Baltic States

transalper44

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After information from any fellow GSER's who have adventure to Lithuania and Estonia, do's and don't's etc. Prices of fuel / hotels / B&B's / food etc. Any advise would be much appreciated.
 
Not much I can add. Assuming you will travel through Poland, I'll advise on that part as much I can. In rural areas English can be supplemented with sign language. Cities you are ok. Roads can be terrible with the surface crumbling away and effectively leaving a long string of continuous potholes or tracks. You are more likely to find a descent place to stay in the bigger towns and cities. Lots of towns are just rural and more inclined towards agriculture. Don't know about frequency of petrol stations or prices as we have not travelled across Poland by road. Local driving can be erratic to say the least.

I can suggest a few places to visit. Leba (pronounced Weba) on the Baltic coast. Fishing town that became a refuge for artists before the Germans built a rocket research facility in WW2. Now a tourist destination with rail link. You will find everything you will ever need as a tourist in that town. Book early as it is a popular spot. Lovely beach, loads of restaurants, hotels, the rocket museum charges an entry, rent a bicycle to get around, and the dunes further down the road.

Tricity of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. Gdynia has a aquarium and a ferry to Hell which is a peninsula with a military fort. Also popular with the locals as it has a good beach. Very busy in summer. Sopot is a more upmarket place with a lovely Hotel not far from the beach. Lots of restaurants and a very long beach. Gdansk is the old town which was a walled city. Also known for amber. There is a fort just outside the old city with a view across the city. A museum with some torture instruments on display at the gates of the city. Beautiful terraced houses in the centre that belong to prominent families when it was a an important trading port. One house is converted into a museum and even has a picture of Hitler giving a speech in the hall. There is a ferry to take you to Westerplatte, a military fort that was the scene of the first battle in WW2 and a memorial to those who defended the city. It takes you past the ship yard and the first fort build to protect the entrance to the city. Quite a few markets and worth trying out the local delicatessen.

Oliwa is just one big forest and park. Lovely if you are inclined to go for walks. There is a natural amphitheatre in the woods which sometimes have plays and concerts.

A little bit south is Malbrok castle. The biggest castle in the world and a UNESCO heritage site. Get a guided tour of the place. A bit pricey but the history of the Teutonic knights has had a big influence on what that part of the world looks like today. You can catch a train from Gdansk to Malbrok. Last time we were there the chapel was still under construction as the Russians bombed the Germans who occupied the the castle.

From Gdansk eastwards the roads are good. It is very flat and agricultural. The Wolfs Lair is not far from the Belarus border and worth a stop.
 
Thank you Tanneman, yes Poland will be on the route so your information is very useful. Shall bear in mind the places you mentioned and try to include some on route.

Thanks again. Chris.
 
We went round that way last year, had a couple of nights in each capital city.
Fuel, food and beer prices are pretty much the same as here now.
+1 for everything Tannerman said, if you don't want to go into the castle at Malbork there's a floating restaurant on the opposite side of the river.
Trakai near Vilnius has a nice castle, again, we didn't go in, just stopped for lunch at the pizza place across the lake from it.
In Vilnius we stopped in Pillies apartment. Right in the centre, lovely place, secure parking in a courtyard behind. Nice city.
Theres the hill of crosses on the way from Vilnius to Riga which is bizzare and worth seeing.
Most of the countryside is boring and flat. Most of the women are stunning.
Driving is generally shit, keep the eyes in the back of your head open.
Riga is ok, but not as nice as Vilnius, more set up for stag do's.
We stopped in the Two Wheels Hotel, secure parking, about a mile or so from the centre, full of Finish Harley riders who wouldn't lower themselves to speak to non-Vikings, but other than that good.
There's plenty of ex soviet ballistic missile sites dotted about the place if you find that stuff interesting, we had a ride round the one at keila-joa.
Tallin was our favourite city of the three, just a nice feel about the place.
We did the Air b&b thing for the first time for digs, didn't like it.
Hope that helps, have a great trip.
 
Rode from Tallin over to the Estonian coast and down into Poland via Riga . Talon was a very nice town and we visited the coastal resort of Parnj which is a popular holiday destination for Estonians . Can't remember much about Latvia / Lithuania but the HIll of the Crosses was definitely worth a visit .:thumb2
 


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