Driving in Lithuania
Aug 16th, 2012, 11:29 AM
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Driving in Lithuania
Hi
We need to visit some family in Telsiai and are considering train vs driving from Vilnius for a day or overnight.
Has anyone driven in Lithuania? (Particularly anyone who is used to driving on the left hand side of the road!)
Is it easy or awful?
We haven't been there for eight years and haven't ever driven there ourselves so would love some advice about which will be more fun and least stressful.
Thanks anyone!
Judith
We need to visit some family in Telsiai and are considering train vs driving from Vilnius for a day or overnight.
Has anyone driven in Lithuania? (Particularly anyone who is used to driving on the left hand side of the road!)
Is it easy or awful?
We haven't been there for eight years and haven't ever driven there ourselves so would love some advice about which will be more fun and least stressful.
Thanks anyone!
Judith
Aug 16th, 2012, 12:42 PM
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Switching the side you're driving on is always a challenge. It's not going to be much different in Lithuania than most other places. Many of the roads outside the main cities are not very crowded, although Vilnius can be congested. Renting a car for just a day is a hassle but if you already have the car then that's not a factor. How convenient are the train connections and how long will the train take?
Aug 16th, 2012, 01:58 PM
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Hi Marija
The train takes 3 hours each way - we would need to leave at 6.45am and get back to Vlinius at 10.45pm(I have 2 young kids so that is not that appealing but could still be better than driving).
I agree renting a car for a day is a hassle too. One option is to get the car on the Tuesday night, drive to Telsiai Wed morning via Hill of Crosses, visit the rellies, then either drive straight back or maybe go on to Kretinga for the night, then back to Vilnius the next day.
The train takes 3 hours each way - we would need to leave at 6.45am and get back to Vlinius at 10.45pm(I have 2 young kids so that is not that appealing but could still be better than driving).
I agree renting a car for a day is a hassle too. One option is to get the car on the Tuesday night, drive to Telsiai Wed morning via Hill of Crosses, visit the rellies, then either drive straight back or maybe go on to Kretinga for the night, then back to Vilnius the next day.
Oct 11th, 2012, 07:47 AM
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I agree with Marija, it's quite good solution renting a car. Driving on the left side is not that hard, just be calm. We rented a car in Vilnius and used GPS, so it also helped us. Out of Vilnius, there's not much cars or difficult roads and crossings. The manager where we rented helped us with information and of course suggested an automatic gearbox so you have more attention for what's happening around you 
So we had a good trip, no problems with the car. (if somebody needs, here the car rental's name, the workers are very helpful http://www.truerent.lt/autonuoma). Good luck with your new experience!
So we had a good trip, no problems with the car. (if somebody needs, here the car rental's name, the workers are very helpful http://www.truerent.lt/autonuoma). Good luck with your new experience!
Oct 17th, 2012, 03:29 PM
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I am pleased to report that we are safely back, having had a great couple of days on our driving adventure from Vilnius to Telsiai via the Hill of Crosses, and then on to Platelai the next day to the Cold War Museum. It was much less stressful than driving in France! And I agree, a GPS is a huge help, particularly if you have a local to help you set the via points so you avoid peak hour traffic in Vilnius by coming a different route.
