Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
People trying to get a Latvian visa in Stockholm, Sweden, should be warned that the embassy is only open for two hours per day, 10 am until 12 pm. The Lithuanian embassy is no longer at Strandvagen 53. A double-entry Latvian visa costs 150 kr and takes three working days.
Matt Anderson,Canada (Mar 99)
From March 1st, 1999, tourists from the Schengen countries of the EU (Germany, Austria, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece) will no longer need a visa to enter the three Baltic States.
Volker (Jan 99)
You can no longer buy a visa at the Polish-Lithuanian border crossing. I had to go back to the Lithuanian consulate in Seyni and spend one more weekend in Poland.
Nico Baars (Aug 98)
Most Scandinavians and all Baltic people, smoke. The anti-smoking movement does not appear to have made the same inroads as it has in other parts of the world and some forms of public transport, particularly trains in Denmark and the Baltic ferries, are little more than containers used to transport second-hand smoke from point A to point B, with a side trip through your lungs en route. Smokers, like pit-bull owners and JehovahÆs Witnesses, simply cannot understand what youÆre complaining about, and your only option may be to smash a window with that little red-painted hammer hanging on the wall.
Holders of student cards get substantial discounts on pretty much everything going - those of us unfortunate enough to work for a living get gouged mercilessly every way we turn. The scale of this injustice is now so colossal and widespread that travellers are advised to get a student card if they can.
Matt Anderson, Canada (Mar 99)
Lithuania is in the middle of a huge effort to demonstrate their solidarity with Western Europe, and, consequently, have adopted the First European Time Zone - the same as Germany, almost 1000 km to the west. This means that in the Lithuanian winter sunrise is about 5 am. Latvia and Estonia, to the North, are an hour ahead and neighbouring Belarus is two hours ahead. This, more than anything, is an example of the Lithuanian mentality.
Ferries to Smiltyne run hourly and the return trip costs 1 lita. The aquarium in the old German fort was only open on weekends, but, on a nice day, the Neringa spit is still one of Lithuania's stellar attractions. Deer are abundant and, across the water, Klaipeda's dockside cranes rise above the smog like the forelegs of some huge mechanical praying mantis.
Matt Anderson, Canada (Mar 99)
There is a great service from Berlin to Shiastokai/Sestokai, but it's chaotic after that with the demise of the Baltic Express service. We got to Riga via Kaunas, and that took the time it should have taken to get to Tallinn. As far as we could find out, the line to Tallinn is permanently closed, the damage to the rails too expensive to fix. There are plenty of buses however from Riga to Tallinn.
The Baltic Rail Pass has again been withdrawn owing to problems. If it does get sold again, it would be invaluable to have a Russian translation as well as the National ones as most of the people working on the trains don't seem able to read Latvian/Lithuanian etc. Kaliningrad has ceased to be included. This meant we had to buy a ticket in Vilnius from the border of Kaliningrad to Kaliningrad, but a sleeper from Vilnius to Kaliningrad. No chance! Sleepers, in fact, were complicated to arrange throughout the trip. So complicated that often they forgot to charge us. Despite all the hassles, it was, however, certainly cheap, even for just Latvia and Lithuania - and no queuing for tickets.
Mrs. Kate Hammond, UK (Sept 98)
Several sights well worth visiting in the Panevezys area : an amazing primitive church in Paberze which figured in the Revolt of 1863. In addition to the church itself there is a collection of vestments and artefacts from churches and cemeteries which were destroyed or left to neglect during the Soviet Era. The church is very important to Lithuanians who had their children baptised in secret during the Soviet Era. There is also an old beautiful cemetery in the Lithuanian tradition - with iron and carved memories to the dead, including a memorial "for those who have given up hope", "for the forgotten", and "for those who never returned" (from exile in Siberia). Traditional Lithuanian houses are being assembled at Cinkiskes and entirely different experience than rather overwhelming collecting at Rumsiskes. There are also a few ancient burial mounds at Piliakalnis.
Nolan Marciniec (Aug 98)
A new ferry service between Germany/Lithuania commenced on the 2nd May. For information contact Schneider Reisen, Hamburg.
Michael Anacker (May 98)
Lithuania has now altered its time zone to Central European from Eastern European.
Colin Viney (May 98)
On March 29, 1998 Lithuania switched from the Eastern European Time Zone (GMT+2) to join the Central European Time Zone (GMT+1). A small step towards integration into the European Union, a great leap towards confusion in timetables and airlines schedules.
Matthias Lnfkens (Apr 98)
Don't get stung by the Belarus visa situation en route from Poland to Lithuania (or onwards to Estonia/Latvia.) A train leaves Warsaw and arrived at the Lithuanian border at Sestokai, where you change trains for the onward trip. A word of warning: If you've got a "Baltic Explorer" railpass, don't rely on getting it validated at Sestokai, because the train arrives/departs well after the station office has closed (if indeed there is one) and the train crews don't have a clue what the pass is (even though it is explained in all three of the Baltic languages). This can work in your favour, however - I was let on board, given a private coupe (unpaid for) and arrived in Tallinn without having got the pass validated, which gave me a few extra days free! Even then, I had to physically mime stamping the pass for the ticket clerk to understand what on earth it was.
Alec Parkin (July 98)
I was told that the Baltic Express had been discontinued with the summer schedules starting in May, because of the lack of passengers. The only train into Lithuania is now the 7.53 am train to Sestokai.
We arrived in Sestokai to find a Lithuanian train waiting across the platform, headed to Kaunas. As it was about to leave, there was no time to run to the ticket office to buy a ticket. I asked a conductor and he said to get on the train and buy the ticket there. I did this with some trepidaton, having heard of problems. However, I asked another conductor, who gladly sold me a ticket to Kaunas for 10 Litu. I would recommend to travellers prepare themselves by bringing about 20 or 30 Litu with them from Poland, so they can buy an onward ticket; I wouldn't want to have to looked for a currency exchange office in Sestokai.
Bob Huber (June 98)
