Travel diary
Travel diary
Day by day, from Warsaw up to Estonia and back through Kaliningrad.
- 1
25 June
Poland
Off to Warsaw
The road trip postponed since 2020 finally kicks off. After a morning storm, 750 km to the Polish capital.
Warsaw 750 km - 2
26 June
Lithuania
Warsaw and the first metres of Lithuania
A quick morning walk through Warsaw, then across the Lithuanian border — and instead of a motorway, a tank training ground.
Warsaw → Druskininkai 430 km - 3
27 June
Lithuania
Druskininkai — kids' day
Water park, cable car, go-karts, and our first taste of Lithuanian cuisine.
Druskininkai → Vilnius 130 km - 4
28 June
Lithuania
Vilnius, the "G-spot of Europe"
"Nobody knows where it is. But when you find it, it's amazing." A day between cathedrals, the Republic of Užupis, and the view from the Hill of Three Crosses.
Vilnius - 5
29 June
Latvia
More Vilnius, then onwards to Latvia
A morning walk to the Gates of Dawn, a locked VR arcade, and an unexpected rescue at a water park near the border.
Vilnius → Daugavpils 260 km - 6
30 June
Latvia
Daugavpils, Rothko and emerald Latgale
A local history museum, a brick-walled fortress, and four hours at the wheel heading for Estonia.
Daugavpils → Valmiera 280 km - 7
1 July
Estonia
Tartu, Vudila, and our first glimpse of the Baltic Sea
Into Estonia, through university-town Tartu and a kids' adventure park. We fall asleep to the sound of waves.
Tartu → Lahemaa NP 320 km - 8
2 July
Estonia
A day at the sea
Fifteen degrees of Baltic water, boulders along the shore, the northernmost tip of mainland Estonia — and an unexpected Czech encounter.
Lahemaa → Tallinn 120 km - 9
3 July
Estonia
Tallinn — the Estonian capital
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the view from St Olaf's, an abandoned Olympic yachting hall, and a submarine at Lennusadam.
Tallinn - 10
4 July
Estonia
Tallinn from above, sandy Pärnu
Kadriorg, a presidential palace with beehives, the view from 170 metres up the TV tower — and the evening on a shallow sandy beach in Pärnu.
Tallinn → Pärnu 130 km - 11
5 July
Latvia
Goodbye Estonia, hello Riga
The Klintis sandstone cliffs, an endless Estonian coastal road, and arrival in Latvia's capital.
Pärnu → Riga 280 km - 12
6 July
Latvia
Riga, Salaspils, and Jūrmala
A central market housed in former zeppelin hangars, a memorial at a former concentration camp — and 24 kilometres of sandy beach.
Riga + Jūrmala 60 km - 13
7 July
Lithuania
3,000 km, and a shortcut home via Kaliningrad
The Hill of Crosses, the ferry to the Curonian Spit, dolphins in Klaipėda, and Europe's moving sand dunes.
Riga → Klaipėda 360 km - 14
8 July
Lithuania
Kaunas — the second rival, and a closing bracket for the Baltics
Brno's twin city, the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas, and an exhibition that accidentally tied our whole trip together.
Klaipėda → Kaunas 210 km - 15
10 July
Czechia
Home. 4,467 km behind us.
The last day: Poland's Energylandia amusement park, and then the final stretch home.
Energylandia → home 1137 km