Baltic Compact: Riga, Tallinn & Stockholm, 9 Days

It starts with your own journey to Kiel. In the evening your machine goes on board the ferry bound for the Baltics, and you spend the night comfortably in your cabin at sea, waking up already well on the way east.

In the late afternoon you reach Klaipeda and stand on Baltic ground on your own wheels for the first time. A walk through the old town with the Simon Dach Fountain and its small half-timbered houses is well worth it before the first night ashore.

Today the way leads onto the Curonian Spit: through open forests and over dunes to the national park and UNESCO World Heritage site. The fishing villages of Nida and Juodkrante, with their colourful wooden houses, invite a rest before the return to Klaipeda.

Via Palanga and Kuldiga the route follows the coast to Riga. The largest city in the Baltics impresses with its magnificent buildings, art nouveau façades and a lively centre in which the evening passes quickly.

At the Gauja National Park with Turaida Castle the Estonian section begins: riding through the Latvian countryside you reach Pärnu, the former Hanseatic town with wooden villas, parklands and a wonderful sandy beach.

Via Haapsalu with its art nouveau villas and historic Kursaal the way continues on to Tallinn. Cobblestone lanes, defensive towers and the old city wall define the medieval old town of the Estonian capital.

After one last stroll through Tallinn's old town and a view from Toompea Hill the maritime leg begins: in the evening you board the ship to Stockholm and spend the night at sea once again.

In the morning you reach Stockholm and can take a quick look at the Royal Palace or the old town of Gamla Stan. Afterwards the way follows the Baltic coast to the day's destination, Oskarshamn, with its wooden houses by the harbour.

Continuing along the coast you reach Kalmar with its many old town lanes and later Kristianstad with its striking Holy Trinity Church. At the end of the day Ystad waits with its pretty town centre.

In the morning you reach the port of Trelleborg and board for the return crossing. In the evening the ferry docks in Lübeck-Travemünde or Rostock – the loop ends here, and everyone continues home individually.