it's a region of crumbling castles
soaring June's enchanting forests and
magical Lakes a trip to the Baltics
proves that fairy tales do come true
Estonia Latvia and Lithuania are tiny
yet in this compact space there are
three wonderfully distinct cultures to
discover as demonstrated by their
capital cities Tallinn is majestically
medieval film uses flamboyantly baroque
and Riga it's full of Art Nouveau chic
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laughs es capital has more buildings in
the flamboyant Art Nouveau style than
any other European city spend a breezy
afternoon snapping your camera at the
ethereal and almost eerie melange of
demons deities overgrown flora and
intriguing geometric patterns although
the ancient pagan rituals of Midsummer's
Eve have largely disappeared the summer
solstice is held in high regard every
town and village celebrates with a
bright night of bierenbaum fires this
forested Island weaves a magic all of
its own the highlight is kuru sorry
Castle a magnificently preserved
medieval fortress looming over the
harbour across the Baltics folk love a
good soak in a steam so indulge in a
traditional sauna experience getting
whipped by dried birch branches while
sweating in temperatures over 60 degrees
Lithuania's loveliest seaside retreat is
a long thin strip of rare and majestic
sand dunes facing the Baltic Sea it's
the ideal place to recharge your
batteries with the restorative powers of
wind water and sky although busy June to
August offers long days and warm weather
along with Midsummer Eve festivities not
to be missed
travel costs in Estonia Latvia and
Lithuania can range from less than 60
euros a day if you choose guest houses
and public transport to over 120 euros a
day for luxury hotels and pub crawls
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public transport is reasonably priced
quick and efficient with an extensive
bus network covering major towns and
linking them with smaller destinations
the collision of history with the modern
world makes the Baltic states places of
fascination and for all their
differences we have weathered the 20th
century together when it comes to
cultural mileage there is fuel efficient
a destination as you could wish for
you