BALTIC AMBER WAY, 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS, 3* AND 4* HOTELS On our Baltic Amber Way tour you will get acquainted with the being of the amber in Latvia and Lithuania covering its history, output, procesing and jewelry. Day 1: Riga arrival Arrival in Riga, minivan or bus transfer to 4* hotel. Check-In Time at your leisure in Riga Overnight Day 2: Riga – Ventspils Buffet breakfast. Walking tour through Riga Old Town (~3 hrs) by seeing the most remarkable sights like St. Peter's Church with famous rooster, St. Jacobs Church, Dom Square and St. Dom Cathedral, where is placed one of the world's most valuable historic organs. The Powder Tower and city walls will make you feel the breath of the medieval. The guide will show and tell you about the oldest stone residential dwellings in Riga - the Three Brothers, the Great and Small Guilds were the central homes of two wealthy families of tradesmen and craftsmen, the fortification wall of Riga with theSwedish Gate - the only surviving gate to be found. Guide will introduce you with interesting story of Cat House and will show you Town Hall Squere with beautiful and elegant Blackheads House, which will delight lovers of glory. The tour will take visitors to Riga Castle, which was founded in 1330 but today serves as the official residence of the President of Latvia, the building of Parliament, the Monument of Liberty and fantastic Opera House. Continue your trip to Ventspils ( 3 hours bus drive) . Arrival and check in in the hotel. Time at your leisure in Ventspils Overnight Day 3: Ventspils-Pavilosta-Liepaja Buffet breakfast. From morning we visit the most beautiful and interesting sights of Ventspils including visit to Ventspils museum. At a modern Ventspils Museum, founded in the former castle, of the Livonian Order and housing various collections, there are some samples of archaelogical amber finds. After early lunch we continue our Baltic Amber way to Pavilosta - a calm unspoiled spot by the Baltic sea. The Baltic Sea after strong spring and autumn stormy winds washes ashore quite a lot of amber here. There are 5-6 permanent amber catchers in Pavilosta. On this afternoon we will have unforgettable experience of collection amber with the professsionals. In Pavilosta we see the biggest stone of Kurzeme in the sea. We continue our way along the coast to Liepaja. Check in at hotel in Liepaja. Overnight Day 4: Liepaja-Palanga-Klaipeda Buffet breakfast. Today we explore Liepaja on the sightseeing tour and visit Liepaja History and Art Museum, which is rich in various collections: archaeological finds, ethnography of the Southern Curonia, Liepaja of the medieval period and the 19-20th centuries, and a small exposition of amber. Great number of amber items from the museum vaults is waiting to be exhibited. Furher we head to Liepaja Amber clock and beads. In 2003 during the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the Liva village, which was the start of Liepaja, the citizens and the visitors of the city donated pieces of amber of various size – more than 50 liters of amber were collected! The bigger pieces were threaded into 123 m long beads and the rest were used for making a 4-meter tall sun dial, which was erected on the promenade along the Tirdzniecibas canal. The amber beads are exhibited at the Liepaja's craftsmen's association. After lunch we continue to Palanga. During the Palanga sightseeing tour we will visit Palanga Amber Museum. It is the treasure of the town. The museum was founded in 1963, in the spacious mansion of Court Tyszkiewicz, built in 1897 by F.Schwechten. The mansion is surrounded by a big and well kept botanical park, covering 100 ha. In the 15 halls of the museum there are exhibited 4500 amber artifacts. The most interesting exhibits of the Palanga Amber Museum display are amber inclusions, the unique pieces of amber and archaelogical finds. Further we visit Palanga amber processing workshop. Historians maintain that the amber-processing craft was developing rapidly and as early as 17th century Palanga already had amber workshops, not just individual craftsmen, who would produce and sell amber items. In the 19th century, Palanga became a major center of industrial amber processing. At the workshop we will observe the entire course of amber processing starting from the raw material to the finished jewelry. You can also buy amber articles here. Our amber way leads to Klaipeda. Arrival and check in at hotel in Klaipeda. Overnight Day 5: Klaipeda – Nida - Klaipeda Buffet breakfast. Today we explore Klaipeda Old Town and visit the History Museum of Lithuania Minor. In ancient times amber necklaces were used not only as decoration, but also as currency. The Archaelogical amber artifacts, dating to 5th-6th centuries are on display at this Museum. After lunch in pleasant Klaipeda Old Town we take a ferry to the Curonian Spit and have a sightseeing tour including two objects of the Baltic Amber way. The Curonian Spit is a peninsular dividing the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. In 2000 it was included into the UNESCO World Heritage list as a unique object of nature and cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea region. At present Neringa is a prestigious seaside resort. First object of our amber interest is located in Nida and it is the Mizgiriai Amber gallery- museum originated from a private amber workshop, where one could buy unique amber articles. The museum was opened in 1998, though the exhibits had been collected for 20 years. The museum owns and displays a great collection of amber artifacts. End of your amber way tour. Time at your leisure in Nida. At early evening back to Klaipeda. Overnight in Klaipeda Day 6: Klaipeda – Riga departure Buffet breakfast. Early departure to Riga airport (4.5 hours bus drive). Departure Included services: 5 overnights at centrally located 4 star hotel 5 x buffet breakfast Personalised welcome package Service of English tour escort on all tours Service of 1st class motor coaches or 1st class minivans throughout the itinerary (all transfers incl. airport transfers and excursions) Visiting of the most popular places in the area (entrances fees) All applicable taxes and service tax Optional: Half board at hotels (5 x 3 course dinner with coffee/tea) Please send us a request to [email protected] to receive our best available group rate for your customers. .