Day 1/ Sunday/ Vilnius
Arrival to Vilnius (capital of Lithuania). Nowadays Vilnius is a modern European city, a political, economical,cultural, educational, trade centre of the Republic, the biggest town in the country with a population of about 550 000. Transfer to the hotel for accommodation.
Overnight in Vilnius.
Day 2/ Monday/ Vilnius
Breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 Meeting with English speaking guide at the hotel reception.
Sightseeing tour of Vilnius. Gediminas Castle, the Cathedral square, the Old Vilnius University, Presidential Palace, St. Anne’s and St. Peter and Paul’s Churches. Walk along medieval pedestrian street in the heart of the Old City, Amber Museum, City Hall Square and the “Gate of Dawn”. Walking in the medieval Jewish Quarter of Vilnius, called Lithuanian Jerusalem. Jasha Heifetz music school, ORT school building and history, Tarbut Gimnazia and nawadays JCC. Former Yiddish theatre, rabbis’ council and Theodor Hertzel visit to Vilnius. Medieval Ghetto streets and Vilna Gaon’s house; the Great Synagogue spot, butcher street. The Big Ghetto and the story of the resistance. Judenrat office, hiding place in the cellar, Ghetto theatre and the only active Vilnius Synagogue.
Overnight in Vilnius.
Day 3/ Tuesday/ Vilnius – Trakai – Kaunas
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Meeting with English speaking guide at the hotel reception.
Departure to Trakai. Stop at Paneriai Memorial (Ponar). Continue to Trakai. The picturesque Trakai national park with pine forests and lakes, and the ancient Lithuanian capital – the residence of Grand Dukes of the country. Visit to the 15th century insular castle hosted the museum of Lithuanian history nowadays. The history of this region includes the story of the small ethnic group Karaites, brought by Vytautas the Great from Crimea 600 years ago. Trakai is famous with Special Karaites dish – Kibinai (meat stuffed pastry. Trakai Castle visit.
Departure to second large Litnuania city – Kaunas. Visiting Kaunas Synagogue. Tour of Kaunas Old Town with its Catholic churches, narrow streets and cobbled squares, cosy cafes and art galleries. Continue walking along the main pedestrian street, Laisves aleja, with its 2-3 storey buildings, restaurants, shops, just as they looked before the war. Visit Slobodka – Jewish neighbourhood since 1500′. Building of the famous Slobodka Yeshiva. Accomodation at the hotel.
Overnight in Kaunas.
Day 4/ Wednesday/ Kaunas – Siauliai – Rundale – Riga
Breakfast at the hotel.
08:00 Departure to Riga.
Stop at Seduva in which is developing a unique Lithuanian Jewish Culture and Heritage project “Lost Shtetl”. Visiting Siauliai. Etrance to Chaimas Frenkelis Villa in Siauliai. Chaimas Frenkelis was a Jew.. Having learned a little about skin processing and saved five thousand roubles of the Tzarist Russia in the then Šiauliai suburb, nearly the swamp, bought the land with small dwellings and founded the leather processing unit. Soon the unit grew into one of the largest tanneries of the Tzarist Russia. This way Šiauliai became well-known town.
Continueto Hill of Crosses – near Siauliai, where the Pope John Paul II held the most highly attended mass in the country during his visit to Lithuania in 1993. It is believed that the first crosses were placed here just after the 1831 uprising, and today the hill is home to thousands of all different sizes and colours. Interspersed amongst the crosses are traditional Lithuanian koplytstulpis – wooden figures – and magnificent stone statues of Christ. It is a unique example of Christianity in Lithuania, revealing the creation of Catholic believers, who took those thousands of crosses into one place. Next stop is at Rundale Palace, a beautiful example of the Italian baroque, built by famous architect Rastrielli. The Palace built for favourite of Jekaterina II Count Biron reminds you of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Continue to Riga. Accommodation at the hotel.
Overnight in Riga.
Day 5/ Thursday/ Riga
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Meeting with English speaking guide at the hotel reception.
City tour of Riga, including the OldTown, the Dome Cathedral built in 1211 and its extraordinary organ with 6781 pipes. The Great and Small Guilds houses and economical history of the city, the Swedish gate and the Beer-brewers street, Cats’s house and the superstitious legend, the “Three Brothers” – architectural development example, the House of the “Blackheads” – single merchants guild, St. Peter church and its tower. The outstanding collection of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture in the streets of Riga. Visit to the biggest Central market in the Baltics located in 5 huge hangars; continue to “Maskavas forstadt” a former suburb of Riga developed by foreign merchants coming to trade on the Market. Later on this are became a house for the first Jewish settlement in the area of Riga. Memorial – ruins of the Great Synagogue. Wall of Righteous among the Nations. Jewish School founded in the 19th cent. Ghetto territory – the Small Ghetto and Reich’s Juden Ghetto. Synagogue on Moscow street, Hospital Bikur Holim, Old Jewish Cemetery. Visit to Rumbula – Memorials where Nazis murdered thousands of Jews from Latvia, Germany and Czechoslovakia
Overnight in Riga.
Day 6/ Friday/ Riga – Sigulda – Tallinn
Breakfast at the hotel.
09: 00 Departure to Tallinn via Sigulda. Sigulda, a small town in Gauja National Park, which is sometimes called “Latvian Switzerland”. A visit to Turaidas Castle where, located is the grave of Turaidas Rose, a Latvian maiden who chose to die rather than give in to the wishes of a filthy nobleman. Gutmanis Cave visit. Continue to Tallinn – the capital city of Estonia. Stop at famous Parnu beach. Arrival to Tallinn.
Accommodation at the hotel.
Overnight in Tallinn.
Day 7/ Saturday/ Tallinn
Breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 Meeting with English speaking guide at the hotel reception. Walking tour of the Tallinn old town. The walking tour gives an introduction to the historical heart of Tallinn, which, especially during the 15th century, was a rich and prosperous town of Hansa merchants. You will see Dome Hill (Toompea), from Castle Square where Toompea Castle, the seat of the Estonian Parliament is facing the 19th century symbol of the Tsar’s power in Estonia, Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Dome Church (13th century), enjoying a breathtaking view from a viewing platform, the tour continues by strolling along the narrow cobblestone streets down to the Town Hall Square that features the gothic Town Hall from 13/14th century – one of the oldest in Northern Europe. Tallinn Synagogue visit.
Overnight in Tallinn.
Day 8/ Sunday/ departure day
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure back to Israel.