Gastronomic tour to Kaliningrad for the New Year holidays

We have breakfast at the hotel and set ourselves up for a very eventful, beautiful day!

We are waiting for a sightseeing tour of Kaliningrad, the former Konigsberg, the center of East Prussia.

We will walk around the city and see all the main sights of Kaliningrad: University Square, the ruins of the Royal Castle, Kant's grave, synagogue, sculpture Alley, Wooden and Honey Bridges. Let's take a walk around Kneiphof Island, located right in the center of Kaliningrad, and find out how it developed and who its most famous inhabitants are.

We will be able to understand the character of the city and immerse ourselves in its interesting Russian-German history.

After the walk, we are expected to attend a gastronomic master class, where we will prepare Baltic cuisine dishes under the guidance of a chef.

For an aperitif, meat and fish appetizers are waiting for us, accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine!

Then we will prepare a spicy pelamis stroganina with a signature sauce, pickled onions and crispy croutons. Let's taste this dish with a glass of fresh white wine.

The next dish is a fragrant lamb loin with pomegranate sauce and young asparagus, which we will serve to the table with a glass of full—bodied red wine.

After the master class, we will immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages during a fascinating tour of Neuhausen Castle, one of the oldest in the Kaliningrad region.

After the tour, we are already expected to have a cheese tasting at a private cheese factory.

We will find out which drinks are suitable for a particular type of cheese, learn how to distinguish them, and share recipes for interesting dishes with us. And of course, we will try several varieties of cheese and taste fruit mustard and jams.

After the cheese factory, we go to the ancient German brewery, once the largest in East Prussia.

During the tour, we will find ourselves in one of the rooms of the old factory, where modern production is now located, and descend into the dungeons of Konigsberg.

We will learn all about how beer is brewed, how malt grows, what it tastes like, what hops look like, and what types of hops exist.

We will end the tour with a tasting of five varieties of freshly brewed beer.

In the evening we return to our hotel to relax and replenish our strength.

Fresh Baltic sea air awaits us tomorrow!

Today, after breakfast at the hotel, we will leave for the Curonian Spit National Park, the highlight of the Kaliningrad region!

Snow—covered dunes, snow-white sand, forests inhabited by moose and wild boars, the sea on one side and the bay on the other.

We alternate small walks with traveling by minibus.

We will learn the history of the dunes, admire them from the heights of Muller and Eph and walk through the mysterious Dancing Forest.

Then we go to the resort town of Zelenogradsk, formerly German Krantz. Beautiful old villas, sea air and beautiful views!

We are going straight to lunch at the Baltic cuisine restaurant, which is located in the building of the former German post office of the 19th century!

The chef will offer us to try his author's recipes from local products. First, we will taste the Baltic creamy fish soup with salmon and walleye.

For the hot meal, the chef will serve us a famous dish from the cuisine of Eastern Prussia - Koenigsberg klops made from beef, fragrant venison and tender fillet of Baltic herring. Contrast and originality in every piece!

And it's time to taste branded tinctures of our own production, which will be served with perfect gastronomic pairs! Cherry with cinnamon, Marzipan, Black currant and Borodino — we try and choose which one we like the most.

After lunch, we will walk along the main street with Prussian houses and along the promenade along the sea. The walk takes us back to the heyday of Kranz, where the Königsbergers were improving their health.

We will see the water tower, taste the water from the Queen Louise pump room and understand why Zelenogradsk bears the title of "capital of cats".

We will definitely taste the warming marzipan coffee with the most delicious pretzels! With cinnamon, almonds, white or milk chocolate. It's very tasty!

Later in the evening we are going to Svetlogorsk, the most central resort of the "Russian Baltic"! The city enchants with its charm: first-class hotels, impeccable service and a special atmosphere of measured relaxation.

For dinner, we will be waiting in the chamber restaurant, which serves fish delicacies and traditional German cuisine.

For an aperitif, we will be served sprat paste with tapioca chips.

In the second course, we will try perfectly cooked Baltic eel with two types of rice and sesame cream sauce. The aromatic German Riesling wine will serve as a harmonious accompaniment.

We will finish the dinner with a traditional apple strudel served with ice cream with Borodino bread.

After dinner, we check into a spa hotel in the center of Svetlogorsk. The hotel opened in 2021 and is located 5 minutes from the waterfront. We will spend two nights here.

Today, after breakfast at the hotel, we will go to get acquainted with Svetlogorsk: we will walk and see the city together with a local guide, who will conduct an exciting tour for us.

Winding through the quiet streets, we will immerse ourselves in the history of the former German Rauschen, an elegant resort with villas among pine trees. The main symbols of the city are waiting for us: the famous Water Tower, elegant sculptures and the world's largest sundial on the shores of the winter Baltic.

Then we leave for Yantarny, the only place in the world where commercial amber mining is carried out.

We will visit the interactive museum of the amber plant and learn more about the extraction of amber, its properties and how to distinguish the original from a fake.

Today's lunch will be held in an elegant restaurant within the walls of the former hunting castle of King Frederick I of Prussia. We will enjoy the atmosphere of an ancient park and a fascinating view of the Baltic Sea right from the windows of the historic building.

Vitello Tonnato is waiting for us at the first course. vitello tonnato —"tuna-veal") in Baltic is a refined interpretation of Italian classics. The most delicate slices of farm beef, aged in aromatic herbs, are complemented with a silky tuna cream sauce.

As the main course, we will be served the "gastronomic star" of the establishment — the most delicate foie gras on an airy brioche toast with caramelized pear with Porto sauce.

The dish is perfectly complemented by a glass of full-bodied red wine, which emphasizes the richness of flavors.

After lunch, we will go to Russia's only Blue Flag beach, a wide strip of clean sand near the Baltic Sea.

It's easy to just walk along the surf, inhaling the cold, salty air and watching the calm movement of the waves — a state of winter contemplative zen by the Baltic Sea.

After a busy day by the sea, we return to Svetlogorsk for a cozy Christmas dinner. They will be waiting for us at the restaurant, the main ambassador of Baltic cuisine on the coast, where local products are transformed into high gastronomy.

Here we will be served Baltic mini-snacks with smoked eel, sprat, lightly salted walleye, trout parfait and sprat.

Then there is the Baltic pike perch, prepared with jewelry precision. The chef highlights the delicate, clean taste of the fish with an original textural accompaniment: velvety cream made from celery root and crispy cauliflower.

For dessert, we have another exquisite creation waiting for us — a cheesecake made of fried chocolate in velour under an airy meringue with meringue.

Enjoy the evening in a warm company and celebrate the upcoming Christmas!

After dinner, we return to our hotel and relax after a busy day.

You will have free time after breakfast today.

You can relax in the spa complex at our hotel or take a walk around beautiful Svetlogorsk: walk along the boardwalk and breathe in the sea air.

Then we leave for the airport, happy and full of new experiences!

Have a great journey, and see you soon in new bright journeys!