Charming Lithuania Tour in 6 Days

Day 1: Arrival 

Arrival to Vilnius and private transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Vilnius. 

Day 2: Vilnius guided walking tour, self guided Trakai

Today your guide will pick you up from your hotel and take you on a spectacular journey around Vilnius Old Town as well as a quirky bohemian district of Uzupis, that is a self-proclaimed republic. In this 2,5 hours walking tour You will be guided through impressive Gothic and Baroque churches, our Cathedral square, Presidential Palace, Vilnius University, Jewish Quarter. You will pass through the Gates of Dawn and City Gate remaining from medieval fortifications. You will walk the narrow streets that turn into an open air gallery called Artworks on Literatu str and finally you might get a chance to spot some locals drying their laundry in the narrowest street of Vilnius. You will visit the quirkiest and most vibrant area of Vilnius – Uzupis republic. It is home to bohemian people, who declared their independence and have their constitution – take Your passport to get a stamp! For the afternoon we prepared a few suggestions to round up your day - be it an ancient crafts workshop during which you will learn the old ways of amber, leather or ceramic processing or a flight on a hot air balloon which will definitely leave you in awe about the magnificent beauty of Lithuania’s capital. Please check the optionals section. If you would like to explore more we prepared a self guided route to Trakai which is half an hour train ride from Vilnius. Overnight in Vilnius. 

Day 3: Klaipeda

Today you will go to Klaipeda, Lithuania’s only harbour town. In the morning you will take the train to Klaipeda. A ride takes approximately 4 hours, so you will have time to gaze through the window at the green landscapes of Lithuanian countryside or sit back and relax. Upon arriving at Klaipeda you will be picked by a private transfer and brought to your local hotel. After a short rest your local guide will pick you from the hotel and take you on a 2 hours walking tour around the town. You will discover the town where German roots meet Lithuanian traditions and walk through the compact, cobblestoned Old Town to learn about its history and past as once upon a time this was a large and prosperous commercial sea port. Klaipeda is also known as the beer cradle, where the first and longest living brewery “Svyturys” is still working and offers some beer tasting tours in the brewery. You can opt for the tour and experience it yourself! Overnight in Klaipeda. 

Day 4: Curonian spit self-drive tour

The next two days will bring you to a National Geographic movie-like sceneries with dark forests, moving sand dunes and tiny villages at the UNESCO world heritage site Curonian spit peninsula and Zemaitija National park. On these days you will be free to travel at your own pace and stop in as many stops along the routes we prepared for you. In the morning you will pick up your rented car and head towards the ferry port on the way to Curonian spit. Just 5 min away on the ferry and you will be moved to a totally different world - full of nature magic and cosy settlements along the route. The main sites of the 50 km Curonian Spit peninsula are Juodkrante, Hill of Witches, Cormorant colony, Grey dunes and Nida. Juodkrante is famous for the Amber Bay - a place where amber mine was operating in the 19th century and where the famous Juodkrante amber treasure was discovered with the ancient figurines dating back to the Neolithic age. The copy of this treasure you will later see at the Amber gallery in Nida. 1 km south of Juodkrante you will pass one of the largest in Europe great cormorant and grey heron colony where an unusual setting with an apocalyptic movie-like scene is waiting for you. In fact a recent award winning documentary “Acid Forest” was filmed in this place and tells the story about this dying forest with leafless trees overtaken by thousands of ancient black birds ruining the area with their acid-fortified feces. The other stop on the way to Nida is Pervalka Grey dunes - a white sand desert that tells a story of the settlements long gone under the moving sand. Also do not miss Vecekrug dune, the highest dune of Lithuanian part of the Curonian spit. You will be gifted with 360 degrees views of the vast majestic beauty. While in Nida, you can visit a Nobel prize winning author Thomas Mann memorial museum and find out about the life and work of this famous writer. All along the way to Nida you will be following the Baltic sea coast, so if it feels tempting, you may even have a dip in the cool Baltic Sea waves. In the evening return to Klaipeda. Overnight in Klaipeda. 

Day 5: Zemaitija NP-Cold War museum

In the first half of the day you still have some time for exploring wonderful Lithuania, so we prepared a half day route to Zemaitija National park which is only one hour drive from Klaipeda. Žemaitija national park is known as the most mystical national park in Lithuania. The park territory is covered with fir forests which are populated by a huge number of protected plant and animal species; remains of ice-age plants were also found here. Not only the birds inscribed on the Red List of Lithuania breed in the park but also the birds protected in Europe, such as the hazel grouse, corncrake and whooper swan which produce a sound similar to a trumpet. The park’s jewel is the biggest and deepest lake in Žemaitija, surrounded by legends, the Lake Plateliai with its seven islands. Starting with Plateliai you can have a walk along it’s pristine lake and continue to a Sheire nature trail which will be a true delight for travelers who appreciate the natural environment and are longing for the peace of the forest. Walking on this trail you will touch untreated nature and see true forest life. Take a breath of fresh air and caress the stems of plants swaying in the wind. You will begin walking along the shore of the lake and later get into the forest where you will be accompanied by solemn trees that stretch as far as 50 meters towards the sky. Further onto the trail you will see how the surrounding nature changes from the forest to the swamped lakes and boggy landscapes. Another stop - Cold War museum (a Cold War Soviet missile base) which is a must visit while staying in the area. Built in the 1960s in secret from the Lithuanian people, the base had enough firepower to flatten most of Europe, and may have played a role in the Cuban missile crisis. There’s a small exhibition on the history of the Cold War in the Baltic countries, and on the construction and role of the base, as well as some Soviet detritus in the gift shop. In the afternoon return to Klaipeda and drop your rental car, then take a train back to Vilnius. In Vilnius you will be transferred by private car from the airport to your hotel. If you are planning to leave from a different airport than Vilnius, please let us know and we can adjust the itinerary accordingly. 

Day 6: Departure 

Today your driver will pick you from your hotel and take you to the airport.