square and from there a ferry to Suomenlinna island to visit the old fort there.

Suomenlinna Fortress, a World Heritage Site, is located on several islands that are connected by bridges.

It is a beautiful hike around the islands with scenic views and nature all around.

After a few hours walking around Suomenlinna, we headed back to the ferry to take us back to Helsinki.

Arriving in Helsinki we checked out the Central Market hall and the vendors around it. Had crepes for lunch at one of the food stands.

Bought a lovely piece of art at this stall. Beautiful selection of unique art.

Inside the old market hall there are many other choices of restaurants.

It started drizzling but we decided to walk over to the orthodox cathedral.

Headed back to the hotel and then went to this restaurant and has some really good dishes for dinner.

After breakfast we walked around this newly built neighborhood near the ferry terminal. Interesting to see the different buildings.

From the terminal we took the tram back to our hotel, checked out and took the train to Helsinki airport.

The flight from Helsinki to Riga took less than an hour.

In Riga we took bus no 22 from the airport to town again and checked into our hotel (the Ibis Riga Centre). Then it was time for dinner (pizza to go) and to Beera Bar for quiz night. We signed up online for this activity which was in English, cost €2 per person and was about two hours. It takes place at Beera Bar every other Wednesday and was a lot of fun.

After breakfast we headed to the Latvian Academy of Sciences building which has an observation deck at the top with wonderful views of Riga. The building is strongly reminiscent of the famous Moscow skyscrapers, the 7 sisters. It was built during the Russian occupation so the resemblance makes sense. The entry ticket is €6 which is totally worth the view.

The Central Market is near Old Town and the river. It was built from old airplane hangars and is very large. There is an outdoor market surrounding it. We bought some delicious fresh strawberries.

From the market we walked through old town to Dome Square.

The Swedish Gate is the only part of the old city wall that remains today.

This large orthodox cathedral is in the middle of a park. Riga has some beautiful parks and we spent some time wandering along the many paths.

In the evening we took a stroll along the river.

In the morning we checked out of our hotel, took the no 22 bus to the airport and said goodbye to the Baltic. Another fun trip came to an end.