Baltic Cities Christmas Markets Knitting Tour

Today, we tour Tallinn on foot. The Old Town is divided into two areas, the Lower Town and the Upper Town. During our exploration of the Upper Town, we will visit the St. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral, Toompea Castle and the Dome Church, Tallinn’s oldest church, before soaking up spectacular panoramic views from the Kohtuosa viewing platform. In the Lower Town, we will see the Danish King’s Garden, the Town Hall Square and the picturesque Viru Gates.

During the tour, we’ll have an opportunity to browse Tallinn Christmas Market and sample Vana Tallinn, a dark brown rum-based liqueur produced in Estonia. The walking tour continues to the Estonian Handicraft House, Eesti Käsitöö Kodu and the Katarina Guild Open Studios. Eesti Käsitöö Kodu is the largest handicraft centre in Estonia, where you can buy beautiful and high-quality crafted items. At Katariina Lane, we’ll see the various open studios of the Katarina Guild craftswomen. 

This afternoon, we’ll enjoy a workshop with Anna at the hotel before dining together in the evening at a restaurant in the Old Town that specialises in modern Estonian cuisine.

We begin the day with a visit to the Jolleri Handicraft Chamber, a family-run shop and studio which sells yarns and unique knitwear to children and adults. Afterwards, we’ll continue to the Estonian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum for a guided tour. Whilst here, we’ll have the opportunity to try delicious Estonian food at the Kolu Inn, an authentic 19th-century road inn.

This afternoon, we will transfer by bus to Kadriorg Park and Palace, the grandest example of palace and park design in Estonian architectural history, before returning to the hotel.

This morning, we leave Tallinn and make our way to Riga. On route, we will stop at Tostamaa Crafts Centre handicraft shop. This authentic handicraft shop brings the stories of their ancestors to life through traditional prepared handicrafts, exhibitions, and hands-on workshops. You’ll have the opportunity to meet Anu here, a well-known knitter in Estonia who specialises in knitting of ethnographic gloves.

Next, we’ll stop in Limbazi for lunch and a visit to its wool factory which was founded in 1914. It has a long tradition of wool production and home textile design. The company produces woollen yarn, woollen and linen fabrics, blankets, rugs, plaids and tablecloths. The company is especially proud to be amongst just a handful of producers of ethnographic fabrics based on authentic examples from the rich cultural heritage of the Baltic region. We’ll watch the wool being processed using historical equipment. 

This evening, we'll arrive in Riga, check into our hotel and head out for dinner together in Riga Old Town.

This morning, we’ll enjoy a guided walking tour of Riga’s Old Town. Explore the narrow-cobbled streets and old buildings that date back to the 15th century. See the Town Hall Square, House of the Blackheads, Dome Square, Riga Cathedral and Riga Castle. Whilst here we’ll visit Tines, a Latvian handmade knitwear company. Tines is a family run business and offers a wide range of high-quality knitwear. Only natural materials are used, 100% wool and linen. After, we explore the Christmas Markets and enjoy a hot drink.

This afternoon, we will visit Sena Klets and learn to knit traditional Latvian gloves, a very important part of several Latvian traditions. Here, you’ll be able to see a fantastic array of national costumes and see how every item here has been lovingly handmade by Latvian craftspeople. They also have a wonderful shop you can browse.

The Art Nouveau architecture in Riga makes up roughly one third of all the buildings in the centre of Riga, making it the city with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in the world.

Between 1897 and 1913, the city’s population grew by 88%. Between 1910 and 1913, 300 to 500 new buildings were built every year, mostly in the Art Nouveau style and most of them outside the Old Town. With our guide, we’ll explore Riga’s Art Nouveau ‘Jugendstyle’ area and visit a museum dedicated to the region’s Art Nouveau heritage. The museum features an authentic interior of an Art Nouveau apartment, which fully captures the essence of Art Nouveau. The interior displays furniture, tableware, artworks, clocks, clothing, embroidery and other items used in Riga.

We’ll return to the hotel in the afternoon for your second workshop with Anna. This evening, we will enjoy a farewell dinner at a gourmet restaurant in the city park; with a seasonal menu and beautiful views of Riga, this is the perfect end to our holiday.