VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

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76 shoPPing Halės Market (Halės Turgus) C-5, Pylimo 58/1, tel. (+370) 5 262 55 36, www.halesturgaviete.lt. The modern, glass-covered affair to the left selling clothing that went out of fashion in Albania in the 1980s and raw meat at the back is perhaps best worth avoiding, whereas the beautifully restored brick building dating from 1900 to the right is more than worth a look inside. A trip through the doors rewards visitors with a nasal blast of several tonnes of smoked meat, which can be bought in here along with a few other specialities including fresh fruit and vegetables plus a nice range of locallyproduced honey you can taste before you purchase. QOpen 07:00 - 17:00, Sun 07:00 - 15:00. Closed Mon. J Kalvarijų Market (Kalvarijų Turgus) H-2, Kalvarijų 61, tel. (+370) 696 357 18. Featuring everything from old ladies selling garlic bulbs and carrier bags to the occasional bargain goat (cash only), one of the city’s most endangered species is a must-see attraction for anyone who wants a taste of what the rest of the country’s really like. One of the best places in town for meat, locally-produced honey and cameras manufactured in the CCCP, also find tropical fish, manbags, Minsk bicycles and cheap cigarettes from the Roma girls near the main entrance. QOpen 07:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon. Sostinės Turgus H-2, Kalvarijų 88, tel. (+370) 613 252 50. Opened towards the end of 2010, presumably as a way of threatening the nearby and highly recommended Kalvarijų Market who many in power would like to see closed, this dreadful indoor market would be an embarrassment in a poverty-stricken Siberian village. Totally low budget, expect a hopeless selection of awful clothing and not a lot more. QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sun 08:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Souvenir Market (Suvenyrų Turgus) C-2/3, Pilies 23. The only market we list aimed exclusively at foreigners’ wallets is a predominantly lacklustre hotchpotch of stalls selling amber, linen, wood carvings, hand-knitted socks, Soviet-era bits and pieces and a few paintings. Some pieces are really nice, but most of the stuff here is very average. Every tourist destination has one. This is Vilnius’. QOpen 09:00 - 19:00. J Tymo Turgus D-4, Aukštaičių/Maironio, tel. (+370) 612 289 26. Labouring under the unofficial moniker The Little Good Food & Culture Festival, this once-a-week jaunt into the world of possible alternatives churns out all manner of environmentally friendly food from local farmers and well as soaps, cosmetics and the like. Politically edgy in the fluffiest sense, the market also hosts a regular event where people can vent their spleens a la Hyde Park Corner, plus there’s a place to go for free second-hand clothing and the occasional musical performance. QOpen 12:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun. Verslo Parkas Gariūnai 4km from Vilnius just off the Kaunas highway, www.gariunai.lt. Covering a vast area of 120 hectares (there are some who say it’s the largest outdoor market in Europe) and attracting an average 50,000 shoppers every day, Gariūnai sells cars on one side of the road plus all manner of cheap consumer goods of dubious quality on a truly expansive scale on the other. A taxi from a reputable firm costs around 30Lt to get there from the city centre. Alternatively, look for the minibuses around the train and bus stations with Gariūnai signs on the front. QOpen 06:00 - 14:00, Tue, Thu 04:00 - 14:00, Sat 05:00 - 14:00. Closed Mon. Amber According to local legend, amber (gintaras) originates from the tears of the sea goddess Jūratė and the stones from her castle, which was destroyed by Perkūnas, the pagan god of thunder, when he discovered her passionate love affair with the mortal fisherman Kastytis. Scientists, not generally being of the pagan faith, think different. Some 40 million years ago or thereabouts the earth got warmer, causing an increase in the secretion of resin in the pine forests in the region. The streams of resin swept down rivers and into the Baltic Sea, sometimes sweeping up a stray bug along the way. It’s this fossilised resin that now sits in deltaic deposits off the coasts of Kaliningrad, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. Ask most people and they’ll tell you amber is a dark honey colour. However, visit anywhere selling the stuff and you’ll soon see it comes in such diverse colours as blue, black, white and yellow. White amber is called royal amber and is widely available in Lithuania. Blue and black amber are more rare here. Amber C-5, Aušros Vartų 9, tel. (+370) 5 212 19 88, www.ambergift.lt. An astounding Aladdin’s cave of amber. The walls and ceiling are plastered with glowing chips of the stuff while display cabinets are full of jewellery, sculptures and more. Worth visiting even if you’re not interested in shopping. Q Open 10:00 - 19:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00, Sun 10:00 - 17:00 (until Sept 30). Open 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun (from Oct 1). JA Amber Museum-Gallery C-3, Šv. Mykolo 8, tel. (+370) 5 262 30 92, www.ambergallery.lt. A great little place apt at displaying amber at its best. The knowledgeable and friendly staff speak English, and can waffle on for hours about the stuff if you want to know all about it. Also at Šv. Mykolo 12. QOpen 10:00 - 19:00. JA Beata Amber C-3/4, Stiklių 9/10, tel. (+370) 5 234 46 85, www.beataamber.lt. As much a wholesaler as retailer, you can pick up amber at a variety of stages of production here. There are hunks of raw amber, various polished beads and blobs that you can use to make your own jewellery and fine finished creations. Also at M. K. Čiurlionio 84 (Crowne Plaza Vilnius), Konstitucijos 20 (Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva). Q Open 10:00 - 14:00, 15:00 - 19:00. Closed Sun. JA Vilnius In Your Pocket vilnius.inyourpocket.com
Antiques Unless the item in question is less than 50 years old, some degree of bureaucracy will almost certainly be required to get antiques out of the country. A reputable antiques salesperson will assist you with this. If they can’t, you might like to think again about making the purchase. e.k.art C-4, Didžioji 27, tel. (+370) 605 222 22, info@ ek-art.lt, www.ek-art.lt. An incredible collection of paintings, furniture, religious objects and other works of art from Lithuania, Russia, Germany and beyond established over two decades ago and one of the most reliable places in town to buy antiques. An excellent place to know about for all serious collectors, the shop now also stocks a range of antique Persian carpets. QOpen 11:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. JA Fabra Ars C-4, Didžioji 20, tel. (+370) 652 815 58. Classic and original artworks, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. Mostly of interest to collectors and dealers. QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Mon 12:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. Senasis Kuparas B-3, Dominikonų 14, tel. (+370) 5 262 10 24. An excellent shop full of beautiful and highly sought-after pieces adjoining a shop selling some quite exquisite glassware. QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 15:00. Closed Mon, Sun. JA Vilnius Antiques Centre C-3, Dominikonų 16, tel. (+370) 5 262 74 79, www.antiques.lt. A wide selection of paintings, icons, furniture, silverwear and other curiosities. QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun. JA vilnius.inyourpocket.com vilnius.inyourpocket.com shoPPing Books etc. Bookworms and cheapskates should note that in addition to the following bookshops, reading matter can be found at various libraries listed in our Directory. International press is best found in the city’s better hotels, of which some offer a pre-ordering service for newspapers and magazines they don’t usually stock. Akademinė Knyga C-3, Universiteto 4, tel. (+370) 5 266 16 80, www.humanitas.lt. A wide range of works for lexicographers, plus the usual dictionaries, reference books and paperback novels. One of the better places in town for foreign literature, which you’ll find in the back room downstairs. Q Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun (Sept - June). Open 10:00 - 18:30. Closed Sat, Sun (July and August). JA Didysis Pegasas G-1, Ozo 25 (Akropolis), tel. (+370) 5 238 77 52, www.pegasas.lt. A bit of a way to go but the trip’s usually worth it. Upstairs is a selection of paperbacks in English that vary in quantity from a handful to over 1,000. To the left as you enter is a good selection of titles on art, photography etc. To the right find guidebooks aplenty. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. A Draugystė B-2, Gedimino 2, tel. (+370) 5 268 50 80, www.vaga.lt. This former largish bookshop recently removed half its stock and replaced it with a café operated by the best café chain in the country. The English-language novels can still be counted on one hand, but now there’s a reason to visit. Also find a decent selection of books about Lithuania in English. QOpen 07:00 - 21:00, Fri 07:00 - 22:00, Sat 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00. JA French Bookshop Pegasas C-3, Didžioji 1, tel. (+370) 5 262 05 17, www.pegasas.eu. Adjoining the French Cultural Centre, if they don’t stock it they will happily order. You can also subscribe to French-language magazines here. QOpen 10:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. JA August - November 2012 77
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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
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Best Western Vilnius H-2, Konstituc
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Long term rental Barbacan Apartment
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Corner Hotel G-5, T. Ševčenkos 16
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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 68 and 69: 68 getting around Public transport
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 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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