Lithuania [1] is a Baltic country in Eastern Europe. It has a Baltic Sea coastline in the west and surrounded by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east, Poland to the southwest, and Russia (Kaliningrad) to the west.
Regions
Cities Map of Lithuania
Ports and harbors
Other destinations
UnderstandClimateTransitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers TerrainLowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil. The fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits.
HistoryLithuania was a huge feudal country in middle ages, in 1569 entered an union with Poland to form a commonwealth. Lithuania was part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth until the Polish Partitions in the 18th. century when it became part of the Russian Empire.
Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but this proclamation was not generally recognized until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow).
The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions. Get inAs Lithuania is a member of the European Union, citizens from these countries do not need a visa and can enter Lithuania with a valid passport or a valid identity card. Full list of countries whose nationals do not require visa is here: [2]. By planeMost airlines arrive at main Vilnius international airport and smaller seaside Palanga airport, while no-frills carriers (Ryanair and Wizzair) land in Kaunas airport. Majority of flights are operated by http://www.flylal.lt/ and http://www.airbaltic.com/ For destinations north Lithuania Riga airport is an attractive option. By trainThere are train connections to Vilnius from Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Riga and Kaliningrad. By carMajor "via Baltica" road links Kaunas to Warsaw and Riga/Tallinn. Note that quality of the road in Central Europe is not good. By busBy boatThere are several passenger/car ferries from Klaipeda to Sweden, Germany, Poland. See http://www.krantas.lt/ Get aroundBy trainLitrail [3] has services to major cities in Lithuania. Fares are low compared to Western Europe: Vilnius-Kaunas ~11 Litas, Vilnius-Klaipeda ~40 Litas, Sestokai (Lithuanian-Polish border) - Kaunas ~11 Litas. Narrow Gauge Railway in Anyksciai offers short trips to a near-by lake. In summer it runs on regular schedule, rest of the time tours must be booked in advance. By thumbHitchhiking in Lithuania is generally good. Get to the outskirts of the city, but before cars speed up to the highway speeds. The middle letter on the older licence plates (with Lithuanian flag) of the three letter code usually corresponds with the city of registration (L for Klaipeda). Newer licence plates (with EU flag) are not bound to city of registration in any way. By BusBuses operate regularly between the main centres as well as the regional centres. Kautra [4] operates a number of routes out of Kaunas with the cost of ~20-30 Litas for most journeys. TalkThe official language of Lithuania is Lithuanian, making up one of only two languages [along with Latvian] on the Baltic branch of the Indo-European family. Despite the kinship of Lithuanian to many other European languages, the complicated nature of even its most basic grammar makes it hard for foreigners unfamiliar with the language even to form basic sentences (as can be done with relative ease in Italian or Spanish, for example). Russian is spoken almost universally by the older generation, whilst the younger generation is becoming more and more proficient in English. Polish and, to a lesser extent, German are also spoken in some places for historical reasons. Lithuanians are always eager for an opportunity to practise their English, but those who learn a few basic phrases of the local language are always amply awarded with good will and appreciation for their efforts. BuyVilnius recently became a shoppers paradise when plenty of massive shoping centers were opened all over the city. Akropolis is one of them and definately worth visiting, as it houses an ice track, bowling lanes and a cinema. EatDrinkSleepLearnWorkStay safeSome young people,called "forsas" or "marozas" can be dangerous. They like to wear track-suits and cut their hair short, but this costume and haircut now is going out of fashion Stay healthyRespectYou must know,that Lithuanians are not Russians, they are a different nationality, they are not even slavic, and speak in Lithuanian language. Thinking that Lithuanians are Russians or speak in Russian insults Lithuanians, because Lithuania was under Russian occupation for many years. And try to remember ,that Lithuanian capital is Vilnius, not Riga (capital of neighboring Latvia). This mistake is not as insulting, because Lithuanians and Latvians have always had good relations, but foreigners often make this mistake, and this is annoying. Contact
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