Travelling shouldn’t be about collecting souvenirs that just end up gathering dust in a drawer; it should be about collecting experiences that enrich your life. Unexpected discoveries, new emotions, memorable moments together – these are the kinds of precious souvenirs you and your family can take home from Lithuania. Nestled by the Baltic Sea, with some of the cleanest air and best drinking water in Europe, Lithuania is a country that is truly family friendly. From the pristine beaches and coastal beauty of the Curonian Spit, to the the cosy streets of Vilnius Old Town, whatever your family enjoys, Lithuania has lots to offer.
Adventures above the clouds and in the treetops – for those who enjoy active vacations!
Get a bird’s eye view! Vilnius is one of the few European capitals that allow air-balloon flights. And you can also enjoy an unforgettable flight over Lithuania’s second biggest city, Kaunas. Then there’s balloon rides over the forested spa resort of Birštonas. And to top it off, you can also take a balloon ride over the spectacular medieval Trakai Castle that’s set on an island in the middle of a crystal clear lake.
Daredevils can choose from a number of adventure parks offering a range of adrenaline pumping activities like treetop climbing, tobogganing, tubing, or zip-lining across a river:
Get a bird’s eye view! Vilnius is one of the few European capitals that allow air-balloon flights. And you can also enjoy an unforgettable flight over Lithuania’s second biggest city, Kaunas. Then there’s balloon rides over the forested spa resort of Birštonas. And to top it off, you can also take a balloon ride over the spectacular medieval Trakai Castle that’s set on an island in the middle of a crystal clear lake.
Daredevils can choose from a number of adventure parks offering a range of adrenaline pumping activities like treetop climbing, tobogganing, tubing, or zip-lining across a river:
Uno Park adventure parks (Vilnius, Kaunas, Druskininkai)
Experience the world from the top of the trees. In these amazing parks you and your family can explore the tree top world via a range of climb trails that are suited to your level of experience or daring. You can also try out an aerial bicycle, night climbing, or a gigantic swing, and the bravest can even experience a breath-taking flight across the river with a zip line.
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Liepkalnis winter and summer entertainment park
If you want to ski, you don’t even have to leave the capital. Winter skiing tracks are open in Liepkalnis, the highest point in Vilnius. Once the winter season closes, Liepkalnis transforms itself into a summer entertainment park offering summer toboggan rides, monster scooters, tubing, and adventures in a climbing park.
© Ričardas Anusauskas (UNO Park)
Lokės Pėda adventure park
If you and your family have a head for heights, why not challenge yourselves with a range of fun activities that start at 2.5 meters up and climb up to 15 meters. There are rope bridges, moving logs, nets, swings, rope ladders, and much more. And then there’s the moto-safari and the “catapult” – a nerve shredding ride that fires you to a height of 20 metres in less than a second! And for the little ones, there are specially designed tracks.
Corn Maze
Within a short car journey from the capital, Vilnius, you’ll find Corn Village with its Corn Maze and other exciting corn related activities. Especially great for kids with a sense of adventure, there’s a clue hunt in a field of corn, a gravitational touchdown pipe that will make you giddy, and a straw castle. And for the little ones, you can hitch a ride on a cow train.
Labyrinth Park
Have fun getting lost in one of four thrilling labyrinths. And if you manage to find the exit, you’ll find yourself faced with a giant’s table, a jumping pillow, a playground, a mini zoo and many other great activities.
Summer Toboggan Track
Why wait for winter for an adrenaline inducing toboggan ride. At Kalita Kalnas you can take an all year round thrill ride on a specially made toboggan track that is more rollercoaster than ski slope.
Eco Barefoot Park
Lithuania is a country that is rich in natural beauty. And there are plenty of places that give you the chance to experience that beauty first hand. The country has five national and 30 regional parks that offer breath-taking landscapes of river valleys, lakes, marshes, ancient woodlands, and nesting sites for rare birds. And if you are looking for unique spots to enjoy the view from, you’ll find there are lots of observation towers to visit. You could go for a treetop walking path, visit a tower resembling a capsized boat or follow one of over 200 educational hiking trails. If you prefer to go barefoot, you can kick off your shoes and experience the many surfaces that the Eco Barefoot Park has to offer – you can get some sand between your toes, walk on a carpet of pine, or feel the warmth of sun soaked pebbles.
Aquapark water park
For water lovers, this outstanding water park, which is situated in Lithuania’s most popular spa resort, is the place to go. With its 20 saunas and tropical climate, you can choose to spoil yourself, or if you want more adventure, you can try out the many water slides. And if you want to switch from summer to winter in one day, check out the covered Snow Arena. Here, you can change from your swimsuit into snow gear for a day on the slopes.
Wakeboarding parks
Lithuania is a wakeboarder’s paradise – the country has more than 30 wake parks set up at various lakes. The thrill, the sense of freedom, the tricks, and the chance to spend time outdoors with family and friends is what makes wakeboarding a draw for people of all ages. If you want to go wakeboarding, you don’t need any special advance training. All you need is the motivation, and you’ll be on the water in no time. Waiting for the right wind or wave isn’t necessary!
Hiding from the rain in a museum
If the weather isn’t exactly perfect for outdoor activities or strolling around the city, why not head to one of the city’s many museums. In a lot of them, you’ll find that you’re actually encouraged to touch the exhibits! We recommend these museums in Lithuania for family visits:
If the weather isn’t exactly perfect for outdoor activities or strolling around the city, why not head to one of the city’s many museums. In a lot of them, you’ll find that you’re actually encouraged to touch the exhibits! We recommend these museums in Lithuania for family visits:
Energy and Technology Museum
Housed in the former central power plant of Vilnius, this modern interactive museum has been adapted for visitors of all age groups. With exhibits covering the themes of Transport, Vilnius as an Industrial City, and Technical History, there is much for any budding engineer or history lover to explore. And to keep the kids occupied, you’ll find interactive Technology for Children and Technical Science displays.
Toy Museum
Want to find out what toys kids in Lithuania played with in the past? In this unique and definitely kid-centric museum, the emphasis is on play. Original antique toys are on display, with copies available for children young and old to play with. Events, interactive games, and other fun activities take place all the time in the educational classroom.
Money Museum
Have you ever wondered what your weight in gold, platinum or silver is? At the Money Museum you can find out how valuable you really are. Not only that, you and your family will be able to learn everything you need to know about money: its value, its history, the first merchants, and the currencies that were valued in the past (for example salt or amber).
Talking statues
Once it’s stopped raining why not call on some of the city’s statues. And we mean that literally. You can pick up your phone and call the statues and they’ll tell you some unforgettable tales. Like the one about the local boy who ate a rubber boot out of love, or the duke who founded the city after dreaming of an iron wolf, or the world-famous story of the doctor who treated children and animals.
© Vaidas Gegužis (Ethno-Cosmology Museum)
Lithuanian Ethno-Cosmology Museum
Calling all stargazers! This Museum, located in the picturesque Molėtai district, is the perfect place for anyone who has stared at the night sky and wanted to know more. Housed in its unique UFO like structure you’ll find interactive exhibits and much more.
Horse Museum
Black rye bread is considered sacred in Lithuania, and it’s said that Lithuanians eat the largest amount of rye bread in the world per year – over 100 kg! The Horse Museum in Anykščiai district is the perfect place for people who want to literally get to grips with the age old tradition of rye bread production. You’ll learn about how the grain travels from the field to your table, knead a loaf of bread yourself, and you can even try it out afterwards. It’s a truly authentic and memorable experience.
Chocolate Museum
If you have a sweet tooth (and who doesn’t) the Chocolate Museum in Šiauliai is a must. Learn about the history and production of chocolate, and enjoy exclusive chocolate tastings in the oldest chocolate factory in the country, Rūta, which is still open to this day. And if you are feeling creative, there are chocolate workshops for budding chocolate artisans, and, of course, there is also a chocolate shop.
Bicycle Museum
The Bicycle Museum in Siauliai is the perfect place for cyclists of all ages. Here you’ll learn about the evolution of bicycles from the early wooden and iron bicycles to futuristic velocars. The exhibits also include the smallest bicycle in Lithuania, which has been included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Folk Music Museum
The first and only museum in Lithuania dedicated to folk music culture. It contains over 7000 exhibits, from Lithuanian and international musical instruments to audio recordings, photographs, letters and posters. In the interactive and modern exposition, you will be able to learn how kanklės (chordophone) are made, how to sing a sutartinė (Lithuanian multipart song), play some instruments, or hear folk music performed by contemporary bands.
“Curiocity” educational entertainment centre
Take a flight in a spaceship, be a member of an ambulance crew, navigate an obstacle course over the burning lava of a volcano, slide down a rainbow, save a building on fire, solve detective-style mysteries, make a recording in a recording studio, or take part in a cookery lesson. There are many more opportunities to play, experience, learn and feel! You can enjoy these activities in the biggest educational entertainment centre in the Baltic States – a real city for curious kids.
Lithuanian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
Visit Europe’s largest ethnographic open-air museum in Europe, in rolling countryside less than half an hour away from Kaunas. Not only can you learn about the different ethnographic regions of Lithuania and see some authentic houses, you can also learn ancient crafts such as bread baking, jewellery making and forming objects from clay. This experience will transport you one hundred years back into the past of Lithuania’s villages.
For animal lovers
Are you a family of animal lovers? Lithuania offers lots of great opportunities for you and your kids to get up close with animals from land, sea and sky.
Are you a family of animal lovers? Lithuania offers lots of great opportunities for you and your kids to get up close with animals from land, sea and sky.
Lithuanian Sea Museum
The Baltic States biggest sea museum boasts a wealth of watery attractions, from under water tunnels where you can watch sturgeons, penguins and seals swim by, to a dolphinarium where you can witness dolphins dance, draw, and even dunk a basketball. And there’s even some history to soak in - the museum was built in the grounds of a former 19th century fort.
© Evaldas Lasys (Sea Museum)
Beekeeping Museum
Lithuania’s only beekeeping museum will induct you into the secrets of beekeeping. You can take a pleasant walk around the museum’s scenic landscape, taste some fresh honey, relax in a hammock, and also visit a beekeeper’s house or workshop. The traditional celebration to mark the end of the honey harvest takes place here in August.
Rabbit Valley
With over 50 species of rabbits on show, this is bunny heaven! You’ll be able to stroke the biggest rabbit in the world, or feed the booplesnoots that roam free in the valley.
Dubingiai Stud
This is a real paradise not only for horse-riding enthusiasts but also for those who love taking walks in a place full of animals and birds. You can also go swimming or visit the “playground city”.
The Pink Elephant
One of the most impressive pieces of graffiti art in Lithuania is a huge pink elephant. Don’t miss your chance to take a photo with your family and the pink elephant! In the same street you can also find an intriguing open-air gallery, “Kiemo galerija”, where you’ll find the equally impressive pink elephant’s relative.
© T. Biliūnas (Pink Elephant)
© Painter Jurgita Rancevienė
Family vacation from a fairy-tale
Lithuania is a country steeped in folklore and mythology, so there’s every chance you might meet the occasional devil or witch on your travels. Lithuanians were the last pagans in Europe, and pre-Christian Baltic traditions are still very much alive in their ceremonies, traditional sutartinės (Lithuanian multipart songs), and respect for nature and the land. And you can experience these traditions first hand in the Days of Live Archaeology festival which takes place on the grassy former hill forts of Kernavė, or in the celebrations of Midsummer’s Day or the autumn equinox. So why not jump into this world of ancient legends and mythological creatures, and give your family a real fairy tale vacation. And the best place to do this is Žemaitija near the coast, where you’ll find most of the greatest attractions.
Lithuania is a country steeped in folklore and mythology, so there’s every chance you might meet the occasional devil or witch on your travels. Lithuanians were the last pagans in Europe, and pre-Christian Baltic traditions are still very much alive in their ceremonies, traditional sutartinės (Lithuanian multipart songs), and respect for nature and the land. And you can experience these traditions first hand in the Days of Live Archaeology festival which takes place on the grassy former hill forts of Kernavė, or in the celebrations of Midsummer’s Day or the autumn equinox. So why not jump into this world of ancient legends and mythological creatures, and give your family a real fairy tale vacation. And the best place to do this is Žemaitija near the coast, where you’ll find most of the greatest attractions.
The Hill of Witches
A high sand dune now overgrown with forest is home to almost one hundred wooden sculptures of devils, witches, and other strange mythological creatures. Explore the Hill of Witches if you dare, and if you want to know the many stories behind the spooky sculptures, why not take advantage of the guided tours in English. This is the only way to learn that in Lithuania hill forts were formed by giants, and that devils are chased away by roosters crowing in the morning. Oh, and that you can find eternal happiness by picking the blossom of a fern which flowers once a year.
© Real is beautiful stock (Hill of Witches)
Fairy-Tale Park
For lovers of tales there’s the Fairy-Tale Park In the coastal resort of Palanga. Here you can listen to Lithuanian folk tales recorded in several foreign languages. There’s the story of the girl who married a snake, of the daughter of the Sun and the Moon, of the fox who got her head stuck in a jug, and many more. And you’ll find wooden sculptures illustrating the fairy-tales among the parks’ pines that you can climb on or use as swings.
Amber Museum
The Amber Museum in Palanga has at its heart one of the most famous Lithuanian folk tales, of Jūratė and Kastytis. According to legend, a long time ago a sea goddess fell in love with a fisherman, but the sky god Perkūnas denounced their love, striking the fisherman dead with a bolt of lightning and destroying the amber castle at the bottom of the sea which belonged to the sea goddess. Ever since, the waves have thrown the remains of the castle across the seashore – in the form of pieces of amber. Amber is considered to be the Baltic’s gold, and you can see an impressive collection of it in the Amber Museum, as well as rare inclusions containing prehistoric insects – even a small lizard that got stuck in tree sap when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. You can also make an amber amulet for yourself.
© Real is beautiful stock (Amber Museum)
Dinosaur Park
Speaking of dinosaurs, you shouldn’t miss the impressive Dinosaur Park, which the biggest of its kind in the Baltic States. The park offers a number of activities, even including a house which has been turned upside-down by an escapee dinosaur. Life-size prehistoric reptilian creatures roar and spit out water, and in winter they come to life at night, lit up by thousands of lights. This park is bound to scratch any child’s Jurassic itch.
Vinetu Village
Want to meet the famous Native American chief Winnetou? Well, apparently you can meet him here, close to the Lithuanian coast. This Native American themed village can be found not far from the Lithuanian port city of Klaipėda, and is perfect for anyone intrigued by the customs of the first inhabitants of North America. Explore wigwams and see people smoking peace pipes, throwing tomahawks, playing Native American drums, dancing rain dances, and baking Native American bread on a campfire.
© Real is beautiful stock (Vinetu Village)
The Devils Museum
This is one for little devils everywhere. The only one of its kind in the world, this museum features several thousand sculptures of devils! And there’s the added bonus that if you bring a small sculpture of a devil to donate to the museum, you will get in for free.
Fairy Valley
Get ready to explore a real fairy forest, with miniature creatures created by a doll-maker and author of children’s’ books about fairies. You’ll also be enchanted by theatre performances and have the chance to experience a touch of magic at a fairy workshop.
So, is there enough space in your family album for all these new experiences?
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