Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia on Crystal Symphony

[rungirl1124]

We will be sailing on the beautiful Crystal Symphony this August, from Copenhagen - Stockholm. I have been through the Baltic previously, but our itinerary includes stops in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia which are new to us. If anyone has traveled to those ports of call recently, I would love to hear any recommendations. Anything we can walk to from the ship would be ideal. Plus we will be traveling with our 6 year old daughter, so child friendly options would be appreciated. I am also looking for a guide book for the region, any suggestions? Thanks everyone!

[Norwegianlatvian]

Velcome to Latvia!

 

I guess the port here will be Riga? Well, great news: This port is very easy to do on your own. Check out some of the tips I wrote about Riga earlier in this forum.

 

Feel free to ask!

[TLCOhio]

We will be sailing on the beautiful Crystal Symphony this August, from Copenhagen - Stockholm. I have been through the Baltic previously, but our itinerary includes stops in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia which are new to us. If anyone has traveled to those ports of call recently, I would love to hear any recommendations. Anything we can walk to from the ship would be ideal. Plus we will be traveling with our 6 year old daughter, so child friendly options would be appreciated. I am also looking for a guide book for the region, any suggestions? Thanks everyone!

 

We have done the Crystal Symphony in the Baltics, including a wonderful experience in Tallinn. Super loved this city and this stop. Great shopping options here. Lots of interesting history and architecture. Below are a few of my pictures from being here. We were there on a Saturday and there happened to be a local festival going on that day that made things more interesting and entertaining. The ship docks close, but Crystal will have a shuttle bus to make things easier and quicker between there and the main part of town. You will want to get to the top of the major hill for this walled city and go down from there to City Hall Square area. We took a morning ship tour to help us on that logistical detail, plus providing a guide to give us more background on the historic buildings and churches at the top of the hill, etc.

 

Have lunch on their scenic square. Fun & interesting!!!

 

Since you are new to these boards, WELCOME, and here are a couple of other suggestions to help you and other future travelers. FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings. You will see many different items on ports you would visit and/or at the board for each separate cruise line in planning for your upcoming cruise. SECOND, do a search on these boards by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions, make comment, etc. The only "dumb question" is the one you don't ask.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 68,273 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 61,512 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Tallinn’s rooftops in this charming Estonia Capital from the Toompea/upper town with docked cruise ships, including the Symphony, shown in the more distant background:

 

 

 

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate:

 

 

 

Shopping is great in Tallinn. Here we are inside a nice linen shop near the City Hall.:

 

 

 

Outdoor lunch options on Tallinn’s main square:

 

 

 

Inside of Tallinn’s historic St. Mary's Cathedral Lutheran church with parts of the building dating back to the 12th Century. The main church was built in the 14th Century:

 

 

 

Here is an inside view of Tallinn’s Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built in the Orthodox style 1894–1900. This church crowns the hill of Toompea. The church has been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.: