Cost to Travel in the Baltic States, Our 2022 Budget Breakdown

Cost to Travel in the Baltic States

Hey everyone! In this article, we’re sharing our complete budget breakdown and what it really cost us to travel in the Baltic States — that’s Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

So far, road-tripping through the Baltic States ranks as one of our all-time favorite adventures. Each of the three countries is unique, full of character, and absolutely worth visiting. While they share some cultural and historical similarities, each has its own vibe and highlights.

Over the course of two weeks, we journeyed from Lithuania to Estonia, passing through Latvia — with a bonus day trip to Finland! It was a memorable experience, and one of the best parts? It felt pleasantly empty of tourists.

From fairytale old towns and grand castles to powerful memorials, lush forests, and stunning national parks, the Baltics really have it all.

Forget the outdated image — the communist era is long gone. Today, the Baltic States are safe, welcoming, and vibrant, even with the current geopolitical tensions in the region.

As for the cost to travel in the Baltic States? It’s surprisingly affordable. In fact, we found it cheaper than most Western European countries like France or Germany — without compromising on beauty or comfort.

So, let’s dive into what it actually costs to travel in the Baltic States and how you can make the most of your budget.

Read: The Perfect 2-Week Baltic States Itinerary

What’s Included in Our Baltic States Travel Budget

Our cost of travel in the Baltic States and complete budget breakdown covers everything we spent during our trip — including accommodation, transportation within the countries, food, activities, and other miscellaneous expenses.

We’ve excluded the cost of flights to and from the Baltic States, as airfare can vary greatly depending on your departure location.

All prices in this guide reflect what we spent as a couple, since we travelled together throughout the entire trip.

And for consistency, all amounts are listed in euros (€), which is the official currency used in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars with free cancellation. Book your rental car here.

A Quick Look at Our Itinerary

To give you a bit of perspective, here’s the itinerary we followed during our 2-week road trip through the Baltic States:

• Day 1: Arrive in Vilnius
• Day 2: Visit Vilnius & Trakai
• Day 3: Drive to Kaunas & explore
• Day 4: Road trip to the Curonian Spit
• Day 5: Explore the Curonian Spit
• Day 6: Final stops on the spit + drive to Riga
• Day 7: Discover Riga
• Day 8: Visit the Open-Air Museum & Sigulda
• Day 9: Gauja National Park
• Day 10: Drive to Tartu
• Day 11: Soomaa National Park
• Day 12: Pärnu
• Day 13: Travel & visit Tallinn
• Day 14: Full day in Tallinn
• Day 15: Day trip to Helsinki (Finland)
• Day 16: Return home

This itinerary goes from Vilnius to Tallinn, but it could easily be done in reverse. The total trip lasted 16 days, though you could shorten it by skipping Day 15 (the Helsinki day trip) and combining Days 14 and 16.

Now that you know where we went and for how long, let’s dive into the real cost to travel in the Baltic States!

Don’t forget to book your accommodations in advance – the best places always fill up quickly.

Accommodation Costs in the Baltic States

Let’s kick off this cost to travel in the Baltic States breakdown with one of the biggest travel expenses — accommodation.

We booked all our stays through Booking.com, where we found a wide range of options: cozy guesthouses, fully equipped apartments, and classic hotels. Whenever possible, we looked for places with a small kitchen or kitchenette so we could cook our own meals and save a bit on food.

In general, we aimed for accommodations priced between €45 and €70 per night, depending on the location and availability. Overall, prices were fairly consistent across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Here’s exactly what we paid per night in each destination:

• Vilnius: 56 €/night
• Kaunas: 72 €/night
• Juodkrantė: 63 €/night
• Riga: 71 €/night
• Ligatne: 45 €/night
• Tartu: 51 €/night
• Parnu: 47 €/night
• Tallinn: 67 €/night

We were really happy with all our choices. The comfort and quality were great for the price — and in this case, we honestly wouldn’t recommend cutting corners. If you can slightly increase your budget, there are some amazing places to stay in the Baltic States.

Here are a few accommodation recommendations based on your travel style and budget:

• Vilnius: (€): Mikalo House, (€€): Uptown apartments,(€€€): Hotel PACAI
• Kaunas: (€): Laisves ave. Apartments Mini(€€):  Laisves ave. Apartments (€€€): Radisson Hotel Kaunas
• Juodkrantė: (€): Prie Ąžuolo(€€):  Come2rest – Smilga (€€€): Vila MAY
• Riga: (€): Hostel Viktorija(€€):  Renovated apartment in Riga center (€€€): Grand Poet Hotel
• Ligatne: (€): Green bear(€€):  Karlamuiza Country Hotel (€€€): Ezerkalni
• Tartu: (€): Looming Hostel(€€):  Estonishing Stay Premium Lofts (€€€): Antonius Hotel
• Parnu: (€): Villa Ene(€€):  Austri Villa (€€€): Villa Ammende Restaurant and Hotel
• Tallinn: (€): Roseni City Apartment(€€): Old Town Lai street apartment with private parking (€€€): Hotel Telegraaf

So, what did we actually spend?

👉 For 15 nights, our total accommodation cost in the Baltic States came to €888 for two people, or around €59 per night for two.

If you travel as a couple and choose a mix of budget and mid-range places like we did, you can expect something similar — and we think it was excellent value for money!

Don’t forget to book your accommodations in advance – the best places always fill up quickly.

Transportation Costs in the Baltic States

To continue our breakdown of the cost to travel in the Baltic States, let’s dive into transportation — one of the most important (and sometimes trickiest) aspects of this trip.

Getting around the Baltic States can be a little complicated, especially if you want to explore national parks or go off the beaten path. While there are buses and trains between major cities, public transport won’t always get you to the more remote or nature-based locations without a lot of planning — or added taxi costs and long hours in transit.

That’s why we chose to road trip the Baltic States, and honestly, it was the best decision we made. It gave us complete freedom to explore at our own pace. Driving in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia was super easy — the roads are well-maintained, signage is clear, and traffic is minimal, even in high season.

We rented our car online, booking it a few weeks in advance. For peace of mind, we opted to include full insurance — though in the end, we discovered our credit card may have covered that as well.

Here’s the full breakdown:

• Car hire (16 days): €845
• Insurance: €117.50
• Total rental cost: €962 → ~€60/day
• Without insurance: €53/day

We also had additional transport costs:

• Fuel: ~€50 per full tank
• Ferry to the Curonian Spit: €18.30
• Car cleaning + small fees: minor costs added

Altogether, transportation cost us €1,268 for 16 days, which works out to about €79 per day for two people.

And while that may sound like a lot — especially compared to our previous car rentals (Morocco: €385 for 18 days, Corsica: €283 for 13 days) — this gave us access to remote beaches, scenic hiking trails, charming villages, and national parks we would’ve never reached otherwise.

👉 If your Baltic States itinerary includes the countryside or national parks, we can’t recommend road-tripping enough. The freedom and convenience are well worth it!

We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars with free cancellation. Book your rental car here.

Food Costs in the Baltic States

Now let’s get to the tasty part of the cost to travel in the Baltic States — the food!

We usually love to cook our own meals when we travel. It helps us stick to our budget and makes it easier to find meals that suit our mostly plant-based, vegetarian lifestyle. While we do allow ourselves a bit more flexibility on the road, we still like knowing exactly what’s going into our meals.

In the Baltic States, we kept this habit. Most of our accommodations had a small kitchen or at least some way to cook, which made things super convenient. We picked up groceries in local supermarkets and made simple, wholesome meals most of the time.

That said, we didn’t completely skip out on eating out. We did try a few local restaurants along the way, mostly in larger cities like Riga and Tallinn, or when something looked especially tempting. But overall, we found we were happier cooking — and it helped us keep our costs down.

Including all our grocery runs, local produce, snacks, drinking water, and the occasional meal out, our total food cost in the Baltic States came to:

👉 €601 for two people over 16 days
👉 That’s around €37 per day for both of us

Pretty great value, considering how fresh and affordable food is across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. If you’re on a budget or just like cooking as much as we do, you’ll find plenty of well-stocked supermarkets and local markets everywhere.

We usually travel with Airalo eSIMs, but when we need unlimited data for work, we go with Holafly.

Activities & Attractions Cost in the Baltic States

When you’re traveling somewhere new, chances are you’ll want to see and do quite a bit. That said, the activity cost to travel in the Baltic States turned out to be one of the smallest parts of our budget — and that’s because so many of the best things to do are free or cost just a few euros.

Wandering through charming old towns, hiking in pristine national parks, and enjoying scenic drives between spots — these were our highlights, and they don’t cost a thing.

Here are some of our favorite experiences in each country:

• In Lithuania, the Curonian Spit was an absolute dream — a sliver of land between the lagoon and the Baltic Sea, with peaceful pine forests, sand dunes, and laid-back beach vibes. It was the perfect place to slow down and soak in nature.
• In Latvia, Gauja National Park was a top highlight. We hiked along the Gauja River and explored Līgatne, discovering sandstone cliffs, forest trails, and peaceful views.
• In Estonia, Soomaa National Park was a real gem. Hiking through the bogs on wooden boardwalks felt like a completely different world — quiet, wild, and untouched.

Of course, we did visit a few castles, museums, and cultural sites. Here’s a quick cost breakdown of some of the paid activities we enjoyed (prices are for two people):

• Trakal Castle: 24€
• Raudonė Castle: 3€
• Panemunės Castle: 8€
• St Peter Church, Riga: 18€
• Ethno Open Air Museum Riga: 8€
• Sigulda Castle: 4€
• Turaidas castle: 12€
• Nature Hike Park: 8,6€
• Sangaste castle: 14€
• Rock Church Helsinki: 10€

🧾 Total activity cost: €120 for two people
📅 That’s just €7.50 per day — a great deal for so many memorable experiences!

The cost to travel in the Baltic States really shines here — nature, history, and culture are accessible and affordable, making it easy to explore without breaking the bank.

Miscellaneous Costs: SIM Cards, Souvenirs & More

To wrap up our cost to travel in the Baltic States breakdown, here are a few extra expenses that may not apply to everyone — but they’re still worth noting when planning your trip.

VISA: Good news — if you’re from the EU, UK, or many other countries, you won’t need a visa to travel in the Baltic States. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are all part of the Schengen Zone, so border crossings are seamless, and paperwork is minimal.

Souvenir: We love bringing home little treasures from our travels, and the Baltic States had plenty to tempt us — Riga Black Balsam, handmade soaps, earrings, key holders, magnets… you name it. Altogether, we spent around €320 on souvenirs. Yes, we may have gone a little overboard, but Baltic handicrafts and local specialties are just too good to pass up!

SIM Card: Getting a local SIM is often a travel hassle — finding the right provider, registering with ID, and navigating data plans in a foreign language. Thankfully, as French travelers, our SIM card worked across the Baltic States with no extra cost. If your carrier doesn’t offer the same, or if you just want to skip the hassle, we highly recommend using Airalo — a digital eSIM provider that works in over 200 countries. You can pick a local eSIM for one country or go for a regional Europe eSIM, which is perfect for a Baltic States road trip.

Travel Insurance: We didn’t personally take out travel insurance for this trip since our French credit card provides full travel coverage. But if you’re not covered through your card or healthcare, don’t skip this step.
We recommend World Nomads — a trusted option for travelers that covers everything from cancellations to emergencies and gear.

Check our Google Map of the Baltic States

Total Cost to travel in the Baltic States

It’s time to wrap up our cost to travel in the Baltic States breakdown! For 16 days, traveling as a couple from Lithuania to Estonia through Latvia (with a bonus day in Finland), here’s what our full Baltic road trip cost.

💰 Grand Total: €3,196 for two people

That’s €1,598 per person, or €199 per day for two.

Breakdown by Category (For Two People):

• Transportation: 1267€ in total, 633€ per person, 79€ per day.
• Accommodation: 888€ in total, 444€ per person, 59€ per night.
• Food: 601€ in total, 300€ per person, 37€ per day.
• Activities: 120€ in total, 60€ per person, 7,5€ per day.
• Others: 320€ in total, 160€ per person, 20€ per day.

If we remove our souvenir shopping spree (yep, we went all in), the trip would have cost:

• €2,876 total
• €1,438 per person
• €179 per day for two

For a road trip that included castles, bog hikes, historic cities, ferry rides, three countries — and a bonus capital (hello Helsinki!) — we think this was incredible value.

The Baltic States itinerary was one of our favorite European adventures, and it’s a destination we’d recommend again and again — for couples, solo travelers, or families alike.

Let us know if you’re planning your own trip — we’d love to help!

Read: The Perfect 2-Week Baltic States Itinerary