Lithuania Trip Report

I arrived at Vilnius Airport and was transferred to the 4* Hotel Artis.

In the morning at the Contact Fair, the State Department of Tourism gave us an interesting presentation about tourism in Lithuania and then continued on into 12 meetings with preselected suppliers, and free meetings with Lithuanian suppliers. After lunch at the Hotel Artis we departed for the tours.

We inspected the Kempinski Hotel, Cathedral Square (5*), the Novotel, Vilnius Center (4*) and the Comfort Hotel, LT (3*) – all lovely hotels with their own touch and I was very pleased with what I saw. We proceeded to have a sightseeing tour of Vilnius which included the beautifully designed Cathedral, said to be the spiritual and political center of Lithuania. Also, The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, destroyed in the War with Moscow during 1655-1661 has been a symbol in Lithuanian history and culture, and the Gates of Dawn which symbolise the city of Vilnius are truly magnificent. The Town Hall Square holds a number of small shops around the Square and is the center of trade and events in Vilnius. After the tour we departed to Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania and checked in at the 4* hotel Best Western Santaka. Following the check in, we enjoyed a Culinary Heritage dinner at restaurant Berneliu Uzeiga which was delicious and an excellent way to conclude the day.

The next day we checked out and headed for Rumsiskes ethnographic open-air museum, very near Kaunas and had a tour of the museum and we got some insight into the Lithuanian people’s way of life as the museum displays the heritage of rural life and is the largest open-air museum in Lithuania. We then travelled to the Highland ethnic region in the direction of Moletai, and had a great lunch in the Belvilis resort, and then inspected the site which was surrounded by the stunning Lithuanian landscape and is located on a woody lakeside where guests can take full advantage of the nature. We then visited the Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology; Ethnocosmology refelcts the relations of man with the cosmic world. The museum gave us some breathtaking views and sights that I will never forget. We had dinner at restaurant Salvete, at the European center golf club, including a Lithuanian beer degustation! An overnight stay at the hotel Le Meridien Vilnius was just what we needed after the busy day.

To begin the day we headed back to the Vilnius City Center and went on a bike ride through the Vilnius Old Town, Uzupis district and Castles historical reservation, and Tymas Market which carries organic food. The scenic bike ride was wonderful and being able to see these parts of the city whilst moving was a great experience. We then moved on towards Trakai where we visited the Trakai Island Castle, a marvellous piece of history and architecture and the boat trip on Lake Galve was magnificent, particularly during the middle of the day when we went where we could really get a good feel for the nature and environment. We refreshed with lunch at the Tony Resort and an inspection of the resort and I was very impressed with the design and layout of it. We then visited Capitals golf club, which I was also dazzled by, before moving on to the airport where we caught out flight home after an interesting and exciting trip.

Authors - Iveta Kalvisa and Emilie Ozols