October in the Baltics: Latvia, Estonia and a little bit of Finland

Mr Fletche and I were looking for somewhere a little different for an early autumn break. After two weeks cruising around the Med in June, and a city break to Lisbon (well, two city breaks to Lisbon as it turned out), we were eager to add a new country to our list. Would 2025 be the year Mr Fletche and I ticked off our 30th country travelling together? Tallinn had been on our radar for some time. Then we decided to combine a Tallinn trip with a second Baltic capital, Riga. Estonia and Latvia make 29 and 30. So why not thrown in a trip to Finland while we’re at it? After all, Helsinki is a hop, skip and ferry ride from Tallinn. And so we started planning our October in the Baltics.

We once again put our faith in Ryanair, with a direct flight from Stansted to Riga, and then returning from Tallinn a week later. An early flight out, and a late flight back meant 6 and a half days to explore. We’d barely touched down from Lisbon and we were packing again – this time allowing ourselves the luxury of an additional carry-on suitcase. We’re getting good at this minimal packing lark but October in the Baltics would mean warmer clothes than a sunny September break in Lisbon. Even Eeyore got to come along this time.

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October in the Baltics

I’ll put together separate blog posts about how we spent our time in Riga, Tallinn & Helsinki, but below is our October in the Baltics itinerary. I hope this helps if you’re planning a visit soon! Spoiler alert – we took a LOT of free walking tours!

Arrival Day in Riga:

• Bus #22 from Riga Airport
• Hotel check in. We stayed at the Neilburgs Hotel in Riga’s Old Town
• Coffee and Cake at Parunāsim kafe’teeka, the “most romantic cafe in Riga Old Town”
• Explore the Old Town with a Free Walking Tour – we took this one, beginning at 6pm
• Dinner at traditional Latvian canteen Lido Alus Seta, followed by drinks at Kakis Maisa, a local craft beer bar

Day 1 (Riga)

• Rātslaukums for photos with the Riga sign
• Climb St Peter’s Tower for panoramic views over the city. There’s a lift that takes you most of the way! Make sure you pat the Town Musicians of Bremen statue outside for luck
• Central Market food tour – we took this one and stopped for drinks afterwards at the Labietis brewery bar in the Gastronomy Pavillion
• A sobering visit to the free admission Museum of Riga Ghetto and Holocaust
• Drinks at Clayton McNamaras Drinking Emporium, a perfect drinking spot for the geeks and nerds (like us) with video games and superheroes and film posters (oh my)
• Still stuffed from the food tour? A sharing platter at Ala Pagrabs before Black Balsam cocktails at Black Magic and sour cherry liqueur at Piana Vyshnia

Day 2 (Riga)

• Stroll canalside through Bastejkalna & Kronvalda urban parks – beautiful in the autumn colours!
• Explore the Art Nouveau District, particularly Strēlnieku iela, Alberta iela, Antonijas iela and Elizabetas iela. You can find a useful guide to this area here.
• Stop for coffee and cake at the elegant Art Cafe Sienna
• Return to the Old Town, admiring the Riga Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral and Freedom Monument on the way
• Cross the River Daugava via the Akmens Tilts (Stone Bridge) to the striking National Library of Latvia. There’s a viewing deck here, but check opening times before you visit (we didn’t)
• Find out more about the turbulent history of the country at the excellent Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
• Retrace steps beyond the Freedom Monument to the Skyline Bar on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu hotel for sunset cocktails, then beers – and beer snacks! – at Ms & Mr Beer and Two More Beers.

Want a more detailed itinerary for Riga? Check out our 48 hour Riga itinerary here!

Day 3 (Riga and Tallinn)

• Pick up essential travel snacks from our local Narveson store. Chicken and pickled cucumber ends up being a surprisingly excellent sandwich choice
• 10am bus from Riga Bus Station for a 4 1/2 hour bus ride to Tallinn with Flixbus
• Tram #2 to Linnahall
• Accommodation Check-In. We stayed at this excellent AirBnB, a basement flat located in a 600 year old apartment building
• Climb the 238 steps of Oleviste Kogudus (St Olaf’s Church) for panoramic views of the city
• Sample traditional Estonian fare in the Old Town. In all honesty, I’d stay away from Restoran Olde Hansa though. The medieval vibe is great but our experience didn’t match the prices.
• Like 80s and 90s electronica/alt-rock/darkwave/goth/synthpop? Make sure you visit the DM Baar, devoted to all things Depeche Mode

Day 4 (Tallinn)

• Early morning stroll with a takeaway coffee before joining an Old Town Walking Tour. We booked this one with EstAdventures, which focused on Toompea (the upper part of the Old Town). Our guide Kadri was fab!
• Casual lunch and browsing around the bric-a-brac at Balti Jaama Turg. I recommend the samsa, an Uzbek savoury snack from Samsa Family Bakers
• Explore the street art, galleries and cafes at Telliskivi Creative City
• Enjoy a beer or two at Purtse Tap Room or Vaat Brewery, and dinner at F-hoone
• An early alarm call means an early night – but not before a final drink at Hell Hunt pub, practically next door to our accommodation

Day 5 (Day Trip to Helsinki)

• 6:15 pick-up by Bolt to Tallin D Terminal for 7:30am Tallink ferry to Helsinki
• Take a free walking tour (yes, another one) – we booked this one with Medi, starting at 10:30am from Helsinki Cathedral
• Lunch at the cafe in Oodi Library, an affordable option in an expensive city
• Visit Temppeliaukio Church, clamber over the iconic domes outside the Amos Rex Museum and wave hi to The Lantern Bearer statues outside Helsinki Railway Station. You might even catch them in fancy dress!
• Pick up souvenirs from one of the city’s Moomin stores! We visited this one on Lasipalatsi
• If you remember to bring your swimwear, take a dip at Allas Sea Pool – we didn’t so ended up keeping our clothes on and not sampling Finnish sauna life
• Take a ride on the Helsinki Skywheel
• Have a beer at Helsinki Bryggeri Brewhouse before catching the tram back to the port for your ferry back to Tallinn
• Straight to bed because you’re probably exhausted!

Day 6 (Tallinn and Departure Day)

• Check out of your accommodation and find storage for your luggage. We were extremely lucky that our AirBnb host allowed us access to the apartment all day
• Morning stroll around the Old Town, grabbing a coffee and pastry from one of the many bakeries as you go
• Head over to the Kalamaja district to spot the wooden houses and colourful doors
• Kick some autumn leaves around with a stroll through Kalamaja Cemetery Park – a former burial ground!
• Continue walking to Port Noblessner and Lennusadam, where you can visit the highly rated Seaplane Harbour maritime museum
• Cheeky lunchtime beer at Põhjala Brewery and Taproom
• Back to the Old Town for a pancake lunch at Kompressor
• Work off your pancake with a walk around a stretch of the old city walls, accessible via a little cafe at the base of Munkadetagune Tower
• Fancy hot chocolate at Pierre Chocolaterie in the Masters Courtyard
• Final stroll around Toompea before leaving for the airport. Tallinn Airport is excellent by the way!

Follow our October in the Baltics itinerary!

There you have it – our itinerary for six and a half days in October in the Baltics! We were very lucky with the weather – blue skies and sunshine although a bit chilly at time. This means we focused on walking around outside rather than galleries and museums, but there are no shortage of either in Riga, Tallinn or Helsinki. I had a wet weather plan but it didn’t need to be activated this time round!

We did free walking tours in each city, sought out local craft beer bars and found viewpoints of each city from up high – some which took more effort than others. We walked 56 miles. 138,000 steps. An average of 21,000 steps each day. We took trams and buses, and discovered that Bolt is the cheapest and most convenient rideshare app, particularly in Tallinn. After all, it is the home of Bolt. Surprisingly neither Tallinn or Riga are particularly cheap, so we spent more money than expected. Helsinki WAS as expensive as expected.

If you’re thinking about visiting Riga, Tallinn or Helsinki, I thoroughly recommend paying a visit in autumn. The colours were spectacular, nowhere was too crowded, and there is plenty to see and do, rain or shine. Book your October in the Baltics trip for 2025 as soon as possible!