Lithuania Itineraries

Lithuania is the largest and southernmost of the three Baltic states, with a population of about 2.8 million and a history that stretches back to the 13th century when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was one of the largest states in Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Although often grouped with its Baltic neighbours, Lithuania has a distinct character shaped by its Catholic faith (unlike largely Lutheran Latvia and Estonia), its strong historical ties to Poland, and one of Europe's oldest surviving Indo-European languages, closer to Sanskrit than to any other modern language. Vilnius, the capital, is a baroque gem that surprises even seasoned travellers. Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest in Eastern Europe and a dense maze of baroque churches, narrow cobbled streets, courtyards hidden behind unassuming archways, and university buildings dating back to 1579. The extraordinary Chapel of St. Casimir and the pink Church of St. Anne (which Napoleon reportedly said he wanted to carry back to Paris on his palm) anchor walking tours. Across the Vilnia River from the Old Town lies the self-declared "Republic of Užupis," a bohemian artists' quarter with its own constitution and president, home to galleries, cafés, and street art. Vilnius's food and café scenes have exploded in recent years, and its relative affordability compared to Western European capitals makes it an excellent-value city break. Beyond Vilnius, Lithuania opens into a landscape of lakes, pine forests, and gently rolling farmland. Trakai, just half an hour west of Vilnius, is home to the dramatic red-brick Island Castle on Lake Galvė, once the seat of Grand Dukes and now one of Lithuania's most photographed scenes. Kaunas, the country's second city and interwar capital when Vilnius was under Polish control, preserves a fascinating collection of modernist architecture and was European Capital of Culture 2022. Klaipėda, the Baltic port city, sits at the mouth of the Curonian Spit — a 98-kilometre-long sand-dune peninsula shared with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its shifting dunes, pine forests, and traditional fishing villages like Nida, where Thomas Mann wrote one of his summer homes. The Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai — a mysterious pilgrimage site where hundreds of thousands of crosses have been planted since the 19th century — is one of the most moving places in the Baltics. Grūtas Park, known locally as Stalin's World, preserves Soviet-era statues in an open-air museum that gives important historical context. Lithuanian cuisine is hearty and Slavic-influenced: cepelinai (potato dumplings stuffed with meat), kugelis (potato pudding), šaltibarščiai (bright pink cold beet soup), and cold mushroom soups. The country's craft beer scene is among the most dynamic in Europe, and its traditional mead-making remains.