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Lithuania Travel Guide

 🗝️ Key Facts

🏛️Capital: Vilnius

💶Currency: Euro €

🕙Time Zone: +2 GMT

📞Phone Code: +37

🌐Language: Lithuanian


✈️Best time to visit:  April-October

🍴Eat: šaltibarščiai, kibinai

🍷Drink: Gira (fermented rye bread)

🗺️Don't miss: A walk to Gediminas Castle by dusk

🗺 Menu of Contents: 

🤝 Welcome to Lithuania!
Taking a Hot Air Balloon is a magnificent ways to see Lithuania! They are available around the country and provide an unforgettable experience too!

Lithuania, on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, boldly became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence in 1990. With a restructured economy, it joined the EU in the spring of 2004, and the gates of this fascinating country begun to welcome an unprecedented number of visitors to discover all the highlights Lithuania has to offer! 

Its coastline is relatively small, with only 100 km, and bordering with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and part of the Russian Federation, however, it offers some of the best soft sand dunes anywhere in Europe! You can find seaside resorts such as Palanga, with unspoilt white sandy beaches backed by pine forests. In addition, Lithuania has a wide variety of offerings for visitors, including around 2,500 lakes, 18 rivers, and forests covering a third of its territory.

The country also prides itself as being the centre of the European continent and travellers can stand in the official centre at a now popular tourist attraction 15 miles (24km) northwest of the capital, Vilnius.

Vilnius itself is an ancient and atmospheric city, founded in 1323, with a beautiful old quarter declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just a few miles from Vilnius lies Trakai, capital of Lithuania in the Middle Ages, on the shore of the scenic Lake Galve.

A little farther west, visitors can revel in the peaceful Birstonas mineral water spa resort. Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas, is a cultural centre boasting numerous museums and a number of renowned theatres among its attractions.

Easily accessible by air and road from the main centres of Europe, an ever-increasing number of travellers continue to savour the delights of this Baltic State which is now a much more open country in terms of society and offers a wide range of activities in one of Europe's most beautiful lands!

🛬 Getting there and transportation 

There are 3 major airports to fly to from major European cities, Vilnius (VNO) Kaunas (KUN) and Palanga (PLQ), the last one being used more in the summer months to access the popular summer resorts of Klaipeda and Palanga.


Alternatively busses are very popular and you will find plenty of departure times at very cheap prices. International busses are modern, with Wifi, toilets and comfortable. You can get to Lithuania by Bus from other European cities such as Riga, Warsaw, Berlin, Tallinn, Moscow or Minsk. Time from Warsaw is 8 hours and Riga 4 hours for example. More info can be found at Luxexpress.


Transportation within Lithuania offers very reasonable options within cities and inter city connections. There is no domestic air network so going by train, bus and car is the most popular way. Trains are modern and offer air conditioning and luggage storage facility but the disadvantage is that they don't run very often, nevertheless the national company goes to several cities across the country as well as linking several international cities, specially in Russia and Belarus. For more info please visit Lithuanian Rial.


Roads are well paved and traffic is not intense, so renting a car and travelling the country is also a good option, as parking is not a big problem in its cities and rentals are relatively lower than other EU states.

Lithuanian Railways often cheaper fares than by bus and are more comfortable, but have limited timetables.
⛅️ Climate and Temperature  🌡️

Lithuania has a wide range of temperatures from hot summer's to freezing winter's so depending when you go, you need to dress up accordingly. Best times to travel are April to September. Average temperatures can range from 15 to 25 °C.


Lithuania has a very heavy amount of rainfall and although the other months from October to March can also be nice to visit with less tourists it means it can be pretty wet. 

Taking an umbrella is a good tip! It's one of those countries were weather is very unpredictable and changes within minutes! 


During the Winter, temperatures can drop below 0 °C but snow now is not as often as it used to be. However, Winter is a very beautiful time of the year to visit with the chance of snow on the streets and parks covering everything in a magic white coat. Temperatures can go down to in some cases up to -15 °C, so taking extra layers and thick coats is advised if you want to experience this type of weather!

During the Winter, a beautiful blanket of snow falls in Lithuania, which makes for picturesque scenery to photograph. However, with global warming, snow now is not as common as it was 10 years ago!
🍴 Food and Drink  🍹

Lithuania has a very interesting and colourful cuisine, with healthy options on the table, including soups, meat, fish and pastries. 

The most popular dishes which you can find in major restaurants and food shops are: šaltibarščiai, a cold Beetroot soup served with baked potatoes ; Cepelinai,made from potatoes dumplings with pork meat fillings ; Black Rye Bread with cheese, traditional Lithuanian bread with melted cheese eaten as a starter ; Kibinai, traditional pastries filled with vegetables or meat served hot or cold.


As for drinks, the most drunk beverage is beer, having many Lithuanian local brands,also a traditional drink is Gira, a fermented beverage made from dark rye bread.

Šaltibarščiai is a traditional Lithuanian cold soup made from beetroot.
Kibinai are a popular snack or part of a main meal, typical in Trakai!
Black Rye Bread with cheese, traditional Lithuanian bread with melted cheese eaten as a starter!
Gira, a fermented beverage made from dark rye bread.
📝 Author's Comment  

Lithuania is now a country I visit many times after falling in love with Vilnius, it's capital, made many friends there and enjoy it every time I visit It's relaxed atmosphere, quiet streets and beautiful restored buildings. It's a city which stand out for me and every year I see how Vilnius grows and thrives with more businesses, tourism and residents choosing to make it their city of choice.

(More than 10 times visited since 2011)

Tourism Information Guides

Vilnius

Kaunas

Trakai

Klaipeda (and Palanga)