Private Trip From Vilnius To Riga: Hill Of Crosses, Rundale Palace, Bauska Castl

The tour of the Hill of Crosses was fascinating, although perhaps not for the reasons most visitors would expect. I find the widespread and deeply felt religious emotion surrounding what amounts to thousands of pieces of wood rather primitive, but the sheer scale of the phenomenon and the intensity of the devotion make it an interesting cultural experience. The castle was also interesting, primarily for its age and for its resemblance to so many other castles I have encountered throughout Europe, across different countries and cultures. Our guide was excellent: knowledgeable, intelligent, personable, and informative. He clearly knew his subject and made the tour enjoyable. My one significant criticism concerns the driving. I thought he drove much too fast. At one point, for example, we were traveling at 150 kph in a 110 kph zone. That was unnecessarily fast and made me uncomfortable. Overall, an interesting and worthwhile tour, with an excellent guide, but I would have preferred a somewhat slower and safer ride.

Tomas, our driver, did a great job driving us from Vilnius to Riga. He waited patiently while we toured the Hill of the Crosses and the Rundale Palace. It was a rainy day and he loaned us his umbrella. We also stopped along the way for a bathroom and snack break. He offered to take us to a lunch spot but we wanted to keep moving. He was very kind and friendly. I’d definitely recommend Tomas and the tour! It was a great way to get from Vilnius to Riga and to see some cool places along the way!

We had great time during the trip. Dominic is a wonderful driver, he speaks perfectly English and is very knowledgeable for world history and cultures. He drives carefully and gave us enough time to have the three activities. We strongly recommend this excellent one day trip plus the transportation from Vilnius to Riga.

Excellent trip and transfer, appreciated the stops. Car was comfortable and driver helped us with bags. Worth doing this over worrying about the bus.

The trip was a great way to get from Vilnius to Riga. We enjoyed visiting the sites along the way. Our driver was very polite and helpful.

The driver is on time, polite and patient. This private trip is convenient for us. Three tourist stops are beautiful. Highly recommended!

The driver arrived on time, drive us to three different places and wait for us patiently. Dropped off to our hotel after completing the tour. Highly Recommend .

It was a wonderful experience just a longer drive then we expected. Our driver was very nice. I just felt bad for him because we had an extreme language barrier so we could not chat with him, but he did a good job getting us there and back and communicated what he could.

The car was spacious, clean, and very comfortable. Although the journey from Vilnius to Riga was long, it didn’t feel tiring at all. The driver was skilled and drove very smoothly — I usually get motion sickness easily, but I felt completely fine throughout the trip. We visited the Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, and Bauska Castle, with a lunch stop in between. The driver never rushed us and gave us plenty of time to enjoy each place at our own pace. He was kind, friendly, and very thoughtful. Although he didn’t speak any English, he always had a warm smile and patiently communicated with us using translation apps and gestures. We truly appreciated his effort and hospitality — it made the whole experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a relaxing and well-organized private trip between Vilnius and Riga, with a warm and considerate local driver!

The tour guide was Bruno. The tour guide rushed to complete the tour as soon as possible and get back to Vilnius. Here are examples that provide a justification for my review: 1) He mentioned we would not have time to stop for lunch, as he needed to come back to Vilnius. 2) The time provided by the tour to check the Rundale Palace was 1 hour. Walking to the entrance of the Palace alone and getting the ticket takes 20 minutes. A decent time to visit the palace would is 2-to-3 hours (you can check this information online). 3) The time provided by the tour guide to check the Hill of Crosses was 30 minutes. This is not enough for a good visit of the place. A decent time to visit this place is at least 45 minutes. 4) There was no visit to Bauska Castle. The tour guide just stopped on a street near the castle, from which he said I can take a picture of the castle at the distance. We concluded the tour at 3pm in Riga. The total tour time was 6 hours, although this should have been an 8–9-hour tour.

Great comfortable ride. Calm and experienced driver. The whole journey was good. Hill of crosses definitely worth a visit. Rundale castle was just ok. We went in October and this is. It the time for seeing garden. Bausca was again a highlight. Short walk and great views.

They were flexible and adjusted the itinerary to make the day trip suitable for my needs. Driver got me back to my hotel as promised.

I was in Vilnius, and I had to go to Riga, and I really wanted to see the hill of crosses. The problem is I can't drive, and I didn't have time to do the journey by bus, so i booked this tour / transportation. It's not the cheapest way to do this, but it was certainly the most efficient for me. I got to go to Riga and stop off and visit the hill of crosses along the way. As a bonus, I was able to visit a palace and the outside of a castle. I thought it was great. The hill of crosses is excellent, and while it wasn't initially that excited about seeing the palace, as I've seen many palaces, it really was nice and it was an enjoyable break to the driving. My driver (I forget his name) was pleasant and spoke perfect English. It was all seamless. I would definitely recommend it.

Bruno was a really nice guy and díd a great job explaining Lithuania . Good driving. We enjoyed It very much

What an amazing way to travel between the cities and see some amazing sights along the way! Bruno was a fantastic guide - drove safely, had so many facts to share along the ride and was such a gentleman. He gave me all the time I needed at each stop and also chose the cutest restaurant to have lunch. I couldn’t recommend this tour more highly!

Excellent driver and trip. The ride was very pleasant and informative. We had plenty of time at each stop and never felt rushed. Lunch was at a traditional Lithuanian restaurant and we appreciated the Driver ordering for us and letting us experience some traditional foods. We highly recommend this experience.

The places seen were interesting particularly the Hills of Crosses. The driver though was on his phone the whole time, texting continuously that we feared for our safety. Think twice about booking him.

Our driver Bruno was knowledgeable and explained all the sites - it was a beautiful drive though the countryside and Rundale Palace and Hill of Crosses are extraordinary. I would recommend this trip to anyone interested in history.

This was my third excursion with Giedrius and I would absolutely recommend this transfer experience from Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia led by him. He met me at my accommodations and handled loading my luggage for me. From there, we headed to the three destinations included on the itinerary on our way to Riga. I had plenty of time at each location to take tours and experience the sites, never feeling rushed. The Hill of Crosses was a moving experience and I had an opportunity to learn so much new history at Runsdale Palace. The trip was comfortable and we stopped along the way for restrooms and snacks. Despite ample time at each location, we still arrived on time in Riga, where Giedrius once again dropped me off directly at my accommodations. This transfer excursion allowed me to see areas of Lithuania and Latvia that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to see without a car and with the limited time I had to visit.

A nice way to mix up a transfer from Vilnius to Riga with some sights along the way. The Hill of Crosses is something very different but spiritual in its own way. Rundale palace was very beautiful and reminiscent of the palaces in St Petersburg. The driver was also very good.

The car was very small for the 3 of us on the tour. The driver was very nice, but we were packed in. We had the perfect amount of time at the Hill of Crosses and Rundale Palace. The driver told us that Bauska Castle was closed for renovations so we can only take pictures. After looking online the Castle website says it’s open??? For the amount we spent on the tour, I don’t feel it was a good value.

I really enjoyed taking this private tour and recommend everyone to sign up should they find themselves traveling between Vilnius/Riga! As a solo female traveler, I felt completely safe and loved learning about the history of both Riga and Vilnius. I especially loved the ample amount of time to visit the three stops to take as many photos and explore without feeling rushed. If you take a tour with Giedrius you're in for a treat as he's a great conversationalist. Enjoyed the convenience of being picked up from my hotel in Vilnius and dropped off at my hotel in Riga.

Beautiful day. Comfortable way to get to Riga unfortunately not much to see along the way other than the 3 main stops

Drive from Vilnius to Riga with stops at the Hill of Crosses and Rundale Castle. The Hill of Crosses is interesting and inspiring. Rundale Castle is nicely restored and interesting.Unfortunately, our guide overbooked herself and sent her husband to drive us. We had paid for and expected a guided tour. What we got was a pleasant driver with some interesting information but not a guided tour.

I thought there would be tourist information, but there was no information, only travel to the destination.

Friendly and efficient driver who is on time and takes you to the 3 sites. In short, perfect for this excursion.

The driver was excellent and the stops were exciting and worthwhile so really to make. Very good way to transit between the two capitals in a pleasant way and enrich The landscapes are worthy of another planet and wonderful. You will have a great time so this is an excursion that I highly recommend.

I thought it was very efficient to be able to stop at tourist sites that seemed inaccessible, such as Hill of the Cross, on the way from Vilnius to Riga. Is it cost-effective? Is it cost-effective? I don't know, but they picked me up at the designated place, the driver was kind, and my 6-year-old child was safe and comfortable with the private transportation of three family members.

The tour well organized, driver (guide) kind, the only flaw that did not speak English but we were able to talk via phone

I had the opportunity to visit incredibly interesting places that I had never heard of, such as the Hill of Crosses, with an interesting story of struggle and sacrifice of a people over many years that was totally ignored by many other cultures and yet it should have international significance. Rundale Palace, baroque style with exquisite interior and exterior ornamentation, in addition to possessing an innumerable amount of historical objects from the 18th and 19th centuries belonging to the German Emperor William I and his family 👪. Then, Bauska Castle, although observed from a distance, represents an important building in the fight against the Russian empire for the freedom of the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian peoples. The excursion was really very interesting from the beginning, getting to know both Lithuania and Latvia and a journey of indescribable beauty of landscapes. I recommend it to you