Fighting for Harmony - students, society and the academy in tune
EAIR Forum Vilnius 2009, Vilnius, Lithuania, 23-26 August 2009
Lithuania
Lithuania is one of the eastern states on the Baltic Sea. To the north it borders on the Republic of Latvia, to the east and south - on Belarus, to the southwest - on Poland and on the district of Kaliningrad.
Lithuania is a new and active member of the European Union (since 1 May 2004) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (since 29 March 2004). Lithuania is the only Baltic country with nearly eight hundred years of statehood tradition, while its name was first mentioned in 1009. Wedged between Western and Eastern civilizations, Lithuania battled dramatically for its independence and survival. Once in the Middle Ages, Lithuania was the largest state in the entire eastern part of Europe, where crafts and overseas trade prospered. Today the territory of Lithuania is 65,200 square km with a population of over 3.5 million. The country has one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Lithuania became a full member of the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007.
In 2009 the state Lithuania celebrates its millennium anniversary as the name Lithuania was first mentioned in the monastic annals Annales Quedlinburgensis (or Annals of Quedlinburg) in 1009.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the largest city and the capital of Lithuania. The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1323, in letters written by Grand duke Gediminas. Over time, Vilnius has been rapidly transformed and the town has emerged as a modern European city.
"Very pleasant and very beautiful, that's what comes to ones mind when talking about Vilnius".
Vilnius is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse architecture. The Old Town, the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Europe. The Old Town is Vilnius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 just because the town "has preserved an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical buildings as well as its medieval layout and natural setting".
In 2009 Vilnius is the European Capital of Culture.
For more information on tourism in Vilnius.
Language
The mother tongue of Lithuania is Lithuanian. Most Lithuanians however are able to speak decent English and Russian. Quite a few people have knowledge of Polish, German and/or French.
Currency
Though Lithuania is part of the European Union they still have their own currency - the Lithuanian Litas. In the city centre there are many banks with ATM's and currency exchange places for exchanging most foreign currencies to Litas.
The Forum Secretariat will accept Euros only. You will find a list of exchange rates here.
Climate
The climate of the Lithuania can be described as typical European continental influenced climate with warm, dry summers. In summer daytime temperatures reach 20-25°C, but sometimes quite higher, 30°C or more. In most of the time it is dry weather with sunny spells, rain often falls with sometimes heavy thunderstorms that can occur at the end of the day. An up-to-date weather forecast can be found at the Lithuanian Meteorogical Institute.
Lithuanian time
The local time in Lithuania is Eastern European Time (UTC + 2 hours).
Electricity
European 2-pin (Type C) 220V, 50 Hz, but as a precaution one might still bring an adaptor.
Insurance and Medical Treatment
We recommend you to obtain insurance before you come to Lithuania.
Travel Documents
As Lithuania is part of the European Union citizens of the EU do not need a visa to enter Lithuania. If you are not sure whether you need a visa you can check an updated list of residents who need a visa.
The valid document for people coming from countries of the European member states is the ID card, while people coming from other countries must have a passport.
Getting to Lithuania
Vilnius International Airport is served by 12 Airlines that operate scheduled flights from Vilnius Airport, 11 whereof carry passengers and 1 operates cargo flights. Since Lithuanian Airlines are closed, the number of non-stop flights reduced, which creates a little inconvenience to reach Lithuania in the most comfortable way.
You will find an airline list here.
Here you will find information about discount flights.
Getting Around
From airport to hotels
By bus
Outside the airport there is a bus stop. Bus No. 2 is the most comfortable for those Forum guests who plan to settle in Holiday Inn (bus stop 'Zaliasis Tiltas'), Ecotel (bus stop 'Zaliasis Tiltas'), Reval Lietuva (bus stop 'Europos Aikste') hotels. It takes ~30 min. non-stop way; ticket price is 2.50 Litas (buy in the bus). Bus No. 2 starts around 5.00 and continues until 23.00 hrs.
Those who plan to settle in Narutis, Klaipeda, Artis can take bus No. 2 and step off at the bus stop 'Zaliasis tiltas', cross the street and wait for the bus Nr. 10 (Notice: there are two stops - one for trolleybuses only, another one for busses only) which will take you to the bus stop 'Arkikatedra', in a walking distance from the above mentioned hotels. Ticket price is 2.50 Litas (buy in the bus) or 2.00 Litas at the kiosk. Bus No. 10 starts around 5.00 and continues until 23.00 hrs.
For those who plan to settle in Algirdas we recommend to use taxi service.
By taxi
After midnight the private taxi is always safe and almost the only transport in Vilnius. The prices are ~ 40 Lt from the airport to the old town, available by call only (except the taxi 'Martonas' which is available at the airport door, but much more expensive).
Taxi services:
- Almir (+370 5) 215 24 24, (+370 699) 96 682
- Gedrama (+370 5) 2402 000, (+370 5) 2403 000, (+370 5) 2444 777, (+370 5) 2444 888
- Kabrioletas (+370 5) 213 23 32, 1445, (+370 5) 223 93 03
- Mazasis kabrioletas (+370 5) 223 93 03
- Tanagros taksi (+370 5) 271 05 81
- Uzupio taksi (+370 5) 261 11 11, (+370 5) 215 43 53, (+370 618) 618 61
Around the city
Vilnius has quite well functioning public transportation system consisting of busses, trolleybuses and microbuses that will take you anywhere around the city. The Old Town and the city center are quite compact; everything is in walking distance, public transport is mostly not necessary.
If you are going somewhere and need to find directions and transportation, you can use the following scheme of the city where the routes of busses (blue) and trolleybuses (red) are indicated.
Getting to Vilnius University
It is not difficult to get to Vilnius University as the Old campus is very close to the cathedral square and has the Presidential Palace in the neighborhood. Here you can find all directions from the hotels to Vilnius University and maps of Vilnius University.
