Hill Of Crosses And Rundale Palace With Bauska Castle From Riga

We had a great day visiting the Hill of Crosses, Rundāle Palace and Bauska Castle. It was a really interesting and enjoyable tour, and I can highly recommend it to anyone visiting Riga. Janis was a wonderful guide throughout the entire trip. He was very considerate, helpful and knowledgeable, and whenever we had any questions, we could simply ask him. He also brought along a bottle of Latvian Black Balsam for us to try, giving each of us a shot glass and sharing the history behind this traditional Latvian drink. Such a thoughtful and fun little extra that made the experience even more special. A special mention also goes to Olaf, our guide at Rundāle Palace, who absolutely went all out during the tour. He had so many funny remarks and fascinating facts about the palace and the history of that time, making the whole experience both entertaining and educational. He really brought the history to life. Overall, this was a fantastic trip with beautiful places, fascinating history and excellent guides. Both Janis and Olaf made the day memorable, and I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone travelling to Riga.

Our tour was fantastic. Edite was a wonderful tour guide and extremely knowledgeable. She was so friendly and kept the tour moving at just the perfect pace. We enjoyed every bit of it. The transportation was very comfortable too. Would recommend to others!

Had a great tour which was made even better by the informative guide Erlens who seemed very knowledgeable about the places we visited would definitely recommend to friends and family

Excellent day trip. Well-planned and delivered, with interesting information shared by the guide from his personal experience, excellent guide at Rundale Castle (his name was Olaf, I believe), good lunch, interesting places and safe driver. I recommend,

Maris was a fantastic tour guide which he provided so much information about Latvia and Lithuania. We got to see the border crossing which was fun to get some photos, Hill of Crosses which was a must for Lithuania, beautiful Rundale palace, lunch with our group, and Bauska Castle. It was a blast and got to see other areas of Latvia. Highly recommend as a day trip

Very good day trip with several stops and a lot of commentary. We learned a lot and saw some really interesting places. The Hill of Crosses is very different, and the palace is beautiful. Well worth seeing, and a well-run trip at a good price.

5 Star Amazing Lativa and Lithuania Hill of Crosses and Rundale Palace / Bauska Castle tour! Erlens and the Driver did an excellent job making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. The Palace and Castle Tours take you back in time - and the organized meal at the Castle was well coordinated! The Hill of Crosses was a place of reverence and faith - Amazing - Come and experience it for yourself!

Erlens is extremely knowledgeable about all the places we visited. It was very beneficial having our own personal guide at the Rundale Palace and Bauska Castle, which saves us a lot of time to explore the places. He is very open to share about his country’s culture and history. We had lots of fun. He was very understanding when the rain suddenly started, and ensured that we are under shelter. The itinerary was carefully planned so we visit Hill of Crosses early in the morning before the crowds come at 9am. Erlens also showed us the country border markers and helped us take photos at scenic places. He helped us order our lunch beforehand, so we can enjoy them after touring Rundale Palace but before the French Gardens. He was very accommodating and friendly towards us alls highly recommended to go on this trip to learn about both Latvia and Lithuania!

This was an excellent trip. The guide (Elvis) was very knowledgeable and provided interesting facts throughout the day. The guide in the Rugdale Palace was fabulous and very entertaining. Lunch in the palace was also excellent and way exceeded our expectations, at a price which we thought reasonable. Overall we would highly recommend this trip.

This tour was very good and our tour guide , Erlens, made it all possible. He was very engaging and good communicator. We went over the tour time but he was very accommodative. While returning to tallinn, it was raining heavily and he decided to drop us off at our hotel instead of the meeting point. He went above and beyond. An absolute gem.

Knowledgable tour guide with lots of stories and happy to answer questions. Tour was a long day with 3 sites but a great day.

A great tour with the best sights of Latvia and Lithuania. Our guide, Maris was fabulous. His knowledge was very impressive, he was friendly, fun and went the extra mile (literally) to return my husband's lost glasses! We highly recommend this tour.

Enjoyable day trip in a small group of 8 in a comfortable, air conditioned mini van. Erlens was our amazing guide and driver throughout the trip and provided a lot of information on Latvia’s history and related topics of interest. Tour was well planned with enough comfort breaks along the way. The first attraction was the hill of crosses in Lithuania, followed by Rundale palace with an appropriately timed lunch in the basement cafe/restaurant and then Bauska castle, before heading back to Riga. Trip lasts around 9 hours. Pick up and drop off were in front of Riga Cathedral. Thank you Erlens for looking after us, clicking our pics and giving us a wealth of information and memorable experience overall.

I'm usually wary of organised tours because I often feel like herded sheep. This tour was the exact opposite! Elvis was organised but charismatic from the very beginning. He always made sure to explain the plan and never rushed us but kept a good pace. We saw so many things and every step of the way Elvis created a memorable expirience. In the palace we were guided by Olafs and he was beyond words! This could have so easily been a forgettable walk in a picturesque place but Olafs is such a character. In the best possible way!! He clearly loves what he's doing and he's doing it so well. We even asked to take a video of one of his demonstrations cause it was so funny!! What really made this tour so fantastic were the little things that elevated this well thought out tour. Small things like: having us pick our lunch in advance so we don't have to wait for the food hungry later on. Or, I was late coming out of the bathroom and he waited there at the exit to make sure I knew where to go and didn't feel left behind while the others were already briefed and didn't have to wait around for me. What's Apping us before the tour so that we have all the info in advance and a way to contact him in case of anything. Knowing all the best places and angles for photos and taking them so no one had to miss being in the photo. All of us at the tour were so amazed by the quality so the value for money is amazing. It seems like I'm singing praises but truelly there is nothing I could complain about or even was neutral about. If you're unsure if you should go for it don't! I certainly will recommend this to all of my friends. Thank you Elvis!

Janis was informative throughout the trip, which was well organised, not rushed, had a comfortable vehicle and was very friendly.

We had Erlens as our guide and driver for the whole day. He is very nice and knowledgeable about all the different periods of history. We crossed the border to Lithuania to see the Hill of Crosses, a unique place that the Pope had visited. We also had a long visit and lunch at Rundale Palace. Erlens is also a certified tour guide of the palace and was able to give us very detailed explanation and information of all the rooms and history of the palace, which is very well restored. Lastly we visited Bauskas Castle, one of the many from the Teutonic Knights. Overall a long day with lots of interesting information. Erlens himself is well traveled and we heard a lot of fun stories. Highly recommend this tour company!

It was a very informative tour, the tour guide was knowledgable and personable. Outstanding food at the Rundale Palace and shots afterwards.

Our guide was on time, the van was comfortable, and it all went smoothly. We were never rushed, and we were able to see so much in one day. We learned a lot about the history of the places we were going, but we got into life in general. The weather wasn't awesome, but our guide made it a great day anyways! I would highly suggest this tour to anyone wanting to get a glimpse at Lithuania and to see some beautiful places in Latvia, outside of Riga.

Our Tour guide was very polite, funny and extremely knowledgeable about Latvia. There were regular opportunities for a bathroom break throughout the journey so if you need to take regular trips to the bathroom this trip would be for you. We started by seeing the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, a stunning location with hundreds of thousands of crosses situated on two hills. The guide gave us a quick overview of the history of the hills and took photos (for those who wanted it). We then went to Rundale Palace, which was faithfully restored after Latvia's independence from the soviet union (a nice touch is the room that shows you how the rooms looked when they started, the contrast is incredible). This was also where we got lunch and saw the stunning french-style garden afterwards. After this we went to Bauska Castle, where we climbed up the tower to see the picturesque surroundings of the Bauska town (along with the history of the tower). Overall the trip started at 8 and finished around 5 / half 5, and is must do for those travelling to Riga or Vilnius.

Great day put, blessed by the nice weather. Ellen's is very nice, able to create a good balance between guided time and time alone. We managed to arrive at all sites with very very few other people around, which was the added value for me. Definitely reccomended.

We had a great time exploring the Hills of Crosses. Enjoyed the tour at the Rundale Palace, very informative, entertaining and fun tour guide. The food at the palace restaurant was also great. The fun experience we had we give credit to our tour guide Elrens who is very accomodating and kind enough to agree to our requests. We all had a beautiful experience and we really enjoyed our trip. We do recommend this trip. 👍

Great day out from Riga. Hill of Crosses was great to see but our special guide Olaf at Rundale Palace was exceptional and his outfit amazing. Maris our main guide was very informative and a great driver. Highly recommend the tour

Great tour! The tour was well paced and the tour guide, Edite, was extremely knowledgeable. She was also just a pleasure to talk to about travel and she gave great restaurant recs. Highly recommend this tour if you are interested in getting out of Riga to see some of the countryside, a castle, and a beautiful palace.

We had a great time on our daytrip! Our guide Erlens was very knowledgeable not only about what we went to see that day, but also about the more general history of Latvia and the Baltics. As it was a small group, we had plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn more about anything from everyday life in Latvia to local culture and origins of the language. The timing of each stop was somewhat flexible based on the group's consensus (it was a very cold day so we spent less time e.g. in the Rundale castle gardens) and Erlens dropped us off directly at our hotel in the evening which was highly appreciated.

This was an absolutely fantastic day. It was -21 when we left but the sun was out for us. We were greeted by our tour guide Erlens. What a great lovely guy. He started by greeting us and giving everyone refreshments. Maybe it was only a bottle of water, but it was a very thoughful gesture. Erlens was such a nice guy and So friendly. He was very informative and knowledgable, and quite clearly loves his job. He answered all questions fully and was very witty. The coach trip just flew by, and the visit to the hill of crosses, the palace and the castle was amazing. Erlans also gave us some local chocolate which was very nice of him. I cannot recommend this excursion enough, and if you are thinking of going with Erlens, dont think, just book. A special mention has to go to our driver, and the guide at Rundale Palace. He was absolutely fantastic and such a character. All in all, a brilliant day.

The tour was well planned and paced. All sites are worth visiting with incredible views and lots of art, culture and history. Erlens was our guide. He was excellent! He was very kind, respectful, and well informed. Although the Bauska Castle was closed on the day we visited (we knew about it beforehand as we checked the website, but that was the only date we had available), they made arrangements for us to be able to go inside and visit the medieval part of the castle. That was much appreciated!

This is a full day experience!! It was wonderful. The hill of crosses was overwhelming to see and hear the stories about. Rundale Palace (and our guide in the palace) was amazing!! The food in the palace was a 5 star experience!! Don't miss it. Bauska Castle was so fun to explore. Our guide and driver we had for the day was very knowledgeable and went out of their way to accommodate us. I would highly recommend this tour!! But we really think it was the guide/driver who made it memorable. Thank you so much to those two gentlemen

Really nicely organized day trip- Rundale Palace was definitely the highlight, but enjoyed all the stops and the guide was excellent!

Loved this tour, our guide Erlan was amazing, very knowledgable and friendly. Booked a second tour with this company!

Brilliant tour. I booked as a gift for my parents. They really enjoyed the tour, great tour guide who even surprised my father with a birthday cake. Highly recommended, my parents thoroughly enjoyed it!

Tour with Erlens covered exactly what we wanted to see, but his commentary and structure made it so much better than we expected. Additionally, he takes care of every single detail, we didn’t have to worry about anything and he even had some surprises along the way. Highly recommend!

We would thoroughly recommend this company for the Hill of crosses, Rundale palace, Bauska castle tour, our host was very polite and knowledgeable on all local history and the places we visited, we also stopped at a restaurant for some excellent food which was also arranged by our host, all in all a great day out !! Thank you Erlens 👍

We hardly recommend Erlens excursion. He is very friendly, interesting and well knowing history man. We have found a lots of interesting information about Latvia history and even more on Hill of Cross, Rundale Palace and Bauska Castle. On top of that nice warm car, water for each person and umbrella if rainy day - made our trip with him unbelievable and very interesting. Best excursion we had in Riga. Unable Upload photos as big size of them. Sorry

Nice trip but the price included entry to the museum at the castle which was closed! No offer of a refund

An excellent full day trip exploring key sites outside of Riga and Hills of Crosses in Lithuania. Erlens was a fantastic knowledgable guide. He was very friendly and made our trip.

The Rundale Palace is beautiful and the guide was amazing Hill of Crosses quite impressive, comfortable van and driver was very good

My sister and I along with 4 nice Colombian guests were so glad that we have chosen this tour and to have Erlens as our tour guide and driver in his clean and comfortable black Mercedez van. He was very professional, attentive and conveyed a lot of information and history not only about the tour but also Latvia itself. The tour was not rushed and we were given enough time to visit each site included in this tour and he answered all our questions (from 6 women!). He even went out of his way to stop at the cat house in the old town for a photoshoot before dropping my sister and I off at our hotel. The group indeed had a lot of fun together and at the end of the tour, we had an unexpected toast of this great herbal liqueur which was icing on the cake. The tour is totally worth it. I would highly recommend this tour with Erlens.

Tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and accommodating. The three places are worth visiting, good way to see a lot in one day.

Absolutely incredible tour, both because of the venues toured and the specific tour company. This is a must book if you are going to Riga! The Hill of Crosses was incredible and awe inspiring. Have never seen anything like that before. Our guide was like a walking encyclopedia, knowing all of the facts and history of every place we went. He made sure everyone on the tour had exactly the experience they specifically wanted and stayed engaged with everyone at the level they wanted. It was a perfect day and one that you have to experience!

The Hill of Crosses should not be missed! It's not very big, but is PACKED with crosses and other religious symbols and commemorations that people have left. It truly is awe-inspiring! Rundale Palace is very reminiscent of Versailles in France, but with a Baltic/Slavic twist. Quite beautiful and well-maintained. Bauska Castle was interesting from an historic standpoint, but is not all that scenic. The tour guide Erlens was very well-informed and fun to travel with.

Our tour leader shared lots of stories about growing up in Latvia under Soviet regime and about the places we visited. The tour guide at the palace that he arranged really made that tour stand out. I highly recommend this tour.

1 day tour departing from Rīga and we went directly to Monte das Cruzes. Parade p coffee and on the border for photos. Well dosed the trip, with excellent guide, friendly and with good explanations without being massive. The mountain of the crosses is a place of pilgrimage that I kept for me as a place of representation of the mourning of dead people. Then we went to the obelissimum Rundales Palace where everything was perfect: a guide from the phenomenal palácii itself who kept the visit always with lightness and elegance. Lunch in the palace simple and tasty. On the return we also made a visit to Bauska Castle very beautiful and interesting. Congratulations to the entire team for the beautiful tourist service.

Orlando (in Italian) was an outstanding guide and driver. Careful and prepared. He explained the history of the places visited in detail and available to answer our every curiosity. Importantly, we found for each participant a bottle of water, gave us a chocolate bar and made us taste the famous black Riga balm to end the day together. I recommend everyone to go hiking and experience with him. Thanks again for the day. Pietro and Valentina