Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania each hold just as much charm as any European country. A trip through all three of the Baltic nations makes for a varied experience full of surprises.
In Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, you can hardly walk a block on its medieval streets without passing a Baroque church. Riga’s medieval past is peppered with remnants of the Soviet regime, but also a spirit of modernisme with its Art Nouveau architecture. Talinn, almost within sight of Finland, mixes Eastern European and Scandinavian influences in a fairy-tale city.
The Russian influence in the Baltic states is never far away, but the countries have evolved distinct personalities since their break from their eastern neighbour.
If you would like to see more photos from the area, visit my gallery of photos of the Hill of Crosses.
01. A panoramic view of the old town of Riga, Latvia. (Click for a larger image.)
02. The Vansu Bridge at sunset in Riga, Latvia.
03. The House of Blackheads in Old Riga, Latvia.
04. Pub-goers enjoy a drink on the patio of a bar in Riga, Latvia.
05. The Swedish Gate, the only remaining city gate in Riga, Latvia.
06. A detail of the statues on the front of the House of Blackheads in Riga, Latvia.
07. Girls walk through one of the colourful, cobbled streets of Riga, Latvia.
08. From left to right: The Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church, and St. Jacob’s Cathedral in Riga, Latvia.
09. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral viewed from above in Riga.
10. A fountain in front of the Latvian National Opera House in Riga, Latvia.
11. The Latvian Academy of Sciences building, a Stalinist-era skyscraper in Riga, Latvia.
12. A backpacker walks along Vilniaus Gatve in Kaunas, Lithuania.
13. Vilniaus Gatve at night with the St. Francis Church in the background in Kaunas, Lithuania.
14. Christ’s Resurrection Church, formerly a radio factory under Stalin’s rule, in Kaunas, Lithuania.
15. A close-up shot of the domes on the roof of St Michael the Archangel church in Kaunas, Lithuania.
16. The belfry of Vilnius Cathedral in Vilnius, Lithuania.
17. The neo-classical front of Vilnius Cathedral.
18. The 16th-century Gates of Dawn in Vilnius, the only remain original city gates.
19. A fountain in front of Town Hall Square and the Vilnius Town Hall.
20. An elderly woman sweeps the road leading through the Gates of Dawn in Vilnius.
21. Gediminas Avenue (Gedimino Prospektas) the main street of Vilnius.
22. Crosses and other religious icons on sale at a market stall in Vilnius, Lithuania.
23. St. John’s Church at sunset in Vilnius, Lithuania.
24. Three Crosses Hill standing atop a hill overlooking Vilnius, Lithuania.
25. The Linguistic Institute’s elaborate, contemporary wall paintings at Vilnius University.
26. Turaida Castle, a reconstructed medieval castle near Sigulda, Latvia.
27. Turaida Castle, a reconstructed medieval castle near Sigulda, Latvia.
28. The Tallinn town hall in Tallinn, Estonia.
29. A panoramic view of Tallinn at night. (Click for a larger image.)
30. The medieval city of Tallinn as viewed from above.
31. St. Catherine’s Passage, a medieval alleyway in Tallinn, Estonia.
32. Kooli Street leading to St. Olav’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia.
33. Kadriorg Palace, a baroque palace of Russia’s Catherine I, in Tallinn, Estonia.
34. The doorway to the Brotherhood of the Blackheads guild hall in Tallinn, Estonia.
35. Tallinn’s city walls and St. Olav’s Church in the background at night.
36. The city walls of Tallinn, Estonia.
37. Trakai Island Castle, a 14th century castle on an island on Lake Galve at Trakai, Lithuania.
38. The interior courtyard of Trakai Castle in Trakai, Lithuania.
39. Dawn over the suburbs of Vilnius, Lithuania.
40. A rustic, traditional farm in the Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum in Riga, Latvia.
41. Benches in a park near the Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, Estonia.
42. A ruined doorway of the abandonned Soviet military barracks in Paldiski, Estonia.
43. A bunker at the abandonned Soviet military barracks in Paldiski, Estonia.
44. The crumbling interior of one of the abandonned Soviet military barracks in Paldiski, Estonia.
Keywords: photos of the baltics, images of the baltics, pictures of baltics, lithuania, latvia, estonia, landscape photography, travel photography, architectural photography, fine art prints, stock photography.
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Darby Sawchuk is a Canadian-born photographer who currently resides in Manchester, England. He has travelled to over 40 countries and is always adding more to the list. He creates stock for multiple agencies and is available for assignments.
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