A cultural experience

Advantages: Central yet quiet location, beautifully renovated building, stylish accommodation
Disadvantages: More expensive than other hotels in Vilnius - but worth it!

...When I found out recently that I was to head to Vilnius on a business trip, I have to admit to being prey to some misapprehensions about what awaited me. For some reason, I had matched the capital of Lithuania in my head with visions of some dull, grey Eastern bloc city with little to recommend it - but I'm happy to admit that I couldn't have been further from the truth. I'd heard and read a lot about Riga and Tallinn, but the extremely well-preserved centre of Vilnius came as a very pleasant surprise. The Shakespeare Boutique Hotel was also the perfect place to dispel any misplaced notions I may have had about the standard of accommodation in this Baltic capital. Hidden away in a quiet side street just off the main tourist drag, and only two minutes' walk from the main square and the cathedral, the Shakespeare is perfectly placed...

JVL 20.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Shakespeare Hotel, Vilnius

The fourth republic

Advantages: Nice thought, and a good place in which to think it
Disadvantages: Not much to see, except perhaps on April 1st

...they allow yet another, a fourth, republic to declare its independence in the heart of their capital? Admittedly, no one takes the independence of U?upis very seriously, not even its citizens, one of whose aims in life is not to be too serious. These aims, or at least the principles that underly them, are succinctly stated in the 41 articles of the U?upian Constitution, which is displayed in three languages on a wall for all to see. For example: * Article 1 - "Everyone has the right to live by the River Vilnelė, and the River Vilnelė has the right to flow by everyone." Just as well perhaps that not everyone takes advantage of this right, or the banks of the Vilnelė might become very crowded. The Vilnelė is the lesser of the two rivers that have their confluence at Vilnius. It is in places a pretty...

torr 05.09.2007 (07.09.2007) · Read review
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Review of Uzupis Republic, Vilnius

Scruffy Shoe Diaries PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN

Advantages: Top of the list for "Rock" tourism, lots of lovely ladies
Disadvantages: Not as good as other cities in the Baltic region

...the armchair traveller. >> The capital cities of all three Baltic states have many things in common and I recommend all of them highly for somewhere to visit that's slightly out of the ordinary, or off the beaten track. As prosaic as it sounds, they all manage to mix Soviet, colonial and modern architecture, history and attitudes almost seamlessly and I think this is the fascination and the wonder of this region. If Riga was my favourite, however, Vilnius was the city I couldn't really put my finger on. Maybe it was fatigue, after all Ade and I were coming to the end of a hard week eating and drinking our way around the lesser known parts of Eastern Europe. Unusual alphabetical affectations and long strings of consonants no longer held the same amusement value. Looks of consternation and annoyance from service industry staff we not so easy...

Paiceyjohn 09.05.2002 · Read review
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Review of Vilnius (Lithuania)

Cheap Chain Hotel in Lithuanian capital

Advantages: Cheap modern hotel with English speaking staff
Disadvantages: Food was not great, no excercise facilities, bit homogenous

...The Scandic chain of hotels is owned by the Hilton Group and as such the Scandic Neringa is a modern standard hotel in Lithuania's capital Vilnius. The hotel is much like any other in the Hilton chain, with a few minor 'twists'. There is no gym, no swimming pool, but there is a sauna. The sauna is on the top floor and is free for guests. Apparently it is fairly common practice to have a 'massage' in the sauna. Yes one of those massages. Not one where your back gets rubbed, well much anyway. The hotel has 60 rooms and is located in the centre of the business district. I can't say what all the hotel rooms were like, I only stayed in one. This was a global standard room, nice bathroom, mini bar, TV with English channels and twin beds. It was clean and equipped so that it could have been almost any 3* hotel anywhere in the world. I...

peteshone 31.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Scandic Hotel Neringa, Vilnius

Visiting Lithuania? Lift yourself to the sky..

Advantages: Available to visit, escalator lift, cafe-restaurant
Disadvantages: Not neccesarilly as attraction, need refurbishing, not as cheap

...of celebrations, e.g. a massive christmas tree at the winter, and the view is spectacular, and by the chance, there might be an opportunity to order seats to see the Vilnius explode in fireworks in the new years celebration. Basically, it's worth a visit, if you have the chance, and some facts are given below: Standard price is 15 Litas per escalator journey per person(around 3GBP, 4EUR) Meals prices vary around 10-20Litas (3GBP, 4EUR) Drinks (beer available): 2-4Litas (0.60GBP, 1EUR) The factual brochures are available inside for whose interested in history, and it is worth visiting if you want a romantic meal through any time of the day, and you might interest your children, as far as I concern, there are no age restrictions and a child ticket is much cheaper than the adul listed above. How to get there: First of all, it is not...

jaisonix 31.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Television Tower (Televizijos Bokstas), Vilnius

Questionable 3* Hotel

Advantages: 10 minute walk to old town
Disadvantages: Building site. No customer service

......

Blacknight 05.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Panorama, Vilnius

A sore point for Lithuania

Advantages: Very interesting
Disadvantages: Museum development still in progress

......

kittenkong 30.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of KGB Museum (Genocido Auku Muziejus), Vilnius

Undiscovered gem

Advantages: Quirky and new
Disadvantages: Not easy to get to

...mans left shoe. Each have their own character and taste. Of course these isn't the only reason to visit the country - it is simply a nice place to be, particularly in summer. There are what I would say are Europe's hottest women and statistically the country is the thinnest in Europe, despite its cuisine. The cuisine is decidedly working-farmer-in-the-snow stuff with lots of potatoes and lots of fat. Good for winter. Every city in the country is different and has a range of things to see, from Vilnius's old town to Siauliai's Hill of Crosses. Give the city a go!...

amullett 07.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: Lithuania

Go east!

Advantages: Competitive prices, plenty of destinations, good service
Disadvantages: You have to pay for food and drink on board - but that's almost standard nowadays...

...the capital city, and flies to 20 cities across Europe from Vilnius in Lithuania as well. In addition to this, the current strategy seems to involve expanding the domestic network in Latvia, as Liepaja and Ventspils can now be reached by air from Riga. Interestingly, Air Baltic has also crossed a border that many airlines have chosen to ignore, as it links Kaliningrad directly with Copenhagen, and is one of the few airlines to operate out of this Russian exclave. The most positive effect of this increase in options when travelling to and from the Baltics is of course that it has driven down prices for flights from other airlines. Until fairly recently, major carriers such as Lufthansa could charge relatively high fares to the region but now a direct local competitor has entered the market, with the pleasant result that destinations such as...

JVL 22.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Air Baltic

I love Lithuania, Like no place else !

Advantages: Very beutiful and exceptional.
Disadvantages: Rather small but that doesn't matter :)

...I love Lithuania, like no place else! Hi, you probably know nothing about this country, but that is O.K. It’s a small country with 3.5 million people, another 300000 is somewhere in other countries. Though Lithuania is a small country we are proud of our traditions, capability to keep our language unique and other things. Also we are happy to join NATO, and ES. Such event gives us self- confidence and the world is beginning to know what the word Lithuania means. I think that LT is a great place for sightseeing and for spending your holidays. Let me describe you same places that you should visit, if you are in Lithuania. First and one of the most famous is the Park of Europe (near Vilnius). Here you can find lots of works of art. They are really very interesting each of it has its own story and a reason of its appearance...

jonyzass 13.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of General: Lithuania