Three weeks visiting Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Romania

Highlight Photos

Highlights Map

Each year we do our best to visit our family in Europe and if possible to also explore with them a new country or area within Romania. This time we decided to visit the Baltic Countries, given the war who knows if we will be able to do it some other time. Also there are multiple Unesco World Heritage Sites possible and we book also a bear sightseeing cabin, who knows maybe we will finally be able to see them up close. Part of our family is excited to visit with us while we will visit the rest during the reminder of our trip while in Romania and Hungary.

Click on the Links below or Markers on the map above to go directly to a specific part of our trip and follow our expedition that spends a week in the Baltic countries of Estonia and Latvia visiting Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia while doing a road trip between the two Unesco Heritage Sites. Then we fly to Budapest, Hungary and are picked up by family and driven to Cluj-Napoca, Romania. After a week in Cluj visiting with family and friends we drive to Sibiu, passing through Hunedoara, spend a day there and then drive to Bucharest to spend a couple more days there before leaving.

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  One full day in Tallinn after a long flightSeptember 3, 2022
  After a long and eventful flight we spend our first day exploring beautiful Tallinn, an Unesco World Heritage Site
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  Impressive Tallinn Town Hall SquareSeptember 3, 2022
  The focal point of Tallinn is the magnificent Town Hall Square that we pass through multiple times as we explore the Old Town
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  Toompea Hill, the administrative centerSeptember 3, 2022
  Toompea Hill is traditionally the administrative center of Estonia with the Parliament and many other important buildings located here
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  Tunnels and exhibits in Kiek in de Kök museumSeptember 3, 2022
  One major stop for us in Tallinn is Kiek in de Kök museum protecting a warren of tunnels beneath the city besides the usual museum exhibits
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  Stimulating Maarjamäe Castle museum complexSeptember 4, 2022
  Maarjamäe Castle is a special museum complex with at least three fun museums and an outdoor communist statue area to explore
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  Jägala waterfall, the widest waterfall in EstoniaSeptember 4, 2022
  On the way to our AirBnB we stop to find with some difficulty the widest waterfall in Estonia which is not in full force due to low water volume
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  Huge and abandoned Kolga Mõis mansionSeptember 4, 2022
  Kolga Mõis a huge and largely abandoned mansion that we explore from outside only is the last stop for today
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  Our base for eastern Estonia, RakvereSeptember 4, 2022
  We stay two nights in historic Rakvere to explore the Eastern area of Estonia with a focus on bears and Lahemaa National Park
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  Looking for wildlife in Lahemaa National ParkSeptember 5, 2022
  On a rainy day we explore a few short trails in Lahemaa National Park finding cranes and beaver signs before escaping the cold back into town
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  The impressive Sagadi ManorSeptember 5, 2022
  The major man made attraction in Lahemaa NP is the impressive Sagadi Manor with period furniture that can be visited and explored
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  Seeing bears in Estonia, what an adventure!September 5, 2022
  The big adventure in Estonia is an overnight stay at a primitive cabin to see successfully bears and boars
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  Tartu, the second largest city in EstoniaSeptember 6, 2022
  On the way to Latvia we stop for a few hours in Tartu a historic student city and the second largest in Estonia
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  Interesting Helme castle and caveSeptember 6, 2022
  Last stop in Estonia is Helme to visit the castle and cave as well as the healing fountain while finding the first cache in Estonia
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  Ligatne, a mostly abandoned company townSeptember 7, 2022
  We spend the night in Ligatne a former company town before exploring the ruined buildings and caves the next day
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  Sigulda, the city of castlesSeptember 7, 2022
  We stop for a few hours in Sigulda to visit two of the four impressive castles that protected this important town near Riga
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  Two days in magnificent RigaSeptember 7, 2022
  We spend two full days in Riga exploring the beautiful town with magnificent buildings and narrow alleys
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  The informative War Museum in the Powder TowerSeptember 8, 2022
  The impressive Powder Tower is host for the informative War Museum showing Latvia through wars ending with its freedom from Russia
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  Riga Central Market, everything but foodSeptember 8, 2022
  You can find anything in the Central Market except something to eat for lunch at least in our case
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  The well preserved Art Nouveau quarterSeptember 9, 2022
  The Art Nouveau quarter in Riga is one of the most impressive still in existence with streets full of magnificent buildings
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  The fascinating Museum of the History of RigaSeptember 9, 2022
  A major stop today is the Museum of the History of Riga with some interesting exhibits and the famous Column Hall
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  The imposing Riga DomSeptember 9, 2022
  In the center of Riga is the famous Dom and we visit it and the cloisters as part of the combined ticket with the City Museum
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  Arriving in Hungary and Aeropark MuseumSeptember 10, 2022
  After a short flight to Hungary we visit the Aeropark Museum before meeting with relatives
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  A short visit and lunch in Hortobagy National ParkSeptember 11, 2022
  On the way to Romania we spend a few hours in Hortobagy NP hiking a few small trails and eating a hearthy Hungarian lunch
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  Romania sightseeing from the border to ClujSeptember 11, 2022
  From the border we make our way through Transylvania towards Cluj enjoying scenic views and rustic villages along the way
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  A week in Cluj-Napoca with familySeptember 12, 2022
  We spend a week in Cluj exploring the old city and visiting with friends and family while eating good food
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  Mushroom hunting near ClujSeptember 14, 2022
  While in Cluj we meet with friends and during one of the outings we go mushroom hunting and even dare to eat them afterwards
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  The exciting Steampunk MuseumSeptember 16, 2022
  While in Cluj we visit the new Steampunk Museum with some very exciting and unconventional exhibits
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  The famous Corvin’s Castle in HunedoaraSeptember 19, 2022
  On the way to Sibiu we stop in Hunedoara which is the site of one of the most famous castles in Romania
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  One day in historic SibiuSeptember 20, 2022
  Sibiu is one of the best preserved and visited cities in Romania and we spend a day visiting the beautiful old town
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  Famous Cozia Monastery on the Olt ValleySeptember 21, 2022
  Cozia Monastery is one of the most famous monasteries in Romania erected in 1388 by Mircea the Elder and housing his tomb
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  The History Museum of Ramnicu ValceaSeptember 21, 2022
  Ramnicu Valcea is a modern city but the history museum was worth a stop with some interesting exhibits
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  The unexpectedly special Golesti MuseumSeptember 21, 2022
  Golesti Museum a relatively unknown museum is unexpectedly beautiful with some interesting sections to visit and explore
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  Exploring Bucharest with familySeptember 22, 2022
  We spend the last two days with family and friends in Bucharest visiting the small historical downtown
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  The impressively huge National Art MuseumSeptember 23, 2022
  The National Art Museum is housed in the impressive former Royal Palace with some beautiful artwork both Romanian and foreign