Reviews

Cycling in the Baltics

After very careful consideration I have decided that this was a trip which I would not recommend to a friend. However, there were many good things that we experienced and I am glad I went on it – but there serious deficiencies that need to be addressed by Exodus.
Positives- excellent guide and driver, wonderful cities and great company.
Negatives – some poor hotels with faults that were unacceptable ( smelly rooms from shower drains, poor food in overcrowded breakfast rooms, lack of air con and noisy locations if open windows.
Long sections of monotonous roads/ paths through forests ( e.g. Cycling along the Curonian Spit without being able to see the sea!!)
Rather heavy bikes that were not the advertised 21 speed ones.

Most Inspirational Moment

We very much enjoyed the bonhomie of our group and the cities of Riga, Tartu and Vilnius were amazing. Where we saw the sea (!) it was beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lukas was excellent! He did everything and more that a guide should do! He joined in with our jokes and was a mine of information - and nothing was too much trouble. Our driver Vladamir was efficient and helpful ( and a good driver)

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take insect repellent! If possible take your own bike It can be very hot - be prepared - and vice versa. Don't wash clothes in the Palmse Hotel - whites turn orange!

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Brian for his feedback, whilst we are pleased that he enjoyed aspects of his holiday, we regret that he was disappointed with his stay at some of the properties. Our local manager has spoken with the hotels’ managers and asked them to review the rooms and services they provide to our clients to ensure they are in line with our expectations. We will also be looking into sending a member of staff on this trip in the near future, as well as keeping a very close eye on future feedback regarding these properties; if we receive further similar concerns, we will certainly reconsider whether or not we continue to use these hotels.

Natasha Black – Product Manager for the Baltics

Cycling the Baltic States

A really outstanding Exodus cycle trip, aided by the most marvellous European summer. Great group of fellow cyclists, excellent choice of hotels and really beautiful forest cycleways. Tour leader Lina and driver Andre added significantly to the overall experience. We have been on a few Exodus trips and as always we were very well looked after. The cycling was fairly straight forward and relatively easy.

Cycling the Baltic States

A really outstanding Exodus cycle trip, aided by the most marvellous European summer. Great group of fellow cyclists, excellent choice of hotels and really beautiful forest cycleways. Tour leader Lina and driver Andre added significantly to the overall experience. We have been on a few Exodus trips and as always we were very well looked after. The cycling was fairly straight forward and relatively easy.

A great holiday

My first cycling trip couldn’t have gone better, a great group of people, an excellent leader and luck with the weather. There is a good mixture of cycling and tourism although the itinerary is full so there isn’t a lot of free time or opportunity for stopping en route.

Comments from Christine and David Martin

We enjoyed the holiday very much, we had a good insight into the three capital cities and a fiar understanding of how the countyry side worked.
The food was much better than expected ,
we had feared it might mainly be pork and dumplings but it was a good selection of ‘western ‘ and local dishes.
The cycling was mainly through forest tracks which do not give many views of the country side but perhaps it is very difficult to design a cycling holiday in a very forested area to include time to stop and look aroun villages . Although the cycling was not technically difficult there were times when it was necessary to keep close to the leader mto avoid getting lost. A back marker would have been very useful and would have been able to cope with any problems (punctures, accidents) as well as ensuring.

Great trip

Great trip

Cycle the Baltics

It was a great rip – well-organised, lovely routes, reasonable accommodation and food, excellent guide, great group -met some lovely people who I’ll be seeing again.

Cycling and sightseeing in the Baltics

A very well organised and interesting trip, combining exercise and sightseeing in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Our guide Vaida was calm, helpful, knowledgable, kind and fun – an ideal cycling guide.

The trip gave 4 nights in Estonia, 2 in Latvia and 4 in Lithuania, with a combination of cycling, learning about the cities we visited, and socialising with the group. The cycling was straightforward, mostly flat riding in forests or by the sea, sometimes with a headwind. It was mostly cool which is good for cycling. The group were of mixed ability, so some went ahead whilst others went more slowly to enjoy the views.

It was good to visit this area of Europe to get to know more about it. Breakfasts were substantial, and I have developed a love of herring – though this is not necessary!

An interesting tour

I had never been to this part of Europe so was excited to go. The cities we visited were lovely, our tour guide, excellent and the places we stayed varied and often charming. We visited a lot of different restaurants and most of the food was ve y good. I was slightly surprised to find it was not as cheap as i expected, but i enjoyed it.
The cycling …level 2 was not hard, mostly very level terrain, but some of the rides were not that varied which is inevitable given the location. Weather was much cooler than i expected in parts, i am only mentioning it for future travellers may want to bring an extra fleece!!!! I did love several of the places we stayed and visited.

cycling the baltics

A bit too pacey for me for a trip advertised as leisurely and the scenery was somewhat often repetitive and uninspiring . However the capital cities i.e. Tallin, Riga and Vilnius are well worth a visit.

The weather, apart from a couple of sunny days in Tallin was mainly cloudy and sometimes wet – just like home. Also we had 2 or 3 very windy days and it was always a headwind which made cycling very hard work, particularly when it was also pouring with rain. At one café stop we met cyclists from a competitor of Exodus who were travelling in the opposite direction from Vilnius to Tallin and they said the ride was brilliant with a tailwind. Perhaps Exodus should consider reversing the route.