Vilnius: Getting there & around

Vilnius International Airport (tel: 232 9122; www.vilnius-airport.lt; Rodūnė skelias 2) lies 5km (3.1mi) south of the centre. It is serviced by major European airlines and low cost airlines including Air Baltic. Domestic and inter-Baltic flights are limited to Palanga (May to Sep only); Rīga and Tallinn.

Vilnius bus station (tel: 216 2977; www.autobusai.lt; Sodųgatvė 22) is opposite the train station. Timetables are displayed on a board here and online.

Tickets for international destinations, including Rīga and Tallinn, are sold at Eurolines Baltic International (tel: 233 6666; www.eurolines.lt; Sodųgatvė 22) with an office in the main hall and in town (tel: 269 0000; Jogailos gatvė 4).

All the major car rental companies are represented in Vilnius. If you hire a car and intend to cross the border in a Lithuanian-registered car, check the car is insured for inter-Baltic travel.

The train station (tel: 233 0086; www.litrail.lt; Geležinkelio gatvė 16) is opposite the bus station. Train information and timetables (in English) are available at the information office between the two halls and online. There is no rail link between Vilnius and Tallinn.

Bus 1 runs between the airport and train station; bus 2 runs between the airport and the northwestern suburb of Šeškinė via the Žaliasis bridge to Lukiskių aikštė. Minibus 15 also links the airport with town.

Taxis officially must have a meter. To avoid getting ripped off, ask your hotel or the bar/restaurant you are leaving to call you a taxi by telephone. Hopping into a taxi on the street is asking for trouble.

The Old Town tourist office rents bicycles for a cheap daily rate plus a photocopy of your passport. The city is efficiently served by buses and trolleybuses from 05:30 or 06:00 to midnight; Sunday services are less frequent.

Nippier minibuses shadow most routes. Minibuses pick up/drop off passengers anywhere en route (not just at official bus stops) and can be flagged down on the street.