Travel on a Budget: The Baltic States
In February 2020 — I know that’s a very long time ago — I had my very last vacation before the Corona age. I went on a quick checky trip to Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. What? You’ve never heard of them? You thought they would be too far away? Or they wouldn’t be attractive enough? Let me prove you otherwise!
Preparation
Let’s just pretend Corona and all those travel bans are not a thing right now. Students have always had to walk the thin line between making the best of their free time and not ending up broke at the end of the month. Thus, travelling can be difficult from time to time. Luckily, neither Estonia, Latvia, nor Lithuania is that expensive.
All three countries — in contrast to the UK — do belong to the European Union which makes travelling in between those countries very easy and comfortable. All three countries use Euros as their currency, but UK travellers are also advised to get a travel adapter for European plugs. While restaurants in the capitals are on a slightly lower price level than in the UK, grocery shops are much cheaper — with some exceptions like nuts. Tap water is enjoyable and the pubs have low prices as well. But remember, because the Baltic states are close to the Russian border, it can be pretty cold up there. Take some gloves and winter jackets with you!
Estonia
When I made my way through the Baltic states, I started with the most northern country of the bunch. Estonia is located on the border to Russia, and its capital is the city of Tallinn. The city centre is surrounded by an old medieval castle, which is almost completely accessible. The old town reminded me of other cultural highlights like Edinburgh and offers a nice ticket for tourists. For a small fee per day, you can purchase a Tallinn Card, which allows you to use all important public traffic lines, grants you access to many tourists’ attractions like the zoo and dozens of museums, and it also gives you a discount on many local shops and restaurants. I bought a card for two days — around 29 € — and ended up saving at least 50€ during my time in Tallinn! Prices for beds in hostels are cheap too! Mine was located close to the city centre, cost about 10 € per night, and was really clean!
So, if you go to Tallinn, you’ve got to check out the Estonian film museum (included in Tallinn card) and the local bars. Don’t worry about any language barriers — almost every person I met could speak a passable amount of English. Which could be explained by Estonia’s progress in technology and modernism. I was stunned when I saw hologram advertisements in shop windows!
Latvia
Latvia and its capital Riga were the next stop on my journey. You can either take the bus or train for around 20 € to get there! Riga is the complete opposite of Tallinn. Instead of antique cobblestone roads and castle-like buildings, you’ve got big shopping centres and a lot of night clubs. Even the drinks were slightly cheaper as in the previous city. Still, Latvia has much cultural sightseeing to offer. The House of the Black Heads is an old merchants’ building, which now exhibits a walk-through of the history of Riga. Furthermore, The Corner House, a former KGB prison, is necessary to mention. You can walk through the interiors of the building and learn more about the KGB and its history.
Similar Estonia, prices for accommodations are fairly low, and public traffic is well connected. My hostel had been right inside the main restrict of Riga, where you can find most of the restaurants and bars as well as the huge shopping mall Galerija Centrs. The city seems to be far-stretching, but nothing is really that far away to not go there by foot.
Lithuania
Finally, I reached Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, by bus. When I got off the bus, I was lost at first. In contrast to Latvia and Estonia, nobody seemed to speak English. By hook or by crook, I found my way from the train station to my hostel, which was located 10 minutes away from the city centre. I had to admit: I was kinda underwhelmed. But the next day, when I walked to the city, I found a beautiful city which reminded me of Rome! There are many architecturally interesting buildings, and the old town offers many different restaurants. My favourite place: The Cat Café. Inside the coffee shop, a bunch of sweet kittens went running all over the place — and the food and coffee were good too!
With, once again, low prices around 10 € per night, I used the last remains of my travel budget to visit one of the multiple thrift shops around the town, as well as different vegan restaurants. The students-oriented offers can be traced back to Vilnius’ university — which was actually my second choice to Canterbury — which has a stunning flair.
For me, I know that one day, I will return to one — if not all, of these countries. It was an amazing experience, not only because my last name meant “Man” in Estonian and everybody thought that is funny. Hopefully, I could convince you too.
