Eastern Europe Lithuania v1 m56577569830516534

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The image of the reticent Balt fades away when you enter iconoclastic Lithuania, a

country dripping with history and boasting enough star attractions to make Unesco drool

four times over.

Its so small you could miss it on a map, but it has done some big things over the years,

most notably becoming the first country to formally declare its independence from the Soviet

Union. It almost slew another superpower in 2000 when its basketball team came within

a basket of beating the US Dream Team at the Athens Olympics. The team settled for its

third straight bronze one of the greatest overachievements in sporting history.

Such large deeds bring to mind the large place Lithuania once was. In the 1400s the

country extended all the way to the Black Sea. The good times wouldnt last, but even today

Lithuanians brim with pride and confidence befitting their mighty heritage.

They certainly have a lot to be proud of. For starters theres effortlessly charming Vilnius

and its skyline of baroque spires. The eerie Hill of Crosses near iaulia is a truly unique

experience. In the west thousands of migratory birds make the Curonian Spit their primary

port of call. With the arrival of budget airlines, more tourists are likewise making Lithuaniaa port of call, but dont let that scare you away. There are plenty of delights to go around

in this Baltic beauty.

Lithuania

FAST FACTS

Area65,300 sq km

CapitalVilnius

Currencylitas (Lt); A$1 = 2.03 Lt; 1 = 3.45Lt; 100 = 2.37 Lt; NZ$1 = 2.03 Lt;

UK1 = 4.99 Lt; US$1 = 2.70 Lt Famous forbasketball, baroque churches,

cepelinai (dough shaped like zeppelins,stuffed with meat and potato)

Official Language Lithuanian

Phraseslabas(hello), ai (thanks), praau(please/youre welcome), taip(yes), ne(no),viso gero(goodbye)

Population3.45 million

Telephone Codescountry code%370;international access code%00

Visanone required for stays of up to 90 daysfor Australian, Canadian, EU, New Zealand orUS citizens

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T R A N S P O R T IN L I T HU A N I A G e t t i n g A r o u n d w w w . l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m w w w . l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m Lonely Planet Publications

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Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally

restricted. In return, we think its fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposesonly. In other words, please dont upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it toeveryone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of sayingthe above - Do the right thing with our content.

you can get to/from the following destina-tions by bus:

Destination Cost Duration Frequency

Druskininkai 19 Lt 2hr 11 daily

Kaunas 19 Lt 1hr 2-3 hourlyKlaipda 49 Lt 3hr 14 dailyPalanga 52 Lt 4hr 7 dailyiauliai 32 Lt 3hr 9 dailyTrakai 4 Lt 45min 2-3 hourly

To Kaunas there are also regular minibuses,which are quicker.

Car & MotorcycleYou can drive from any one point in Lithua-

nia to another in a couple of hours. Modernfour-lane highways link VilniusKlaipda (viaKaunas) and VilniusPanavys.

The big international car-rental agencies arewell represented at Vilnius Airport. Try Avis(%232 9316; www.avis.lt), Budget (%230 6708; www.budget.lt) or Sixt (%239 5636; www.sixt.lt).Youll savea ton of money by renting from a local opera-

tor. Charismatic Rimas (%277 6213, 8-698-21662;[email protected])rents older cars at the lowest ratesin town and just might invite you ice fishing.

The speed limit in Lithuania is 50km/h incities and 90km/h to 110km/h outside thecity and on highways. Headlights must be

switched on at all times and winter tyres mustbe fitted between 1 November and 1 March.

Local TransportLithuanian cities are generously covered bynetworks of buses, trolleybuses and mini-buses. In most towns you must punch yourbus ticket or youll risk a fine.

TrainYou can lumber from Vilnius to a few do-

mestic destinations on Lithuanias clunkysuburban trains. Destinations include Kaunas(11 Lt, 1 hours, 13 daily), Klaipda (40 Lt,five hours, two daily), Paneriai (1.20 Lt, 20minutes, 23 daily), iauliai (24 Lt, four hours,five to eight daily), Ignalina (10 Lt, two hours,seven daily) and Trakai (2.50 Lt, 40 minutes,seven daily).

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Eastern Europe Lithuania v1 m56577569830516534