Lithuania - Travel

City Transit

The official municipality public transport website at www.vilniustransport.lt includes full timetables in English, and is a good place to get your feet wet. Bus and trolleybus tickets can be purchased at most newspaper kiosks for 0.80 litas a piece. Be prepared to get squashed during rush hour. You can avoid the crush by taking city mini-cabs at 2 litas a ride. You can flag them down anywhere on the street. They let you off anywhere along their designated route. Also info at www.minibus.lt.
On the Road

By post-Soviet standards, Lithuania’s highways are excellent. The highway linking Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda is double-lane and could be confused for a highway in North America. The road to Riga is not so hot. It is divided until you hit Panevezys. After that, it’s more like a country road between villages than a highway linking two European capitals.
Other tips: Lithuanians drive like they have a death-wish. So be careful. Also, note that Lithuania has a zero option for drinking and driving. If you sniff a beer cap, you’re over the limit.
Planes

Airport info at tel. 230-6666. If they can’t answer queries, they’ll tell you who can. www.vilnius-airport.lt

Aeroflot: Pylimo 8/2, tel. 212-4189; at the airport, tel. 232-9300. www.aeroflot.com

Air Baltic: Airport, tel. 235-6000; www.airbaltic.com

Austrian Airlines: Basanaviciaus 11/1, tel. 231-3137.

Czech Airlines: Valanciaus 9/4, tel. 215-1503; www.czech-airlines.com

Estonian Air: Airport departure hall, tel. 273-9022. www.estonian-air.com

Finnair: at the aiport, tel. 261-9339; www.finnair.com

Lithuanian Airlines: Konstitucijos 12, tel. 275-2585; airport 252-5555; www.lal.lt

LOT (Polish Airlines): tel. 273-9020. Relatively cheap flights to Warsaw. www.lot.com

Lufthansa: Airport departure hall, tel. 216-2222; www.lufthansa.com

SAS: At the airport, tel. 235-6000; www.scandinavian.net

Trains and Buses

The Vilnius train station, at Gelezinkelio 16. For information call tel. 233-0086 or 233-0087. The train station is more user friendly than it used to be.
Oddly, there are no direct train lines to Tallinn; there are to Riga, Moscow, Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg, Minsk and Warsaw. Train service from Vilnius to destinations out of Lithuania has deteriorated over the past few years, but bus traffic has greatly improved. There are comfortable buses to many destinations west and east. A trip to western Europe from Vilnius is a lot shorter than from Tallinn or Riga, and not as tiring.

The Vilnius bus station, at Sodu 22, tel. 216-2977 or 1661 it has also improved.
The ticket-office for Eurolines Baltic International is at the bus station, Sodu 22; tel. 215-1377; and Jogailos 4, tel. 269-0000; info@eurolines.lt, www.eurolines.lt. Connects to most Western European cities, and also to Tallinn and Riga. The quality of buses can vary.
Varita Buses: Konstitucijos 12a, tel. 273-0219, varita@takas.lt, www.varita.lt. Their buses only go to Germany, but they sell tickets to over 200 different European cities.

Car Rental

A&A Litinterp: Bernardinu 7/2, tel. 212-3850; vilnius@litinterp.lt. www.litinterp.lt

Autorenta: Rodunios 8-102, tel. (687) 77-258 24h. service; info@carrent.lt. www.carrent.lt

Avis: Darius ir Gireno 32a, tel. 230-6820; at the airport, tel. 232-9316; avis@avis.lt. www.avis.lt

Budget: Rodunios kelias 2, tel. 230-6708, budget@budget.lt. www.budget.lt

Europcar: L. Stuokos-Guceviciaus 9-1, tel. 212-0207; city@europcar.lt. www.europcar.lt

Hertz: Kalvariu 14, tel. 272-6940; at the airport, tel. 232-9301; hertz@hertz.lt. www.hertz.lt

Sixt: at the airport tel. 239-5636; rent@sixt.lt; Gelezinio Vilko 18a, tel. 210-9630. www.sixt.lt

Unirent: at the airport, tel. 239-5864, vilnius@unirent.lt. Also an office in Klaipeda, at Pievu Takas 15, tel. (46) 312-613. www.unirent.lt

Travel Agents

AAA Wrislit: Rudninku 16, tel. 212-2081; and Seimyniskiu 1a, tel. 263-6150; wrislit@wrislit.lt. www.wrislit.lt

Baltic Tours: J. Tumo-Vaizganto 9/1, tel. 266-1616; info@baltictours.lt. www.baltictours.lt

Baltic Travel Service: Subaciaus 2, tel. 212-0220; lcc@bts.lt. www.bts.lt

Lithuanian Holidays: Seimyniskiu 1a, tel. 263-6064. www.lithuanianholidays.lt

Lithuanian Student and Youth Travel: J. Basanaviciaus 30, tel. 239-7397; info@jaunimas.lt. www.jaunimas.lt

Lithuanian Tours: Seimyniskiu 18, tel. 272-4154; contact@lithuaniantours.com. www.lithuaniantours.com

Visit Lithuania Travel Agency: Odiminiu 5, tel. 262-5241; info@visitlithuania.net. www.visitlithuania.net

West Express: A. Stulginskio 5, tel. 212-2500; office@westexpress.lt. Will deliver plane, train and ferry tickets for no added charge. www.westexpress.lt

How Far Is It?

Vilnius to Minsk—195 km (121 mi)
Vilnius to Riga—300 km (186 mi)
Vilnius to Warsaw—481 km (299 mi)
Vilnius to Tallinn—605 km (376 mi)
Vilnius to Helsinki—690 km (429 mi)
Vilnius to St. Petersburg—704 km (460 mi)
Vilnius to Berlin—1053 km (654 mi)

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