Lithuanians hold on to their history. The people of this small Baltic country speak one of the world’s oldest living languages and continue to celebrate the pagan holidays of their ancestors—despite centuries of repression by other nations. When you visit, you’ll be enchanted by Lithuanian folklore, festivals, and traditions.

You can get a taste of Lithuania in a weekend, but a full week will let you see so much: the charming streets of Old Town in Vilnius, the sand dunes of the Curonian Spit, the beaches of Palanga, and cathedrals, museums, and castles galore. Here’s our five-minute travel guide to the best of Lithuania.

3 reasons to buy travel insurance for Lithuania

1. Travel insurance can cover emergency medical bills. In Lithuania, as in the rest of Europe, doctors and hospitals typically won’t accept U.S health insurance. Instead, private hospitals require you to pay up front, before you receive medical care.¹ Travel insurance with emergency medical benefits can reimburse those costs or even advance payments to cover your care, if you’ll be hospitalized for 24 hours or more.
2. Travel insurance can cover emergency transportation. The U.S. Department of State “strongly recommends” supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation in Lithuania.² That’s because local medical facilities don’t always meet American standards, and care options are limited outside urban areas. If you need to be taken to a high-quality hospital following a covered medical emergency, your emergency transportation benefits can cover the costs (and get you home safely).
3. Travel insurance can cover unexpected trip cancellations. Even the best-planned trip to Lithuania can be disrupted by illness, a family emergency, a car accident, or another mishap. Your Allianz Travel Insurance plan can reimburse you for covered trip cancellations and trip interruptions.
   
   

3 of the best travel insurance plans for Lithuania

1. OneTrip Prime is our most popular travel insurance for Europe. It’s ideal for family travel, because kids 17 and under are covered for free when they’re traveling with a parent or grandparent (not available on policies issued to Pennsylvania residents). OneTrip Prime includes everything you need for international trips: generous emergency medical and transportation benefits, plus trip cancellation/interruption, trip delay, baggage protection, and more.
2. AllTrips Premier is an annual plan that covers all the trips you take in 365 days. This can be the most affordable travel insurance for frequent travelers, especially those 65+ (age isn’t a factor in the price of AllTrips Premier.) Chose one of four benefit levels for trip cancellation/interruption.
3. OneTrip Basic is ideal for international travelers with a tight budget. It includes essential protections: up to $10,000 in emergency medical benefits, up to $10,000 in trip cancellation/interruption benefits, and more.

Get a quote for your trip to Lithuania—or anywhere else.

3 of the best things to do in Lithuania

1. Walk through a fairytale forest. Lithuania’s national parks are renowned for their natural beauty, but they’re also home to living villages where centuries-old architecture and folklore are preserved. In Aukštadvaris Regional Park, you’ll find ancient mounds and St. Joseph’s Church, a wooden church built in 1750 with only one tool: an axe.
2. Make a pilgrimage to the Hill of Crosses. After a failed uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830, Lithuanian families were not permitted to honor their dead. As an act of protest, they placed crosses on a hill near the town of Šiauliai.³ More and more crosses appeared over the years, and today there are more than 100,000. The site became a destination for pilgrims after Pope John Paul II visited in 1993.
3. Attend a Lithuanian festival. Going to one of the many traditional (or not-so-traditional) festivals is an experience you’ll never forget. In February, there’s the Palanga Smelt Festival, which pays homage to this small and delicious fish. In late spring, the Trakai Medieval Festival takes place at Trakai Castle, on an island in Lake Galvė. And on June 23-24, the entire country celebrates St. John's Day, or Joninė, a midsummer festival that embraces its pagan roots. Lithuanians light bonfires, gather for family feasts, and go hunting for papartis: “a fern that, legend has it, produces a magic white flower on midsummer eve.”⁴
   
   

3 of the best hotels and resorts in Lithuania

A favorite boutique hotel in Vilnius is the Artagonist Art Hotel. It  hits the trifecta: perfect location in the Old Town, cozy and clean rooms, and surprisingly low rates.  “I have never stayed in a hotel that delivered so much for the price you pay,” one guest said.⁵ You can expect a warm welcome from the English-speaking staff and a lavish breakfast in the morning. What makes the Artagonist hotel memorable is its collection of works by Lithuanian artists in rooms and public spaces.

When you’re ready for a nature break, check into the Esperanza Lake Resort in Aukštadvaris Regional Park. A recent renovation turned the cedar-log lodge into a modern but understated sanctuary, with 28 guestrooms that offer panoramic views of the lake and forest. For relaxation, there’s a spa with saunas, a Pilates studio, and 11 treatment rooms. For recreation, there’s fishing, hiking, paddleboarding, and even an on-site animal refuge with alpacas and peacocks.

Heading to the beach? In the resort town of Palanga, one of the best hotels is Hotel Pušų paunksnėje. A short walk from the seashore and the town center, this small hotel has nicely appointed suites, an on-site restaurant, and a spa, pool, and sauna. It’s owned by former pro basketball player Arvydas Sabonis, who spent seven seasons playing for the Portland Trailblazers and won Olympic medals for the Soviet Union and Lithuania.⁶

3 of the best restaurants in Vilnius

Žemaičių ąsotis is the place to go for delicious Lithuanian home cooking. Come hungry, so you can savor mushroom dumplings, roast chicken, pea soup, pork shanks, and smoked mackerel—plus an entire section of the menu dedicated to potato dishes. If you can finish your meal, we’ll be amazed.

Lithuanians love grilling, especially šašlykai: skewers of meat cooked over charcoal. Miško užeiga is a popular spot in the suburbs of Vilnius. Grab a seat on the terrace in nice weather, sip a glass of fermented kvass, and order your choice of grilled meat with potato wedges and veggies.

Looking for fine dining in Vilnius? Amandus is a beloved Michelin-starred restaurant that takes its inspiration from historical Lithuanian recipes and flavors. The tasting dinner begins at 7 p.m. with a glass of aperitif and homemade bread, as Chef Deivydas Praspaliauskas tells stories about the origins of each dish.

What do I need to travel to Lithuania?

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