I was born and raised in Lithuania. I don’t know how often I’ve heard this question from random foreigners, “and where is Lithuania”? A decade ago, I used to get offended by such silly questions. How you can NOT know where is Lithuania? How dare you?! Within time, I became wiser (I hope) and don’t get deeply insulted anymore by the same question. Do I know every tiniest African or Asian country? No, I don’t. So, I understand why a typical American can rarely locate Lithuania on the map. I’m not trying to excuse ignorance. This is just how things are. What really makes me sad is when a European tilts his head like a confused puppy when I clearly, syllable by syllable, pronounce my home country’s name. So, here I will tell you more about Lithuania and the places a tourist can visit.
Shortly about Lithuania
If a foreigner has never heard of a country named Lithuania, chances are, he has heard of a small European region called the Baltic States. Lithuania is the southernmost of the three, with the biggest area and population.
I don’t want to burden you with an extended essay about Lithuanian history. The most important facts are that in 1009 the name Lithuania was mentioned for the first time. In the XIII-XVIII, its full name was Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A big part of this period was in a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. We proudly say that we are the last pagans of Europe. In 1795 it disappeared from the world’s map when the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria (Hapsburg for you English speakers) divided it among themselves. But the desire to have our own country didn’t fade away.
Officially the Republic of Lithuania was established in 1918. We had two decades of growth, but then WWII came to the world’s doorstep. After WWII, Lithuania experienced long dark decades in the Soviet Union. It restored its independence in 1990. Since then, Lithuania has become a member of the European Union, NATO, and keeps evolving every year.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. It’s an obvious fact, but some people confuse it with Riga until this day. So, once again: Vilnius is the capital of the Republic of Lithuania. With a population above 0.5 million people, it is also the biggest city in Lithuania.
The old town of Vilnius is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. I’ve heard many people saying that they didn’t expect such a stunning old town in a post-soviet country. Vilnius is sometimes called Athens of the North or second Jerusalem (before WWII, there lived one of the biggest Jewish communities in Europe).
Baroque style is dominant in Vilnius’s old town. In fact, it is the largest baroque-style old town in Eastern and Middle Europe. There are also Gothic, Renaissance, Classicism, and Modern architecture that harmoniously coexist together. Gediminas Hill and the castle is the main symbol of our capital.
More detailed plan about things to do in Vilnius you can find here.
Trakai Island Castle
Once you’re in Vilnius, you must go to Trakai. It’s a small town less than 30 km away from the capital. Busses and trains go there frequently, so you’ll reach Trakai easily. The main highlight is an Island castle that was built in the XIV century. There is a museum in this castle, so dedicate at least a couple of hours to explore it. If the weather is nice, I always suggest walking around the town, renting a sailboat or a water bicycle.
A small Tatar community has been living in Trakai for centuries. I highly recommend going to one of their restaurants and trying a traditional savory pastry usually stuffed with meat and cabbages called kibin. Usually, I go to a restaurant Kybynlar. I love kibins so much that I even learned how to make them at home. Sure they’re not as good as in Trakai, but better than nothing.
Kaunas
I dare to say that Kaunas was in the shade of Vilnius for many years. Just an hour away from our capital, this second-largest Lithuanian city wasn’t appreciated enough. But for more than a decade, things have changed dramatically. Before, Kaunas was just a place for a quick stop traveling from Klaipeda to Vilnius. Now every time I go there, I like it more and more.
Kaunas old town is pretty compact, and most of the places you can reach on foot. But the main highlights of Kaunas are Pazaislis (lit. Pažaislis) monastery and the IX Fort. These sites are further away from the city center but still easily accessible by public transport.
More information about the sightseeing in Kaunas you can find here.
Klaipeda
On the shore of the Baltic Sea, near the Curonian Spit, stands Klaipeda. Our third biggest Lithuanian city with its unique German-style architecture. Klaipeda is the only Lithuanian port and might get busy when cruise ships influx more tourists during the summertime. Other than that, Klaipeda is a very calm, safe city.
There are a few cool museums in Klaipeda. For instance, the Castle Museum or the Lithuanian sea museum. Klaipeda is also a home place of the most famous Lithuanian brewery, Švyturys (en. Lighthouse). And of course, not to forget to mention Klaipeda’s symbol – a sailing ship Meridianas.
Here is a guide about the places you should visit in Klaipeda.
Curonian Spit
Curonian Spit is a long, narrow (98 kilometers) stretch of land separating the Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon. Part of this spit belongs to Lithuania, another belongs to Russia. This place is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It is one of the most beautiful nature sites in Lithuania.
What does it make so special? Its dunes. More precisely, high sand dunes that meet the water. A stunning view. However, sliding sand burred a few fishermen’s villages in the past. The main Lithuanian town in the Curonian Spit is Nida. It is a tiny, quiet, and quite an expensive place to stay.
The most common way to go to the Curonian Spit is by ferry from Klaipeda. However, you should go there in your car or a bike because from the port of disembarkation to the famous dunes or the resort of Nida there are another 50 kilometers to drive. If you enter Kuršių Nerija National Park in a car, keep in mind ecology taxes.
Hill of Crosses
Just outside the city of Šiauliai, there is a Hill of Crosses. A popular site not just for pilgrims. The Hill of Crosses is presumably the only such place in the world. So, what makes it so unique?
Its name is self-explanatory. On a hill, there are more than 200,000 crosses of different sizes, styles, and materials brought there from all over the world. I’ve seen that this hill is included among the creepiest places in the world, and I genuinely can’t understand the reason behind this.
The history of the Hill of Crosses is very symbolic. No one can tell precisely when people started building crosses in this place. The most plausible theory is that this happened around 1831 when the czar mercilessly put down a Lithuanian uprising. Locals simply wanted to commemorate the victims. Later, the Hill of Crosses became a sacred place, and more people brought crosses there.
Soviets didn’t like the Hill of Crosses. A place of a religious cult went against their official atheistic ideology. Therefore, they decided to demolish all the crosses. They burned the wooden ones, buried the crosses made out of concrete, and took metal crosses to a junkyard. The hill was literally bulldozered. From 1964-1984 soviets tried to make it disappear four times.
We, Lithuanians, can be pretty stubborn people. Every time the Soviets tried to ruin the Hill of Crosses, people would rebuild it. It was a way of quiet resistance to an oppressive regime. Legends say that all those who bulldozered the Hill of Crosses died in a non-natural death.
So, let’s recap this. The Hill of Crosses isn’t a creepy place, nor a cemetery. It’s a religious place visited by Pope John Paul II. It symbolizes will power and resistance of one small Baltic nation.
Things to do in Lithuania in a nutshell
Lithuania is the biggest out of the three Baltic States. Even though there are numerous places worth visiting there, I mentioned just the main ones: the capital Vilnius, Trakai Island Castle, Lithuanian ex temporary capital of Kaunas, our port city Klaipeda, dunes in the Curonian Spit, and the Hill of Crosses. Lithuania is a small country; therefore, it’s not gonna take you forever to go from one place to another.
