Lithuanian Tours blog

We are moving our blog

2011-03-10T16:00:00.002+02:00

Dear readers,
everything changes including internet so we decided to move our blog closer to our website. From now on news from Lithuania and other Baltic states will be available at the address
http://www.lithuaniantours.com/blog

Sincerely yours

Lithuanian Tours team

11 March - DAY OF RESTORATION OF LITHUANIAN INDEPENDENCE

2011-03-10T11:33:00.003+02:00

The Act of Re-establishment of the State of Lithuania was signed on 11 March 1990. On this day, the victims of fights for Lithuanian independence are honoured, the ceremony of hoisting the state flag takes place in the Nepriklausomybės Sq., and brass band parades, performances by various groups, and concerts are organised.

For more information: www.vilnius-events.lt

... I Baltici? Cosa sono?

2011-02-28T12:45:00.002+02:00

... I Baltici? Cosa sono?

editoriale di Adriano Pavan, Ubuntu Travel.

Nel Nord Europa, sul Golfo di Finlandia, bagnati dal Mar Baltico, tra la Russia, la Bielorussia e la Polonia ci sono tre Paesi, spesso accomunati dal nome “Baltici”, che nell'immaginario collettivo, ebbene sì, non esistono. Il nord-Europa è l'Olanda e la Danimarca, la Polonia fa parte dell'est-Europa; la Scandinavia, si sa, che è molto a nord... e loro? I Baltici? La Russia, certo, la grande Russia da San Pietroburgo alle steppe siberiane ha il suo fascino... ma dei misteriosi Baltici, cosa ne sappiamo? In primis, sono tre stati, autonomi e indipendenti, fieri della loro origini ed entusiasti di essere europei. Sono tre realtà estremamente diverse: in Lituania si respira il fascino malinconico della provincia del Gran Ducato di Polonia e Lituania di antica memoria, in cui l'architettura gotica fiammeggiante e barocca nordica incornicia i volti sorridenti di un popolo che parla una delle lingue più antiche del Continente. Andando più a nord, in Lettonia, si incontra un mondo totalmente diverso: i baroni balto-tedeschi hanno lasciato nei loro discendenti la fierezza prussiana e disseminato la rigogliosa pianura di residenze ispirate, proporzionalmente, alle regge europee; la capitale, dai giardini curati, è il tripudio del liberty che informa lo straniero che si trova in una città in cui non esiste un edificio uguale ad un altro. L'Estonia è infine un delicato scrigno: pianure e boschi circondano una capitale che ricorda un borgo medievale del centro Italia evolutosi con influenze scandinave; le torri medievali guardano la città moderna dallo stile minimalista perfetto di cristallo e acciaio in un connubio sorprendentemente bilanciato. I silenziosi estoni, profondamente legati alla natura, hanno una vivace mente creativa: nel 2003 hanno inventato Skype meritandosi il titolo di “ruggente tigre tecnologica del Baltico”. Ed ora, nel 2011 Tallinn è "Capitale Europea della Cultura" con un calendario ricco di eventi: www.tallinn2011.ee

È impossibile in poche righe raccontare la storia millenaria di questi popoli, descrivere il fascino di paesaggi tranquilli o l'emozione dell'architettura superba. Ogni viaggiatore troverà qualcosa di speciale in ognuno di questi Paesi, sicuramente ne troverà uno delizioso...

Ecco cosa sono i Baltici.

Vi consigliamo le seguenti proposte della Ubuntu Travel dedicate alle Repubbliche Baltiche:

Tour garantito 2011 in italiano:

http://www.ubuntu.travel/pacchetto.php?pak=452&paese=Repubbliche%20Baltiche&itinerario=Senza%20confini

Weekend a Tallinn, capitale culturale d’Europa 2001:

http://www.ubuntu.travel/pacchetto.php?pak=451&paese=Estonia&itinerario=Culturale

On February 24 the Estonian Republic celebrates its 93rd birthday.

2011-02-24T11:52:00.003+02:00

Traditionally the day begins at sunrise 7:34am with a flag raising ceremony next to Tall Hermann tower. At 9am wreaths are place on the foot of the Estonian War of Independence Monument on Freedom Square (Vabaduse Väljak).

At 9:45am a religious service takes place in Tallinn's Dome Church and at 11am the nation's armed services parade on Freedom Square.

Many of Tallinn museums and sightseeing spot are closed for the public holiday, but this is all the more reason to get acquainted with those places which are still open for visitors: The Estonian Museum of History is expecting all interested parties on the February 24 between 10am and 5pm to come to Maarjamäe Castle family outing “Long live Estonia”. There is a film program packed with romantic historical films for the old and young at heart. Top billing goes to family historical film “Atmospheres of Estonian history”. Maarjamäe castle is open for viewing due to a generous donation of a million kroon from Bank of Estonia.

Despite the cold weather, Tallinn's many restaurants expect active participants in the festivities and are offering visitors holiday themed special menus.

Further ideas for Independence Day celebrations can be found at:

http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/tallinncard/news

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend in Estonia and Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/tallinn---european-capital-of-culture-2011/951

Estonian Air increases flight frequencies with a larger number of planes

2011-02-16T13:04:00.004+02:00

Due to the approaching summer holiday season, recent upgrade of the fleet with new aircraft and transition to the summer flight schedule on the last Sunday on March, Estonian Air will increase flight schedule on a number of year-round and seasonal routes.

Estonian Air will serve its flight schedule with a larger number of planes, altogether eight aircraft, which allows the airline to add seats to the market as well as flight frequencies.

-From 27 February 2011, Estonian Air will open a new route between Tartu and Tallinn. Early morning flights from Tartu to Tallinn will be operated six times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Late evening flights from Tallinn to Tartu will be operated on the same days, with the exception on weekends, when Saturday flights are operated on Sundays instead.

- From 27 March 2011, Estonian Air increases the flight schedule between Tallinn and Brussels to six flights a week by adding Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday flights. At present Estonian Air is operating from Tallinn and Brussels three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

-From 27 March 2011, Estonian Air increases the flight schedule between Tallinn and London to four flights a week. Flights from Tallinn to London will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. At present Estonian Air is operating flights on Thursdays and Sundays.

-From 29 March 2011, Estonian Air increases the flight schedule between Tallinn and Moscow to five flights a week by adding Tuesday flights. At present Estonian Air is operating between Tallinn and Moscow three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

-From 2 April 2011, Estonian Air increases the flight schedule on Tallinn-Amsterdam and Vilnius-Amsterdam routes to seven flights a week by adding Saturday flights. At present Estonian Air is operating flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

- On 1 May 2011, Estonian Air will launch a new route between Vilnius and Berlin with four flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

In addition, Estonian Air will resume flights to summer destinations:

-From 28 March 2011, between Tallinn and Minsk. The flights will be operated three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The route will be operated until 28 October 2011.

-From 1 May 2011 between, Tallinn and Paris. The flights will be operated three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The route will be operated until 27 October 2011.

- From 1 May 2011, between Kuressaare and Stockholm once a week on Sundays. The route will be operated until 28 August 2011.

-From 2 May 2011, between Tallinn and Berlin with three flights week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The route will be operated until 30 September 2011.

-From 7 May 2011, between Tallinn and Barcelona. Between the period from 7 May to 6 June the flights are operated once a week on Saturdays; from 14 June to 30 August twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and from 3 September to 29 October on Saturdays.

-From 7 May 2011, between Tallinn and Milan. The flight will be operated once a week on Saturdays, the route will be operated until 24 September 2011.

-From 18 June 2011, between Tallinn and Nice. The flights are operated once a week on Saturdays, the route will be operated until 17 September 2011.

For more information please visit : www.estonian-air.com

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend during Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/tallinn---european-capital-of-culture-2011/951

Winter Jazz in Tallinn: February 12 – March 18

2011-02-09T13:32:00.002+02:00

This year there is a chance to enjoy Estonia's innovative and unsung jazz performers. Pianists and composers Tõnu Naissoo and Urmas Lattikas both will perform music from their 2011 albums, jazz singer Kadri Voorand will be broadcast all around Europe. Foreign performers include – Donkey Monkey (Fra-Jpn), Lucia Recio – Didier Petit (Fra), Rouge Madame (Est-Fra) andSergio Bastos with Raivo Tafenau Quintet (Bra-Est).

Always innovative and evolving, Winter Jazz will give you new way to experience music.

Festival program available at www.jazzkaar.ee

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend during Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/tallinn---european-capital-of-culture-2011/951

TALLINN DAYS 2011

2011-02-01T14:10:00.002+02:00

On January 28-31 Lithuanian Tours in cooperation with Polish Airlines LOT, hotels Radisson Blu Olympia and Nordic Forum, Estonian Tourism Board and Tallinn City Tourist Office arranged an educational familiarization trip for Italian tour operators and agents to Tallinn. Among the group memebers there was also a journalist from Travel Quotidiano.

The trip was a good opportunity for our present or to-be-partners to meet with our suppliers, experience their preperties and test our operations.

During the short visit the group got acquainted with a wide choice of hotels that Tallinn has to offer, tasted meals at various city restaurants offering traditional and European cuisine, had an orientation city tour of Tallinn. At dinner kindly hosted by Radisson BLU Olympia the group met with Ms Maris Hellrand from Foundation Tallinn2011 who shared information on the main events of Tallinn - European Cultural Capital 2011.The group also met with Mr Madis Kass, Destination Marketing Cooordinator, Estonian Tourism Board, who acquainted the guests with the main goals for the Italian market. We would like to thank all our partners who contributed a lot in arranging the FAM trip Tallinn.

airBaltic Will Start Riga- Gdansk In Summer Season

2011-01-27T12:28:00.002+02:00

In the summer season, Latvian national airline airBaltic will start a new route from Riga to Gdansk, Poland.

Tero Taskila, Chief Commercial Officer: “The new route will offer convenient transit connections for tourists and business people to via Riga to destinations in Scandinavia, Russia, the CIS and the Middle East. On the other hand, the new route will attract more travellers to the seaside city in Northern Poland.”

NEW FLIGHTS (from Riga)	Days of operation	Starting date	Price (incl. taxes, fees, charges)*
Riga – Gdansk (Poland)	1,3,4,7	April 18	EUR 39
* The lowest available fare at www.airbaltic.com.

Starting from April 18, airBaltic will fly from Riga to Gdansk four times a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Passengers will board a Fokker 50 aircraft for a flight that will last for 1 hour and 20 minutes. One-way ticket prices will start at EUR 39, including airport fees and transaction costs. A full schedule of flights is available on – www.airbaltic.com

"TOP 15 Tourist Sites In Riga"

2011-01-21T17:09:00.002+02:00

The Riga Tourism Development Bureau (RTAB) and the State Tourism Development Agency (TAVA) have published a guidebook in English – "TOP 15 Tourist Sites In Riga".

The guidebook includes information about: Dome Square, Livu Square, Town Hall Square, St. Peter's Church, House of Blackheads, Powder Tower, the arts center Spikeri Quarter, the "Three Brothers" complex, Art Nouveau section, Latvian National Opera, Central Market, Riga Castle, Latvian National Museum of Art, Kalnciema Street Quarter.

The guide also includes a map of central Riga, with marked locations of all sites.

The guidebook will also be published in the Russian and German languages, and will be available in Riga tourism information and coordination centers, as well as in several hotels in Riga.

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend in Riga:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/bobsleigh-weekend-in-riga/918

12th annual baroque music festival in Tallinn

2011-01-17T10:50:00.002+02:00

The opening concert of the baroque music festival, entitled ‘Jerusalem, Holy City’, will take place on 28 January at 7.00 pm at the Estonia Concert Hall. A musical homage to the holy city, it will feature eponymous works by seven composers.

The opening concert will feature a mixed choir with the Latvian and Estonian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andres Mustonen.

Israel-born violinist Pavel Vernikov is one of Europe’s greatest, and plays an instrument the likes of which are rarely heard in Estonia – a Guarnieri ‘Baron Knopf’ dating from 1743.

The festival’s guests also include the baroque ensemble La Fenice (France), the prestigious vocal group Die Singphoniker (Germany), Natalia Gutman (cello, Russia), Joel Frederiksen (bass and lute, Germany) and many more. The final chord will be struck by the gala concert ‘Bach and Sons’, featuring players from the Tallinn Philharmonic and many soloists from Estonia and abroad. The artistic director of the festival is Andres Mustonen.

The festival will take place in conjunction with the Estonian State Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Philharmonic:

http://www.concert.ee/baroque_music_festival_2011

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend during Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/tallinn---european-capital-of-culture-2011/951

Updated Vilnius City Card 2011

2011-01-13T11:19:00.002+02:00

On the 1st of January Vilnius Tourist Information Centre and Convention Bureau launched updated Vilnius City Card 2011. City Card is a usual service, offered by most European cities to their guests. Purchasing City Card encourages city guests to get acquainted with the city more actively, to visit more objects, to use offered discounts.

City Card 2011 provides more innovations:

• a new type of City Card was introduced - valid for 24 hours without public transport ticket;

• 17 new objects were added to the list of sites, which can be viewed here:

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=170&sid=280

• a catalogue available in 5 languages (Lithuanian, English, German, Polish and Russian) is received upon the purchase of the card.

There are three types of cards from 2011:

• Valid for 24 hours with public transport ticket (58 Lt/17 EUR);

• Valid for 24 hours without public transport ticket (45 Lt/13 EUR);

• Valid for 72 hours with public transport ticket (86 Lt/25 EUR).

In 2011, a holder of the card can use public transport (except the 24 hours card without public transport ticket), visit museums and take part in walking tours free-of-charge. A card holder can also obtain discounts when booking sightseeing tours by bus and minibus, buying tickets to concerts, paying for meals in restaurants and cafes, booking wellness services and accommodation. You may purchase Vilnius City Card in all Vilnius Tourist Information Centers.

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend in Vilnius:

contact@lithuaniantours.com

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/husky-dog-sledging-in-vilnius/919

15 000 people attended the opening ceremony of European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011

2011-01-08T12:58:00.002+02:00

Member of the board of Tallinn 2011 Jaanus Mutli thanked everyone who came to the Theatre Square on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the start of Capital of Culture. „I saw thousands of happy faces during that night and I hope that all of them will attend many other events of Capital of Culture during 2011,“ said Mutli.

The highlight moment of the opening ceremony of European Capital of Culture at Theatre Square in Tallinn was the arrival of an UFO.The UFO, hanging from a 100 m crane, was purpose-built of steal, plywood and foil for the Capital of Culture opening ceremony.Immediately before the arrival of the UFO the spectators saw a video clip in which the giants of European culture – the Coliseum of Rome, Eiffel Tower of Paris and Brandenburg Gates from Berlin – landed in the new European Capital of Culture. The clip was produced by creative director Andrus Kõresaar and Produktsioonigrupp OÜ.

„Every capital of culture throughout the 25 years has attempted to amaze with something unprecedented during the opening ceremony. But considering the different budgets, we are not so wealthy as to import big international names. So we decided to take a more creative path,“ commented the creative director of the opening ceremony, Foundation Tallinn 2011 programme director Jaanus Rohumaa. „Half-jokingly we could say, we sent invitations to very far away and received a reply – our invitation reached the universe,“ added Rohumaa.

Together with the team of three the UFO weighed almost 1000 kg. In addition to Andres Mirme, who came out of the machine dressed as an alien to wave to people, the flying saucer also housed two helpers, Oliver Kulpsoo and Priit Kukk, who took care of the lights and laser rays of the UFO. The UFO was designed by Enar Tarmo, the technical director of Von Krahl theatre and Stunts OÜ, it was built by Management OÜ. The live broadcast on Estonian TV was watched by 250 000 viewers.

The photos of the opening event are in the Experimental Gallery: http://galerii.tallinn2011.ee

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your weekend during Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/tallinn---european-capital-of-culture-2011/951

"For Love, Not Money" – 15th Tallinn Graphics Triennial

2011-01-05T09:28:00.002+02:00

The 15th Tallinn Graphics Triennial will be held at the Kumu Art Museum. The ‘For Love, Not Money’ exhibition will look at contemporary graphics in the broader context of the creation of and trends in modern art.

The title refers to a theme which incorporates a number of definitions, including addiction, list, dedication, obligation, family, love, passion, objectification, romance, religion, political ties and sex. The project will be attempting to reflect current trends in modern art, set against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, and to examine problems associated with the creation, exhibiting and reception of art in this context.

Contributing to the exhibition will be 51 invited artists and 63 additional artists who won places as part of a fiercely contested international competition. Part of the main exhibition will showcase the work of the grand prix winner from the last triennale, Colombian artist Óscar Muñoz. The triennale also traditionally shines the spotlight on art from the Baltic States, maintaining the fundamental identity of the event through the participation of artists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The exhibition will focus on the latest trends in modern art, including video, performance, photography and print media.

In addition, Kumu will also host works by grand prix winners from the Ljubljana graphics biennale – the oldest international event of its kind – as part of ‘Mapping’, an exhibition created by biennale curator Lilijana Stepančič.

Website: http://www.triennial.ee

Lufthansa expects passenger record in Lithuania in 2010. Enhanced schedule in summer 2011 for more passenger flexibility and comfort

2011-01-04T11:58:00.003+02:00

Lufthansa announced that it expects its business in Lithuania to break new records in 2010. The leading European airline with 18 years of operational expertise in Lithuania observes unprecedented passenger growth on routes to and from Vilnius and reacts with an enhanced schedule for summer timetable 2011 resulting in more flexibility and comfort for customers.

“We are pleased to see such a positive development of our business on our Vilnius flights. A very good occupancy and increased capacity will lead us to a passenger record this year. We are confident to transport over 100,000 passengers this year. This confirms our approach to the Lithuanian market and our attractive products and services,” said Matthias Hinze, Lufthansa Country Manager Baltic States. “To cater to our passengers’ needs, we will further improve our schedule in summer timetable 2011. Our new morning and evening flight times will allow both business and leisure passengers to either make use of a full day in Frankfurt or ideally connect to any of our over 160 destinations worldwide which we serve from our biggest hub,” he added.

“Vilnius Airport has a strategic goal to guarantee very well possibilities to reach Lithuania from all over the world. New Lufthansa schedule will expand opportunities to reach Vilnius through one of the biggest airports in Europe - Frankfurt. With improving connections and growing number of flights Vilnius will become more attractive for business traffic,” commented Simonas Bartkus, Director of Commerce Department of Vilnius Airport.

Vilnius - Frankfurt - Vilnius

Flight schedule from 28 March 2011

Daily flights

LH 889 Vilnius 05:45 – Frankfurt 06:50

LH 887 Vilnius 14:15 – Frankfurt 15:20

LH 886 Frankfurt 10:30 – Vilnius 13:30

LH 888 Frankfurt 20:25 – Vilnius 23:25

Aircraft type: Airbus A 319 (138 seats in Business Class and Economy Class)

http://www.vilnius-airport.lt/en/

How will Estonia change over to the euro?

2010-12-31T19:28:00.001+02:00

Starting from 1 January 2011 the euro will come into effect as currency in Estonia. During 2010 Estonia successfully fulfilled all the Maastricht criteria, which are required to join the euro zone. Estonia will be the 17th country and the first Baltic state to join the monetary union.

From 1 January 2011, ATM's will issue 5-, 10- and 50-euro banknotes. All deposits in Estonian kroons will change over to euro deposits (only the payment unit will change).

Until 14 January 2011, it will be possible to use both euros and kroons in making cash payments.

From 15 January 2011, the only official means of payment in Estonia will be euro.

Until 30 June 2011, the companies must show their prices both in kroons and euros.

Until 31 December 2011, banknotes and cents will be exchanged for euros in the bank offices.

The Bank of Estonia will exchange kroons and cents for euros indefinitely, without a service fee and according to the official exchange rate.

More information:
http://euro.eesti.ee

“CAFES OF LIGHT” ROUTE IN RIGA

2010-12-29T08:34:00.002+02:00

Riga will have a special décor with its “beaming” cafes. In the darkest time of the year, Rigans and visitors can follow a path of elegant restaurants, music pubs and modern cafes. Follow the light and learn more about cafes in Riga!

The route for "beaming" cafes continue until the 1st March, 2011

It will be a symbol of Riga as a city of light, accessible until next spring. This year's route includes various venues; each with its own features. Follow the path and try the menus and entertainment programmes, as well as the illuminated objects created especially for the project of beaming cafes.

http://www.liveriga.com/userfiles/files/light_cafe.pdf

Nordic-Baltic Concert Season 2010/2011

2010-12-22T11:26:00.002+02:00

The Nordic-Baltic Concert Season is organised jointly by eight countries – Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The aim of the Nordic-Baltic Concert Season is to introduce the contemporary music and musicians of the participating countries to a wider audience at home and abroad, via the medium of radio.

The 2010-2011 season, which is the 16th, will feature the music of legendary classics, such as Sibelius and Leifs, alongside the premiers of recent works by several young composers: Jon Øyvind Ness (Norway), Mirjam Tally (Estonia), Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmbreen (Denmark), and Uljas Pulkkis (Finland). One more name will be added to this list in due time – the name of the winner of the Latvian National Orchestra’s composition contest.

As always, the Nordic-Baltic Concert Season presents the national orchestras and leading performers of the participating countries. The concerts are conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Thomas Dausgaard, Juha Kangas, Osmo Vänska et al. Among the featured soloists one will hear young talents and well-established artists alike: trumpet player Tine Ting Helseth, the pianists Peter Friis-Johansson, Vestars Shimkus, Elisso Bolkvadze, Kari Kriikku and Kalle Randalu, and the percussion ensemble Kroumata.

In addition to the Nordic-Baltic Concert Season, the eight countries collaborate on a number of other projects: a separate series of summer concerts, a special project devoted to the music of female composers, the jazz and choir music series, the annual meetings of music program directors and the workshops for radio presenters.

Full Program of Nordic-Baltic Concert Season 2010-2011:

http://klassikaraadio.err.ee/klassik/nordic2010.htm

Riga - Old Town Christmas Fair: until January 9

2010-12-20T10:55:00.002+02:00

Christmas is approaching, and one of the signs testifying to this is the Old Town Christmas Fair with sweet-smelling mulled wine, roasted almonds, glittering glazed gingerbread and local handcraft. This year’s fair will be open on Dome Square until Orthodox Christmas January 9.

Visitors will have a chance to find their Christmas miracle here every day. Various concerts and workshops are on the program, with Santa Claus entertaining kids and adults alike.

This year, the annual Old Town Christmas Fair celebrates its 10th anniversary. All those loving delicious food will be delighted at the traditional treats – mulled wine, gingerbread, roasted almonds, Christmas tea and coffee, as well as delicious smoked meats and meat products. The fair will also offer a wide range of Latvian handcraft for Christmas gifts - patterned mittens, skillfully turned wooden candlesticks, jarred sunny-smelling Latvian honey, sweet-smelling wax candles, handmade warm socks, hats and scarfs, amber and silver jewellery, ecological wooden toys and rag bears...

Along with food and handcraft, you will have an opportunity to learn more about various Latvian traditions, for example, log dragging and traditional Christmas cooking. Latvian Christmas songs and world-known melodies will be performed by pop music bands and traditional ensembles. Creative workshops will be open to let you learn more about some stitch craft, and a special Christmas post office will be accessible to send postcards. Rabbits and a pony will wait for children here; and, of course, Santa Claus will entertain you to make the Christmas celebration memorable.

Check our offers for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Riga and in the Baltics:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/new-year-in-the-baltics!/new-year-in-riga/937

Vilnius Tourist Route for People with Movement Disabilites

2010-12-17T11:30:00.001+02:00

Vilnius Tourist Information Centre & Convention Bureau together with Lithuanian Association of People with Disabilities has launched new publication Route for People with Movement Disabilites.

This route is the first tourist route of Vilnius city intended for the individuals with limited movement abilities. This route was worked out in April-June 2010 in the presence of the individuals with movement disabilities and taking into consideration their remarks and propositions.

The physical and social environment in Vilnius is not sufficiently well adapted to the needs of the disabled. Due to one reason or another no “universal environment” has been created that is adapted to every individual (both healthy or moving in a wheelchair, or an individual of an elderly age with movement disabilities). Objects of the cultural heritage located in the Old Town and the centre of the city are adapted to being visited, and some of the objects are adapted only in part (for example, only the ground floor can be visited, there is no toilet for the disabled visitors, etc.).

Despite the existing problems, we invite you to try the route from Aušros Vartai (the Gate of Dawn) to the Arsenal, which is an interesting historical and cultural site. Next to every object on the route there are warnings about the possible obstacles (for example, a steep hillside, a step, etc.).

Download (English):

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/mediabank/MarsrutasMaketas_EN_12-02B.pdf

Presentation of the Route online:

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=258&sid=316

Vilnius Tourist Information Centre (Vilniaus street 22) has been adapted to the needs of the individuals with movement disabilites.

Tallinn reveals full schedule of Culture Capital 2011 events and projects

2010-12-14T12:54:00.004+02:00

The city of Tallinn presented on Monday a program book of the European Culture Capital 2011 year, which includes nearly 250 projects and around 7,000 events.

Foundation Tallinn 2011 program manager Jaanus Rohumaa said that 70% of the events are things not done in Tallinn before and almost all Estonian culture top players have been included. He stressed especially the big share of theatre and music projects.

There are 8-10 events that should bring together more than 50,000 people, the youth song and dance festival, Sea Festival, Freedom Song being some of them.

“The peak of the program arrives understandably sometime at the beginning of summer, but in April things will get already very busy,” Rohumaa said.

Foundation Tallinn 2011 board member Jaanus Mutli invited everyone to the party at the Theatre Square in Tallinn in the evening of December 31 when the Culture Capital year is being furtively inaugurated.

http://www.tallinn2011.ee

Contact us to to get more information on our tours or book your advienture during Tallinn European Capital of Culture 2011:

*New Year Celebration with Culture Capital of Europe opening program in Tallinn
*Tallinn European Capital of Culture travel packages

“European Christmas” is here!

2010-12-13T11:26:00.003+02:00

December 3-30, it’s the “European Christmas” Festival in Riga featuring the Riga Dome Boys’ Choir, Latvian Radio Choir, "Sinfonietta Rīga", the Italian Early music ensemble "La Venexiana", Estonian bell-ringers "Arsis", piano quartet "RIX", vocal group "Shola Cantorum Riga", Baroque orchestra "Collegium Musicum Rīga", flute virtuoso Dita Krenberga, counter tenor Sergejs Jēgers, double bass maestro Gunārs Upatnieks, sopranos Sonora Vaice and Olga Pasichnik from Ukraine.

Upcoming concerts on the bill are "Bach and Botessini" (Dec. 17 at 19.30 in Spīķeri Concert Hall), starring the award-winning double bass player Gunārs Upatnieks, accompanied by pianist Agnese Egliņa, “Boys’ Choir Christmas” (Dec. 18 at 19.30 in St. John’s (Sv.Jāņa) Church) starring the seasoned Riga Dome Boys’ Choir and the Baroque orchestra "Collegium musicum Rīga". The program includes J.S. Bach’s Mass in F major, rarely heard in Latvian churches, and Georg Phillip Telemann’s "Veni sancto spiritus". The soloists will be soprano Sonora Vaice, counter tenor Sergejs Jēgers and the England-based bass Pauls Putniņš. Māris Kupčs is the conductor. The bell-ringing ensemble "Arsis" from Estonia is sure to bring Yuletide joy with its concert December 21 at 19.30 in St. John's Church.

http://www.eiropasziemassvetki.lv/about.php

Check our offers for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Riga and in the Baltics:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/new-year-in-the-baltics!/new-year-in-riga/937

Events in Vilnius 2011

2010-12-02T10:17:00.002+02:00

Vilnius Tourist Information Centre & Convention Bureau has launched new Events in Vilnius and Environs 2011 (Calendar) where brief information on main cultural and sports events is presented.

Colourful Calendar is very easy to use as events are listed by months. Being small pocket calendar it has a hanging on the wall option.

For more information:

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/mediabank/Calendar%20of%20Events%20in%20Vilnius_2011_%20ENG.pdf

contact@lithuaniantours.com

Festive Vilnius Tours (on foot)

2010-11-24T11:09:00.004+02:00

In 1994, the Old Town of Vilnius was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The largest Old Town in Eastern Europe is architecturally the richest part of Vilnius. Almost every style of architecture can be found: from Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism to Post-Modernism. Take part in the walking tour, feel the unique atmosphere of the historic Old Town and discover the places to which you would like to come back again.

During the tour you will visit: the Cathedral square, a monument to Grand Duke Gediminas, Royal Palace, Presidential Palace, Vilnius University, St. Anne‘s Church and Bernardines, Town Hall and Town Hall square, St. Casimir‘s Church, Basilian Gates, Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit, St. Theresa‘s Church, The Gate of Dawn.

27 December 14:00 Tour in English;

29 December 14:00 Tour in English;

16:00 Tour in Russian;

30 December 14:00 Tour in English;

16:00 Tour in Russian;

2 January 14:00 Tours in English, Russian;

4 January 16:00 Tour in Russian;

6 January 16:00 Tour in Russian;

7 January 16:00 Tour in Russian;

8 January 14:00 Tour in Russian.

Beginning - from Cathedral Belfry.

Duration – 2 hours.

Price – 35 Lt per person ( around 10 Euro).

Tickets can be bought in Vilnius Tourist Information Centres:

Vilniaus St. 22 (Main Office),

Didžioji St. 31 (Town Hall),

Geležinkelio St. 16 (Railway Station)

or at the Cathedral Square before the Tour.

For more information:

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt

Oldest Christmas Tree Decoration at Riga Museum from November 18

2010-11-22T10:35:00.006+02:00

Five hundred years ago some members of the Blackheads’ Society chose the tallest fir tree in the forest to publicly burn it and bring cheer to Rigaens. While they were looking for the best place for a huge campfire, local children found the tree and decorated it. Suprrised at the magnificent transformation, the Blackheads decided to lift the tree up on Town Hall Square. Now the memorial plaque is set up here and a new Christmas tree decorated every year.

Seven years ago a greyish glass ball with a metal hook, which Rigans used to decorate Christmas trees with 250 years ago, was found during archeological excavations in Old Town Rīga.

Along with the Christmas tree decoration, many other items, used for daily needs, were found at the archaeological site, for instance, leather footwear, knife sheaths, bags, harnesses, pieces of pipes, pieces of clothing, stained glass, etc.

From November 18, they will be on display at the Museum of the History of Rīga and Navigation:

http://www.rigamuz.lv

Check our offers for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Riga and in the Baltics:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/special-offers/new-year-in-the-baltics!/new-year-in-vilnius/936

Traditional Laima chocolate and Riga Black Balsam - two in one

2010-11-15T11:03:00.003+02:00

The most famous Latvian food brands are now available in a new product - chocolate sweets with Riga Black Balsam filling. Those who love sweets and top-quality food will love the specific and strong "Laima" taste supplemented by aromatic Riga Black Balsam.

Riga Black Balsam is a 110-year-old unique Latvian beverage which was granted the title of "Latvia's Most Unique Brand" this year. The "Laima" chocolate company was also created 140 years ago.

The dark chocolate sweets with Balsam creme filling and milk chocolate sweets with Balsam creme liquer were placed on Latvian, as well as Russian and EU markets in end-November. In total, the "Laima" company exports its production to 25 countries.

The sweets contain 2.7% of Riga Black Balsam so they are marked "Not for Children". The new type of chocolate is available either boxed or as separate weighable units.

http://www.laima.lv/

Une invitation à Tallinn

2010-11-11T15:36:00.005+02:00

En 2011, le programme culturel de Tallinn, capitale culturelle de l’Europe comprend 251 projets et des milliers d’interventions. Les évènements les plus importants en sont le festival international du jazz « Jazzkaar » en avril, les « Journées de la Vieille Ville » en juin, la « Fête du chant et de la danse de la jeunesse » et les journées maritimes en juillet, le festival d’opéra « Birgitta Festival » en août et le festival de films « Les Nuits Noires » (PÖFF) en novembre.

Le programme a pour but de mettre en valeur les communes, de soutenir les enfants, les jeunes, les nouvelles initiatives culturelles, d’ouvrir également la ville sur la mer, d’occuper de nouveaux territoires urbains, d’améliorer les conditions de la création et de favoriser des rencontres entre artistes locaux et internationaux.

Outre son programme culturel, Tallinn 2011 a relancé nombre de projets à long terme avec des volontaires et des jeunes afin d’éveiller la conscience environnementale de la population.

L’année de la Capitale culturelle prend son élan avec deux évènements majeurs : la cérémonie de l'Académie Européenne du Cinéma en décembre 2010 et la cérémonie d’ouverture de la Capitale culturelle le 31 décembre 2010.

Pour plus d’Information et le programme, veuillez consulter le site : www.tallinn2011.ee

Notre invitation pour fêter le Nouvel An à Tallinn:

http://www.lithuaniantours.com/offres-sp%C3%A9ciales/nouvel-an-dans-les-pays-baltes/nouvel-an-%C3%A0-tallinn/946

President Grybauskaitė awarded as a woman world leader of the year

2010-11-09T17:25:00.002+02:00

President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė was honored as the Woman of the Year 2010 in the election of women world leaders organized by the U.S. Glamour magazine.

The President of Lithuania is one of 19 women heads of states of governments nominated for the award, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Tarja Halonen of Finland, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina, also leaders of Brazil, Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica and other states. The award was presented to the President of Lithuania, along with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Prime Minister Iveta Radičová of Slovakia, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad–Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago.

"In the past two decades, the number of women world leaders grew from eight to nineteen. Women on the highest–level of politics is not just a matter of fashion anymore but a reality of the daily life. More and more women run for election in their own countries and win because they are not afraid to take challenges and assume responsibility and because they see politics as an instrument to make their countries a better place to live," the President of Lithuania said.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė and other awardees received personal congratulations from U.S. President Barrack Obama. The awards were presented by the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

Source: http://www.baltic-course.com/

Les États baltes au festival Les Boréales à Caen

2010-11-03T11:35:00.003+02:00

11.11.2010 - 27.11.2010

Les Boréales, plate-forme de création nordique proposée par le Centre Régional des Lettres de Basse-Normandie, reviennent en 2010, du 11 au 27 novembre, avec un programme riche en événements. Les invités d’honneur du festival sont cette année les États baltes ; aux côtés de l’Estonie, la Lettonie et la Lituanie, la Norvège, sera également mise à l’honneur, à travers le comté du Hordaland, en cette dix-neuvième édition du festival.

Les États baltes ouvriront le bal, la première semaine du festival (du 11 au 19) leur étant consacrée. Le public sera invité à (re)découvrir les pôles d’excellence de chaque pays, à commencer par la musique avec l’Estonie. Les concerts de musique classique et contemporaine, autour du grand compositeur Arvo Pärt ou du célèbre chef d’orchestre Paavo Järvi, constitueront l’un des temps fort de ces Boréales.

Le festival Les Boréales est proposé et organisé par le Centre régional des Lettres de Basse-Normandie.

Pour plus d'informations sur le programme :

http://www.crlbn.fr/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Boreales-2010-44mo.pdf

Era of payphones ends in Estonia on December 1

2010-10-28T10:43:00.001+03:00

The era of payphones ends in Estonia on December 1, 2010. AS Elion, who owns the payphones that haven’t been dismantled yet, withdraws payphone cards from sale on October 15. The last call from a payphone can be made on November 30.

“We will start dismantling payphones on December 1. We are ready to give them for example to artists if they want to make installations of payphones, for example,” said Elion’s PR head Lilian Nõlvak.

“The payphone business is loss-making and unpopular among clients. The number of calls fell from 2004 by nearly 30 times,” she added.

In 1997 when the installation of modern payphones using chip cards was completed, there were 3,000 of them in Estonia. By now there are just about 550, most of them in Tallinn.

While in 2004 still 6 million minutes worth of calls were made from payphones, now it is 30 times smaller due to the wide spread of cell phones. The annual sales volume of payphone call cards has fallen by 20 time since 2004.

source:
http://www.baltic-course.com/

Blue1 starts operations between Tallinn and Helsinki on January 31st, 2011

2010-10-07T10:31:00.002+03:00

The flights will be operated twice daily with ATR-72 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 72. Blue1 will operate the route in co-operation with Estonian Air.

With the new Tallinn–Helsinki service, Blue1 further strenghtens its hub at Helsinki Airport offering a competitive business timetable from Tallinn to Helsinki with excellent connections to Blue1 and Star Alliance destinations in Finland, Scandinavia and Europe, e.g. Brussels, London Heathrow, Berlin, Zurich, Amsterdam and Paris.

Timetable

Tallinn–Helsinki	05:55–06:30	Monday–Saturday	KF600
Tallinn–Helsinki	15:10–15:45	Monday–Friday	KF608

Helsinki–Tallinn	14:05–14:40	Monday–Friday	KF607
Helsinki–Tallinn	23:55–00:30	Monday–Friday and Sunday	KF609

“Blue1 is very excited in entering the Estonian market in January, with double daily flights to Helsinki, which connects well to Blue1 and Star Alliance network via Helsinki-Vantaa. We will offer good connections to cities, like Oulu, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Brussels, Paris, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin. The new Blue1 Premium product for business travelers with key airport benefits, like lounge and Fast Track security included, and good quality inflight service in the package, and our deep co-operation with SAS and Estonian Air will offer a great expanded product alternative for Estonian business and leisure travelers”, says Juha Järvinen, VP Commercial Blue1.

Blue1 offers on all Blue1 operated flights Blue1 Premium, a product designed for the business traveler. It includes amongst others Business Class check-in and Fast Track Security Control where available. For leisure travelers, Blue1 offers a competitive Economy Class product.

The flights will become bookable online at www.blue1.com on Friday, October 8.

Four stories from one sea: Jura, Meer, Hav, Sea

2010-09-30T10:38:00.004+03:00

The touring international marine exhibition "1 Sea – 4 Stories", now hosted by the Polish Maritime Museum (CMM) in Gdańsk as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, has come from Rostock.
The city on the River Warnow and the third largest Baltic port of Germany was the starting point of the tour of four South-Baltic countries: Germany, Poland, Sweden and Lithuania. The exhibition marks the completion of the joint undertaking of 4 maritime museums within an EU project named SeaSide.

Sea trade routes had for years linked countries of the South Baltic until the post-WWII division of the region into the West and the East. By displaying a variety of maritime heritage related issues, maritime museums from four Baltic countries provide evidence of both common and different past of the countries of the South-Baltic region. The exhibition has been based on four major topics placed within a framework story, says Jadwiga Klim of the CMM, the Polish coordinator and curator of the exhibition. The exhibition – vast and rich in content – shows the maritime heritage from different perspectives, stressing what is of particular significance for individual nations and museums. In this way, we wanted to strengthen the common Baltic identity and underpin the great potential of South Baltic cities and regions, adds Tomasz Bednarz, the other curator of the exhibition.

The development of the sailing ship in the Baltic
The Maritime Museum Rostock presents the history of the sailing vessels in the Baltic from 10th to 20th century, exhibiting six models of various sail ships. These include an early mediaeval trader, a mediaeval merchant cog, a galleon Adler von Lübeck (The Eagle of Lubeck) – a man-of-war of the Hanseatic League, Swedish galleon Vasa of 1628, Swedish mail boat Hiorten, 19th-century German brig J. H. Epping. More information about each of them is provided in the form of texts, drawings and photos.

Spread sails: Klaipeda sailing fleet
The Lithuanian part of the exhibition prepared by the Lithuanian Sea Museum unveils the little-known era of the sailing ship in Lithuania – in Klaipeda it culminated in the 18th and 19th centuries and came to a close as the steam ship advanced.

The Baltic: Beyond the horizon – personal stories from the Cold War era
The Cold War and how it affected the post-war relations between the Baltic countries is the theme undertaken by the Swedish Naval Museum in Karlskrona. In Sweden, with its non-aligned status at the time, the personal dimension of the Cold War conflict was felt most strongly. Sweden got closer to the scene when, in1981, a Soviet U137 submarine went aground within a restricted zone off the naval base in Karlskrona. This part of the exhibition focuses on personal stories from the 1980s told by Swedish people.

The exhibition "1 Sea – 4 Stories" can be seen at the Granaries in the isle of Ołowianka – the CMM head office. Its next stage will be Karlskrona, from where it will travel to Klaipeda in the Spring of 2011, thus completing its tour of the Baltic coast.

"1 Sea – 4 Stories"
1 October - 28 November 2010

Centralne Muzeum Morskie
ul. Ołowianka 9-13
80-751 Gdańsk / POLAND
http://www.cmm.pl/

Nordic Hotel Forum becomes member of international WORLDHOTELS chain

2010-09-28T11:22:00.005+03:00

The Nordic Hotel Forum, the 4-star business and conference hotel on Viru Square in Tallinn, was accepted as a member of WORLDHOTELS, becoming the first hotel in the Baltic States to receive such an honour.

The hotel joins the chain's First Class Collection.

WORLDHOTELS is the oldest European-based group of independent hotels and worldwide regional brands. It has been operating for 40 years and is an internationally recognised sales and marketing chain, representing almost 500 hotels in 300 destinations in 70 countries around the globe. The hotels are divided into three categories: the Deluxe Collection, the First Class Collection and the Comfort Collection.

For further information about hotel Nordic Forum and booking please contact our office:
contact@lithuaniantours.com

Latvian Tourism Development Agency creates new Latvian tourism portal

2010-09-25T08:57:00.002+03:00

The Latvian Tourism Development Agency (LTDA) has created a new and more dynamic tourism portal - www.latvia.travel which will replace the LTDA’s previous tourism portal – www.latviatourism.lv

The new portal portal features information on about 150 tourism objects, as well as 350 accommodation facilities, and 50 events.

In accordance with Latvia’s new tourism slogan - "Best enjoyed slowly", the portal includes three sub-categories - "Experience", "Enjoy" and "Relax". The home-page will also include thematic offers, as well information on top tourism objects and destinations, which will updated constantly. Regularly updated will also be information on various events taking place in the country, as well as the portal’s main categories - "About Latvia", "Where to go and what to see", "Holiday destinations" and "How to get there".

The Latvian National Opera in season 2010/2011 offers five new productions and two revivals.

2010-09-07T10:23:00.003+03:00

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin will open on December 3, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia – on March 5, and Latvian composer Bruno Skulte’s The Werevolwes – on June 3.

The ballet production A Midsummer Night’s Dream will open on October 22, and The Lady of the Camellias – on March 25.

Two highly acclaimed productions will come back in the repertoire. Enjoy Verdi’s Aida from October 7, and Puccini’s Turandot from April 15.

http://www.opera.lv/en/productions-concerts/new-productions/

Contact us to check the price and book your weekend in Riga:
http://www.lithuaniantours.com/tour-packages/city-breaks/riga-city-break/860

Autumn Season at the Estonian National Opera

2010-09-02T11:22:00.004+03:00

The 105th Autumn Season at the Estonian National Opera!

The upcoming autumn season will bring along many fascinating productions of all genres.

The first new production of the season will premiere on September 16, when the stage is set for one of the gems among the works of Imre Kálmán – the operetta Die Csárdásfürstin in a classically dazzling version by Mart Sander. “I am trying to stage a show that sends a modern message despite its visual side being pronouncedly, almost ridiculously old-fashioned” (M. Sander).

On October 29, the theatre will celebrate the premiere of Puccini’s La bohème, one of the most beloved operas ever, directed by Ran Arthur Braun from Israel. Young, cheerful, careless and passionate bohemians enjoy life and its intricate turns sparkled with love, hope, despair and wild Parisian life-rhythm to the fullest.

The concert performance of Bellini’s stunningly beautiful opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi will premiere on November 11, conducted by Arvo Volmer. The libretto of the opera is not based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but on several Italian pieces of literature, mainly Luigi Scevola’s play Giulietta e Romeo.

On December 3, the spectators are treated to a brand new stage production of The Nutcracker directed by Ben Stevenson, one of the key figures of American ballet. Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music takes the viewer with Clara to the magical world of sweets, the Mouse King, toy soldiers, flying chefs, the giant Christmas tree, Christmas evening and dancing.

The traditional New Year’s Eve Ball of the Estonian National Opera, directed by Arne Mikk and Thomas Edur, will be held on December 31. This time, the etudes of the ball have been inspired by George Gershwin’s music and there will be several nice surprises for the guests.

More information: www.opera.ee

Please call us to choose your stay in Tallinn

Tallinn 2011 presents new logo and slogan

2010-08-28T01:38:00.003+03:00

Estonian culture foundation Tallinn 2011 presented new logo and slogan.

The slogan sounds "Kultuur kutsub" meaning "Culture Calls" and it is aimed to speak to the audience and tell that the next year Tallinn is the symbol of European culture. The marketing logo and slogan were developed by Midfield Ltd.

As reported, total costs of the project Tallinn 2011 are 17.5 million euros. This sum includes all expenses related to the organization and implementation of the event, i.e. marketing, management, promotional and other costs. Initially, two times larger sum was intended for this purpose, but in course of deterioration of economic situation costs have been decreased dramatically; nevertheless, as organizers pointed out, the quality of the event has not decreased due to the lesser finance.

Various events are planned in Tallinn next year – Maritime Museum opening in June 2011, Urban projects, Tallinn Marathon, Tallinn Song and Dance Festival, Tallinn Maritime Days with a regatta, demonstration of ancient ships, theatre plays and a fish market, MIM Goes Sustainable, European Film Academy Awards Gala Presentation, No 99 Straw Theater – a huge house built of straw, the works for this object have started in March and are going to conclude in May, Plektrum and Tallinn Music Week mainly intended for the younger audience, Surprises and ideas, including such creative events as reading-out loud of books in public transport to attract passengers' attention and involve them in exciting world of books, graffiti events, outdoor posters, printing shirts' classes, Christmas Market, and offer of souvenirs, related to Tallinn 2011.

http://www.tallinn2011.ee/eng

Un weekend à Kaunas.

2010-08-23T23:36:00.003+03:00

Kaunas, deuxième ville en Lituanie (environ 420 000 habitants) se trouve au confluent du Niémen et de la Neris. La ville fut fondée au XIII ème siècle et fut la première ville fortifiée. A partir du XV ème siècle, Kaunas devient une ville marchande importante avec son port fluvial.

Entre 1920 et 1940 Kaunas fut la capitale provisoire de Lituanie.

La vieille ville de Kaunas séduit par ses tours médiévales restaurées et l’Hôtel de Ville de style baroque, appelé « le Cygne Blanc ». Quelques bâtiments, originaux et bien conservés, se distinguent dans la vieille ville : l’église de Vytautas, ou la maison de Perkunas, ancienne maison de négociants, construite à la fin du XV ème siècle.
L’avenue centrale, Laisvés Aléja, une des plus belles de Lituanie, est entièrement piétonne.
Non loin du lac artificiel de Kaunas (Kauno marios), se trouve le monastère de Pažaislis, un chef d’œuvre baroque du XVII ème siècle. Un festival de musique classique s’y organise chaque été.

De nombreux musées sont visités à Kaunas, dont les plus populaires sont le musée des beaux-arts de M.K. Čiurlionis, du nom du plus grand artiste lituanien, le musée Vytautas de la Grande Guerre, le musée des Diables, unique au monde, avec une collection de plus de 3000 statuettes représentant Lucifer, le musée de Fort N˚9, construit sous l’Empire tsariste, pour la défense des frontières occidentales, mais transformé en prison par les nazis pendant la guerre et ensuite en camp de concentration.

Kaunas est une ville étudiante avec ses 5 écoles supérieures, et une ville sportive, où s’entraîne l’équipe de basket-ball de haut niveau « Žalgiris » où jouait Arvydas Sabonis, un basketteur mondialement connu.
La ville possède des infrastructures et services bien développés : plusieurs catégories d’hôtels et des maisons d’hôtes, de nombreux restaurants et cafés, ainsi que plusieurs night clubs.

Pour plus d’informations : www.kaunas.lt

Notre offre spéciale:
http://www.lithuaniantours.com/offres-sp%C3%A9ciales/week-end-%C3%A0-kaunas/895

Bienvenue sur notre site d‘informations www.lithuaniantours.com/fr, finalement en français!

2010-07-13T17:08:00.003+03:00

Souvent « mis dans le même sac », les trois Pays Baltes et leurs capitales sont si différents que vous aurez vraiment le sentiment d'être parti pour un grand voyage de découverte de cette partie de l'Europe, encore si méconnue à l’Occident.

Trois nations, trois langues, trois cultures, trois monnaies… et la même envie de liberté et de reconnaissance.

Les titres des capitales parlent pour eux-mêmes : Vilnius baroque, Riga Art Nouveau, Tallinn médiévale…

Les Pays Baltes!!! La Lituanie, la Lettonie, l'Estonie!

Bienvenue sur notre site d‘informations www.lithuaniantours.com/fr, finalement en français! où vous pouvez faire connaissance avec nos pays, nos coutumes, nos traditions et surtout vous pouvez découvrir les possibilités touristiques, nos programmes et les offres spéciales.

Jurmala - Europe's best tourist destination in Latvia

2010-07-09T10:56:00.007+03:00

The seaside resort city of Jurmala has just received recognition as Europe’s best tourist destination in Latvia. All visitors to Riga are cordially invited to travel there, as it is only a half-hour train trip from downtown Riga.

The “European Destinations of Excellence” – EDEN honours in Latvia this year go to Jurmala. The EDEN competition this year, organised by the European Commission, had as its theme “Tourism and Water Resources”, and of all the projects from Latvia, Jurmala’s was deemed the best: “Jurmala Resort City – Peninsula on Water”.

Jurmala was chosen the winner taking into account its activities in the tourism sector, and use of water resources in offering new tourism products. They are certainly versatile, beginning with white sand beaches with upgraded infrastructure, lakes and rivers, fishing, boat rides, water-parks, and ending with more sophisticated tourism services such as balneotherapy and talasotherapy.

Jurmala will now be able to use the EDEN trademark, thereby boosting promotion in the mass media and tourist booklets/guide books. The resort city will be presented at the European Tourism Forum and the all-nations EDEN winners’ exhibition in Brussels.

All about Jurmala and its tourist attractions and projects in eight languages at: www.jurmala.lv

Beer Guide Latvia

2010-07-02T13:38:00.001+03:00

In order to become better acquainted with beer brewed in Riga and elsewhere in Latvia, the history of breweries and what’s new today – you need “Beer Guide Latvia”, which is updated regularly.

A trusty assistant for all who want to know and enjoy one of Latvia’s national beverages, “Beer Guide Latvia” describes the 15 breweries and over 80 brands. It is a non-commercial venture in English for the portal www.labsalus.lv , created by beer and drinking tradition expert Atis. The guide can be found here: http://dzerualu.wordpress.com/beerguide/

Since “Beer Guide Latvia” is an electronic publication, it is constantly improved and updated with the latest developments in Latvia’s “beer world”.
Besides information on the many brands, one can also find out where they can be purchased, all about brewery tours, beer prices.

Riga has three breweries – the biggest one - “Aldaris”, and two micros - “Lido” and “Brūveris”.

Also, check out the TOP 5 list of “must taste” beers, based on expert evaluation. Heading the list right now is the dark stout “Porteris”, made by “Aldaris”.

LES BONNES RAISONS POUR VENIRE EN LITUANIE!

2010-05-18T23:45:00.005+03:00

De riches pages d’histoire urbaine

Vilnius est imprégné de catholicisme et fier de ses églises considérées par beaucoup comme les plus belles du monde (notamment par Napoléon).

Les côtes de la mer Baltique
Le charme de Klaipeda, la beauté sauvage des dunes de la lagune de Courlande, les superbes stations thermales et balnéaires de Palanga ... Autant de raisons qui incitent le visiteur à parcourir les plages de sable fin de la Baltique. A noter qu’en été, la température de l’eau peut franchir la barre des 20°C et qu’on peut donc s’y baigner !

Une nature préservée
Une bonne qualité environnementale de l’air, de l’eau et des sols, et l’existence de zones interdites à l’activité humaine – soit par décision stratégique de l’époque soviétique, soit en raison de la difficulté de cultiver certaines terres , tout concourt à ce que la région soit le dernier conservatoire de nombreuses espèces animales et végétales.

Proximité et diversité
La Lituanie est un petit pays. Par conséquent, tout est proche : la plupart des sites sont à moins de deux heures de route les uns des autres. Cette proximité n’empêche pas une grande diversité de paysages (des dunes de Nida au nombreux lacs d’Aukštaitija, en passant par le Vilnius baroque), d’ethnies, de langues et dialectes, ou encore de coutumes.

Un musée vivant de l’Europe préchrétienne et médiévale
Evangélisés (de gré ou de force) tardivement et superficiellement, les Lituaniens ont résisté à leur manière à la christianisation. Résistance passive, intégration des mythes chrétiens dans la croyance fondamentale indo-européenne jusqu’au syncrétisme, détournement des modalités de culte, tous les moyens furent bons pour conserver leur héritage préchrétien jusqu’à nos jours. Ce qui nous permet aujourd’hui d’y découvrir des traditions, des coutumes et des formes de culte anciennes.

Une excellente qualité de vie
Elle est due principalement aux nombreuses activités et manifestations culturelles organisées dans les grandes villes. Mais également au fait que la nature tient une place privilégiée dans le cœur des Lituaniens, qui lui ont ainsi permis de s’épanouir jusque dans le centre de leurs villes.

Une communication aisée
Elle est tout à fait possible en anglais, en russe, en polonais ou en allemand. La petite taille du pays favorisant adaptation et changement rapides, les citoyens apprennent les langues étrangères avec aisance. Essayez de parler français et vous pourriez bien avoir une agréable surprise.

New Musical Generation SUMMER FESTIVAL & ACADEMY

2010-05-06T16:47:00.002+03:00

“New Musical Generation” is presenting its first summer festival and academy, July 7-17, 2010, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Each evening, some of the most talented young musicians from all over the world will perform solo or chamber music concerts and, during the day, they will teach festival academy students at master classes and individual lessons.

This festival is an ideal environment for young professionals to connect with and learn from established professionals and preeminent musicians who can be influential in their career path.

“New Musical Generation” constantly searches for young and talented musicians and later promotes them on an international scale. Therefore, if it discovers outstanding students at the festival academy, there is a strong possibility that it will include them in future concert series.

Performers and teachers will be the winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (2007), sensational pianist Miroslav Kultyshev; pianists Ingolf Wunder, Alexei Grynyuk, Igor Lovchinsky, Kasparas Uinskas, Darius Mažintas, and Aidas Puodžiukas; violinist and artistic director of the world famous B. Britten International Music Competition, Dima Tkachenko; violinist and assistant of prof. Z. Bron, Alexander Gilman; violinist and assistant of prof. P. Amoyal, Andrey Baranov; and phenomenal guitarist from Holland, Wim den Herder.

More information about the festival – www.nmgfestival.com

Festival place: Šokio teatras (Dance Theatre), T. Kosciuškos g. 11, Vilnius.

Festival date: 7-17 July, 2010

Reval Hotels rebrand to Radisson Blu and Park Inn

2010-04-21T17:25:00.003+03:00

Linstow, the Norwegian real estate developer for 10 Reval Hotels in the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Russia, announces management agreement with The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide. The agreement between Linstow and Rezidor will come into effect on June 1, 2010 and includes 3 hotels in Riga, 2 hotels in Tallinn, 2 hotels in Vilnius, and 1 hotel in each Kaunas, Klaipeda and St. Petersburg – adding a total of 2,367 rooms to Rezidor’s portfolio. 6 hotels will be rebranded as Radisson Blu and 4 as Park Inn.

Reval Hotel Latvija in Riga/Latvia (571 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu
Reval Hotel Elizabete in Riga/Latvia (228 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu
Reval Hotel Ridzene in Riga/Latvia (95 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu
Reval Hotel Olümpia in Tallinn/Estonia (390 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu
Reval Hotel Central in Tallinn/Estonia (245 rooms) will become a Park Inn
Reval Hotel Lietuva in Vilnius/Lithuania (291 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu
Reval Inn Vilnius in Vilnius/Lithuania (84) will become a Park Inn
Reval Hotel Neris in Kaunas/Lithuania (206 rooms) will become a Park Inn
Reval Inn Klaipeda in Klaipeda/Lithuania (84 rooms) will become a Park Inn
Reval Hotel Sonya in St Petersburg/Russia (173 rooms) will become a Radisson Blu and be Rezidor’s second property of this brand in town.

New ELIT Events Baltic website launched

2010-04-20T11:34:00.003+03:00

ELIT Events Baltic is Lithuanian Tours Ltd trade mark adopted for sevices provided in MICE sector. ELIT Events Baltic was introduced in 2005 and many successful international projects have been implemented since then.

The new website aims to deliver information about our services and destinations in a most convenient way for our clients and visitors. Here we introduce our destinations, reports on our services as well as our portfolio of events organised in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Find out how we can help you to organize your best event in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia and do not hesitate to contact us.

Vilnius City Card 2010

2010-04-06T12:29:00.003+03:00

La "Vilnius City Card" - d`une durée de 24 heures ou de de 72 heures - offre aux touristes la possibilité d`utiliser les transports en commun de la ville (autobus et trolleybus), de visiter gratuitement les musées ou encore d`obtenir des réductions dans les parcs ou pour des visites guidées. Elle offre en outre des réductions dans les restaurants, les cafés, les hôtels, les boutiques de souvenirs.

Proposée à 15€ (24 heures) ou 32€ (72 heures) la carte peut s`acheter dans tous les offices de tourisme de Vilnius et sur internet:

http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=170

Testez vos connaissances sur la Lituanie et gagnez un voyage!

2010-03-29T13:17:00.003+03:00

A l'occassion du Vingtième anniversaire du recouvrement de l'Indépendance de la République de Lituanie le 11 mars 2010, le Ministère des Affaires étrangères de la République de Lituanie a créé une page internet intitulée "Croyons en la Liberté", offrant au public étranger la possibilité de revenir sur l'histoire de la Lituanie et plus particulièrement les moments et les faits qui ont ramené le pays vers l'Indépendance en 1990.

A cette occasion, un quiz de 15 questions est proposé aux internautes à l'adresse suivante:

http://quiz.mfa.lt

Les heureux gagnants se verront remettre un séjour de 4 jours pour 2 personnes en Lituanie.
Jouez nombreux!

2010-03-09T11:36:00.006+02:00

Lithuanian Tours Welcomed Italian Partners in Vilnius

On March 5-7 Lithuanian Tours arranged a Familiarisation trip for Italian partners.

With the busy summer season quickly approaching we decided to invite a group of Italian tour operators and agents to Vilnius so that they have an opportunity to get first hand experience of what the city has to offer in order to be able to promote Vilnius and Lithuania in the best possible way. Among travel professionals there were our old partners as well as the new ones who have strong plans to introduce new destination for them. The group also included Mr Alberto Caspani, a journalist from Travel Quotidiano. To all of them that was their first trip to Vilnius. During the 3-day trip the agents visited a number of hotels, restaurants, bars, saw the main tourist and cultural sites in Vilnius. Several guests were impressed by extent of Vilnius’ cultural heritage and expressed surprise at the wide choice of hotels and restaurants. The trip would have been incomplete without visiting the famous Kaziukas (St Casimir) Fair which was the best way to get acquainted with Lithuanian folk traditions, crafts and hospitality.

Lithuanian Tours would like to thank to Mr Andrzej Kawalek from Polish Airlines office in Milan, Vilnius Municipality Tourism Department, Hotel Artis, Hotel Mabre, Hotel Narutis, restaurants Stikliu Alude and Pegasus for their kind support and sponsorship of the trip.

Roy's farewell

2010-02-01T10:22:00.004+02:00

Labukas!
It is most 6 months ago since I took alone the bus in Amsterdam to Vilnius for, what I would call it’ ‘My little adventure’.

Let’s start from the beginning. My name is Roy, I am from The Netherlands. I am 19 years old and study Tourism Management at INHolland University in Amsterdam. For my work placement (internship) in my 3’rd year I had go and find a work placement for 5 months in a tourism company. I chose to do it in Lithuania for ‘Lithuanian Tours’.

Although I had never been in Lithuania, but for already 3 years I am dreaming of visiting Lithuania, so this was a great opportunity for me to come here. I think the most asked question in the last year would be: ‘Why Lithuania?’ A really concrete answer I can not give, but it’s more like a feeling. There is something about this country & culture that attracts me so much. People from The Netherlands don’t really know Lithuania. They most probably know it’s a country somewhere the Eastern part of Europe, but don’t know if it’s still a part of Russia, or maybe it’s a country together with Estonia and Latvia, my impression was also that most of the people don’t even care about it.

My goal was also to promote this beautiful country to The Netherlands. After a long journey of 32 hours I finally arrived in Vilnius. I was surprised how it looked. The combination of the architecture of the past and new modern buildings was really impressive. The first month I signed up for a Lithuanian language course for beginners at Vilnius Pedagogical University. During this month I learned some basic words and sentences to not to get lost and get myself around in Vilnius. I also visited with them some of the most touristic places in Lithuania like Trakai, Grutas Parkas and Nida with them.

After this month I started working for Lithuanian tours as a student-sales manager. My tasks were as following: Research of Dutch market. Selling tours to the Baltic States; introduction letters; sales calls to product/area managers, news letters; preparation of special Low Season offers. Pricing of tour programs for Lithuanian Tours Sales Manual 2010: FIT and group packages in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Belarus and Kaliningrad region. Daily correspondence with Lithuanian Tours partners and suppliers: preparation of concrete tour programs, their calculation for groups and FIT for different markets (French, USA, Chinese, Belgian, etc). Daily bookings: reservation of hotels, transportation and guides services.

During my practice here in the company I have gained a lot of work experience which have broad my knowledge about this work field. In my spare time I have also visited the capital cities of Latvia and Estonia.

In November I went to Riga. Riga had a really nice and cosy atmosphere, the centre was quite cosmopolitan and the old town reminded me of the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Brussels.

For Tallinn I had higher expectations since the city is known for its modern image and a lot of people often compare it with a Scandinavian city, I don’t agree with that statement at all. The old town was very small but really beautiful medieval and I found the city centre well let’s say the least attractive from the Baltic capitals.

I have seen quite a lot from Lithuania, the cities I have visited are: Trakai, Aukštadvaris, Kaunas, Nida, Telšiai, Rusnė, Nida, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Anykščai, Biržai and Druskininkai. But the city I like the most is of course Vilnius! My worst memory of Vilnius was that they were checking tickets in the trolleybus and I forgot my student ID-card. I had to leave the bus alone and they took me to a small bus. I don’t think I have ever been so scared like that. No person who spoke English and I didn’t know what to do. Luckily everything ended well :).

I can not say what my most beautiful memory was because I have so many! Partying with my friends and exploring the country are surely among those. I would like to thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to work together with them and taking care of me these last 5 months. With tears in my eyes I will say goodbye to Lithuania, but I’m 100% sure that I soon will return.

Su Meilė,

Roy Ramlal

Slow Food and Farmer`s Market in Riga

2009-11-25T12:42:00.002+02:00

The market place that has in recent years acquired almost the status of a cult object is the Green Market (Zaļais tirdziņš) of the Bergs Bazaar (Berga bazārs).
On the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Bergs Bazaar is home to the only covered outdoor antique market in Riga, offering antiques, unique Latvian arts and crafts and a variety of other fascinating souvenirs from the past.
In addition, you will find Slow Food Farmer`s market, where you can purchase local, traditional and seasonal produce and products, home-baked bread, cured and smoked meat and fish and homemade cheese.

Next dates in 2009: 28. November; 12., 26. December.

More info: http://www.bergabazars.lv/eng/home/

New portal about Vilnius

2009-11-12T10:32:00.005+02:00

Vilnius By Night - brand new portal about culture and services in Vilnius. Started a month ago in Lithuanian it has English version already. The portal has nice design and comfortable browsing. All the major sights and culture events are presented. We would wish to have better selection of restaurants but the site is just one month old.
Here you can find what to do in Vilnius and what to see. Call us when you are persuaded to come to Vilnius.

Lithuanian Tours fam trip to West Lithuania

2009-10-05T15:44:00.016+03:00

When the season comes to the end we visit regions within Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to update our knowledge on destination and services that our clients can obtain there. This year trip lead us to Nemunas delta and Curonian Spit (Neringa Municipality).
We started from Rusne - the town on an island formed by different roots of Nemunas delta. This is area with unique history influenced by Germans, Lithuanians and even Norvegians who settled here at the end of 19th century to organize timber sales that was rafted by Nemunas.
After taking introduction to Rusne history we went to Banys Farm Museum where we saw the lifestyle of original inhabitants of the area. Apart from the museum there's nice dining hall made in the barn so it's easy to organize ethnic dinner for tour group prepared by local farmers and fishermen.
Next stop was visit to herbalist farm where we were introduced to healthy way of life preparing and drinking local herbal teas and understanding nature harmony better.
The big attraction of exploring Nemunas delta is boat trips on different branches of the river and entering Curonian Lagoon. The area is famous for millions of birds stopping here in the spring and autumn. Here gather together up to 25% of world population of some species of ducks. There are 163 species of birds that can be seen in the delta.
We started our boating from Uostadvaris village pier. We visited Kroku lanka lagoon and Minija village - Lithuanian Venice where you can see old fishermen houses and big exposition of tour boats that are used to cruise Nemunas delta and Curonian Lagoon. And we enjoyed curved waterways relaxing and watching fishermen trying to catch their dinner.

We had overnight at Ventaine Hotel - small establishment on Curonan Lagoon at Vente village. There is regular boat connection from here to Nida during summer season. This place is also popular among Lithuanian wind surfers - we watched finish of Lithuanian wind surfing tournament.
Next morning started with Vente Cape Ornithology Station where we watched bird ringing and observed Curonian Lagoon from Vente Cape Lighthouse.
The big challenge of the day was Curonian Lagoon crossing on our tour boat. Despite of rather wavy surface nobody of us get sea sickness and we just enjoyed wind and water play.
We didn't go on Nida sightseeing (we know it too well) and this time we took a bike ride from Juodkrante to Smiltyne (a part of Klaipeda on the Curonian Spit). We enjoyed a great views from specially installed biking trail and some of us even had a swim in an autumn Baltic sea.
Considering services in the area we were totally satisfied - meals were great and local (have you ever tasted eel soup?), our boat was in a good shape and captain was helpfull and friendly. Hotel was adequate and had sauna, jacuzzi and small swimming pool so we coud warm up well after the boat trip.
More information on the area you can get on Silute tourist information center and Nida tourist information center websites.
More pictures you can see on flickr.
And don't forget to book a Lithuanian seaside trip from Lithuanian Tours website.

Weekend in Klaipeda

2009-08-18T15:26:00.013+03:00

When summer is resuming we took a trip to Lithuanian seacoast. Saturday morning 300 kilometer trip was fine, not so big trafic and road repair not too much annoying.

We checked in at Old Mill Hotel. I like this one because of location. It is 3 star hotel but perfectly located - at Klaipeda port where Dane River enter Curonian lagoon. Hotel constructors very vicely installed big windows so we could enjoy bypassing ferries, yahts, cargo ships and small local boats. Standard room is more spacious than majority of 4 star hotels in the Baltics and we had no complains about shower, room furniture or anything else. Breakfast for the next day was adequate, I had my favorite omelet with bacon and there was good selection of fruits and all the rest food selection was appealing.
Taken care of accommodation we went exploring Klaipeda. The hotel is in the Old Town of Klaipeda so it is easy to get to the major attractions. We didn't go this time to the museums that are abundant in the city. We just strolled coblestone streets of old Klaipeda untill we reached the most famous ship in town - Meridianas which is converted into the restaurant now. Unfortunately it was closed so we picked other favorite restaurant Stora Antis (Fat Duck).
It's a great small cellar place: Russian cuisine with Lithuanian interpretation. Very tasty dishes fish, seafood, pork and beef but be carefull - the dishes are gigant so you might feel full after the starter.
Being near the sea one shoud look at the coast especially considering nice weather that we had. So we decided to try some new location and we took street leading to Giruliai and parked jist a kilometer after bypassing Giruliai (suburb of Klaipeda. What a nice spot - wide sandy beach, not crowded and why not to enjoy the Baltic waves.

We had barbeque on the seacoast for the dinner enjoying sunset and waves washing the beach.
We decided to visit dolphinarium on Sunday. It is on the Curonian Spit edge where Curonian Lagoon joins the Baltic sea. The dophinarium is part of the Klaipeda Sea Museum which is installed in former fort that was protecting gates of Klaipeda harbour. So one can enjoy watching the sea life and exploring old fortification. Dolphinarium is famous not only for dolphin and sea lion show but also for adopting dolphins to healing some diseases like autism and others. We enjoyed the show and went to the sea coast. You have to walk for a kilometer through the forest but the beach is one of the most enjoyable on Lithuanian sea coast.

We didn't go this time to Neringa resort so we'll post report on this great area later.

After taking the ferry back we had lunch at my favorite Kurpiai restaurant and headed home. Kurpiai is famous for live jazz and rock shows where the best musicians perform. Concerts start at 8PM.

Here are more links to web resources on Lithuanian sea coast:

Pictures of the area can be seen on flickr

Klaipeda tourist office website

Palanga tourist office website

Nice website of Klaipeda Sea Museum but Lithuanian only

Lithuania Minor Museum including The Castle Museum

And you can book your weekend in Klaipeda at our website

The Baltic Way have been added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register

2009-08-03T14:42:00.002+03:00

The Baltic Way - Human Chain Linking Three States in their Drive for Freedom (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania): Documents recording the 600 km long human chain formed in the three Baltic States on 23 August 1989 to mark the 50th anniversary of the German-Soviet pact of non-aggression of 1939 and its secret protocol. It was a unique and peaceful demonstration that united the three countries in their drive for freedom.
More information on UNESCO's Memory of the World available at UNESCO website.

Better access to Vilnius with Aer Lingus

2009-07-30T11:16:00.003+03:00

Irish Aer Lingus connected Dublin and Vilnius this year with flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Starting September 10th Aer Lingus will open route London (Gatvick) - Vilnius.

EI 978 –Tue-Thu-Sat- LGW VNO 17:20 22:05 from 10/09/2009 to 24/10/2009
EI 979 -Tue-Thu-Sat- VNO LGW 22:45 23:35 from 10/09/2009 to 24/10/2009

Starting from October 25th

EI 978 daily LGW VNO 07:00 11:45

EI 979 daily VNO LGW 12:25 13:15

Flight booking online is going on.

Don't miss opportunity to have your great weekend in Lithuania. Please contact Lithuanian Tours to offer you activities and arrange your stay.

Star 1 Airlines - a New Airline Company in Lithuania

2009-06-18T10:03:00.005+03:00

New Lithuanian airline company Star 1 Airlines is starting flights from Vilnius to London (Stansted), Dublin and Girona (Barcelona).

The airline will operate 4 weekly flights to London starting from 3rd July, 3 weekly flights to Dublin, from 4th July and 2 weekly flights to Girona (Barcelona) from 5th July.
Ticket sales started on company website.

Lithuania is not closing - update

2009-06-15T17:10:00.005+03:00

Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association action on June 11th brought particular success. Chairman of Lithuanian Parlament (Seimas) Mr. Arunas Valinskas met the President of Association Mrs. Evalda Siskauskiene and promissed to pay more attention to tourism development needs including some iniciatives to amend legislation in favor of tourism.
Hotel and restaurant guests were hosted with sparkling wine during the action in most of the establishments. Emploees of restaurants and hotels were explaining the goals of this event and received strong support from their customers.

Hotel Tauras in Palanga (on the picture) created cozy atmosphere for it's guests using candle lights.

Next action is sheduled on June 29th.

Lithuania is not closing

2009-06-11T14:30:00.003+03:00

Don't get scared if you will see this poster in Lithuania at the hotel or restaurant tonight.

Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association is holding protest against tax increase in Lithuania. Tonight from 10PM untill midnight illumination at the hotels and restaurants will be reduced and candle light will be used instead of electricity. The Association announces that 223 entreprises from Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys, Palanga, Druskininkai and other cities will join the action.

The goal of the activity is to attract National Government attention to dangerous situation in the hospitality sector. The Government is increasing taxes like VAT (from 5% to 19%), real estate and excise taxes while reducing Government investments into Lithuanian tourism marketing. It caused not only reduced numbers of tourists visiting Lithuania (drop expected within 12% and more) but also a danger for many hospitality companies to go bankrupt.

The action will be repeated on June 29th and July 5th.

We support our colleagues but we are also concerned that our clients would not suffer from the activity of our suppliers. We hope that our customers staying at the hotels and dinind at the restaurants will understand that hospitality sector action is not directed against them. We also hope that this surprise will add some extra spice charm while visiting Lithuania.

Happy Birthday Dovile

2009-06-08T10:14:00.004+03:00

Dovile Miliskeviciene has joined our team in March 2005. She is taking care of German speaking markets and other individual clients.

Dovile is dutiful and thorough, polite and minduful so when she is in charge our clients never complains. Dovile communicates with the clients in full confidence and attention to the customer needs.

Apart from beiing passionate emploee Divile is our bowling star. She was a member of our bowling team at Lithuanian Tourism Association championships since 2006 and due to her efforts our team is constantly winning 2nd or 3rd position at least.

See what our customers are telling about Dovile and other colleagues.

Happy Birthday Arūnas

2009-05-30T10:29:00.001+03:00

Executive Director Arunas Sarka is one of the founders of Lithuanian Tours and started working at the company on February 1992. Veteran of our team Arunas is the best hotel whizz communicating with our suppliers and always reaching the stage when both sides are satisfied.

Knowing hospitality industry better than anyone else in Lithuania Arunas is the great mentor for the colleagues and even hoteliers are frequent for his advice.

Arunas is the greatest sportsman at Lithuanian Tours. He plays basketball and football, his latest hobby - windsurfing, the activity that he joined with the passion like he does everything else.

Wellness tourism in Lithuania - Druskininkai resort

2009-05-27T15:24:00.010+03:00

Many people in Europe enjoy having SPA vacation in the world renowned resorts but not many know that there are excellent opportunities to enjoy nature, have treatment procedures and go back home re-charged and with great experiences from resorts in Lithuania.
Druskininkai is the most famous resort town in Lithuania, counting its resort history since 1794 when King of Poland Stanislaw Augustus Poniatowski declared Druskininkai to be the health resort. It was natural mineral water springs and curative peat mud deposits that made the area famous. Besides, Druskininkai and its vicinity are one of the cleanest areas in Lithuania. There is no heavy industry nearby and even agriculture is limited. Druskininkai is just several kilometers South from Dzukija National Park.
These resources have extremely strong support from the hospitality industry. Multiple SPA’s and hotels offer varied medical and wellness products, and the guest can choose exactly what is the best for his health or soul. We recommend staying at 4* Druskininkai hotel where waterpark fun is included into hotel room price. Another great option is Vilnius SPA, a 4* hotel wilth great spa and conference center. For sure there are more nice choices to stay and relax in Druskininkai.
There are a lot things to do in Druskininkai. There are two water parks in the town. The bigger one -Druskininkai Water Park – offers 18 different baths alone and a great variety of water park attractions. Guests can take a slow and relaxing boat trip to Liskiava – beautiful landscape area with one of the most impressive baroque masterpiece – the Church of the Holy Trinity.
Pedestrian walkways along the Nemunas river banks and through the pine forests, bicycle routes (bicycles can be rented at any resort or hotel), even nice villages and towns around Druskininkai for a day trip by private car – in short, there are plentiful of activities to meet various interests of visitors.
Grutas Park in the outskirts of Druskininkai, is yet another unique attraction exhibiting Soviet memorabilia and sculptures outsdoors. There visitors can not only get acquainted with the “socialist realism” art, but also get a better understanding about the brainwash in the Soviet Union.
Please find more information at Druskininkai Tourist Information Center.

To book your trip to Druskininkai please go to:
Wellness packages
Alternative Escape in the Nature
Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to improve your own or your clients’ health in Druskininkai!

Happy Birthday Jurgita

2009-05-26T13:00:00.004+03:00

Our colleague Jurgita Pavilionyte is celebrating her birthday today. She is with Lithuanian Tours since September 1997 and manages our individual clients with passion and attention to the customer needs. Being one of the company most experienced persons she is always dedicated and self confident managing bookings and friendly with the colleagues and our partners.

If you don't know exactly what you would like to see in Lithuania, if you are not sure which hotel to choose or how to get to your desired destination Jurgita is the one that can advise and prepare your vacation package so that your trip to Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia will be unforgettable.

Please find our what our clients say about Jurgita and other colleagues.

Tour in Lithuania out of beaten track

2009-05-21T13:14:00.017+03:00

Lithuania is not a very popular country so majority of people having vacation in Lithuania choose the most popular sites, such as Vilnius, seacoast or Druskininkai and Birstonas resorts. Nevertheless, Lithuania has much more to offer and there are attractive places that even not many Lithuanians can boast to have seen them. There are 30 regional parks in Lithuania established in picturesque landscape areas, protecting flora and fauna and open for tourists to visit. Seeking to know better our area we visited 3 regional parks – Dubysa Regional Park in Central Lithuania, Pagramantis Regional Park situated nearby and Nemunas Delta Regional Park in West Lithuania on the shore of Curonian Lagoon.

Dubysa Regional Park
The park is situated in Northern part of Raseiniai region and we visited Jukainiai forest geomorphologic preserve and Molavenai hill fort complex managed by the regional park administration. Traveling on Vilnius- Klaipeda highway, about 190 kilometers from Vilnius one can take a right exit to Vidukle Railroad Station and following the road signs reach the Jukainiai Forest.
The main attraction is the Jukainiai Forest – the remaining part of sacred Lithuanian pagan oak forest where a pleasant walkway is installed with wooden sculptures, comfortable arbors and benches for tired people to rest. Part of the track runs across a small swamp with very picturesque forest surrounding it.
A lot of tourists visit the Hill of Witches near Juodkrante famous for a nice walkway decorated with local craftsmen’s sculptures. Compared to it, the Jukainiai Forest we found even more attractive.
Molavenai Hill Forts is yet another chapter of Lithuania’s history – once wooden castles protecting local farmers from Teutonic knights stood here. When visiting such sites one tries to imagine how one could survive and fight back enemies heavily armed on that small piece of land.
Last but not least, highlighting this area is the famous Vidukle dumplings (kind of ravioli) that you can order at local restaurants near the preserve. One centimeter diameter balls covered with fried bacon are just incredible.

Pagramantis Regional Park
Taking from Vilnius Klaipeda highway to Taurage (34 kilometers) and then on to Silale road after 15 kilometers one reaches Pagramantis village. Situated on the confluence of rivers Jura and Akmena the hamlet is surrounded by hill forts and forests.
The main attraction of Pagramantis Regional Park is a swamp walkway nearby the Jura river. Walking among small pines you can feel like you are far North with no civilization around. There are cranberry-fields and sundews occasionally hunting for flies. And the sky is so high… Another nice place worth seeing is Nightingale Valley, ideal place for picnics on The Akmena river bank.

Nemunas Delta Regional Park
A novel can be written on what one can do in the delta of the Nemunas River. Located some 40 kilometers South from Klaipeda, this is the largest regional park in Lithuania. The park borders with Russia and about 1/3 of the Nemunas Delta belongs to Kaliningrad Region of Russian Federation.
This is a kingdom of birds and water. The most famous is Ornithological Station at Vente Cape – the place where birds rest during their spring and autumn migration. But birds nest here during other seasons as well.
Silute, the centre of the region, boasts a new harbor opened last year to make boat trips along delta routes and channels more comfortable.
Rusne Island-town is an old fishermen center where the best smoked fish in Lithuania can be purchased. Thousands of Lithuanians come to Rusne in early spring to fish cucumber smelling smelt. Polder museum at Uostadvaris exhibits historical machines used to regulate water level during floods.
Unique village on the Minija River became the largest yacht harbour in the area, and many boat trips start or end here. Do not get confused by the restaurant name Minges Egzotika. The food is much better than the name – local fish and especially fish soup served here are outstanding. And, of course, you are likely to find another swamp walkway here.
As local Woodward says, there is no point in going on an hour trip to the swamp – you need a full day to explore local animals, settlements, rare plants and small lakes. You just need to have very high fisherman boots and a good local guide. Incredible experience and maybe some wet dress are guaranteed.
Not to miss small hotels in this area – they all are related to water – be it Curonian lagoon or Minija River or any branch of the Nemunas delta. And it is a feast for fish dishes lovers. I
f you are seeking for records – second largest thuja in Europe grows at Kintai – locals say that it is just a few hundred years old and it will stand for another thousand years!

Please find more information about the park on Nemunas Delta Regional Park Website and Silute Tourist Information Centre.

Call us to make your trip arrangements!

Probably the Best View from Radisson SAS Tallinn Lounge

2009-05-21T09:42:00.002+03:00

Radisson SAS Tallinn Hotel Director of Sales and Marketing Mr Bastian Gaerner has visited our office recently. According his words Radisson SAS Tallinn hotel is one of the top choices for business and leisure travel accommodation in Tallinn. More than that the view from Radisson SAS Tallinn Lounge situated on 24th floor has the best view in the Baltic countries. Our guests enjoy this hotel but there are some other hotels with that outstanding view in Riga and Vilnius.