Getting to Vilnius
HOW TO GET TO VILNIUS
BY PLANE
Frequent flights operate between Vilnius or Kaunas and most European capitals. Vilnius airport is 5 km (3miles) south of the city centre. There is a good train, shuttle minibuses and taxi connection with the city centre.
The carriers are: Air Baltic, Austrian airlines, Brussels airlines, Estonian Air, Finnair, LOT PolishAirlines, Lufthansa, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Skyways, Star1 Airlines, etc.
BY BUS
Buses are the cheapest but least comfortable way to reach Lithuania, with direct buses from any European country. The city's bus station is centrally located and very close to the main railway station and to the old town. Services run to all major Lithuanian towns and cities as well as outside the country to Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Germany and as far as the UK. The main operators are Eurolines and Ecolines
BY TRAIN
Vilnius Railway Station is very centrally located. If coming from Poland, you can take a direct train from Warsaw to Kaunas by changing trains in Sestokai without entering Belarus, then pick up one of the frequent connections to Vilnius (train, bus, taxi). The Berlin-St Petersburg train passes through Vilnius. The direct train from Warsaw to Vilnius passes through Belarus- make sure you have a Belarus transit visa if you require one.
BY FERRY
Ferries link the west coast port of Klaipeda with Karlshamn (Sweden), Kiel and Sassnitz (Germany).
BY CAR
Lithuania has a well developed network of roads. There are two European Highways with branch-lines: Via baltica (Helsinki - Warsaw) and West - East (Klaipėda - Moscow).
LITHUANIA
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Area: 65,300 sq. km or 25,174 sq. miles Borders with: Latvia, Belarus, Poland, Russia (Kaliningrad area); 99 km or 61.5 miles of coastline Population: 3,450,700 Ethnic groups: Lithuanians 81,6%, Russians 8,2%, Poles 6,9%, Belarusians 1,5%, Ukrainians 1,0%, Jews 0,1%, Tatars 0,1% State language: Lithuanian Currency: Lithuanian Litas (Lt, LTL). 1 Euro = 3.4528 Litas Time: GTM +2 hours Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz. European-style 2-pin plugs Major religion: Roman Catholics |
More about Lithuania:
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
The Official Lithuanian Travel Guide
More information on consular issues
VILNIUS
Vilnius is situated in the south-east of Lithuania over 300 km from the Baltic Sea at the confluence of two rivers - the Neris and the Vilnia. Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city with the population of 542.287. Of them 57.8% are Lithuanians, 18.7% Poles, 14% Russians, 4% Belarusians, 0.5% Jews.
The Old Town of Vilnius is among the largest in Eastern and Central Europe, included into the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1994. Architectural masterpieces of the Old Town, squares, narrow streets, amazing medieval courtyards and parks witnessed many historical events. It is surprising how far Italian Renaissance and Baroque have stretched to the North.
The city has been notable for its harmony between nature and architecture, hospitality, tolerance and mutual respect of its diverse ethnic population throughout the ages. For centuries it has been called Jerusalem of the North. The representatives of all faiths: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox opened publishing houses and published their first books in their national languages in Vilnius.