In October, tour operator Lithuanian tours will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its establishment. During that time the Company received over 150 thousand tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany, the USA, Italy, Russia and many other countries who visited Lithuania. Most of our guests came to our country to have a rest, most often in groups, however, we also organised many individual tours.
Experience of almost 20 years shows that the most frequently visited places in Lithuania are
the capital city of Vilnius famous for its Old Town that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1994, the interwar provisional capital Kaunas located at the confluence of the Neris and the Nemunas, the country’s two largest rivers. Everyone who arrives is fascinated by the narrow strip of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, called the Curonian Spit (Kuršių Nerija), which in 2000 was also recorded on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape, the Hill of Crosses, and the park of soviet sculptures in Druskininkai. In recent years interest has grown in the places that are not visited so often but which are none the less picturesque and attractive: the surviving authentic estates and manor-houses of the noblemen, unique museums, nice and quiet corners of nature, and routes of active recreation. One of the largest Old Towns in Eastern EuropeVilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is situated at the confluence of the Neris and the Vilnelė rivers, the central part of the city is surrounded by the hills. There are not many cities where one can enjoy a spectacular view of the city. The most beautiful sights open out from the bell tower of the Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist located in the very heart of the Old Town. When looking from this bell tower it becomes clear why the Old Town of Vilnius was declared a World Heritage Site. The Old Town of Vilnius, covering almost 360 hectares and including over 1,500 buildings, is one of the largest old town centres in Eastern Europe.
The beginning of Vilnius is marked by the Castle of Grand Duke Gediminas who is considered the founder of the city and who certainly made it his capital. At the foot of Gediminas Hill there is the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St.Vladislaus and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, which is nearly finished to be rebuilt.
Under the rule of the first and the only King of Lithuania Mindaugas (the 13th century) the first Christian church was built at the foot of Gediminas Hill, which was rebuilt several times, and Vilnius Cathedral as we see it today was built in the 18th century.
Looking from the bell tower straight ahead one sees Pilies Street leading to the Gates of Dawn, which today are famous for the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, which is said to have miracle-working powers. Somewhat farther, against the background of greenery of Kalnų Park one can see the facades of the Church of St Nicholas, the Gothic Church of St. Ann and the Basilica. One can clearly see the Town Hall, the President’s Office, the courtyards of Vilnius University of the 16th century and the maze of the medieval streets with souvenir shops, the “boutiques” of Lithuanian fashion designers, and art galleries. Further the Old Town is surrounded by parks and new residential areas.
A narrow bridge over the Vilnelė River will take you to Užupis, the part of Vilnius inhabited by artists who are now turning this region into the Monmartre of Vilnius. The Republic of Užupis, which even proclaimed “independence”, is situated there. It does not only have its own sign (at the entrance to Užupis from the side of the Old Town along the Vilnelė Bridge), a seal and the Guardian Angel in a form of sculpture, but also its Constitution that is hung at the beginning of Paupio Street. Next to the Vilnelė River cosy cafes and open courtyards inhabitedd by artists are situated.
The medieval castle on water in TrakaiIn the vicinity of Vilnius there is the former capital of Lithuania Trakai famous for the castle built on an island in the 15th century. Today it houses Trakai History Museum. You can go yachting in the picturesque lake and admire the neo-classicist manor-house sitting between lake Galvė and Skaistis, that was built by count Józef Tyszkiewicz.
You can become acquainted with the heritage of the Karaims in Trakai. Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania, brought the representatives of this nation to Lithuania and in 1388 granted a charter to them entrusting them with the protection of the town and its fortress. Their descendants have lived in Trakai ever since and have preserved their culture, customs, national dishes, which you can treat yourself to at many restaurants in Trakai.
Kaunas – a new direction in tourist routesKaunas is the interwar Lithuanian capital and the country’s second largest city, which tourists have undeservedly downgraded. Today Kaunas arouses ever-greater interest. During several past years the number of tourists who visited Kaunas has increased dozens of times, says Kęstutis Ambrozaitis, Director of Lithuanian Tours.
The Old Town of Kaunas located at the confluence of two largest Lithuanian rivers the Nemunas and the Neris is smaller than the Old Town of Vilnius, however, it is none the less interesting. One can find there compactly located Kaunas Castle, the Old Town Hall, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Vytautas Church of the Assumption. The main street of the Old Town is connected with the most popular pedestrianised street in Kaunas –Laisvės Avenue, in which cosy restaurants, cafes, hotels and entertainment centres are constantly emerging.
In the suburb of Kaunas, towering above the Pažaislis Forest on the bank of the Kaunas Bay is a well-preserved baroque architectural monument Camaldolese Cloister and Pažaislis Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In summer, the Pažaislis Classical Music Festivals that have become traditional, are held under the open sky. Kaunas boasts of a number of interesting museums. Especially valuable pieces of fine and applied art are exhibited at Žilinskas Art Museum and M.K.Čiurlionis Art Museum. The latter offers a chance to see the work of Čiurlionis, Lithuania’s most distinguished composer and artist. The Museums of Devils, Folk Instruments, Pharmacy and of Precious Stones (Gemology) also enjoy great popularity.
Fragile beauty of the Lithuanian SeashoreLithuania can be justifiably proud of the beauty of its seashore. Yellow fine sand, cool waves of the Baltic Sea and warmer waves of the Curonian Lagoon attract crowds of holidaymakers in summer. One can enjoy beating of the waves, unique nature and peacefulness of the seashore resorts in all seasons of the year.
The unique 98-kilometre-long strip of sand – the Curonian Peninsular – separates the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon. This Peninsular is recorded on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape. Unique moving parabolic dunes whose movement is halted by vegetation characteristic of that region have formed in the Kuršių Nerija (Curonian Spit). This miracle of nature is very fragile and violable therefore Lithuania declared Kuršių Nerija a protected territory and it takes care of it and seeks to preserve uniqueness of nature. When walking along the made paths one can admire creative work of wild nature, the unspoiled natural landscape.
Šilutė is Venice of Lithuania Where the Nemunas flows into the Curonian Lagoon, a wide delta of the Nemunas River with lots of branches and flooded areas has formed. In springs the inhabitants suffer from floods but in other seasons this is a unique place where one can go boating along the branches of the largest Lithuanian river, to view the old surviving villages, old architecture of the region from water, to see the lifestyle of villages, admire the beauty of nature. This is an excellent bird-watching place because lots of migrating birds settle there to rest or find a place for their nests. You will hardly find a better place in Lithuania for angling or tasting dishes made of fresh fish than there.
Romance in Lithuanian estates Do you miss a slow, quiet epicurean sense of life? Stop for a while at one of the revived Lithuanian estates and you will feel yourself as a nobleman of the 19th century. Hospitable hosts of the estates will put you up for the night and will treat you to traditional dishes that noblemen used to enjoy, you will spend an evening playing music or engaging in other traditional pastimes. You might even meet the Lithuanian Robin Hood!
The Pakruojis estate complex of classicist style is the largest complex of estates that have survived up to the present day in Lithuania and it is listed in the Register of Heritage Objects of the Lithuanian Culture and is recorded in the Book of Lithuanian Records as the largest estate. The estate houses the exposition of a wind mill, a water mill with banqueting and conference halls, the miller’s house-hotel Stadala, a granite boulder and limestone block bridge with five arches and the brewery of beer of local traditions. The manor-house of the estate, a paved the and outside buildings (two estate barns, a smithy) are sure to make a strong impression on you. All parts of the territory of the estate are joined by a wonderful English landscape park to which the rarest plants from different parts of the world were brought and planted a hundred years ago. Cognitive programmes about work of the blacksmith and the miller are organised in the estate. Besides, Pakruojis is a land of brewers therefore one can additionally go and taste beer.
Rokiškis manor-house was built at the beginning of the 19th century on commission of Ignacy Tyzenbouz. Konstanty Tyzenhouz who inherited the estate was a world famous scientist ornithologist; he equipped a laboratory for nature studies in the Park, planted many plants from warm countries in the green-houses. The manor-house and 15 authentic buildings have survived up to the present day. The manor-house and the southern and northern officinas house the Rokiškis Country Museum, which has amassed an especially valuable collection of works of the wood carver Lionginas Šepka (1907–1985). Concerts of classical music, art evenings and meetings are held, and competitions of wood carvers, plain-airs of sculptors are organised at the Museum.
The Bistrampolis estate 16 km south of Panevėžys was named after its first owner Karolis Bistramas, a marshal of the Panevėžys nobles. At the present time the former estate is famous for its cultural activity: exhibitions, music festivals. A hotel is opened in the Bistrampolis estate, lovers of sports can spend time in the tennis courts and the basketball pitch. It is a paradise for gourmands – the restaurant of the estate is oriented towards the cuisine of the nobles, it serves game dishes.
Taujėnai beautiful manor-house, one of the oldest in Lithuania, has been known since the second part of the 16th century. The manor-house built in 1802 has survived to this day. Until the middle of the 20th century the estate was the property of the family Radziwiłł. Now the Taujėnai manor-house is an exceptional location for festivals and conferences. Here, where the spirit of the old times, and grandeur and luxury of estates combine with modern aesthetics, you will find peace and fresh air, as well as possibilities for organising meetings or parties and interesting entertainment.
Adventurous routs of active rest Lithuania really has a lot to offer lovers of active rest: going canoeing, bicycling along the paths in national parks, walking tours, various craft events, and adventure parks. It is not necessary to bring your own equipment for that. There are lots of hire centres in national parks and near the most popular routes offering inventory rental services – from a canoe to a tent or an axe. You can even arrange an active day in a canoe or riding a bicycle without planning it in advance.
You will become acquainted with ancient Lithuanian crafts if you take the flax route in Kupiškis, the cheese route in Rokiškis, the bread route at the Horse Museum in Anykščiai; you will get to know the blacksmith’s job in Pakruojis estate and the Horse Museum; when travelling along the beer route you will visit many large and small breweries of Lithuania, following the wine route you will visit Anykščių vynas Distillery, you will have the opportunity to taste mead at the Lietuviškas midus distillery in Stakliškės. In Lithuania you can climb the tops of trees too. At the present time there are seven adventure parks in Lithuania where you can take a route made in the trees. Adults can climb to the very top choosing the route according to their strength and preparation, whereas children can climb special children’s routes under the supervision of trained and experienced coaches.
Vilnius is an attractive direction for conferenceIt is easy to reach Vilnius – a flight from Copenhagen or Warsaw takes an hour and a half, to come to Vilnius from Frankfurt, Vienna or Moscow takes only two hours. Lithuania has developed a high-level transport infrastructure, and communication inside the country is fast and convenient. There are modern equipped conference space at the Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO, hotels, exhibition centres, museums, theatres or other unique places, which house up to 2000 people.
Famous international hotel chains like Radisson, Le Meridien, Best Western, Crowne Plaza and others run hotels in Lithuania. There are many first class restaurants in Vilnius offering their guests cuisines of both Lithuania and foreign countries. Vilnius hotels and restaurants can proudly boast of the European quality of services and the competitive price-quality ratio.
Highly-qualified specialists of ELIT Events Baltic, a conference and incentive branch of Lithuanian tours, who have been organizing conferences in Lithuania for several decades, will help you choose a venue for your event that meets your needs best, will take care of all additional services, which you might need to make both the organisers of the conference and its participants happy.
What to start with?Travel organisation
www.lithuaniantours.com Conference organisation
www.eliteventsbaltic.com State Tourism Department
www.tourism.lt Lithuanian Tours
www.lithuaniantours.com Vilnius
www.vilnius-tourism.lt Kaunas
www.visit.kaunas.lt Neringa
www.neringa.lt Trakai
www.trakai-visit.lt Šilutė
www.siluteinfo.lt Historical heritage in Lithuania
www.musupaveldas.lt/en Pakruojis estate
www.pakruojo-dvaras.lt (in Lithuanian language only)
Rokiškis estate
www.muziejus.rokiskyje.com Bistrampolis estate
www.bistrampolis.lt Taujėnai estate
www.taujenudvaras.lt Aukštaitija National Park
www.anp.lt Žemaitija National Park
www.zemaitijosnp.lt Dzūkija National Park
www.dzukijosparkas.lt Vichy Aqua Park in Vilnius
www.vandensparkas.lt Druskininkai Aqua Park
www.akvapark.lt Adventure parks
www.lokespeda.lt www.azuolyne.lt www.onenuotykiuparkas.lt www.anupriskes.lt/nuotykiu-parkas www.labasnuotykiuparkas.lt/ www.tarzanija.lt www.belmontonuotykiuparkas.lt/ 
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