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Old May 10, 2017 | 5:29 am
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Vilnius and Riga -- how to split time

I need advice on how to split time between Vilnius and Riga for an upcoming trip in September.

Arriving VNO Thursday at 10am. Departing RIX Saturday at 3pm. These are pretty firm. So I have 48 hours and some change to split between the two capitals. Having never been to either and want to get a taste of both.

i see two possibilities:
  1. take night flight (10p-11p) on Thursday from VNO to RIX. This would have me spend all day but no night in Vilnius and two nights in Riga, which cuts hotel check-in/check-out procedures time in half, but leaves much more time for Riga than Vilnius.
  2. take midday bus (10a-2p) or flight (1p-2p) on Friday. This would split time very evenly to about the same 24 hour in each city.

Which option would you chose and why? And what would be the sightseeing highlights in both cities, considering the short time?

Also, if traveling midday Friday, would you take the bus (4 hours downtown to downtown) or the flight (about the same 3-4 hours downtown to downtown after you consider airport transfer times and airport wait times)?
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Old May 10, 2017 | 8:20 am
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I'd definitely stay one of the nights (i.e. Thursday) in Vilnius. There's some great places to hang out there and the old town is really nice to wander through (much more so than Riga for me).

Check out Burbulio Vynine - that's a terrific place if you're into wine, but even if you're not I'd recommend it. Really friendly owners and a nice vibe there, full of locals.

Bukowski Bar is also fun but there are tons of other places. If you just wander round the old town I'm sure you'll find half a dozen places you like without even trying.
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Old May 10, 2017 | 8:50 am
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I enjoyed Riga more but that's one man's opinion
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Old May 12, 2017 | 1:10 am
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Why not take the bus and enjoy the countryside?
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Old May 14, 2017 | 9:53 am
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Originally Posted by Alsacienne
Why not take the bus and enjoy the countryside?
I tried it (from Tallinn to Riga) and it got very boring after an hour even though I am a person who doesn't usually get bored by staring at the road for 10 hours

Don't know if the road to Lithuania is different

I'll try it again when you can take a direct and faster train from Tallinn to Poland
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