TOURING IN BALTIC STATES

SOME EXAMPLES OF OTHER BIKE TRIP DESTINATIONS:

• ESTONIAN ISLANDS

The islands off the coast are virtual dreamlands, unlike anything in Europe. The two largest islands are Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, which are both retreats from faced-paced city life. And the landscape is considered quintessentially Estonian, with many windmills, thatched cottages and sleepy fishing villages.

• NORTH ESTONIA (LAHEMAA NATIONAL PARK AND INTERESTING EAST SIDE OF ESTONIA)

Northern Estonia stands out in the diversity of its landscape and history. Dramatic cliffs uniquely line parts of this Baltic Sea coast region, which hugs the Gulf of Finland nearly equidistant between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. The area also features one of Estonia's most popular nature reserves, Lahemaa National Park; with its jagged coasts, vast forests, wetlands and many hiking trails, it is a nature enthusiast’s dream.

• CYCLING ALONG THE SEASIDE TOWARDS ESTONIAN SUMMER RESORT PÄRNU

The regional hub is Pärnu, the largest town in western Estonia. It's long been celebrated all around the Baltic Sea as the most delightful of resorts, featuring attractions from the sublime to the quirky, like mud-bath spas. Pärnu's also celebrated for its network of meticulously well-kept parks and for its inviting architectural landscape.

• SOUTH OF ESTONIA

Storks tending to their young atop log cabins and dark, deep pine-tree forests are images associated with fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. But they're the real life scenery of the countryside in southern Estonia. With its seemingly endless forests and rolling hills, the area invites visitors to cast off the worries of everyday life and delight in the unspoiled nature.