Three Weeks in Poland and the Baltics

Krakow, Gdansk and Warsaw

Krakow's Main Market Square, Wawel Castle and the Kazimierz district make it Poland's most visited city. Day trips run to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, where entry is by timed reservation. Fast trains reach Gdansk on the Baltic coast, whose rebuilt merchant houses line the Long Market, and the European Solidarity Centre covers the shipyard strikes of 1980. Warsaw's old town was reconstructed after near-total destruction in 1944, and the Warsaw Rising Museum and POLIN Museum explain that history.

Vilnius and Riga

The leg from Warsaw to Vilnius is the longest of the trip, by bus or train via Kaunas. Vilnius has one of the largest surviving baroque old towns in northern Europe, plus the self-declared republic of Uzupis, an artists' quarter. Buses run on to Riga, where the Art Nouveau buildings of the Quiet Centre and the vast Central Market, housed in former Zeppelin hangars, are the highlights.

Tallinn

The route ends in Tallinn, whose walled medieval old town is among the best preserved in Europe. Estonia is known for its digital public services, and the city has a sizeable remote-work and startup scene. The Kalamaja and Telliskivi areas have converted industrial spaces with cafes and markets, and frequent ferries cross to Helsinki in around two hours for anyone continuing north. Two buffer days are built in, often used for an extra night in Krakow or a day trip from Riga to the beach resort of Jurmala.

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Visas: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all in the Schengen Area, so the route counts towards one short-stay allowance. Most Western passports currently enter without a visa for short stays, but the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers at Schengen external borders, and the ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is scheduled to follow; check the official EU and national sources before travel. Transport: PKP Intercity runs Polish rail, and long-distance coach operators cover the Baltic legs; the Rail Baltica high-speed line is still under construction. Weather: late May to September is mild with long days; winters are cold and dark. Budget: the mid figure assumes private rooms or budget hotels, intercity transport, museum entries and restaurant meals; Poland is usually the cheapest part, Tallinn the most expensive. Safety: generally safe for travellers. The region borders Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, and those borders are not crossing points on this route; check current official travel advisories.