Highlights of Riga and Tallinn

The family-owned, boutique apartment hotel and restaurant Neiburgs is an Art Nouveau property located in the heart of Riga's Old Town. The Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering you an opportunity to explore the quiet beauty of the meandering streets and some of the most iconic buildings in the city. The stately Riga Cathedral is right next door, while many other key attractions are within a five-minute walk.

The hotel itself is an elegant fusion of the historical and modern. All apartments are elegantly furnished and offer breathtaking views of the Old Town and the left bank of the Daugava River. Filled with lots of light, each room has a personal touch, such as original graphic art by Katrina Neiburga. She is not only a representative of the family but a world-renowned, contemporary, multimedia art installation and set designer. This is a perfect choice for urban travelers of all ages that are looking for style blended with history.

Enjoy a private walking tour of Riga, revolving around two amazing stops, starting with your guide picking you up from your hotel. While the distances between stops are relatively short, we suggest 10am as a good time to begin your walk. Over the course of four hours you are going to experience a marketplace so extraordinary and unique that its territory was added to Riga's existing UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998. The other key visit is the Black Magic bar where you can taste Latvia's famous Black Balsam. In case you wonder, in 2018, thirty bartenders from 15 European countries participated in the Riga Black Balsam Global Cocktail Challenge, creating a little buzz for both the drink and the city. A leisurely walkabout from your hotel, invariably, leads you to the Dome Square and the gorgeous cathedral, and past many other buildings, around 500 of them, that were constructed at different times in the city's history. Romantic, Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, Art Nouveau, you name it. Look for the House of Blackheads and a building known as Three Brothers to get the full historic flavour. Importantly, let your guide take you around some of the Old Town's fabulous, medieval alleyways. Try to spread your arms out on Rozena Street, the narrowest street in Riga, where you can easily reach and touch opposite walls. Ultimately, you'll get to the appropriately named Black Magic bar, located in an 18th century building. Entering through its beautiful wooden door is like stepping back in time. Handmade chocolates are displayed in apothecary jars on the countertop, while medicine bottles and clay jars containing the Riga Black Balsam, line the shelves. All this is dimly lit by candles, adding an air of mystique. The recipe was crafted in Riga in 1752 by a pharmacist named Abraham Kunze and its original purpose was purely medicinal. It blends 24 herbs and botanicals such as valerian, wormwood, black pepper and ginger. Roots, berries, grasses and buds are then added to vodka and aged in oak. The establishment also offers some fabulous confectionary, cakes and cookies and even a Black Mojito made with currant-flavoured Black Balsam. Your second key stop is under a quarter of an hour's walk away, still very close to the Old Town, on the banks of the River Daugava, next to the Central Railway Station. When it opened in 1930 it was considered the largest and most advanced marketplace in Europe. An average of 80,000 to 100,000 people shop here every day. You can buy Latvian-grown products, exotic fruit and spices, as well as many types of manufactured goods. The market includes five pavilions, each for different products, but there is also an outdoor area with numerous stalls, as well as a "Night Market" and a "Round the Clock Farmers Market". Honey still in honeycombs, flower dust, hemp butter, sand thorn syrup or fried lampreys, are among the many things that can be found here. Your lunch stop is usually, but not always, at "Silkites un Dillites", conveniently located between the Fish and Vegetable pavilions. Its name means 'Herring and Dill' and there are few things more Latvian than dill. Combined with Baltic Herring, a regional delicacy, you have a winning Latvian combination. Latvia has a strong fishing tradition and the bustling Fish Pavilion next door proves it. After lunch, your guide ensures your safe trip back to the hotel. This is a great excursion for families with teenagers or couples of all ages.

The tour starts from Riga hotel reception with private guide and by car/minivan to The Gauja National Park, which was established in 1973 and consists of more than 900 sq.km. After 1 hour drive out of city, where the park is located in the area known as "Vidzemes Sveice" - the Livonian Switzerland offers a unique combination of picturesque hill landscapes, the Gauja River, medieval castles, sculpture parks and fauna and flora that are already extinct in many countries in Europe.

First the sightseeing of Sigulda - a small idyllic town with 10.000 inhabitants, foundation of which dates back in history in the beginning of the 12th century when German Order built a large castle here and it was destroyed during the Great Nordic War - but the ruins of the main building and the 2 towers are left and are used for dance and song festivals and a new castle was built in 1881 and today it houses the city council and a nice restaurant, from the castle ruins there is a fabulous view of the Gauja River and it is also possible to go over the river by cable car (ticket is not included in tour price), during the tour also a visit of the famous bob-sleigh track and just outside a town there are possibilities of canoeing and rafting on the Gauja River.

Tour furthers to the other side of the river and visit of the Gutman Cave, a huge red sandstone cave and then up to the hill the ruins of the Turaida Castle, which was inaugurated by Bishop Albert of Riga and completed in 1214 and remained untouched until 1776 when it was seriously damaged by a fire, but now a part of the castle has been rebuilt, it is again possible to enter the tower and the main building and close to the castle you will find a little wooden church from 1750, the Daina Hill sculpture park of Latvian folksongs, and not to forget - the Tomb of the "Rose of Turaida".

The Hotel Schlossle is a historical building (15th century) in 1998. Last renovation was in 2016. Exclusive boutique style hotel has restaurant for 36 persons, bar, guarded parking lot, Valet Parking service, business center, conference room for 29 persons, gym, sauna and disco lounge. Located in the Old Town.

Discover how Estonia's food, like its history, has been influenced by other cultures, leaving an indelible and, yes, quite tasty mark. What exactly is Estonian cuisine? It certainly has a Nordic twist but is often inspired by Russian and German kitchens. This private 'Tallinn Food Tour' offers you a glimpse into a surprisingly vivid culinary scene. Moreover, as you stroll around the historical cobblestone streets of Tallinn's UNESCO-listed Old Town, you might just discover the real soul of the city through its food while your guide adds more flavours with stories about the city today and historical tidbits from yesteryear. Your three-hour walk around the Old Town and the nearby Kalamaja quarter usually includes 6-7 food and drink stops that offer an introduction to the city's traditional and modern cuisine. Please be aware that while you are not going to be left with an empty stomach, don't think of the tour menu as the equivalent of a full 3-course meal. Food samples might include a traditional soup, maybe creamy pumpkin, and open-faced spiced sprat sandwiches. The Baltic Sea is full of sprats; served on fresh baked dark-rye bread with a boiled egg and a sauce, they are delicious. Kama is one of the most iconic Estonian foods and probably not found anywhere else in the world. It is used as an ingredient to make delicious Estonian desserts; however, locals also mix kama with buttermilk and serve it as a beverage for breakfast. You might want to try Kali, a mix between beer and cola with a natural fizz, but very low alcohol content. Estonia does, of course, offer some serious drinks too: local schnapps comes in many flavours, some made with genuine Estonian berries and rye spirit. There is lots more to see as you make your way around the medieval taverns, cafés, deli-shops, a typical Estonian restaurant, or a nearby market with smaller specialty shops and food concession stands. Be sure to remember that Estonia makes fabulous chocolate and marzipan. This is a wonderful tour for couples of all ages.

Enjoy a private tour to Lahemaa National Park, approximately 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Tallinn, and home to the most beautiful manors in Estonia, unique and legendary fishing villages, as well as pristine natural landscapes. Your private guide will pick you up at your hotel and you can look forward to discovering Estonia's most popular nature reserve, just about an hour's drive from the city. The fabulous and completely restored Sagadi Manor complex is one of the trip highlights, and from here, a very short drive takes you to Vihula Manor, which highlights 800 years of history and in an expansive woodland park. It's home to migrating cranes and magnificently restored historical buildings, and you might just want to come back and overnight here. The fishing village of Altja dates back to 1465 and has many restored or reconstructed traditional buildings, including a wonderfully ancient-looking tavern. Lunch is optional but the tavern is definitely a great choice to sit down and reflect on the trip thus far. Among the truly pristine scenery in the area are the enchanting Oandu Forest, the incredibly unique wetlands of Viru Bog, as well as ancient coastal landscapes when you reach the village of Kasmu, located on a peninsula by the same name. It is one of most beautiful seaside villages in Estonia and, time permitting, you can follow a short part of the Kasmu trail from the end of the village, allowing you to emerge from a beautiful old forest onto the beach. The Vana-Juri kivid, huge boulders also known as the "erratic stones", add a lovely touch of mystery. This is a private excursion to provide many wonderful memories and is a great choice for active travelers of all ages.