We were two couples on a cruise, and booked a private tour through Estonian Experience for Tallinn and Riga. Both were excellent! In Tallinn, our three-hour walking tour of the upper and lower old city went by in a flash. Britta, our guide, was a delightful young woman with extensive knowledge of the city, its history, folklore, politics and whatnot. She also gave us recommendations for other places to visit outside the old city and directions how to get there. In Riga we were met by Edita for a 5-hour tour of Jewish Riga. Edita was also extremely knowledgeable and as we walked (or drove) she gave us background about the city, the politics, the Jewish connections, which is what interested us. We visited the synagogue in the old city where we were treated to a wonderful monologue by Mishke, the guard/caretaker/custodian. We also visited a memorial site next to a synagogue that was burnt by the Nazis. The final visit was to the memorial to Zanis Lipke, a port worker who saved 60 Jews from the city by digging a bunker under a shed and hiding them there. He is considered a Latvian hero.
All in all, our two tours were excellent and are highly recommended!
