Tourism in Lithuania

The modern skyline of Vilnius
Restored Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius
Nida is a resort town in Lithuania, on the Curonian Spit, and the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic States.
Pažaislis Monastery

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. 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]

Overview

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. 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).

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.

There are tourism information centres in all major cities and smaller towns, national parks and other places, attractive for domestic or international tourism.

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. There is a Guides Database to find a guide in your language as well.

Arrivals by country

Most short-term visitors to Lithuania have the following nationalities:

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

Notable places

Cities

Church of St. Anne, Vilnius
Minija is known for water tourism

Towns and villages

Specific destinations

Protected areas

Sand dunes in Kuršių Nerija National Park
Curonian Lagoon, view from the Agila dune in Neringa

Protected areas established for the preservation of natural and cultural features. Lithuania has 30 regional parks and 5 national parks and 6 strict reserves.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Cultural routes

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.

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.

Pilgrimage sites

Žemaičių Kalvarija Church.

Lithuania has many holy sites, especially in Samogitia, which are worth a visit.

Major pilgrimage sites:

Resorts

Golden sand beach in Palanga

Seaside resorts

  • Palanga – the summer capital of Lithuania with sandy beaches
  • Nida – a world heritage site with unique nature
  • Juodkrantė – a resort in Neringa

Spa towns

  • Birštonas – a balneological resort and a spa town, surrounded by pine forests.
  • Druskininkai – a developed spa town with the largest water park in the Eastern Europe, the Snow Arena – one of the biggest indoor skiing slopes in Europe. The Water Park and the Snow Arena connected with the cable car.
  • Likėnai – a resort with mineral springs.

Military heritage

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

Signage for EuroVelo 11, Vilnius, 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). 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.

Festivals

Museums

The names of the executed Lithuanian partisans are carved on the basement wall of the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
The Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas

Museums include:

Gallery

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-12-13 17:11 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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