Tips on last minute cruises and excellent holiday deals for the Baltic States
Bargain hunters and travel buffs are getting worried that the world is cottoning on to their hidden European secret: the Baltics. Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have been quietly popular destinations with savvy travelers for a while now; but it has only been in recent years that their popularity and publicity to the wider world has been writ large.
For holidaymakers who love spending time searching for cheap holiday deals to resorts, desperately trying to curtail their dates or risk going last minute, sites like On The Beach are a good option and off-the-beaten track destinations like Riga are an excellent new alternative. In Latvia and Estonia you can rent huge country houses near the Baltic Sea for a comparatively low price – just because of the exchange rates between the economies there and here.
Thus finding some bargain luxury is not so much a question of fiddling your dates and hoping that the all-inclusive spot you’ve picked is sufficient. Instead, you can go with a group of friends, rent a big house just inland from Riga, the beautiful Latvian capital with its UNESCO World Heritage site old town and stunning Gothic and Baroque architecture, and even hire a car as well to explore.
Flights are around two and a half hours in length; and again you can save on the cost of a long haul flight. Of course, you’ll save a little money going just outside holiday season – alternatively, you can fly with RyanAir to Tallinn in Estonia (formerly European Capital of Culture and a hot destination in its own right) and drive down to Latvia as you please.
Tallinn by Adrián Pérez
You’ll take in lovely coastal views as well as lush inland greenery, and farmhouses and forests along the way. There is also the chance to snap up specially organized tours last minute – for this you’ll need to have your mouse-click finger at its sharpest and be on the ball for the deals as they appear a few weeks before departure.
Another option for exploring the area in luxury is cruises. Many Northern European cruise offers take in the Baltic States, and a cruise ship can indeed be a majestic way to explore this area’s history of rival empires and religious sects. Book last minute for the best bargains – or a year in advance for guaranteed spots and low prices.
