Money

This program includes accommodations, transportation, group meals as noted on our website (including soft drinks and local beer or wine at group lunches and dinners), entrance fees, and gratuities for all group activities to guides, waiters, porters, and housekeepers. You should need money only for personal expenses, meals on your own, beverages not provided at group meals and for individual purchases.

A few things to note about money while on this trip:

• You will need to pay for everything in local currency using cash or credit cards.

• Use fresh, new-style bills, as overly worn or outdated bills are often not accepted.

• ATMs are readily available in Vilnius, Riga, and Talinn. You may have to split off from the group on excursions in order to seek out an ATM.

• Major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard and American Express) are accepted in virtually all hotels, most restaurants and large shops.

The currency in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia is the euro. You can find up-to-date information and current exchange rates online, for example at Oanda.

Guidelines for gratuities that are not included in the program cost

Hotels: Tips for housekeeping staff are included in the program cost. If you have arranged extra hotel nights before or after the trip, tips for housekeeping staff for those nights are not included and €1-2 per day is customary. We recommend tipping in local currency. 

Private transfers: If you are arriving or departing on a day other than the scheduled arrival and departure dates and have arranged a private transfer through our local operator, gratuities for your transfer driver are included.

Taxis: drivers don’t generally expect tips unless they go out of their way for you.

Restaurant meals that are not part of our program: It is increasingly customary to tip wait staff a modest amount in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. A tip in the range between 5-10% is typical, especially for outstanding service or quality.