best shopping in Baltics tip from 5/21 cruise

[tartangal]

Just back from Constellation cruise 5/21 and want to let everyone know that Riga has goods in their market noone else has on the Baltic itinerary plus very good prices- better than Tallin. Best of all Klaipeda Lithuania was absolutely tops in prices for amber-the theater square market. They haven't had the cruise ship business to the extent that the other ports have (it was Celebrity's first time in that port). We loved Klaipeda and the handicraft market where you watched as craftsmen and women created their products and a band played in the square. Also enjoyed Riga but rumor had it on the ship that it might be cut from the itinerary because of all the problems they have experienced. We waited with hundreds of other passengers for 40minutes for the shuttle buses which were supposed to have been waiting at the pier.

[dileep]

We did not buy Amber from the street vendors due to concerns about authenticity.

 

Riga had the best variety and very good prices (even better than Gdansk that we visited before the cruise). The shop we liked was next to the Amber Museum and had a small ad on the local map that we don't as we boarded the shuttle.

 

Klaipeda had great prices but there was less to choose from. Once again the shop we went to was the one that handed out little cards on the pier (though we realized it after we went into the shop) with a 5% discount offer.

 

Tallinn had lots of choices and decent prices though not as good prices as either Klaipeda or Riga.

 

Tallinn and Klaipeda had excellent linen prices too.

[mikenmar]

We will be on the Constellation in Aug (13). I want to know if you took any of the ships tours of Riga, Klaipeda, and Tallinn? What shops or markets did you go to for amber and other things? Did the ship recommend any of the places you shopped at?

 

I hope they do not eliminate Riga, I am looking forward to that port.

 

Marion

[tartangal]

We will be on the Constellation in Aug (13). I want to know if you took any of the ships tours of Riga, Klaipeda, and Tallinn? What shops or markets did you go to for amber and other things? Did the ship recommend any of the places you shopped at?

 

I hope they do not eliminate Riga, I am looking forward to that port.

 

Marion

My extended family and I didn't go into any ship-recommended shops. From what we saw by the end of the cruise the same merchandise is available at an incredible range of prices depending on where you go. My niece bought a beautiful and unusual malachite necklace at the theater square market in Klaipeda and she received a certificate of authenticity. We all bought amber there-some of the best designed necklaces we saw anywhere, and one English speaking dealer (vendor) really knew his subject and offered a jeweler's loop to look through. A fellow passenger had eyed a $1500 necklace on the ship and passed up what looked like the same thing in Riga for $350 at the market (just look for the stalls in the old town -behind the Freedom Monument). This lady was very knowledgable about jewelry, and swore it was the same thing. She lamented that she passed up the one in Riga (everyone said, "Wait until Tallinn!"). She didn't find anything there, but in Klaipeda found the very same necklace for $45! Tallinn had ok prices but nothing special in the way of designs- pretty much all amber chunks or bits strung together in the same way. Knitted items in Tallinn in what we were told was called the Russian Market (inside the gates, turn right along the old city wall) were charming: wool hats with earflaps and reindeer designs among others. Can't quite recall but think they might have been $12-14 for childrens' hat, perhaps less. We never encountered the inexpensive sweaters in Tallinn that people have posted about. I think they were around $50 or more for the heavy wool ones in the markets.

Things we saw at the street stalls in Riga we didn't see elsewhere included handknitted writstlets (the only way I can think to describe them) and very unusual and pretty gloves with appliques on them.

Part of my family did the 5 hour Curonian Spit ships tour from Klaipeda and enjoyed it. They climbed up into a bird watching station and saw some of the dunes but did't get as far as Nida, where the all day tour went. (Our tablemates went on that tour and enjoyed it very much.)Apparently they stopped in some amber gallery in a small village on the route (not the amber village which is a separate tour) and my niece found some pretty amber earrings. We just made copies of Rick Steves Tallinn walking tour and had copied other cities old town maps from guide books and researched in advance what we wanted to see. Everything is subjective, of course, so what I expected of Klaipeda from a previous cruiser's posting was not what I or anyone with me experienced. (Someone wrote it was very depressing.) The handicrft market there shouldn't be missed. it's about 32 blocks from the theater sqare amber market.

We did't have too much information about Riga, though, and I was envious as the ship's walking tour of the old town passed by when we were there. We wasted a bit of time trying to find the 2 streets with a number of Art Nouveau buildings on them. Finally found one of them and saw some of the buildings. Nice, but I didn't think it worth the long walk, and was almost too tired to walk around the old town afterwards. We had the warmest weather of the trip in Riga (70's)and it was great not to be cold!

Hope this helps

[mikenmar]

tartangal

 

Thank you for all your information. It really is helpful! So many things were said about watching where you go in these countries, that I was leery about doing things on our own. My husband knows of someone who come from Riga and they gave us what to see. The ship does not have many tours in Riga, but hit some of the areas she recommended.

 

I remember a lot of postings said that Tallinn had the best prices on sweaters. Do you remember if these sweaters were as nice or at least cheaper than the ones in Copenhagen, Stockholm or Helsinki?

 

Again, thank you.

 

Marion

[dileep]

As someone said to us, "beware of the seller who does not have a roof overhead". We only bought in stores in Riga, Tallinn, and Klaipeda. I was worried in Riga, until I saw the security camera in the store and the sales clerks get nervous as I moved towards the door to see the merchandise in the light.

 

Prices on the ship are at least 2-3 times. We bought a necklace but returned it 2 days later (after we bought another one in Riga).

 

The shop we liked in Riga was Salons Mara (next to Amber Museum).

 

In Tallinn we shopped at Livonia (recommended by Celebrity)

 

I Klaipeda, Gintarine Planeta (Planet Amber near the Tourist Office)

 

best quality in Riga!

 

Klaipeda had incredible values on linen jackets for women (the sop is on the left as you walk into old town next to an empty lot.

 

I did not think that certificates of authenticity mean anything; they are easier to create than fake jewelry!

[tartangal]

tartangal

 

Thank you for all your information. It really is helpful! So many things were said about watching where you go in these countries, that I was leery about doing things on our own. My husband knows of someone who come from Riga and they gave us what to see. The ship does not have many tours in Riga, but hit some of the areas she recommended.

 

I remember a lot of postings said that Tallinn had the best prices on sweaters. Do you remember if these sweaters were as nice or at least cheaper than the ones in Copenhagen, Stockholm or Helsinki?

 

Again, thank you.

 

Marion

 

I would also like to know where in Tallinn people found cheap sweaters. As I think about it I think the heavy (nice) wool ones in what they called the Russian Market there were closer to $80. They looked as nice as the ones in Sweden and Denmark.

Regarding the comment about certificates of authenticity: I don't think they are worth much either, but some people feel better if they have one. We decided if it wasn't a major investment and we loved the item it was worth buying. (If you are paying costume jewelry prices for amber, for instance, you don't worry if it's not the best. ) It was pretty easy to spot the heat treated, fused pieces, and even plastic.

You do have to be careful in any of the markets in any of these cities because of pickpockets. One passenger on our ship apparently had everything taken (foolishly kept money, credit cards, even Medicare card, in his pocket). Apparently the thieves worked as a team: one person tugged at his pants leg and asked how much he'd paid for them while another was picking his back pocket.