VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

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68 getting around Public transport Vilnius’ public transport system is made up of city and private buses, minibuses and trolleybuses, with most routes running from 05:00 until around 23:00. Single tickets for city buses and trolleybuses can be purchased from any Lietuvos Spauda kiosk or direct from the driver for a little extra. A single ticket is valid for any one journey of any distance over any period of time on any singular vehicle. With the exception of a coulple of new bus services, almost no public transport runs in Old Town. Travelling by public transport, especially during rush hour, is not for the faint hearted. Expect to be poked, squeezed and trod on. Pickpockets work several routes around the city. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re travelling with a bag larger than 60cm x 40cm x 20cm you’re liable for a 20Lt fine if it doesn’t have a ticket. See the box at the bottom of this page for information on major changes to the ticket system from August 15. Buses Most buses in Vilnius are owned and operated by the city, with a few private buses offering a ride for the same price as a city bus if you bought your ticket from a kiosk (2Lt). For the uninitiated, recognising which is a private and which is a city bus isn’t easy. As a rule, city buses tend to be blue and yellow, but not always. Private buses are a little faster as they don’t always pull in at every stop along the route, although they should. Tickets for private buses are only available on board, and are sold by a conductor who makes a tour of the vehicle every few stops. If riding on a city bus, single tickets need to be validated in the appropriate device. Buy a ticket from the driver if you don’t already have one for 2.50Lt. Minibuses The minibus, or maršrutinis taksi to give it its correct name (you may also hear one referred to as a Latvija), is a privately-owned phenomenon as favoured in many former Soviet republics. Often but not always bright yellow, minibuses currently follow similar routes to buses and trolleybuses, are much faster, and accordingly cost a little more to use (currently 3Lt). They have no official stops, so in order to stop one you need to stand by the side of the road and get its attention by waving your arm. Likewise, you need to tell the driver when you want to get out again. When crowded, hand your payment via other passengers to the driver. At the time of going to press there’s a lot of talk about these routes being changed so they don’t clash with the city-owned buses. There’s also talk of stopping the services altogether. As usual, nobody knows what’s going on, although it’s interesting to note the city-owned bus company has just introduced their first two minibus routes in the city. Coincidence? Trolleybuses Many of them done up like a French tart’s boudoir, Vilnius’ upside-down railway keeps a large part of the city’s population on the move. Trolleybuses are often policed by the sort of sweet old ladies usually found staffing counters in English charity shops, although this lot are trained in the martial arts, and can effortlessly remove ticketless lit- Major ticket changes As of August 15, tickets for city-owned buses and trolleybuses will no longer be sold at kiosks. All paper tickets will need to be bought from the driver at a flat rate of 2.50Lt for any number of journeys within 30 minutes or 3.50Lt for any number of journeys within one hour. The changes are part of a major plan to encourage everyone to use a reusable electronic ticket, known as a Vilniečio Kortelė or e-bilietas and available from kiosks for 4Lt. These tickets should be topped up from kiosks and scanned on board all vehicles, for which the same amount as above will be deducted. Further information is available online at www.vilniusticket. lt, a website that is in Lithuanian only. Public transport tickets Bus Trolleybus Both Single ticket 2Lt* 2Lt* n/a Monthly pass Mon-Fri 75Lt 75Lt 100Lt Monthly pass Mon-Sun 85Lt 85Lt 110Lt Fine for no ticket 60-100Lt As well as single-journey tickets, tickets valid for 24 hours (13Lt), 72 hours (23Lt) and 240 hours (46Lt), that can be used on all city buses and trolleybuses, can be bought from the small kiosk just to the left of the (B-6) train station close to the trolleybus stop as well as inside the little (B-1) Klientų Informacinis Centras opposite the Novotel at Gedimino 9a. A more convenient ticket system for people staying in Vilnius for extended periods is the e-bilietas. Available for a onetime payment of 8Lt, e-bilietas ticket prices are the same as for ordinary tickets. Monthly tickets can be bought in any Lietuvos Spauda kiosk showing the e-bilietas logo. One-day, three-day and 10-day tickets can be bought from the small kiosk (above) or online at www.transportobilietai.lt, which was at the time of going to press sadly in Lithuanian only. * From kiosks. Tickets from the driver cost 2.50Lt. tle boys from vehicles by their ears. Ticket etiquette, should you prefer to buy one rather than pay a fine or argue with an elderly spinster, is the same as for city buses. Long-distance buses All long-distance national and international buses leave from Vilnius’ main bus station. Tickets for many journeys can be bought directly from the driver, although it’s worth getting one in advance at no extra cost. The ticket office for national bus services is located inside the waiting room. Budget travellers might be surprised to learn that bus travel in Lithuania is more expensive that using the train. Taxis Despite recent creeping taxi (taksi) prices, travelling by taxi in Vilnius remains relatively cheap, especially if you order one in advance by telephone. In an attempt to stem the flow of moonlighters, all taxis in Lithuania are now instantly recognisable by their compulsory yellow number plates, although this should in no way lure anyone into believing this has changed the free-market spirit of the average taksistas (taxi driver). Taxi drivers in Vilnius are no different to taxi drivers anywhere else, and will in general take any opportunity to relieve clients of more money than they need to. The standard rule is to make sure the meter is running and set to the correct tariff (generally 1 most of the time and 2 after midnight) before setting off. Arguments with taxi drivers are futile, and there are several stories floating around of drunken foreigners being assaulted when arguing about the fare. Finally, be extremely cautious of hotels who offer deals with individual taxi companies as they are usually set at extortionate rates. Prices listed below are for standard daytime journeys within the city limits. Company Tel. Rate/km* Ekipažas (+370) 5 239 55 39 2.20Lt Romerta Plius (+370) 5 278 88 88 2.29Lt Standart Taxi (+370) 5 240 00 04 2.30Lt Vilniaus Taksi (+370) 5 261 61 61 2.29Lt * Prices listed are for standard daytime/evening journeys Vilnius In Your Pocket vilnius.inyourpocket.com
Bus Station (Autobusų Stotis) B-6, Sodų 22, tel. 1661, www.toks.lt. QOpen 06:00 - 19:00, Fri 06:00 - 19:30. JA Lux Express B-6, Sodų 20b-1, tel. (+370) 5 233 66 66, www.luxexpress.eu. Also at Saltoniškių 9 (Panorama). QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 19:00. JA Trains Vilnius’ main train station (geležinkelio stotis) handles services to a number of destinations within Lithuania as well as international trains to Belarus, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Most tickets can be bought from a row of kiosks to the right of the main entrance. Tickets for international trains can also be purchased from a small office inside and immediately to the left of the main entrance. The general rule is that tickets are stopped being sold 10 minutes before a train is due to depart. Train Station (Geležinkelio Stotis) B-6, Geležinkelio 16, tel. (+370) 700 551 11, www.litrail.lt. J Car rental Avis Laisvės 3, tel. (+370) 5 230 68 20, www.avis.lt. Mostl y cars under six months old, available with or without a driver. Also at Rodūnios Kelias 2 (Airport).QOpen 08:00 - 17:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 16:00. Budget Rodūnios Kelias 2 (Airport), tel. (+370) 5 230 67 08, www.budget.lt. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Rimas Tel. (+370) 698 216 62, rimas.cars@is.lt. Q Open 24hrs. Sixt Rodūnios Kelias 2 (Airport), tel. (+370) 5 239 56 36, www.sixt.lt. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Airport transfer ViniusTransfer.com Laisvės 60, tel. (+370) 645 451 24, booking@vilniustransfer.com, www.vilniustransfer. com. Specialists in minibus, bus and car rental with or without a driver in Lithuania and further afield, plus a wide range of transfer services including private transfers, large group transfers and airport taxis. QOpen 24hrs. A Parking Street parking in Vilnius is divided into four colour-coded zones, namely blue, red, yellow and green. Colour-coded parking meters eat coins and regurgitate a little printed ticket. Times when payments are required are marked on blue signs using Roman numerals to represent days, and numbers to represent times. A sign displaying I-V 8-22 for example means you must pay to park on Monday (I) to Friday (V) from 08:00 to 22:00. Signs can be hidden or placed miles away from the parking space in question. Be careful. A pay-by-SMS system is also in operation, although in order to use it you must have a local SIM card. Buy a bar-coded windscreen sticker and register it in order to use this service if you’re planning on living in the city or staying for an extended period of time. Keep valuables hidden at all times, including radios if possible. vilnius.inyourpocket.com getting around August - November 2012 69
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Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife
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4 Foreword As we go to press at the
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Crime & Safety Crime is rampant in
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The Lithuanian state arose and stre
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Until August 25 Kinas Po Žvaigžd
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Not surprisingly for a capital city
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Culture Opera & Ballet Opera & Ball
Page 17 and 18: Best Western Vilnius H-2, Konstituc
Page 19 and 20: Long term rental Barbacan Apartment
Page 21 and 22: Corner Hotel G-5, T. Ševčenkos 16
Page 23 and 24: stonework alongside modern convenie
Page 25 and 26: out of the kitchen. An interesting
Page 27 and 28: Argentinean El Gaucho Sano C-3, Pil
Page 29 and 30: Stikliai C-3, Gaono 7 (Stikliai Hot
Page 31 and 32: Indian Indian Maharaja B-3, Trakų
Page 33 and 34: Kalvarijų 1 H-3, Kalvarijų 1, tel
Page 35 and 36: NEW Rib Room H-3, Šeimyniškių 1
Page 37 and 38: St. Valentino B-3, Vilniaus 47/18,
Page 39 and 40: Kebabs Baku-Ceyhan C-2, Pilies 16,
Page 41 and 42: Pizza Charlie Pizza C-4, Vokiečių
Page 43 and 44: NEW Uzbekistanas A-1, Vienuolio 4,
Page 45: NEW Leičiai C-4, Stiklių 4, tel.
Page 48 and 49: 48 nightliFe Seacret C-4, Vokieči
Page 52 and 53: 52 nightliFe LGBT Soho G-4, Švitri
Page 56 and 57: 56 what to see Museums & Galleries
Page 58 and 59: 58 what to see Vilnius Picture Gall
Page 60 and 61: 60 what to see being almost complet
Page 62 and 63: 62 what to see Europos Parkas Europ
Page 64 and 65: 64 what to see Trakai First mention
Page 66 and 67: 66 what to see Sightseeing tours As
Page 70 and 71: 70 getting around Train schedule Ai
Page 72 and 73: 72 getting around Flight schedule c
Page 74 and 75: 74 shoPPing Unless you’re Latvian
Page 76 and 77: 76 shoPPing Halės Market (Halės T
Page 80 and 81: 80 shoPPing Humanitas B-3, Dominiko
Page 82 and 83: 82 shoPPing Užupio Krautuvė I-4,
Page 84 and 85: 84 liFestyle direCtory Barbers & Be
Page 86 and 87: 86 liFestyle direCtory Jaunimo Pers
Page 88 and 89: 88 health All you need to know abou
Page 90 and 91: 90 sPort & leisure Active leisure F
Page 92: 92 Business direCtory Banks SEB Ban
Page 98: 98 index AAA Mano Liza 18 Academy 1
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VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

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