Kaliningrad Oblast – a bizarre small slice of Russia between Lithuania and Poland that makes for an interesting addition to a Baltic trip. Entering the exclave requires a Russian visa.

The three capitals all have UNESCO-listed old towns, Soviet concrete new towns and occasional 21st-century buildings in between.

The cities are roughly listed North to South

• 59.43722224.7451 Tallinn – smallest of the three but still an aspiring global-feel city and Estonia's digital industrial hub
• 56.947524.1069442 Riga – the region's biggest city, Latvia's party town has much to offer
• 54.68722225.283 Vilnius – Lithuania's cosmopolitan centre

The towns and cities are roughly listed North to South

• 58.3826.72254 Tartu – Estonia's second city with a relaxed student vibe
• 55.87138926.5161115 Daugavpils – second biggest city of Latvia
• 56.50833321.0111116 Liepāja – Latvian beach city known for its music and the former secret Soviet military town of Karosta
• 54.923.9333337 Kaunas – second biggest city of Lithuania, with an old town and many museums and galleries
• 55.712521.1358 Klaipėda – Lithuania's harbor city—belonging to Germany until World War I under the name "Memel" and still served by Baltic Sea Ferries from German ports
• 55.92805623.3166679 Šiauliai – Lithuanian city with odd specialist museums and the Hill of Crosses

The Baltic states have had vibrant histories. Christianity, Germans and feudalism arrived together in the 13th century. Also in the 13th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania emerged as a major political player in Medieval Europe. The Hanseatic League dominated commerce on the Baltic, until the Danish Empire and later the Swedish Empire came to rule the Sea.

In the 16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took over control of the area. It lasted until the late 18th century. The area of the Baltic states was then largely absorbed into the Russian Empire, with a slice of modern-day Lithuania being given to Prussia, later becoming part of the German Empire.

As part of revolutionary Russia's speedy exit from World War I in 1918, the early Soviet government relinquished claim on the region, creating the states which exist today. Germany was also considerably reduced in size after the war.

The Soviet Union rebounded and re-annexed all three states during World War II in a move greatly resented by their populations. The Nazis used anti-Soviet sentiment to help them form Baltic auxiliary police units that assisted the Nazis in wiping out almost all of the area's Jewish population (see Holocaust remembrance) and others considered ethnic or ideological enemies (notably including Poles), though the Nazis' claims to being liberators were not widely believed for long. The Soviets yet again annexed the Baltics in 1944, in a move condemned as illegal in the West but tolerated as part of the emerging Cold War diplomacy. All three states maintained a strong sense of national identity throughout the Soviet period, with fierce resistance against Soviet rule by the local population, culminating in an independence movement known as the Forest Brothers that was active throughout the entire period of Soviet rule. In 1990–91, the Baltic states led the breaking away of the USSR's constituent republics from the central government. They all swiftly turned away from Moscow towards the West, and joined both the European Union and NATO in 2004. All Baltic states are members of the Eurozone with Lithuania being the last to do so in 2015.

The Baltic States have seen rapid economic growth since their independence, leading to them being dubbed the Baltic Tigers; while hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis, they saw a rush of emigration, but recovered in a few years. As of 2020, they are the only former Soviet republics whose standards of living have risen to Western European standards, and the only ones to be classified as "advanced economies" (i.e. developed countries) by the IMF. In 2017, the United Nations Statistics department changed categorization of the Baltic States from eastern Europe to northern Europe.

Kaliningrad, subject of ethnic cleansing and repopulated by Russians loyal to Moscow, became an exclave of Russia after the fall of the USSR.

All three countries are home to significant ethnic Russian minorites as a result of the history of Soviet rule. These communities generally maintain close ties with Russia, making relations tense between them and their respective governments. While Lithuania granted citizenship to its ethnic Russian minority following independence, most ethnic Russians in Latvia and Estonia are stateless permanent residents; they are allowed to remain in the respective countries, but not allowed to vote in elections or claim certain welfare benefits.

Traditional Christian affiliations were Lutheranism in much of Latvia and Estonia, and Catholicism in Eastern Latvia and Lithuania. Communism and the general loss of religion across the Western world have heavily altered the traditional affiliations: Once a Lutheran country, Estonia is now among the least religious countries in the world, as 49% say they have no belief in God, and a further 40% claiming to be either agnostic or not being affiliated with any religion; in Lithuania, 49% say they do, and Catholicism remains a vital life force in everyday life; Latvia is evenly split between Lutherans, Orthodox (mostly among the Russian community), and irreligious. A smattering of pagan belief persists, for example the Romuva faith, perhaps because this was one of the last areas of Europe to be Christianized.

Generally speaking there are fairly good connections from other parts of Europe and from the western half of the former Soviet Union. Save for a few exceptions, getting to the Baltics from elsewhere always includes at least one change of planes.

Riga Airport (RIX ^IATA) in Latvia is by a large margin the busiest airport in the Baltic countries. It is the main hub of AirBaltic, which flies to around 60 European cities (including most major cities) and has seasonal routes to the Middle East and Central Asia. When flying to the Baltic states, chances are you will pass by Riga.

Tallinn Airport (TLL ^IATA) in Estonia is a small airport with fewer direct connections than its neighbors. However, it ranks among the best airports in the world for its excellent customer service, modern facilities, and overall efficiency. It is Air Baltic's second hub, is served by several low-cost airlines, and has flights to most major airports in northern and central Europe.

Vilnius Airport (VNO ^IATA) in Lithuania is mostly served by budget airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair, for which it is a major hub, although a number of major carriers and charter airlines can be found as well. Vilnius also has a rather large catchment area that reaches deep into Belarus and northeastern Poland.

Ryanair also provides several connections to Kaunas Airport^{[dead link]} (KUN ^IATA). Palanga Airport serves as a small regional airport for the western part of Lithuania with a few routes.

Ferries criss-cross the Baltic. A popular route is Helsinki–Tallinn. There are also many Baltic cruises.

Vilnius is the entry hub for rail travelers from Warsaw, Kaliningrad and Belarus. Note that the trains from Vilnius to Moscow and from Kaliningrad to St Petersburg via Vilnius (do not confuse with direct train from Vilnius to St Petersburg) pass through Belarus, which might require an additional visa.

The capitals are all connected to each other by short flights. From Riga there are flights to Kaunas and Palanga. From Tallinn there are flights to Tartu, Kuressaare and Kärdla.

The international bus network is pretty well developed making for easy movement. Bus is in most cases the fastest and most practical way for intercity travel if you don't have a car.

The capitals have direct services between them. There is a daily service between Tallin and Riga, with interchange in Valga, and, as of July 2024, there is a single service between Riga and Vilnius daily.

The international bicycle project, BaltiCCycle may provide you with a lot of information and help.

See also: Via Baltica

Your own car or a rented one is also an option, especially if you want to get to places outside major cities. Large highways are in a good shape and almost comparable to the ones in the Nordic countries, sideways and streets (in particular in smaller towns) much less so.

Two strategies may be helpful for travelers who want to explore the Baltic states by rented car. The first is to take buses or trains between major cities and rent and return a car locally. The other is to rent a car in one of the three capitals and then make a loop or figure 8 route. Returning a car to a different city or country will increase the cost by at least 50%, but usually 100%.

• Via Baltica – Goes from the Estonian capital Tallinn through Riga, Latvia and Kaunas, Lithuania and continues to Warsaw, Poland.
• Cruising the Baltic Sea