Your New Favorite Cities: A Guide to the Baltics

Wander Tallinn's Old Town

Tallinn's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe. Walking through it with my family felt genuinely magical: the cobblestone streets, the city walls, the towers, the hidden courtyards with cafés tucked inside them. Go in the early morning before the crowds arrive, and the atmosphere is something else entirely.

Toompea Hill & the viewing platforms

From Toompea Hill, you get the best views in Tallinn: the Old Town's rooftops and spires with the sea as a backdrop. The Patkuli and Kohtuotsa platforms are both worth the climb. The Estonian Parliament and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are both up here too, so you can cover a lot in one walk.

Fotografiska Tallinn

I loved this. Fotografiska is a photography museum with a beautiful space and rotating exhibitions that are worth planning your day around. Even if you only have a couple of hours, it's one of those places that shifts the pace of the trip in the best way.

Kids' Museum & Amusement Park, Tallinn

What surprised me most about Tallinn was how much it had to offer beyond the historic center. We found a children's amusement park and a kids' museum practically next door to each other, and it became one of the highlights of the trip for the little ones. Tallinn is genuinely one of the most family-friendly cities I've visited.

Canal boat & car tour, Riga

Riga is a city best understood from multiple angles. I'd start with a canal boat tour to get a feel for the layout and the scale of the Art Nouveau architecture, then follow it with a car tour to cover the broader highlights. The idea is to identify what you want to come back to on foot, so take notes as you go.

Explore Riga's Art Nouveau District

Riga has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau architecture in the world, and walking through the district in May with the sun out and the facades glowing was one of the most beautiful things I've seen in any European city.

Get lost in Vilnius

The best thing you can do in Vilnius is walk without a plan. The Old Town is full of Gothic and Baroque churches and streets that seem to appear out of nowhere, and the best discoveries happen when you're not looking for anything specific. I'd set aside a full morning or afternoon with no agenda and see where you end up.

Užupis, Vilnius

Užupis is a self-declared independent republic within Vilnius: an artists' district with its own constitution posted on the wall in multiple languages, its own anthem, and an energy unlike anywhere else in the city. It's quirky, creative, and completely genuine. Cross the bridge and explore.

Monthly street music festival, Vilnius

We arrived on the day of Vilnius's monthly street music festival completely by chance, and it was one of the most joyful things I've experienced traveling. The main street was full of live music, ice cream stalls, and people in the best possible mood. Check the dates before you go and try to plan around it.

Trakai Castle, day trip from Vilnius

About 30 minutes outside Vilnius, Trakai is a fairy-tale island castle in the middle of a lake that looks almost too beautiful to be real. An easy half-day trip and one of Lithuania's most iconic sights.

Fulla (Tallinn)

I found Fulla on TikTok and made a point of going to verify whether it lived up to the hype. It did, completely. I tried cinnamon rolls at every place in all three cities that claimed to have the best ones, and nothing came close. Go, and don't share.

F Hoone (Tallinn)

Warm, relaxed atmosphere and a menu rooted in seasonal cooking. It's near Fotografiska, which made it the perfect lunch stop before heading into the museum. The kind of place that feels lived-in and real—not designed for tourists, but welcoming to everyone.

Osteria Il Cru (Tallinn)

An Italian osteria. Great wine, well-executed dishes, and an intimate atmosphere that made it one of our favorite dinners of the whole trip.

Babo (Riga)

The meal I keep coming back to when I think about Riga and this trip. I'd never tried Georgian food before, and it genuinely surprised me in the best way. It was one of those dinners where you realize a city's food scene is doing something worth paying attention to.

Petergailis (Riga)

The rooster decor is the first thing you notice, and once you know why, it makes perfect sense. Petergailis sits right next to St. Peter's Church, one of Riga's most iconic landmarks, which is topped by a golden rooster weathervane: a powerful Latvian symbol representing the break of dawn and the triumph of light over darkness. The restaurant took that symbol and ran with it: roosters everywhere, in every material and size, which sounds like too much but somehow works completely. The food is just as good as the setting: traditional Latvian cooking done with real care, in a cozy Old Town space that has been here since 1978.

Forest (Riga)

Unlike anywhere else I ate on the trip. Beautiful space, seasonal ingredients, and a menu that feels completely tied to where you are. One of Riga's most distinctive dining experiences.

Restaurant at Pacai (Vilnius)

The in-house restaurant at the Pacai hotel is one of the best in Vilnius. Refined Lithuanian cooking in a setting that is genuinely stunning. Even if you're not staying at the hotel, dinner here is worth reserving.

Le Travi (Vilnius)

The kind of Italian neighborhood restaurant you wish existed in every city. Relaxed, delicious, and exactly what you want after a long day of walking. Great pasta, great atmosphere, easy to love.

Rotonda (Vilnius)

A Vilnius gem that feels like a local secret. Seasonal menu, thoughtful cooking, and a room with genuine character. The kind of place you stumble upon and immediately want to bring everyone you know.