Travel TipsLithuania

OVERVIEW

Lithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest, and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical center of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania near the village of Bernotai, 25km (16 miles) north of Vilnius. The landscape alternates between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a dense, intricate network of rivers, including the Nemunas and the Neris. 1.5 per cent of the country’s territory is made up of lakes, of which there are over 2800. The majority of these lie in the east of the country and include Lake Druksiai and Lake Tauragnas.

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.

Tipping
Taxi fares and restaurant bills include a tip. Otherwise, tips are discretionary.

International Travel:

Air
The national airline, Lithuanian Airlines (TE) (website: www.lal.lt), flies from Vilnius to Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Frankfurt/M, Helsinki, Kiev, London, Moscow, Paris, Stockholm, Tallinn and Warsaw. Other airlines offering connections to Vilnius include Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Estonian Air, Finnair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and SAS. For further information, contact Lithuanian Airlines in the UK (tel: (01293) 579 900); or Air Lithuania in Kaunas (tel: (37) 229 706; website: www.airlithuania.lt). Air Lithuania offers flights from Kaunas and Palanga to Billund, Cologne, Hamburg, Kristianstad, Moscow and Oslo.

Approximate flight times
From Vilnius to London is three hours, to Copenhagen is one hour 30 minutes and to Berlin is one hour 20 minutes.

International airports
Vilnius Airport (VNO) (website: www.vilnius-airport.lt) is situated approximately 6km (3.5 miles) southeast of the city center. There are taxi and bus services to the city (travel time – 10 minutes). Airport facilities include duty free shop, banks/bureaux de change, refreshments and tourist information. There are also international airports in Kaunas (KUN) and Palanga (PLQ); the latter serves the whole of the Baltic coast.

Departure tax
Lt60.

Sea
Klaipeda is connected by trade routes with 200 foreign ports. There are ferry services to Denmark, Germany and Sweden. For information on ferry services from Klaipeda, contact Krantas Shipping (tel: (6) 395 111; fax: (6) 395 222; e-mail: travel@krantas.lt; website: www.krantas.lt). At present, there are services to Karlshamm in Sweden; Aarhus and Aabenraa in Denmark; and to Kiel and Sassnitz in Germany.

Rail
Lithuania has a well-developed rail network and Vilnius is the focal point for rail connections in the region. Major routes go to Kaliningrad, Lviv (Ukraine), Minsk, Moscow, Riga, Sczecin, St Petersburg and Warsaw. Vilnius has passenger train connections with Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Sofia through Belarus and a direct connection with Suwalki (Poland).

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, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Lithuania. For further information, contact Eurolines (52 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1; tel: (08705) 143 219; website: www.eurolines.com or www.nationalexpress.com).

The following goods may be imported into Lithuania by persons 18 years of age and over without incurring customs duty:
200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco or combination, provided amount does not exceed 250g; 1l of spirits and 2l of wine and champagne and 3l of beer; 0.5kg of chocolate or foodstuffs containing cocoa; 1kg of coffee; 1kg of foodstuffs containing sugar; 50g of jewelry; goods for personal use; two individually packed items of perfume or cosmetics of same trade name for individual use.

Prohibited
Ethyl alcohol and homemade alcoholic beverages; meat, meat products, meat sub-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).

Abolition of duty free goods within the EU
On June 30 1999, the sale of duty free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on May 1 2004, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are now no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another (with the exceptions of Denmark, Finland and Sweden, where limits are imposed). Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only.

Internal Travel:

Air
There are domestic airports at Kaunas, Palanga and Siauliai. There are not many domestic flights.

Rail
There are 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.

Road
There is a good network of roads within the country. Modern four-lane motorways connect Vilnius with Klaipeda, Kaunas and Panevezys. Traffic 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). Traffic drives on the right. Bus: Generally, buses are more frequent and quicker than domestic trains and serve almost every town and village. Car hire: Avis, Europcar and Hertz can provide chauffeur-driven or self-drive cars. Documentation: Most European nationals should be in possession of EU pink format driving licenses. Otherwise, a national driving license is sufficient, if supported by photograph-bearing ID.

Urban
Public transport in urban districts includes buses and trolleybuses, which usually run from 0600-0100. Transport coupons can be bought either at news kiosks before boarding or from the driver. Minibuses are less crowded but more expensive. Taxi: These display illuminated Taksi signs and can be hailed in the street, found at taxi ranks or ordered by phone.