- House of Perkūnas, Kaunas
- Spa town of Druskininkai
- Gate of Dawn, Vilnius
- Historic houses in Klaipėda
- A street in Kėdainiai
- Wooden church in Palūšė
- Lighthouse in Cape Ventė
Lithuania attracts many visitors from neighbouring countries and from all over the world. In 2018,there were 1.7 million foreign visitors to Lithuania for business, family and leisure. [1] The historical legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, its rich history, architecture, pristine nature, seaside and spa resorts are the main attraction points of Lithuania. Domestic tourism is also highly popular: in 2018 it grew by 12%. Lithuanians also prefer to spend their vacations in Lithuania – 70 percent.[ clarification needed ] [2]
Lithuania receives a constant increase in foreign visitors. In 2017, the accommodation establishments of Lithuania received 3.25 million tourists, which was 6.2 per cent more than in 2016. [3] Lithuania attracts foreign visitors mostly from Germany, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Belarus, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Finland.
In 2017 hotels received 2.2 million tourists, or 7 per cent more than in 2016. The number of Lithuanian tourists grew by 12.8 per cent, and foreigners by 3.3 per cent. The hotel room occupancy rate stood at 54.3 per cent (in 2016, 51.7 per cent), and the hotel bed occupancy rate at 41.4 per cent (in 2016, 39.7 per cent). [3]
Agrotourism has also gained extreme popularity in the country among the locals as well as foreigners. Ecotourism is actively promoted by the government and national parks. Lithuania has built a successful ecotourism industry, and has also been acknowledged as one of the world's most ethical destinations. Hot air ballooning is very popular in Lithuania, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Theme routes through historical and nature sites are popular among domestic and international tourists. Nemunas Delta Regional Park, Žuvintas biosphere reserve and Ventė Cape are known for birdwatching. [4]
There are tourism information centres in all major cities and smaller towns, national parks and other places, attractive for domestic or international tourism. [5]
If a tour has a guide who is "interpreting the cultural and natural heritage of an area", Lithuania requires the guide have a guiding license. This definition follows the European standard for tour guiding (CEN). Licensed Tourist Guides are the only professionals permitted to conduct tours in all sites and museums within a city. Licensed guides are required in those areas where the local authorities state that one of them is mandatory. [6] There is a Guides Database to find a guide in your language as well. [7]
Most short-term visitors to Lithuania have the following nationalities: [8]
Rank | Country | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Germany | 214,444 | 233,407 |
2 | Poland | 179,245 | 199,651 |
3 | Russia | 183,750 | 196,540 |
4 | Belarus | 165,569 | 181,074 |
5 | Latvia | 161,660 | 168,925 |
6 | Ukraine | 93,701 | 134,887 |
7 | United Kingdom | 77,420 | 83,154 |
8 | Estonia | 65,131 | 68,302 |
9 | United States | 48,566 | 54,068 |
10 | Finland | 40,801 | 49,937 |
Total foreign | 1,744,733 | 1,937,972 |
Protected areas established for the preservation of natural and cultural features. Lithuania has 30 regional parks and 5 national parks and 6 strict reserves.
In 2019 Cultural Route of Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was opened which leads through the places in Varėna, Druskininkai, Kaunas, Vilnius, Plungė, Rietavas, Palanga where composer has lived. [12]
Cognitive or sightseeing routes (Pažintinis takas) are highly popular among domestic tourists. Usually they lead through unique places in nature, where the visitor can enjoy the nature and local history while walking some predefined path.
Lithuania has many holy sites, especially in Samogitia, which are worth a visit.
Major pilgrimage sites:
The country has some military sites left and may be very interesting place as a place of militarism heritage tourism. It might be interesting for anyone who is interested in history of the warfare or the Cold War.
Major militarism heritage sites in Lithuania:
Bicycle tourism is growing, especially in Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. EuroVelo routes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. Total length of bicycle tracks amounts to 3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement). [15] Most known bicycle routes are: Nemunas River Cycle Route, Suvalkija Cycle Circuit, Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. Most of the Tourism information centres and national parks have their local thematic bicycle route plans.
Museums include:
Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. The most populous of the Baltic states, Lithuania has 262 km (163 mi) of coastline consisting of the continental coast and the "Curonian Spit" coast. Lithuania's major warm-water port of Klaipėda lies at the narrow mouth of Curonian Lagoon, a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad and separated from the Baltic sea by Curonian Spit, where Kuršių Nerija National Park was established for its remarkable sand dunes.
Transport in Lithuania relies mainly on road and rail networks.
Samogitia or Žemaitija is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania alongside Lithuania proper. Žemaitija is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Telšiai, while Šiauliai, where Aukštaitian dialect is being spoken, is sometimes also included into Samogitia. Samogitia has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian language.
Šiauliai is a city in northern Lithuania, the country's fourth largest city and the sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 108,000 in 2023. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Telšiai is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis.
Aukštaitija is the name of one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. The name comes from the fact that the lands are in the upper basin of the Nemunas, as opposed to the Lowlands that begin from Šiauliai westward. Although Kaunas is surrounded by Aukštaitija, the city itself is not considered to be a part of any ethnographic region in most cases.
Plungė is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plungė is known for Plungė Manor and its park, where the Samogitian Art Museum is located. In the Oginskiai manor park stands the Perkūnas oak natural monument. The Lourdes of Plungė was created in 1905 and attracts visitors to this day. In the center of Plungė stands a monument for the 10th anniversary of regaining the independence of Lithuania and a sculpture of Saint Florian built by the Lithuanian book carrier Kazys Barzdys.
Palanga is a resort city in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea.
Šiaulėnai is a town near Šiauliai in Lithuania located at 55°41′N23°24′E. It is in the Radviliškis district municipality in Šiauliai County. It is the capital of Šiaulėnai elderate.
The national symbols of Lithuania are used in Lithuania and abroad to represent the country and its people, history, culture, and nature. These symbols are seen in official capacities, such as flags, coats of arms, postage stamps, and currency, and in URLs. They appear less formally as recurring themes in literature, art and folk art, heraldry, monuments, clothing, personal decoration, and as the names of parks, bridges, streets, and clubs. The less formal manifestations may be classified as national emblems.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaunas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. The episcopal see is in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. The archdiocese's motherchurch and cathedral is Kaunas Cathedral Basilica; it is also home to a Minor Basilica in a town of Šiluva, in the region of Samogitia.
The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of three brigades, the Engineer Battalion, and the National Defence Volunteers Division.
Angelina Banytė is a Lithuanian painter.
Lithuanian Athletics Championships is the national championship in athletics, organized by the Athletic Federation of Lithuania. The first competition was held in 1921. Women participated since the 1922 championship.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to Lithuania.
Kėdainiai Bus Station is the central bus station in Kedainiai, Lithuania. It serves as a terminal for suburban and national coach services.
The National coat of arms of Lithuania is a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as Vytis. Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. The coat of arms features a red field with a white (silver) armoured knight on a white (silver) horse holding in his right hand a white (silver) sword above his head.