Tour from Riga - Vilnius via Bauska, Rundale, The Hill of Crosses

Save time and money, traveling from Riga to Vilnius!!! (Guaranteed departure) Spend a day of remembrance exploring spectacular sights on the way from Riga to Vilnius. See the fabulous Bauska Castle complex, situated on the narrow peninsula and surrounded by two rivers, admire the Baroque pearl in Latvian rural lanscape the Rundale Palace and immerse yourself into one of the most sacred and spiritual place in Lithuania, the Hill of Crosses. The trip includes comfortable transportation among the stops and the guide book or Live guide, allowing you to delve into well-known landmarks at your own pace.

Itinerary

1. The Bauska Castle sits on a scenery land between two rivers Musa and Memele in the territory of Bauska town. The Bauska Castle complex consits of two parts: the older, the Livonian Order Castle, build in the middle of the 15th century, and a newer, a residence for the Duke of Courland, constructed at the end of the 16th century. During the Great Northern War the Bauska Castle ensemble was blew up by the Russian military. Nowadays the residence of the Duke of Courland is fully restored and is home the Castle Museum, while only ruins remain from the seat of the Livonian Order. (1h 0min)
2. The Rundale Palace, located just 15 kilometres from Lithuania – Latvia border, was built in the 18th century by Ernst Johann von Biron, as the summer residence of the Duke of Courland. The palace was designed by Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an author of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. In the course of time and political rush the Palace has changed many owners and purposes – it was used as a hospital, elementary school or even a grain storage facility. Nowadays, after extensive and successful renovation process, The Rundale Palace Museum and Garden attracts masses of tourists and is deservingly called a „Versailles of Latvia“. (2h 0min)
3. The Hill of Crosses, located sixteen kilometers from Siauliai city, is an authentic monument of history and religious folk art. This small hill with a collection of over 200 000 crosses is the best repository of Lithuanian cross making art and the representation of unshakable faith and a symbol of resistance against occupation. (1h 0min)