News
New Minibus Route: Vilnius Bus Station - Vilnius International Airport A new minibus route has just started - from/ to Vilnius Bus Station to the International Vilnius Airport.
Specially marked minibuses of sixteen seats will depart from the second platform of the bus station. Passengers will find the timetable and other useful information here. Schedules are adjusted according to the airplane departure and arrival schedules. Passengers could use the Airport - Bus Station route from 7:40 A.M. to 10:40 P.M., minibuses will depart every forty minutes.
Running cost is the same as in the city minibuses - three Litas (approximately £0.75) per journey. Minibus Timetable How to get from the airport to the city centre
Vilnius First in Europe Launched Public Electric Bike "Rent and Share" Programme Vilnius became the first city in Europe to introduce a public electric bike "Rent and Share" system. The electric bicycle hire scheme, one of a series of initiatives by Vilnius Mayor Arturas Zuokas, reinforces Vilnius' goal of becoming a world leader in making the latest environment friendly transportation technologies widely available. "It's good for the people of Vilnius, it's good for our visitors and it's good for the city. I'm pleased that Vilnius has taken the lead in providing a new mode of quality public transportation which addresses urban congestion issues that all cities face. I hope that other cities will follow our lead," stated Mayor Zuokas, who recently achieved world-wide internet fame in a specially produced Public Service Announcement by the City of Vilnius highlighting parking violation problems by driving over an illegally parked car with a tank. The bikes are called "e-orange" and are detailed with bright orange stripes. They will be available for rental at four Tourism Information Centres located in the downtown and Old Town areas of Vilnius. They will cost from 3 euros for the first hour of rental with increasing hourly costs e.g. a four hour ride will cost 26 euros. A 145 euro deposit is required by credit card at the time of rental and is refunded to the renter immediately upon return of the bike to the original rental point. A built in GPS system monitors the whereabouts of the bicycles at any given time. More information is available here .  Traditional International Vilnius Marathon Starts on 11th of September!
For 8 successive years Vilnius marathon has been a sports and leisure event that involves everyone who happens to be in Vilnius city centre that day. This year professional runners and most stout-hearted track-and-field athletics fans will be able to test themselves in a traditional 42 km 195 meters marathon course while less proficient runners are invited to take part in 21 km 097 meters half-marathon. This year international Vilnius marathon is inviting groups of co-workers, friends and families to join the team competition and prove their skills and team spirit in a 4x10.550 km relay-race. Fans of track and field athletics or those who simply love exercising will be able to do so in a 4 km length „Little marathon". Participants of this event will contribute to a social action - AVON Campaign against Breast Cancer. International Vilnius marathon will bring smile to the faces of Vilnius residents and guests. Parents with their offspring will be welcomed to participate in the Me and My Family run - a friendly one kilometer race while a pushing baby buggy. The shortest but surely fun High Heels Run will invite to try your luck in 100 meters course while wearing high heels. International Vilnius marathon starts on 11th September, 10 am in Vilnius Cathedral square (T. Vrublevskio Street). Those willing to register are able to do so in the website following websites: www.vilniausmaratonas.lt and www.vilniusmarathon.lt The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta: Klaipeda, Lithuania. 18 - 21 August 2011  On 18-21 of August Klaipeda will host one of the most spectacular sailing events in the Baltics - The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta. After successfully organizing The Tall Ships Races in 2009, Klaipeda is looking forward to offer a wide variety of cultural events and concerts together with glamour of traditional tall ships and sailing yachts in 2011. Sail Training International is organising this special The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta to mark the Finnish city of Turku's year as the European Capital of Culture. The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta will be timed to follow on from The Tall Ships Races 2011 and so extend the Tall Ships festivals season into September. Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Gdynia (Poland) have agreed to join forces with Turku to create two races that will feature the cultural activities and highlights of each city. The event will start in Klaipeda from where the fleet will race to Turku and then race to Gdynia. Klaipeda is the oldest Lithuanian city, established in 1252. From historic times the town was the heart of Lithuania Minor - a region around Klaipeda - that for over six hundred years belonged to Prussia and Germany and during the Napoleonic wars, for a short period Klaipeda was the capital of Prussia. After WW1 the city was under French rule until the revolt of 1923, when Lithuania Minor was joined to Lithuania Greater. Over the centuries, not just Germans and Lithuanians, but also the Dutch, Scottish, English, Russians and many more nationalities have called Klaipeda their home. Contemporary Klaipeda is the third largest Lithuanian city and one of the most dynamically developing cities of the country, and has been bestowed with the highest European awards for international cooperation. It is a city with two universities, the largest port on the Eastern Baltic and is surrounded by unrivalled nature - the famous Curonian Spit - UNESCO natural heritage site. This year's festival will be held in two areas: "Memel City" and Cruise ships terminal. In these areas all tallships and yachts will be berthed and four days of celebration will be filled with colorful sailing crews. You're warmly welcome to entertaining events and music concerts, fairs, competitions, entertainment for children, performances of various artists and art groups. Also, you'll be invited to visit the beautiful tall ships and yachts, and feel the true spirit of a maritime city. If you have never been to Klaipeda, this will be the perfect opportunity. Ships will be berthed in the very centre of the old town with variety of museums, galleries, pubs and restaurants, shops and on top of all that - a spectacular programme! We are happy to welcome you in Klaipeda! Tall Ships are coming back! For more information on Tall Ships Regatta: http://www.tallships.lt/en/ Perfect weekend in Lithuania's seaside. 07/29-31 "Sea Festival 2011" (in Klaipėda) http://www.jurossvente.lt/ 07/29-08/14 "Nida Jazz Marathon" (in Nida) http://www.nidajazz.lt/ The organisers of Vilnius Marathon are glad to inform you that those who want to participate in the 7th International Vilnius Marathon can register for the event and begin training. This year the traditional Vilnius Marathon will take place on September 11th (Sunday). If You will arrive to Vilnius on Saturday, You will not regret as You will be able to participate in a Pasta party, which is absolutely free for marathon and half-marathon runners. Zone of start is in the very centre of Vilnius, in the Cathedral square ( Vrublevskio str.). First to start - runners of 4,2 km - 10.00 a.m. Start of Marathon and Half-marathon - 11.00 a.m. Please check : http://www.maratonas.lt/ News release - 28 February 2011 Low-cost flights to Vilnius It'll soon be easier and cheaper to visit Lithuania as two low-cost airlines open new routes to the capital city of Vilnius for the first time ever. Both Wizz Air and Ryanair will start flying to the Baltic city from this spring giving visitors and holidaymakers' greater choice and more convenience. Wizz Air will begin operations on 17 April with five flights per week from London-Luton, and two per week from Doncaster-Sheffield. Fares start at just £13 or LTL 53 one way. And in May Ryanair will start daily flights to Vilnius from London-Stansted as it adds another Lithuanian city to its schedule after Kaunas, Lithuania's second city. Director of the Lithuanian National Tourism Office Augusta Jaudegyte said: "It's great news that it's getting easier and cheaper to visit Vilnius and Lithuania thanks to these low-cost routes. "Our capital is an ideal destination for a short break or longer holiday, and now that there's more choice about how to get there I'd urge people to pay us a visit." • Visit http://www.wizzair.com/ and http://www.ryanair.com/ for more details about the new routes and fares. Ryanair to Open Its 1st Central European Base in Kaunas Raynair announced it would open its 40th and 1st Central European base at Kaunas, Lithuania's second largest city, in May with 2 based aircraft and 18 routes (9 new). Ryanair's new base will deliver up to 1 million passengers yearly and sustain 1,000 jobs at Kaunas with over 120 weekly flights as Ryanair invests over EUR 100 million at Kaunas Airport.
Ryanair is celebrating its new Kaunas base by releasing 1 million EUR 5 seats for travel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on over 500 routes across its European network, in March. These EUR 5 seats are available for booking on www.ryanair.com until midnight Thursday (11th Feb).
Ryanair's Kaunas routes from May 2010
New | Existing | Barcelona | Birmingham | Berlin | Bremen | Dusseldorf | Bristol | Edinburgh | Brussels | London (Gat) | Dublin | Milan | Frankfurt | Oslo | Liverpool | Paris | London (Lut) | Tampere | London (Stan) |
For more information please see Kaunas Airport's website http://www.kun.lt/index.php?lang=en
*** Lithuania: Palanga One Of Europe's 20 Best Beaches One of the most popular resorts in Lithuania - Palanga has been listed in the ‘Hot List" by the Sunday Times.
The list completed by Sunday Times Travel reveals Europe's 20 best beaches for sun and sea this summer. Palanga is portrayed as "a cracking little resort town with a white, sandy beach, pine forests, sand dunes and fizzing nightlife" - perfect description of Lithuania's most popular holiday destination. The article mentions the relative low prices in the country, which should be a major selling point for visitors in the current economic climate. "A terrific amber museum" which houses one of the largest amber pieces in Europe "Sun Stone" and Botanical Gardens are highlighted as the most popular cultural activities in the resort. Jewel in the crown - Curonian Spit listed in UNESCO World Heritage List also mentioned as a short drive from Palanga. Palanga resort is easy accessible with Air Baltic via Riga which flies twice a day (more information www.airbaltic.com) or SAS (www.flysas.com) flies daily via Copenhagen. Read the full article at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/beach/article6989680.ece?token=null&offset=60&page=6
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NEW Vilnius City Card. Enjoy your stay in Vilnius!
A NEW Vilnius City Card is now available for Vilnius visitors who wish to gain better knowledge of the city. A card holder gets a lot of advantages: free use of public transport (both buses and trolleybuses), free admission to museums, discounts in parks and while booking tours on foot, by bus, minibus, bicycle or velomobile. Discounts are also available when booking accommodation, paying restaurant or café bills, buying souvenirs in galleries or ordering wellness services. There are two types of card: a 24 hour card (LTL 52/EUR 15) and a 72 hour card (LTL 86/EUR 25). The card is issued for individual use and takes effect at the moment of its acquisition. Vilnius city card can be ordered online (www.vilnius-tourism.lt) or at the following Vilnius Tourist Information Centres:Vilniaus St. 22 (Main Office), Didžioji St. 31 (Town Hall), Geležinkelio St. 16 (Railway Station). For more information e-mail [email protected], T: +370 5 262 9660, +370 5 250 5895. *** New Online Training Course for UK Travel Professionals. Lithuanian National Tourism Office in UK has launched a free destination training course which is hosted by the popular training portal www.onlinetraveltraining.co.uk. The course is a practical and comprehensive travel manual for tourism industry professionals in the UK. It contains all the key selling points about organising a trip to Lithuania and highlights the major tourist attractions.By successfully completing Lithuania online training course you have a chance to win one of 5 places on a trip to Lithuania + other great prizes! To register for this new course, tourism industry professionals can visit the Online Travel Training website www.onlinetraveltraining.co.uk and register to join in. Financial Times recommends Vilnius as a new destination for 2009. "Vilnius freed from its Soviet past, this year's European Capital of Culture has emerged as happening hangout for lovers of baroque architecture, sophisticated shopping and the arts", says Nick Haslam in a glossy FT's lifestyle magazine How to Spend It (March 7, 2009). Read a full article at www.ft.com/howtospendit New Comprehensive Guide on Lithuania's Three Biggest Cities Last month a new guide on Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda cities as well as other Baltic countries' capitals and cities was presented by Bradt Travel Guides, one of the most esteemed travel publishing companies in the world, having a reputation for being a pioneer in tackling ‘unusual' destinations, and for the high quality of its writing. Bradt's new guide features Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda in Lithuania, Tallinn and Tartu in Estonia, Riga and Liepaja in Latvia, together with Kaliningrad. Baltic Cities details each city's historic sites, from museums to churches, together with scenic walking tours and essential details of where to eat and stay. The publication ensures that visitors can make the most of their stay in every of the locations, whether on an organised tour or travelling independently. The author of the Baltic Cities guide Neil Taylor previously ran a tour company specialising since 1991 in the Baltics. He's also author of the Bradt's guide to Lithuania's capital Vilnius, published in May 2006 For more information please check : http://www.lda.lt/ Lithuania: a new railway route launched Vilnius Central Station-Vilnius International Airport 3rd of October the new railway route Vilnius Railway Station - Vilnius International Airport started. It will spread along Vilnius becoming a part of general city transport system and making the journey to and from the Airport simple. Located close to the Airport passengers' terminal, a train stop will be accessible by staircase or spacious elevator for passengers with reduced mobility and also heavy baggage. The train stop as well as the sheltered pedestrian path leading to the Airport will be equipped with CCTV for security of passengers. In the future the ticket machines will be available both at the Railway Station and the Airport. Meanwhile, tickets can be provisionally bought from the conductor on the train. One way ticket will cost 2 Lt (~50 pence). Vilnius International Airport handles up to 6 - 7 thousand passengers per day, including the airport members of staff, up to 10 thousand people travel from the city centre to the airport every day. Thus, the new railway route will be a great alternative avoiding traffic jams in the streets of the capital. The train operating hours will be from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and the timetables could be found at www.litrail.lt.
More details:
JSC "Lithuanian railways" Passenger transportation directorate
Tel.: +370-5-269-2092
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