%ft%s4%cr%bSafety and wrong prejudices and other Kaunas, Lithuania General Tips

POLICE IN KAUNAS

Favorite Thing: I found centre/downtown of Kaunas a safe place both at daytime and at night although maybe I was too short there to catch more accurate opinion. There were not many police seen in Kaunas but I felt there as safe as in any other European capital.

Well, I had wrong prejudicies on low personal safety in Kaunas. That's why I, at least at first, was more careful: I avoided dark backstreets at night, areas around bus and railway stations, I watched my valuables all the time etc. Well, I would be scared to enter alone districts full of huge, Soviet style apartments buildings esp. at night. Coming back to my hotel just before midnight on Friday I walked main and good lighted street - Vilniaus gatve. I felt safe although there were almost no pedastrians. Hmm... I saw one midium-age drunk man walking zig-zag with injured (he probably fell before), covered by blood, face which was unpleasant but not dangerous in any way.

Forget about car thefts but...
I was warned many times not to travel to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by my car because of high risk of car thefts (exactly like many visitors are warned to drive to my country, Poland). Haha, I do NOT believe in it although I don't know any official police statistics. Maybe it could happen in the past... maybe if I drive top class Mercedes car.

Well, there was something wrong about car alarms in Kaunas and generally in all Baltic states. I could hear their loud alarms many times although nothing bad happened to the cars. Low quality of alarms or what?

I drove quite new, small (but enough for two) Toyota Yaris (similar to American ECHO) which was equipped in some good (top secret :-) alarms and insuranced against thefts. And... I didn't wash my car during my trip haha. In Kaunas I parked on unguarded paid parking lots including unguarded parking lot of my hotel at night.

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General Tips: Post offices and mailboxes

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 5, 2004

LITHUANIAN MAILBOX

Favorite Thing: If you need to send mail look for yellow mailboxes as on my picture. I found two centrally located post offices in Kaunas:
1. At Town Hall Square (Rotuses aikste # 29) at its northeastern corner (corner of M. Valanciaus gatve);
2. At western part of main walking street of the New Town (Laisves al. # 102) by Zoological Museum (on northern side of the street).
I didn't see more post offices in the centre/downtown of Vilnius but I saw a few mailboxes for example outside Museum of Devils.

Post stamps for postcards sent ANYWHERE outside Lithuania costed 1.00 Lt or 1.20 Lt (priority). Up-to-date rates here.

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General Tips: English and German

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Updated by matcrazy1

on Sep 9, 2004

IN DEVILS MUSEUM

Favorite Thing: In Kaunas most touristy points of interests (like in Museum of Devils) I found basic information in 3 languages: surely Lithuanian and additionally in English and German. In Vilnius there were never in German but often in both Polish and Russian. No wonder, if you look back at different history of these cities. Kaunas is often called the most Lithuanian city of the whole Lithuania.

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General Tips: Viesbutis? What's that?

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 5, 2004

VIESBUTIS = HOTEL

Favorite Thing: Excuse, it's more Lithuanian than Kaunas General Tip. I will transfer it to my Lithuania page soon.

There were often large advertisements VIESBUTIS, like on my picture, put on buildings in Kaunas and Lithuania. Viesbutis means HOTEL in Lithuanian language. Well, usually, but not always, English (and Polish :-) name hotel was added but often smaller and easy to miss esp. for driving a car visitors, like me.

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General Tips: Call home

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 8, 2004

TELEPHONE BOOTHS IN KAUNAS

Favorite Thing: I found quite many public phones (always for telephone cards) around both the Old Town and the New Town of Kaunas. well, not as many as in say Berlin (visited in February 2004) or esp. in US cities. But I can't complain, in any doubts read below. There was no phone book inside the phone boots but (very nice surprice :-) exact information how to use it in English.

I remember times of the Soviet Union, the country which occupied Lithuania till 1990. Once my father tried to call home (in Poland) from Lviv (Ukraine, now) that was from the Soviet Union. Hmm... it's another story. Simply it was almost impossible, it took many hours (first a trip to the only one post office which offered in theory such possibility for foreigners), passport check-ups, special permissions etc. I though they called to Moscow to allow my father to call Poland that time. Hmm... they really didn't want people to contact without their full control. OK, times luckily changed :-))).

Free calls (no card required):
01 - Fire Station,
02 - Police
03 - First Aid
04 - Gas Emergency.

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General Tips: Do you want to develop your pics?

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Updated by matcrazy1

on Mar 6, 2007

FUJI PHOTO LAB AT TOWN HALL

SQUARE

Favorite Thing: If you want to develop your pictures in Kaunas, no worries, look for world known, photo labs like Kodak or Fuji (on my picture at Town Hall Square 1; Rotuses aikste 1). There were a few photo labs located at Laisves aleja as well (including 1 hour service).

Keep in mind that developing pictures both from classical camera films and from digital sources was a little bit more expensive in Kaunas than in Poland or, say Berlin (in 2004).

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General Tips: Cheap internet in Kaunas

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 8, 2004

INTERNET CAFE SIGN AT VILNIAUS

GATVE (STREET

Favorite Thing: If you are VT-addicted or just want to connect to internet walk along main streets (Laisves aleja and Vilniaus gatve) of the centre/downtown of Kaunas and look for signs as on my picture. I found a few internet cafes, usually with a few small in size monitors, cafe/tea to choose and smoking inside allowed.

This Cafe Internet on my picture was located at Vilniaus gatve 24 (street), close to Town Hall Square (Rotuses aikste) and Avilio terasa (Vilniaus gatve 30). It costed 4 Lt per 1 hour at 8.00 pm - 12.00 pm and 5.00 Lt from 10.00 am till 8.00 pm. Map here.

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General Tips: Guided tours

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 8, 2004

GUIDED GROUP AT KAUNAS TOWN

HALL SQUARE

Favorite Thing: Imet a few groups guided by hired guide and walking around Kaunas from one point of tourist interest to another. I heared Russian and Lithuanian language, but there was one group guided in English as well.

To hire a guide (in Lithuanian, English, German or Russian) book in advance. Details here.

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General Tips: Map of Kaunas

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 8, 2004

MAP OF KAUNAS

Favorite Thing: I was driving by car to Kaunas and I was driving around Kaunas as well. So, I had to buy map of Kaunas. If you are going to visit "only" Kaunas centre/downtown (on foot) you don't need maps of the whole Kaunas area. In this case, a map included in some travel guides to Kaunas (or even Lithuania) maybe enough. Buy a leaflet "Kaunas Klaipeda in your pocket" (8.00 Lt) available in any kiosk, bookstore, tourist information office, at some hotels as well - the map inside was enough for walking around.

If you drive a car you definetely need detailed map of the whole area of large Kaunas. Before entering Kaunas I found and bought on petrol/gas station that one on my picture.

Kaunas miesto planas (12.00 Lt) contained 3 maps:
- 1:25,000 map of great Kaunas;
- more detailed (no scale marked) map of the downtown/centre (with marked main buildings, points of interest etc. although named in Lithuanian only and not very detailed), one-way streets, trolleybus and bus lines marked;
- map of Kaunas apskritis (county).

Map had hard cover and contained info (addresses, phone numbers) on emergency, accommodations, theaters, museum, art galleries and expositions. Add street index. All in 4 languages: Lithuanian, English, German and Russian.

Clickable map of Lithuania (online) is here. Search Kaunas and zoom in to get detailed map with numbers of houses marked.

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General Tips: More info?

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Written by matcrazy1

on Sep 8, 2004

KAUNAS KLAIPEDA CITY GUIDE IN

YOUR POCKET