Sometimes I pick a restaurant for the great food it offers, and sometimes for its location. I picked the Trattoria di Ravello for its location and ended up happy with the food as well. It’s located along the main pedestrian street in Vilnius’ Old Town, Pilies, and allows you to watch city life go by […]
I stumbled upon my first dinner restaurant in Vilnius on my walk through the old town. along the winding alleys of the old Jewish quarter on Stikliu street: Bistro 18. I often check out the menus and was impressed by the modern, French-European cuisine on offer at very reasonable prices. I was looking forward to
Vilnius was the the last capital of the three Baltic Republics on my Baltic Explorer trip and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in this landlocked city. It didn’t help that I arrived on the bus from Riga in the rain and the bus and train station are not in the nicest part of
For my last dinner in Riga, I picked a restaurant in the Old Town that was highly recommended for its food and service on Tripadvisor. It’s on a quiet street right behind St. Peter’s church. With nice indoor and outdoor seating and the menu on a blackboard on the door, the scene was set for
If you want to learn about Riga’s and Latvia’s modern history (and I did), there are a few museums that will provide you with a lot of information. Latvia’s history since independence after World War I to occupation by the Soviets in 1940, Nazi Germany in 1941 and again by the Soviets in 1944, until
One of the things that makes Riga unique among the Baltic cities is the large number of Art Noveau (or Jugendstil) buildings in the city – there are 950 buildings in that architectural style, making up 40% of the old cities buildings! While it was common across European cities at the beginning of the 20th
You only have one day in Bangkok, the City of Angels, and need the perfect itinerary for one day in Bangkok to make the most of your time? No problem, you can enjoy a fun river tour, see a historical palace and temple, enjoy great Thai food and a uniquely Thai market – all in
While the Baltics and Riga are not known as a wine region, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a good glass of wine or two. In fact, you can even do a wine tasting of sorts or even better do a meal with your own wine pairings! Wine Easy is a type of concept
Visiting Riga without a walk through the old town is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower – the old town is the historic heart of the town, inviting visitors and locals alike with its cobblestone streets, churches and beautifully restored buildings. It’s situated between the Daugava river on the one side and a
If you are tired after a walking tour of Tallinn’s Old Town or are stuck on a rainy day, you can check out the Kalev Spa & Wellness Center. It’s operated by the Kalev hotel and sits on the border of the Old Town and the new city center. You have access to a water
On my first night in Tallinn, I was wandering through the beautiful Old Town and was checking out the many restaurants in the heart of town. There are a lot to choose from, many with outdoor seating around the squares and along the little alleys. Most of them have their menus out, so you can
If you want to get a short overview of the history of Tallinn, head to the City Museum. It’s housed in a medieval merchant’s house in the Old Town, so it’s easy to incorporate it into a walk around the Old Town. it’s really well done and has exhibits from the middle ages to Estonian independence. Some