Jewish heritage tour to Lithuania & Latvia
Trip programme:
Day 1: Vilnius – “Jerusalem of the North”
Arrival in Vilnius. Meeting with the English-speaking tour guide at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check-in. Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Arrival in Vilnius. Meeting with the English-speaking tour guide at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check-in. Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Day 2: Vilnius - Paneriai - Trakai - Vilnius
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Guided exploration of the Jewish cultural heritage in the UNESCO-protected Old Town of Vilnius. You will visit the former Jewish Quarter, Vilnius Gaon street, Vilnius Choral Synagogue, Ghettos of Vilna, monument to Tsemakh Shabad, the Vilnius University ensemble, etc.
Departure to the village of Paneriai – the biggest site of the Genocide and Holocaust in Lithuania. Continue to Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania, famous for its preserved gothic water castle and the ethnic minority of the Karaims. The Karaims are a Jewish religious community that only recognizes the Old Testament, but not the Talmud. Opportunity for a lunch break in a traditional Karaim restaurant. Return to Vilnius. Dinner in a local restaurant with kosher cuisine.
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Guided exploration of the Jewish cultural heritage in the UNESCO-protected Old Town of Vilnius. You will visit the former Jewish Quarter, Vilnius Gaon street, Vilnius Choral Synagogue, Ghettos of Vilna, monument to Tsemakh Shabad, the Vilnius University ensemble, etc.
Departure to the village of Paneriai – the biggest site of the Genocide and Holocaust in Lithuania. Continue to Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania, famous for its preserved gothic water castle and the ethnic minority of the Karaims. The Karaims are a Jewish religious community that only recognizes the Old Testament, but not the Talmud. Opportunity for a lunch break in a traditional Karaim restaurant. Return to Vilnius. Dinner in a local restaurant with kosher cuisine.
Day 3: Vilnius - Kaunas - Rundale - Riga
Drive to Kaunas – the second largest city of Lithuania. First visit the IX Fort, a fortification completed just before the First World War, which today serves as a memorial to the victims of Stalinist persecution and Nazi mass murder. Guided tour of the Old Town of Kaunas with the most important sights: the VII Fort of the castle ruins, the Town Hall Square, the Baroque Jesuit Church, the Gothic Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, Kaunas Choral Synagogue, former Jewish Ghetto, etc. Continue to Latvia. Check-in at a hotel in Riga. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Drive to Kaunas – the second largest city of Lithuania. First visit the IX Fort, a fortification completed just before the First World War, which today serves as a memorial to the victims of Stalinist persecution and Nazi mass murder. Guided tour of the Old Town of Kaunas with the most important sights: the VII Fort of the castle ruins, the Town Hall Square, the Baroque Jesuit Church, the Gothic Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, Kaunas Choral Synagogue, former Jewish Ghetto, etc. Continue to Latvia. Check-in at a hotel in Riga. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 4: Jewish Riga
Guided tour of Riga with the most famous sights. Visit to the Art Nouveau quarter where many prominent Jewish Latvians once lived, including the philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin. In the “Jews in Latvia” museum, you will learn more about the life of Jews in this part of the world. Of course, a visit to the museum of the Riga Ghetto and the Holocaust in Latvia is not to be missed. After the lunch break, drive to the Salaspils Memorial. It was part of the German concentration camp complex where prisoners had to perform forced labour under inhuman conditions. Dinner in a local Latvian restaurant.
Guided tour of Riga with the most famous sights. Visit to the Art Nouveau quarter where many prominent Jewish Latvians once lived, including the philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin. In the “Jews in Latvia” museum, you will learn more about the life of Jews in this part of the world. Of course, a visit to the museum of the Riga Ghetto and the Holocaust in Latvia is not to be missed. After the lunch break, drive to the Salaspils Memorial. It was part of the German concentration camp complex where prisoners had to perform forced labour under inhuman conditions. Dinner in a local Latvian restaurant.
Day 5: Journey home
The time until departure is at your leisure. Transfer to Riga airport and return flight.
The time until departure is at your leisure. Transfer to Riga airport and return flight.
The following services are included in the tour price:
- 4 nights with breakfast in the Baltic hotels
- 4 dinners according to the program
- 5 days English-speaking tour guide from Vilnius to Riga
- 5 days comfortable coach from Vilnius to Riga
- Entrance fees: Trakai Castle, IX. Fort, Rundale Palace, Museum "Jews in Latvia", Museum of the Riga Ghetto;
Complete tour price on request.
The price will be calculated within the concrete booking details, depending on the travel date, availability of flights, number of participants and location/category of the accommodation. Programme changes are possible according to your travel wishes. We will be happy to provide you with your personal flight offer. Please contact us and let us know your wishes.