Day 2: Traveling from Warsaw to Kaunas – 590 km / 7.5 hours
Day 2 was a long day, but fortunately, we didn’t spend all day in the car as we had plenty of stops along the way
Our first stop was the beautiful Trakai Castle in Lithuania. Built in the 14th century and rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, this fairy-tale castle sits on an island in Lake Galve. There was plenty of activity around the lake, so we could have easily spent a whole day there if we had the time. The site was bustling with cozy bars and restaurants, and there was so much activity on the lake.
Trakai Castle is open every day, and the entrance fee is 8 EUR. More information on Trakai Castle can be found on their information page. However, be careful with parking. When we arrived, it was busy, and someone directed us to their backyard, charging us 5 EUR for parking. The price was fair for the whole day, but as we were only staying for two hours, it would have made more sense for us to park a bit further away on the street for 80 cents per hour.
After our much-needed stop in Trakai, we hopped back in the car and zipped over to Vilnius, which was only a half-hour drive away. Our first stop was Vilnius Castle, where we parked the car and started our sightseeing adventure. From there, we strolled to the city center to grab a late lunch/early dinner. Our first choice was the popular restaurant Etno Dvaras, but it was jam-packed and we didn’t have a reservation, so we took a chance and walked down the street until we found an empty table, which was in the 7 Fridays Bar. They offer more like american style fried food, but you can still find on the menu some local specialty like Cold Beetroot Soup a.k.a Lithuanian Pink Soup, which i really wanted to try. Well, I a love beetroot, but i am not a fan of the cold soup. It is cold, like the name, with cucumber, onion and kefir. It is one of the most famous Lithuanian dishes. First spoon was delicious, second was good, but in the third one I could only feel the kefir and I was too full. My hubby hates beetroot, so I was on my own with the soup, and unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. I still plan to try to make it at home, but changing it to suit my tastebuds better.
After our short but sweet visit to Vilnius, we headed to Kaunas and checked into the wacky and wonderful Very Bad Hootel. This place gave us major Addams Family vibes – we couldn’t stop giggling at all the kooky little details in the decor. There was no reception, which only added to the chilly yet fun vibe. And because we still had plenty of energy left, we took an easy walk to the city center and stumbled upon a hidden gem called Baras Kamerinas. They served up some seriously good Estonian craft beer, including a brand called Tanker, which we just had to try all of. We ended up staying longer than planned, but we knew the next day’s drive would be much easier.
Day 3: Kaunas to Klaipeda – 220 km / 2 hours
After waking up at the quirky Very Bad Hootel, we stumbled our way to the very good breakfast included in the rate. After fighting off the sins from the previous night, we hopped in the car and drove to Klaipeda. Since we arrived too early to check in, we just left our stuff in the car and headed to our new adventure – Du Ratai Bike Rental. These guys are the bike tour specialists. And they helped us with our new adventure – biking The Curonian Spit.
Biking the Curonian Spit was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The Spit is a long, thin peninsula that stretches 98 km between Lithuania and Russia, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We rented our bikes from Du Ratai and they arranged for our ferry tickets to the Spit. We started our bike tour in Smiltynė on the Lithuanian side of the Spit. From there, we biked along the picturesque coastline with the Baltic Sea on one side and the Curonian Lagoon on the other. The bike paths were well-marked and the terrain was mostly flat, which made for an easy and enjoyable ride. Along the way, we stopped at various points of interest, including sand dunes, beaches, and refreshment stops. After a few hours of biking, and 50 km later, we reached Nida, where we had lunch and explored the charming site. To make our return journey more exciting and time efficient, we decided to take a speedboat back to Klaipeda. It was a perfect way to end our adventure on the Curonian Spit.
After returning our bikes, we checked into the Ibis Styles Klaipeda Aurora hotel for the night. The hotel was great, with a spacious parking lot in front and a delicious breakfast included in the rate. After freshening up with a shower, we headed to the city center for dinner. Since we were feeling a bit lazy after all the biking, we decided to take a Bolt instead of walking. Our Bolt driver recommended a restaurant called Senamiestis, and we were blown away by the amazing food. With our bellies full, we dragged our exhausted bodies back to the hotel. Between all the driving and biking, we were completely wiped out.
Day 4: from Klaipeda to Riga 340 km / 4 hours and half
The next day, we traveled to Riga, but we made several stops along the way. Our first stop was the breathtaking Palanga beach, where we spent a relaxing morning by the sea. The 470m long sea pier was stunning and we were surprised by how lovely the Baltic beach was. We had previously visited Gdansk a few years ago, which was our first experience with the Baltic. Even though we were there in January, we loved the beach. During the winter, it looked wild and stunning, but during summer it was as lovely as any other European beach, except for the colder sea.
After enjoying the morning at the beach, we continued our journey to the Hill of Crosses. We had expected it to be more of a tourist trap, but the incredible amount of crosses was spectacular and gave the place a strange vibe. I actually loved it. We overheard a lady with a guide and enjoyed every word from the guide. If we were to visit again, we would definitely book a guide. You do not need one to see the place, as the area is small and manageable, but you need one to feel the place and its history. Even though we were tight on time, a guide would have been well worth it. There is no entrance fee, and we regretted not taking the place more seriously. If we had known how it feels to be there, we would have made a cross at home and put it there, next to the others. It would have been a cross for all the people who have vanished from our lives and who we miss dearly
We continued our journey to Riga and checked into the Bellevue Park Hotel in the late afternoon. After getting comfortable, we went for a walk and some sightseeing. We ended up in the pub, Two More Beers, which was approximately 3 km from the hotel. The ambiance, beer, food, and service were amazing. We stayed there for a while and tried their beer-tasting menu. I definitely recommend it.