The 294-kilometre ribbon of asphalt between Vilnius and Riga carries 18th-century Baroque, Soviet pilgrimage sites, and castle ruins that predate both capitals. A Vilnius to Riga sightseeing transfer turns four hours of highway monotony into a curated traverse of the Baltic interior, anchored by Rundāle Palace — Ernst Johann von Biron's 138-room summer residence completed in 1768 by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, architect of the Winter Palace. The palace stood empty for decades after Biron's exile, was repurposed as a granary under the Russian Empire, and survived both world wars with its stucco and gilt largely intact. Restoration began in 1972 and continues today; the Gold Hall's ceiling frescoes, unveiled in 2016, required 22,000 hours of conservation work. Rundāle anchors the midpoint between the two capitals, but the route's other stops reveal layers less visible from the capitals themselves. The Hill of Crosses, 12 kilometres north of Šiauliai, began as a 19th-century act of defiance — Lithuanians planted crosses on the mound after the 1831 uprising against Imperial Russia, and the tradition deepened during the Soviet occupation, when authorities bulldozed the site three times between 1961 and 1973. Each clearing was met with fresh crosses overnight. By 1990, more than 40,000 crosses blanketed the hillside. Today the count exceeds 100,000: hand-carved oak, welded steel, rosaries strung between posts. Pope John Paul II visited in 1993 and left a crucifix at the summit. Bauska Castle, 12 kilometres from Rundāle, guards the confluence of the Mūsa and Mēmele rivers. Construction began in 1443 under the Livonian Order; the fortress fell to Swedish and Russian forces in turn, and by 1706 Tsar Peter I ordered its partial demolition to prevent reuse by enemy garrisons. The older Gothic wing survives as a roofless shell, its red-brick walls and corner towers open to the sky. The adjacent Renaissance palace, added in the 1580s by Duke Johann of Courland, has been stabilised and is accessible via guided tour. Visitors climb spiral staircases to wall-walk views over the river junction and the surrounding Zemgale plain. Transfer tours linking Vilnius and Riga typically allocate two to three hours at Rundāle, 45 minutes at the Hill of Crosses, and 30 to 40 minutes at Bauska, extending total journey time to seven or eight hours. Private transfers allow flexible stop durations and optional detours to Jelgava Palace, the former seat of the Dukes of Courland, now home to the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. Shared transfers follow fixed schedules but lower per-person cost. All services include palace entrance fees or offer them as paid add-ons; Rundāle's main exhibition — 40 state rooms across two floors — requires a 12-euro adult ticket and opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00.