I’m bringing you closer to the Baltics. I spent 5 days in Lithuania. Here is my opinion on the country, the culture and food. My experiences and some tips for trips.
Basic information
Lithuania is one of the Baltic countries. It has access to the Baltic sea. The capital city is Vilnius, where we had our hotel. The currency is €. Hotels and food are affordable. Transport is really cheap. The national language is Lithuanian. The people also speak Russian but don’t expect a big knowledge of English.
About the trip
Our trip to Lithuania was very peaceful. We had no problems there. The people are very nice but a very small number of people speak English. We had no problem with a language barrier tho.
Everywhere we’ve been, there was a huge support for Ukraine. They had Ukrainian flags everywhere, colours or propagandas.
We’ve been on a few trips and saw interesting things. Here are our tips.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital. It is not a big capital but it has something to offer. It has a lot of buildings with beautiful architecture. You can’t miss the Town Hall Square and the St. Stanislaus Cathedral with a square. It had a great vibe with a lot of people just enjoying the sun. It reminded me a little of Greece with the architecture and the vibe. From the cathedral square you could easily get to other sights as well. You had a beautiful view of the Gediminas Castle Tower and The Three Crosses. Worth visiting is also the St. Annas Church with its gorgeous architecture. A hidden gem is Literatų gatvė. It is a small street full of decorations and art dedicated to Lithuanian authors.
Other: Gates of Dawn, Bell Tower, Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, MO museum, Raduškevičius Palace
Tip: The city is not very big so a 2-3 days trip is enough.
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second biggest city of Lithuania. We made a one day trip there. I personally really liked the St. Michael the Archangel’s Church. It is a huge building with stunning architecture with a big square around it and the main street with a lot of shops and cafes. My personal favorite was Kiemo Galerija or Yard Gallery. It is totally free and amazing. If you appreciate art, you will love it. It’s this small street and a backyard full of paintings and other types of decorations. It is full of history and you can’t miss it. Another thing to see is the Kaunas Castle. It is small but it should be on your list. The old town was under reconstructions so there was not a lot to do. We were lucky when we were there because there was an event with a market with national music, food or clothes and decorations.
Other: House of Perkūnas, Aleksotas Observation Deck and Funicular Railway, Church of St. Gertrude
Tip: Don’t use public transport. The city is not too big and you can see a lot walking. Maybe even find something interesting that’s not on your list.
Trakai
What you for sure can’t miss out is the Castle Trakai. It’s the most famous castle of Lithuania and it’s stunning. It’s close to the capital so you can get there easily. The castle is on a small island. When we went there, the lake was still frozen, which made a lovely atmosphere. You go there through wooden bridges and enjoy the beautiful view. The ticket to the castle is 8€ and you can learn about the history. The village is also very lovely with a lot of wooden houses that make the atmosphere even better. You can also enjoy other museums there, relax near the lake or enjoy some national specialities in a restaurant.
Note: This was the only place we found souvenirs.
Transport
We were using the trains and we were very satisfied. The trains were on time and very modern. The tickets were cheap as we paid around 2€ to Trakai or 6€ to Kaunas. You could buy them online or on the station. It was easy to find the train. In the train we had our ticket controlled and had a peaceful trip.
Shops and food
The shops were on every corner and the prices were good. We tried the national food Kibinai. It is a type of pastry with a variety of fillings. It wasn’t my favorite. I really liked that they had a big variety of pastry, sweet or salty. Another special thing we saw was Šakotis or a tree cake. You can also enjoy there a lot of cafes and restaurants. We as cheap eaters often visited McDonald’s, which was not hard to find.
Note: We were surprised how many kids there were in McDonald’s. Even whole classes.
Our Lithuanian trip was very nice. We went there in March and we had beautiful but a little cold weather. Anyways it was sunny the whole trip. In my opinion Lithuania is a little in the past but it has a lot to offer even if it is a less known smaller country and I’m happy that I had a chance to visit.
Tip: You can enjoy even more beautiful places with a car or a longer trip. Lithuania also has some nice beaches or other interesting places.
