Explore Old Town Tallinn, Estonia, on foot.
Travelers headed to the Baltics have new options from Avanti Destinations. The tour operator has added Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to its European lineup, and the timing couldn’t be better.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Estonia’s independence, and there are many special events planned within the country.
“Today these three tiny, very different nations share a combination of youthful energy, centuries-old charm and chilling reminders of 20th-century occupation both during and after World War II that can’t be matched in such a compact area anywhere else in Europe,” said Harry Dalgaard, president and CEO of Avanti.
Travel agents can now build these countries into customized, multi-destination independent itineraries for 2018 or create trips exclusively to the region.“The Baltic nations by themselves make for a fascinating journey for clients looking to get off the usual European tourist path–or they can be intriguing additions to a vacation focused on northern or central Europe,” said Dalgaard.
On their own, each of these countries has enough to offer clients an in-depth itinerary worthy of a week’s vacation or more but even short, daylong extensions can be possible.
“Tallinn is only a two-hour ferry ride from Helsinki, making it an easy add-on,” said Dalgaard. “Plus, there are great rail connections between Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.”
The experts at Avanti are ready to assist travel planners in building itineraries for clients.
“We can help agents connect the dots for a unique journey into a culturally and historically rich region that was in the hands of the Soviets and relatively undeveloped for nearly 50 years,” Dalgaard said.
For example, Avanti’s Best of the Baltics vacation is an eight-day, seven-night customizable tour that visits Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.
The journey includes a private walking tour of Tallinn, a visit to an open-air museum of folk architecture, private city tours to see Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture and the baroque city of Vilnius, three days touring with a private driver-guide to Latvia’s medieval Turaida and Sigulda medieval castles and a visit to the amazing Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.
This journey includes private transfers, daily breakfast and starts at $2,945 per person, double-occupancy.
Agents can also include an optional ride to Peter the Great’s seaside palace, located outside of Tallinn, and a balloon ride over Vilnius.
For foodie clients, a walking tour in Tallinn is another option. The three-hour tour explores the blend of Scandinavian, Russian and German foods that are the cornerstones of Estonian cuisine. Guests stroll the cobblestoned streets of Old Town and sample local soups, snacks and desserts as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Active clients can see Estonia by bike. The Other Side bike tour takes guests beyond the traditional sights, including the hipster neighborhood of Kalamaja, the inside of a prison and the Kopli area of beaches and Soviet architecture.
As an added incentive, Avanti is offering agents a bonus commission of $50 for each booking of $1,500 or more made before February 28, 2018, for off-season travel taking place through March 31, 2018.
courtesy= travelpulse.com
