Lithuania — Travel Tips
Social Conventions
Handshaking is customary. Normal courtesies should be observed. The Lithuanians are proud of their culture and their national heritage and visitors should take care to respect this sense of national identity.
International Travel
Getting There By Air
The national airline is FlyLAL(TE) (website: www.lal.lt).
Departure Tax
Lt60.
Main Airports
Vilnius Airport (VNO) (website: www.vilnius-airport.lt) is situated approximately 6km (3.5 miles) southeast of the city center. To/from the airport: There are taxi and bus services to the city (journey time – 10 minutes). Minibuses also run. Facilities: Duty-free shop, banks/bureau de change, refreshments, tourist information, travel agencies, hotel, VIP lounge and car hire.
There are also international airports in Kaunas (KUN) and Palanga (PLQ); the latter serves the whole of the Baltic coast.
Getting There By Water
Main ports:Klaipeda is connected by trade routes with foreign ports.
There are ferry services to Denmark, Kaliningrad (Russian Federation), Germany, Poland and Sweden. There is also a cruise ship terminal. For information on ferry services from Klaipeda, contact Krantas Shipping (tel: (46) 395 111; website: www.krantas.lt). There are services to Karlshamm in Sweden; Aarhus and Aabenraa in Denmark; and to Kiel and Sassnitz in Germany.
Getting There By Rail
Lithuania has a well-developed rail network run by Lithuanian Railways (website: www.litrail.lt). Vilnius is the focal point for rail connections in the region. Major routes go to Kaliningrad, Lviv (Ukraine), Minsk, Moscow, Riga, St Petersburg and Warsaw.
Getting There By Road
Lithuania has a good network of roads connecting the country with all neighboring states. The crossing points on the Lithuanian-Polish border are Ogrodniki (Poland)–Lazdijai (Lithuania) and for trucks at Kalvarija (Lithuania). There are numerous crossing points with Latvia, Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. The international road Via Baltica goes from Tallinn to Warsaw through Latvia and Lithuania, thus connecting Scandinavia with Western Europe.
Coach: There are passenger coaches from Vilnius to cities including Berlin, Gdansk, Kaliningrad, Minsk, Moscow, Prague, Riga, Tallinn, Vienna and Warsaw. Charter buses go to all Western European countries. Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8181, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) serves destinations in Lithuania.
Duty Free
Overview
Lithuania is within the European Union. If you are traveling from the UK, you are entitled to buy fragance, skincare, cosmetics, Champagne, wine, selected spirits, fashion accessories, gifts and souvenirs - all at tax-free equivalent prices. There are no longer any allowance restrictions on these tax-free items.
If you are arriving from a non-EU country, the following goods may be imported into Lithuania by persons over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty:
• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or combination, provided amount does not exceed 250g.
• 1L of spirits exceeding 22% volume or 2L of spirits, wine-based spirits or alcohol below 22% volume or 2L of sparkling wine or 2L of spirited wine or 2L of non-sparkling wine.
• 250g of eau de toilette or 50g of perfume.
• 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract and essences.
• 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract and essences.
Restricted items
Ethyl alcohol and homemade alcoholic beverages; meat, meat products, dairy products and eggs; military weapons, hunting guns, ammunition, electric fishing equipment, drugs and psychotropic substances, radioelectronic equipment, color photocopying equipment (all require a permit).
Internal Travel
Getting Around By Air
There are domestic airports at Kaunas, Palanga and Siauliai. There are not many domestic flights.
Getting Around By Water
Local ferries connect Klaipeda and the Curonian Spit. Klaipeda is home to two yacht clubs.
Getting Around By Rail
Lithuanian Railways (website: www.litrail.lt) provides good connections from Vilnius to Kaunas, Klaipeda and Siauliai. Twice-daily passenger trains (including a sleeper train) connect Vilnius with the Baltic coast. Though the train does not stop in Palanga, the major resort on the Baltic coast, passengers to Palanga usually get off at Kretinga station or in Klaipeda and then reach Palanga by bus. Passengers to Neringa (Nida, Juodkrante) can go to Klaipeda by train and then take a bus. Suburban trains going to Ignalina connect Vilnius with the popular lake district of the National Park. The ancient Trakai Castle can be reached by taking the suburban train going to Trakai.
Getting Around By Road
Traffic drives on the right. There is a good network of roads within the country. Modern four-lane motorways connect Vilnius with Klaipeda, Kaunas and Panevezys.
Bus: Generally, buses are more frequent and quicker than domestic trains and serve almost every town and village. Kautra (website: www.kautra.lt) has services from Kaunas to almost all the major cities in Lithuania. Tickets are sold to as many passengers as wish to travel and more buses are assigned as necessary.
Car hire: Available from local and international firms.
Regulations: Seat belts must be worn. The speed limit is 110kph (68mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) on country roads and 60kph (44mph) inside towns. The Vilnius-Kaunas highway has a speed limit of 100kph (60mph).
Documentation: Most European nationals should be in possession of EU pink format driving licenses. Otherwise, a national driving license is sufficient, if supported by photo-bearing ID.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
Public transport in urban districts includes buses and trolleybuses, which usually run from 0500 to 2300, but times do vary between routes. Transport coupons can be bought either at news kiosks before boarding or from the driver. Minibuses are less crowded but more expensive. Taxis display illuminated Taksi signs and can be hailed in the street, found at taxi ranks or ordered by phone.
