Baltic Cities Make Bluelist

Posted by Amanda Kendle Nov 20, 2006

Some of my favorite Eastern European cities, Estonia's capital Tallinn, Latvia's Riga and Lithuania's Vilinius, may not be featured in typical guided tours yet, but travel guide publisher Lonely Planet is prepared to go on the line for them.

The recently launched Bluelist gives an indication of the destinations that Lonely Planet writers believe will be the next "big" places. In the list of the top ten cities, all three Baltic capitals are found - something I totally agree with, of course. What does Lonely Planet have to say about them?

For Tallinn, it highlights "the flair of the streets is decidedly fashion-forward, with boutiques bearing the imprint of rising Estonian designers, in contrast with centuries-old artisan traditions. The capital also boasts the largest wine cellars in the Baltics and plenty of medieval settings in which to imbibe". Riga's write-up mentions its "proper big-city atmosphere", and on Lithuania it has this to say: "UNESCO has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. It's home to an eccentric artist community: where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa?"

Stay tuned here for even more info on these fascinating cities.