Baltic countries and Russia

Day 1 - Arrival Prenzlau
The starting point is a hotel on the outskirts of the town of Prenzlau in eastern Germany close to the Polish border. It features a covered outdoor terrace where - rain or shine - you can relax and enjoy your food and a drink.

Day 2 - Preznlau - Chojnice
After the border crossing you leave the main roads and after a ride through rolling hills you reach the village Chojnice southwest of Gdansk.

Day 3 - Chojnice - Gierloz
Just past Elblag you leave all the hustle and bustle behind you and head for the Masurian Lake District. Near Ketrzyn we visit the site of what remains of the "Wolfsschanze" (Wolf’s Lair), the complex from where Hitler led the war with Russia for several years and where the assassination attempt by Von Stauffenberg took place. Although the Germans blew up much of it when they left, it is definitely worth a stop. We stay for a unique night at this historical complex.

Day 4 - Gierloz - Elk
Just a short ride to the town of Elk. We take the afternoon to rest after the long preceding days. But of course there is also plenty to do here. For instance, you could use the afternoon for a tour of the lakes, go hiking in the Biebrzanski National Park, go into town and have a wonder, or just do nothing.

Day 5 - Any - Vilnius
From the Puszcza Augustowska and Wigierski National Park you reach the border with Lithuania. A wonderfully old-fashioned border crossing! On the way to the capital, Vilnius, you can go for an extended stop at the Grutas Park near Druskininkai. This is an open air museum with statues and memorabilia of former Soviet leaders, meant as a reminder of Stalinist deportation and oppression. From loudspeakers comes music that is meant to illustrate the utopian communist state. We stay overnight in a former convent which lies within walking distance of Vilnius’ beautiful town centre.

Day 6 - Vilnius - Stay
It is really interesting to explore the inner city by taking a guided city bus tour or under your own steam. The unique city architecture and the many parks and terraces make it a cosy and lively whole (Unesco heritage). Highly recommended is a visit to the KGB Museum, where 70 years of terror and repression has been exhibited extensively. You can also take the bike to nearby Trakai with its medieval fortress in the middle of a lake.

Day 7 - Vilnius - Šiauliai
First you ride for a while north-east through Aukstajtia National Park, a remote and pristine area close to the border with Belarus. Then you turn westward towards Šiauliai.

Day 8 - Siauliai - Riga
The first stop is a bizarre attraction: the Hill of Crosses. Since the time of the Czars crosses in all shapes and sizes are left here by believers and it has become a Catholic site of pilgrimage. There are many thousands of crosses and you get a proper view of them from the footpaths. Bulldozed by the Soviets several times and restored again by the Lithuanian people it became also a symbol of resistance. Reli-folklore of the highest order! A quick route takes you to the Zemaitija National Park where, in the 60s, the Soviets built a missile launching silo complex which they left again in 1978. The warheads stood ready to be fired during the 'Prague Spring' in 1968! Unfortunately, there has been much looting by locals, but the guide calls up the experience of the effects the Cold War in a very evocative way. Afterwards we ride through sparsely populated regions to the "Paris of the Baltics" as Riga is also known.

Day 9 - Riga - Stay
The inner city of Riga has remained intact with plenty of Art Nouveau architecture, narrow streets, brick churches, opulent trading houses and quaint squares. Very special are the market halls that served as a zeppelin hangar in the 30s. It’s fun to do some people-watching here. And there is an interesting motor museum with a lot of material from the Soviet era, such as the armoured limousine used for party leader Leonid Brezhnev, but also many motorcycles of unknown origin and manufacture. A tour around the western part of Latvia or a visit to the beach in Jurmala is another possibility.

Day 10 - Riga - Võru
After leaving the town you ride through the Gauja National Park, the largest and wildest national park of the Baltic Countries. After crossing Latvia’s interior, which is hardly developed, you reach the border with Estonia. Immediately after that you reach the 'roof' of this tour through the Baltics: 318m altitude at Haanja. We end the day at a nice hotel in the woods a few kilometres from Võru.

Day 11 - Võru - Tallinn
The south and west of Estonia is characterized by rolling hills, plenty of woods and few people. A lovely relaxing trip to Tallinn! You stay two nights in a good hotel within walking distance of the town centre.

Day 12 - Tallinn - Stay
A city tour – either walking or a by bus plus guide – takes you in a few hours around the highlights of the hippest city in the Baltics. Tallinn is notable for its mix of old and new. Very modern in, amongst others, IT and fashion with lots of modern glass and steel, but still old in streetscape and landmarks. Thus, Toompea hill was for the elite, with the old working class bit of the town stuck onto it. All in all a playful and low-traffic labyrinth of squares, courtyards, churches and alleys. There is even a restaurant which is furnished as it would have been in the Middle Ages, and that includes an exciting menu. West of the city are extensive beaches, and, for the enthusiasts, east of the city bordering the sea, lies Lahemaa National Park.

Day 13 - Tallinn - Ferry - Helsinki - Ferry
From Tallinn you take the ferry to Helsinki, and from there the ferry to Travemünde.

Day 14 - Ferry - Travemünde
The ferry lands in the evening in Travemünde, the last overnight stop of this tour.

Day 15 - Travemünde - departure
After breakfast you ride home according to your own route plan. If it appeals you could visit Lübeck, a beautiful example of a Hanseatic city.