Bagintravel
Download
Vilnius Cathedral Square

Travel guide · Baltic baroque, lake castles and dunes

Travelling to Lithuania

The baroque old town of Vilnius, Trakai Castle on an island, the Hill of Crosses and the dunes of the Curonian Spit. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from March to October
  • Where to eat: a Lithuanian tavern
Photo: Abrget47j · CC BY-SA 3.0

Lithuania in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Lithuania are from March to October.
  • To eat like a local: a Lithuanian tavern. Don’t leave without trying: Cepelinai, Šaltibarščiai, Kibinai.

Lithuania in November

You can go, with a few caveats: cold, dark winter. December has Christmas markets; for the coast and dunes, June to August.

  • November

    Cold, dark winter

    It’s very cold and the days are very short; the coast is closed to tourism.

    What to do: December has Christmas markets; for the coast and dunes, June to August.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Lithuania

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Lithuania are from March to October.

  1. Jan with warnings
  2. Feb with warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec with warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in March · where to travel in April · where to travel in May · where to travel in June

  • from November to February

    Cold, dark winter

    It’s very cold and the days are very short; the coast is closed to tourism.

    What to do: December has Christmas markets; for the coast and dunes, June to August.

What to see in Lithuania

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Vilnius

    Vilnius

    A capital of baroque churches, courtyards and lanes, a World Heritage Site.

    • Cathedral and bell tower
    • Gate of Dawn
    • Užupis
    • Gediminas Tower
    Vilnius guide
  • Kaunas

    Kaunas

    The second city, with a medieval old town and interwar modernist architecture.

    • Kaunas Castle
    • Town Hall Square
    • Laisvės Avenue
    • Devils’ Museum
    Kaunas guide
  • Trakai

    Trakai

    A red-brick castle on an island in the lake, and the wooden houses of the Karaites.

    • Island castle
    • Lake Galvė
    • Karaite houses
    • Kibinai
    Trakai guide
  • Klaipėda

    Klaipėda

    The Baltic port and gateway to the Curonian Spit.

    • Old town
    • Meridianas sailing ship
    • Lithuanian Sea Museum
    • Ferry to the Spit
    Klaipėda guide
  • Neringa

    Neringa

    The Curonian Spit: giant dunes, forests and fishing villages, a World Heritage Site.

    • Parnidis Dune
    • Nida
    • Hill of Witches
    • Thomas Mann House
    Neringa guide
  • Šiauliai

    Šiauliai

    The city next to the Hill of Crosses, a place of pilgrimage and resistance.

    • Hill of Crosses
    • Cathedral
    • Bicycle Museum
    • Chocolate Museum
    Šiauliai guide
  • Palanga

    Palanga

    Lithuania’s summer resort, with a pier over the sea and an amber museum.

    • Pier
    • Amber Museum
    • Basanavičiaus Street
    • Beaches
    Palanga guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Vilnius

From Kaunas

From Trakai

From Klaipėda

From Neringa

From Šiauliai

From Palanga

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Lithuania

To eat like a local: a Lithuanian tavern, and order cepelinai or šaltibarščiai. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Cepelinai

    Potato “zeppelins” stuffed with meat.

  • Šaltibarščiai

    A cold beetroot and kefir soup, bright pink.

  • Kibinai

    Karaite pasties from Trakai.

  • Rye bread

    Dark bread fried with garlic, as a snack.

  • Šakotis

    A “tree cake” baked on a spit.

  • Kvass

    A drink of fermented bread.

The typical dish of Lithuania, at home

Cepelinai
Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0

Cepelinai

Lithuania’s national dish: large zeppelin-shaped balls of grated potato, stuffed with meat and served with a soured cream and bacon sauce.

  • Serves 4
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg raw potatoes
  • 300 g boiled potatoes
  • 300 g minced pork
  • 1 onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sauce: 150 g diced bacon, 1 onion and 200 g soured cream

How to make it at home

  1. Grate the raw potatoes very finely and squeeze them out in a cloth; keep the starch that settles at the bottom of the liquid.
  2. Mix the grated potato with the starch, the mashed boiled potato and the salt.
  3. Mix the meat with the grated onion, salt and pepper.
  4. Take a portion of dough, flatten it, put meat in the centre and close it into an oval. Boil them for 25 minutes in salted water.
  5. Fry the bacon with the onion, add the soured cream and spoon it over the top.

The trick: Squeezing the potato well is the key to stopping them falling apart.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Lithuania

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • The old town of Vilnius is one of the largest in Europe.
  • Vilnius has a neighbourhood, Užupis, that declared itself a “republic” with its own constitution.
  • The Hill of Crosses has more than a hundred thousand crosses.
  • Lithuanian is one of the oldest living languages in Europe.
  • It’s a basketball powerhouse.
  • The dunes of the Curonian Spit are among the highest in Europe.

Traditions of Lithuania

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • 23–24 June Joninės

    Midsummer night with bonfires.

  • March Kaziuko mugė

    A crafts fair in Vilnius.

  • Song Festival

    On UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list, every few years.

  • February Užgavėnės

    A carnival with masks.

What not to do in Lithuania

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t give an even number of flowers (that’s for funerals).
  • Don’t skip the cold pink soup in summer.
  • Don’t underestimate the cold and darkness of winter.
  • Don’t step off the paths in the protected dunes.
  • Don’t forget your swimsuit: in summer the Baltic gets busy.
  • Don’t miss the cafés of Užupis.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Lithuania

What people search for most before travelling to Lithuania.

What’s the best time to travel to Lithuania?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Lithuania are from March to October.

What to see in Lithuania in a week?

The essentials of Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas, Trakai, Klaipėda and Neringa. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Lithuania?

Cepelinai, Šaltibarščiai, Kibinai, Rye bread, Šakotis, Kvass. To eat like a local: a Lithuanian tavern.

What is the typical dish of Lithuania?

Cepelinai. Lithuania’s national dish: large zeppelin-shaped balls of grated potato, stuffed with meat and served with a soured cream and bacon sauce.

What should you not do in Lithuania?

Don’t give an even number of flowers (that’s for funerals). Don’t skip the cold pink soup in summer. Don’t underestimate the cold and darkness of winter.

Is it worth travelling to Lithuania in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: cold, dark winter. December has Christmas markets; for the coast and dunes, June to August.

Bagintravel · We travel together

Shall we plan your trip to Lithuania?

Tell us where and in under a minute you’ll have your day-by-day route, with places to stay, transport, expenses and tips. And we go with you in your pocket, offline too.

The app is currently available in Spanish.

Download Bagintravel See how it works

Travel ideas with Lithuania

More guides

Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Abrget47j (CC BY-SA 3.0). Vilnius, BigHead (CC BY-SA 4.0). Kaunas, Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0). Trakai, Dudva (CC BY-SA 3.0). Klaipėda, Mantas Volungevicius (CC BY 2.0). Neringa, Bernt Rostad from Oslo, Norway (CC BY 2.0). Šiauliai, mzopw (CC BY-SA 3.0). Palanga, Augustas Didžgalvis (CC BY-SA 4.0).