Labas
LAH-bahs
Hi
The everyday friendly greeting, at any time of day
Travel guide
Learn Lithuania before you go
A green, lake-filled land on the Baltic Sea with a baroque capital, island castles, tall sand dunes and one of the oldest-sounding languages in Europe.
CapitalVilnius
CurrencyEuro (€), since 1 January 2015
Official languageLithuanian
Drives on theRight
Calling code+370
10 phrases to learn
In Lithuanian. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Laba diena
LAH-bah dyeh-NAH
Good day, good afternoon
The polite greeting in shops, offices and with strangers
Labas rytas
LAH-bahs REE-tahs
Good morning
Greeting someone in the morning
Labas vakaras
LAH-bahs VAH-kah-rahs
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Labanaktis
LAH-bah-nahk-tees
Good night
Saying goodbye late at night or going to bed
Iki pasimatymo
ih-KIH pah-sih-MAH-tee-moh
Goodbye, see you
Leaving a shop, a restaurant or a friend
Ačiū
AH-choo
Thank you
Whenever someone helps or serves you
Prašau
prah-SHOW
Please, and also you're welcome
Asking for something, or answering a thank you
Atsiprašau
aht-sih-prah-SHOW
Excuse me
Getting someone's attention or squeezing past
Malonu
mah-LAW-noo
Pleased to meet you
Being introduced to someone
At the table
- Before a meal people wish each other 'Skanaus!' (enjoy your meal).
- When glasses are raised, the toast is 'Į sveikatą!' (to your health).
- Sour cream is served with almost everything: soups, dumplings, pancakes and even desserts.
- Dark rye bread is on the table at every meal, often eaten as an open sandwich with butter or cheese.
- At a festive dinner, dessert comes some time after the main course, so leave room and do not rush away from the table.
- On Christmas Eve (Kūčios) the family sits at a table with twelve dishes and no meat or dairy.
Local tips
Euros, and old litas at the bank
Lithuania has used the euro since 1 January 2015. If you find old litas notes at home, the Bank of Lithuania still exchanges them free of charge at a fixed rate of 3.4528 litas to 1 euro. City buses and trolleybuses no longer take cash, so pay with a travel card or by tapping your bank card.
Tipping is small
Tipping is appreciated but not deeply rooted. As of September 2026, about 5% is normal in restaurants, and it may already be on the bill or offered on the card machine.
Book trains early
Trains between Vilnius and Kaunas run about every hour and take 70 to 90 minutes. Other lines have few, short trains that can sell out, so buy tickets from LTG Link in advance. Buses reach almost every town.
Headlights on, always
Lithuanians drive on the right, and headlights must be on at all times, day and night. On smaller roads watch out for wild animals.
Shop hours for alcohol
As of September 2026, shops may sell alcohol only from 10:00 to 20:00, and until 15:00 on Sundays. Bars and restaurants can serve it whenever they are open, but drinking in public places is not allowed.
Emergencies: 112
The emergency number for police, ambulance and fire is 112. For non-urgent medical advice there is 113. Tap water is safe to drink.
Forests: ticks and mosquitoes
Forest walks and mushroom picking are a national pastime, but ticks in the woods can carry Lyme disease and encephalitis. Wear long trousers, use repellent and check yourself afterwards. Mosquitoes are a nuisance in summer, though harmless.
Dishes to try
- Cepelinai (potato zeppelins) (cepelinai): Large dumplings of grated raw potato, stuffed with minced meat, curd cheese or mushrooms, boiled and served with a sauce of sour cream and fried bacon bits. Often called the national dish.
- Šaltibarščiai (cold pink beet soup) (šaltibarščiai): A cold summer soup of cooked beetroot, cucumber, dill and spring onion in kefir or soured milk, bright pink in the bowl. Hot boiled potatoes are served on the side.
- Kugelis (potato bake) (kugelis, or bulvių plokštainis): Grated potatoes mixed with eggs, milk, onion and bacon, seasoned with bay leaf or marjoram and baked in a flat dish until golden. It is cut into squares and eaten with sour cream.
- Kepta duona (fried garlic bread) (kepta duona): Sticks of dark rye bread fried in oil until crisp and rubbed with garlic. It is the classic snack to share with a glass of beer.
- Tinginys (lazy man's cake) (tinginys): A no-bake chocolate log of broken biscuits bound with cocoa, butter and sweetened condensed milk, chilled and cut into slices. Its name means 'lazy man', because it is so quick to make.
- Kibinai (Karaite meat pasties) (kibinai): Pastries filled with mutton and onion. Travel guides compare them to Cornish pasties.
- Šakotis (tree cake) (šakotis): A tall, spiky cake baked on a rotating spit over heat, with batter of butter, eggs, flour, sugar and cream painted on layer by layer. Sliced, it shows rings like a tree trunk.
- Skilandis (smoked sausage) (skilandis, or kindziukas): Minced meat and fat seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, traditionally pressed into a pig's stomach, then dried and cold-smoked. It is sliced thinly for the cold table.
Cities to see
- Vilnius (capital): Gediminas's Tower on Castle Hill, The Gate of Dawn chapel, Užupis, the self-declared artists' republic.
- Kaunas: Interwar modernist architecture, Žalgiris basketball club, The Devils' Museum.
- Klaipėda: Its usually ice-free port, The Curonian Spit, just across the strait, Its German past as Memel.
- Šiauliai: The Hill of Crosses nearby, Its history of leather making, A NATO air base.
- Panevėžys: The Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre, Its gateway to Aukštaitija.
- Alytus: The Nemunas river, Forests full of mushrooms and berries.