A secretive RUSSIAN exclave on the baltic shores
August 01 ⇾ August 04
In addition to our regular group departures to Kaliningrad, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Kaliningrad!
DAY 1 - Kaliningrad
Meet-and-greet at Kaliningrad International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Kaliningrad.
During the day we will explore the city of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg, a rather greyish and yet fascinating Baltic port town, where German architectonic heritage, Stalinist grandeur and Soviet modernism incongruously run into each other.
We'll also pay an obligatory visit to the birthplace and the grave of Immanuel Kant, the world-famous German philosopher who spent his entire life in Prussian Königsberg.
Overnight in Kaliningrad.
DAY 2 - Hinterlands
We'll devote the entire day to the exploration of the rarely visited Kaliningrad countryside: it’s time to unleash romanticism and melancholy while travelling across desolate plains, dark forests and misty moorlands dotted with crumbling Prussian ruins and traditional Russian villages.
Main stops of our Kaliningrad backcountry odyssey will include: Gvardeysk, formerly Tapiau, and Chernyakhovsk, formerly Insterburg, slightly eerie German towns famous for their forts; the Trakehner stud farms; the city of Sovetsk, formerly Tilsit, renowned for its Teutonic bridges and buildings, and Neman, formerly Ragnit, located right on the border with Lithuania.
Driving away from the New Iron Curtain (the frontier between the Russia Federation and EU/NATO member state of Lithuania) we'll then head back to Kaliningrad breaking the journey in some truly desolate and highly photogenic towns along the way such as Polessk, formerly Labiau, and Turgenevo, formerly Groß Legitten, for a last taste of Prussian atmospheres.
Overnight in Kaliningrad.
DAY 3 - Curonian Spit
Today we'll be spent travelling along the poetic Baltic coast and visit Baltiysk and Yantarny, renowned for their Soviet military bases, ancient lighthouses, pretty seaside cottage and amber mining traditions.
We'll then continue north to the Prussian, and later Soviet, resort towns of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk before eventually reaching the Curonian Spit, a curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast.
Since 2000, the Curonian Spit has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and for a good reason: this 98-km long and only 500-m wide strip of land is a place full of magic: white sand dunes, pristine wetlands, green meadows, untouched pine forests and dreamlike beaches.
Overnight on the Curonian Spit.
DAY 4 - FAREWELL TO THE BALTIC SEA
After enjoying a last Prussian meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Kaliningrad International Airport.
Possible tour extensions to this itinerary include: Karelia and/or Belarus.
End of the tour.
995 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin hotel accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Russia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
