Hey there! Just writing an update to say that I’ve made another channel to better focus on my personal experiences of Lithuania. This channel will focus on Lithuanian geopolitics, military, and defence/security. You can check out the other channel here: youtube.com/@lithuaniaexplainedvlog?si=8RijI-sKDzOcquZA
Very interesting to hear your feedback and perspetive as an expat! Many lithuanians are very happy having you covering various relevant topics. Keep up the good work! :)
Sounds absolutely wonderful, as someone who’s part Lithuanian and Estonian but was born in America, I feel the need to go back and connect with my original culture and peoples🇪🇪💖🇱🇹
This comment made me feel happy, initially being Lithuanian, I travelled Estonia last summer a little. It really is breath-taking! Having a capital near the sea is one of the best combos imo 😄
Did you know you can apply for citizenship as a US citizen? It’s called citizenship by descent and I’m in the process right now. Soon I’ll be a Lithuanian citizen, as well American citizen. Look into it if you know your families history pretty well.
I've visited Vilnius a number of times over the years and I'm making the permanent move to Vilnius from the UK this coming Friday. Thoroughly enjoyed your video and another perspective on living in Vilnius
I just came back in my country at the beginning of the month after 1 year living in Vilnius ; it was an incredible time in my life and Vilnius is definitely to visit. I recommend too :)
With buildings, some neighbourhoods in Vilnius like Fabijoniškės and Šeškinė ( Where I live) are quite depressing and often times give that soviet union/eastern vibe. But more and more modern homes are being build or the old ones get renovated. So it's getting better.
Its not depressing because most buildings and surrounding areas are well maintained. There are towns where neither people nor local elderships take care of that, making them look depressing. It used to be especially depressing in Rukla (main hub of LT military).
Lithuania is a great country with cozy infrastructure and lovely people. I loved to ride my bycicle there before. We all must live in peace and freedom. From Russia with love.
@@RichD1 Im from Lithuania and i wanted to see what yt thinks of us and we are a great country our passport is top 10s and we can visit arnd 158 countries and no i saw on yt russian ppl sayin Lt is bad but no its rlly good
I started watching your videos in May/June where I gained some valuable info prior to visiting Lithuania, so thank you for that. I continue to watch as I find your content enjoyable, informative and I've no doubt I will return to LT in the near future. Keep up the great work 👏🏼
Thank you Sir! 😊 I appreciate the words of encouragement! Hope you’ll make it back some time. 🇱🇹 With all the views coming from political and cultural stuff, It’s a challenge to make videos that offer practical advice that are still appealing but I’m sure I’ll find a good balance.
@@LithuaniaExplained your videos are definitely appreciated, no doubt your increased viewership and subscriptions reflect this. I visited in June and I'm only finding time to create my own videos, so I can appreciate it's no quick task to think up and create the content. I think it was your video on public transport that I first found and then watched the others from there. Whilst your practical advice videos will always be beneficial to prospective visitors, for me, I'm very much interested in the sociological aspect of somewhere i'm visiting (especially former Soviet states) so your 'non-advice' videos are equally as engaging to me.
As a local I can confirm that everything said is pretty much true except that author has lived only in Vilnius and all info is only about it, not about Lithuania in general. Life in Vilnius and outside of it is totally different. For example public transport in city is ok, but even in suburbs of Vilnius it's terrible. I'm living 500m from Vilnius sign, going to city centre with a car takes me 20-30min, with a public transport it takes ~2hrs. Also no bike lanes or even sidewalks here.
@@BenyNukem still, if they don't demand for certain rights like Polish schools, writing street names in Polish and so own, this is our country, our culture, our language, accept it, honor it
@@RidingWithGerdas Doesn't polish minority that lived there for centuries deserve right to maintain their culture? I don't know the subject as well as I wish, just have impression like there is Lithuanian hostility against anything "polish", while I don't see it at all among Poles towards Lithuanians. I personally respect all decisions of sovereign Lithuanian government - even if they don't line up with my vision of brotherly nations relationship. If you can't tolerate minorities passing their language down the generations, (is that desrepecting do Lithuanians?) maybe you should just deport them?
@@BenyNukem nobody talks about rights to maintain culture. Problem with Polish schools is a little bit different, children from those schools has a big difficulties with lithuanian language. Few Polish lessons per week is fine, not all lessons in Polish. About tolerance, current LT government is second in row with some Polish members in. How many Lithuanians are in your government? 😃
Good video, calm and informative. I have been to Lithuania several times, close as it is to Sweden. I know it is nice and now have an idea to retire there, not necessarily in Vilnius. It could be in the country side or by the sea. Next film perhaps could have that kind of focus, for us a bit older.
@@LithuaniaExplained im a Australian part lithuanian and im looking to visit or move to lithuania when i can afford it and hopefully the war has died down a little. i would love for you to do a video on the difference between kaunas and Vilnius.
I love Baltic States so much, wish I could visit them one day or even live there, but they don't allow people from my country in, due to recent events in the current year... Which is understandable though. I hope the situation will change and I'll be able to visit Vilnius one day
Thanks you for your insights of my beautiful country. I think all baltic countries are a great example of post SSRS states that joined EU and flourished compared to ones that stayed in close relationship to Russia.
Foreigners are always talking about our public transport. They are mostly satisfied and it's cheaper. But try to force a typical lithuanian jump from a car to a bus or new built metro.
Amazing😇 I visited Lithuania the first time with my 3 friends from Bangkok - I live in Stockholm so it the best opportunity for me to take this trip. I really like the country even I was there only 3 days. Vilnius and Trakai are beautiful. People in Lithuania are really freindly, helpful. So I maybe try to live for 3 months after my retirement. First I have to study the language first. Next Spring 2024, May I will visit Lithuania again. 😇 Thank you for your informative video clip. Best Wishes from STOCKHOLM - SWEDEN💛💚❤
To anyone curious. If you decide to live in another city (not vilnius), trains are quite a useful tool. I have traveled all across lithuania by train, be it from kretinga to vilnius, from vilnius to lentvaris and from lentvaris to trakai and vice versa. If you live somewhere near vilnius, usually one or two buses will probably get you straight to vilnius in a heartbeat
I am a fellow Canadian from Edmonton, with a Lithuanian heritage. I have visited my relatives in Lithuania in 1993. Also, I visited Lithuania in 2015. I have really enjoyed your channel.
Just curious. In Lithuania, how many eggs are sold in a package? Are there other packaging differences in Lithuania? How about milk? In Canada, we found some ice cream products imported from Lithuania.
@@draugami there are many of them , the one that I occasionally go and it’s great place for Eastern European food called Yammy market it’s Major Mac and Dufferin
As a Spaniard my biggest issue is just finding people. And when I do find someone, because social norms are different they either feel uncomfortable or don't know how to act. That doesn't mean that I haven't found good people to talk with
Right. I was considering talking about social culture in the video too, but me being an introvert anyways I haven’t tried to hard to connect with people. It might be a video topic of its own later on.
There's quite a community of spanish medical students in Kaunas. Saw them hanging out by Pažaislio vienuolynas beach :) Other than that, yes, we're introverts big time. Once warmed up we're ready to give an arm and a leg for a friend though!
God help us! That's a crazy event :) Speaking as a Lithuanian. Not for everyone. It's like recommending somebody to go to Oktoberfest in Germany - some may enjoy it, but not others.
I went to Estonia 3 month ago and on my way i stopped in vilnius and thought weyooo thats a nice city. Now im back in Lithuania, right now in Klaipeda and its amazing. Also all prices are 30-50% cheaper then in Germany/Netherlands were i spent most time of my life. You can pay nearly everywhere with card, good infrastructure and a good tax system. Thats why i want to live here now and recommend it to all my west european friends.
@@wifi588 petrol is at least 1,70-1,80 when i was in Lithuania was everywhere around 1,50-160. When you go in a good Burgershop you be fine with 10-15€ in Germany you most pay around 20 euro. In the supermarket Maxima/IkI i paid for 800g of handmade sushi 9€ in Germany you would pay at least around 20€. Glass bottle Water like St Pellegrino was same. I think sweats and chocolate and chips was also same. What kind of products are higher in Lithuania do you may have some examples?
@@wifi588 in Germany the average salary is higher but i think the costs especially for living and energy are a lot higher. I think after corona the world saw how stupid the new government of germany is and after that prices went up very heavy, because we have a economy minister called Robert Habeck sitting in an interview saying there will be no insolvencies the fabrics just need to stop producing HAHHAHAAH all the world laughts about my country now and we really had a strong economy years ago. Also what you dont have in Lithuania is so many refugees who gonna stab you with no reason. In germany are already 400.000 refugees who did not get a right for asyl but they still in the country and to the same time you just have 279.000 police man. there are heavy riots sometimes but the media always says its just a single case. But the statistic says from 2015 (refugee crisis) the sex offender more then double until today. And in the End the rich germans laugh about them poor germans having all these troubles. if you want to have a rich country go to switzerland or norway or denmark. Germany is really over and im ofc sad about it. The big companies like BASF, Linde, BMW, Volkswagen now invest huge ammounts in USA and China and run down the business in Germany. I dont know what the media tells you there in Lithuania but its really like this to 100%.
@@markott3978 There's some discussion going on that in Germany raw produce, like meat and vegetables, also everything in Lidl is a lot cheaper. I can't confirm this as the last time I have been to Germany was 5-6 years ago
Vilnius is wonderful, you want to stay there and not leave, there are also many beautiful places in all of Lithuania, « Kaimo Turizmas» with Friends it is especially popular...west side.., Curonian spit” …
It's really nice to hear another foreigners opinion about this truly beautiful country! While I have been there a lot of times myself (because I have lithuanian heritage) but I never got to experience a lot more about it other than one of the major cities. So I am really excited for my Erasmus project where I chose Lithuania to be the country I want to do it in. One full year of time to learn more about a place I already learned to love when I was young. Super excited to learn more about this awesome country!
Great video just as your channel is. Your English is super clear and understandable (yes, many native English speakers are tough to understand but not you - kudos for that). The size of Vilnius is deceiving. If you are one-day tourist who just have time for downtown then you may feel it is small. Vilnius possesses 401 sq km of area which is more than many European capitals with over a million people. It stretches 20 km East to West and 25 km South to North - go figure how to walk it in less than an hour :-) And yes, we are talking about the actual city property, not suburbs. I don't think you can reach Fabijoniskes from Old town in an hour and this would be just 1 (one) vector of hundreds of them you could take in Vilnius. Public transport. It has improved and it is improving further with more new electric buses and trolley buses on the way. Interesting fact: the is a metro (subway) planned for Vilnius. The lines with stations are available on the Internet. But...the project is frozen since 10 years ago. And it is not only about money. It is about the fact if Vilnius really does need metro or not. Winter in Lithuania...super cold? Last Winter we barely had snow...and it is not the first time. Foreigners will survive, for sure. Dark Winter night? The are just as dark as in UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Northern Germany. And there is never an issue... Belarus is a threat for Lithuania? The poorest country that is banned by Europe? It has no power or money to hurt Lithuania. Their nuclear plant is civil but not military facility. Lithuania had its own nuclear plant but gave up nuclear energy for ecology. :-)
Thanks for all of your feedback and opinions 😀 Yes I definitely didn’t explain my opinion about size very well. I meant it in terms of population. And the walking comment was more about the city center. And I think cold and dark is all relative. With many international students coming from India and Africa, it’s quite a big change from those parts of the world. I really should look into this metro plan, it sounds quite interesting!
@@LithuaniaExplained Thank you for replaying. Vancouver is one of my very favorite cities. I've been there a lot. And this is where I wanted to live. When we are in Lithuania we have to switch to a new mode and to forget about North America. Everything ia different. We have to stop looking for Soviet heritage. Because even if it is there sometimes it is not defining Lithuania. Lithuania is a 1000 year nation that happened to spend only 50 years in USSR. And now all foreigners seem to be obsessed with it. This is foul. Take a bike and ride it to Verkiai. Or Belmontas. Or Pilaite. And you will experience new distances of Vilnius. Curious fact: Vancouver city is 0.29 % as big as Vinius by area. Here is a link to find out: mapfight.xyz/map/vilnius/
Good question. I enjoy learning European languages - French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Italian. They are easier than Chinese, which is my second language. If I would like to improve my French, I would choose a non-touristy area of France. If I would like to improve my German, I would choose a non-touristy area of Germany. And so forth. If I would like to watch a show every day, I would choose London and Las Vegas. If I would like to explore underrated places, I would choose the Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and the Eastern European countries.
I mean no hate, but I would like to point out some things: 1. You mostly talked about the bigger cities which is not good, because if you go to a smaller city like Panevėžys there is almost nothing to see 2. A lot of people are not so friendly, especially younger people. They will gang up on you if you look at them funny 3. This country is very not friendly towards the LGBTQIA+ people. The reason is that this country is full of old people which still try to make the children also homophobic 4. The health care system is also not so good. In the big cities, yes, they can help you with a lot of things. But in smaller cities is way worst if you got a tumor, they won't find it. And a cherry on top, if you want to get taken good care in the hospital in here, you need to bribe the doctors, because they will care about you less if you won't. I can go on and on, but these are just some of the main problems in here. And if you want to ask how I know this, that's because I live here since I was a child and I still live here
I moved to Vilnius for studying. I love Lithuania but there are also some negative sides. When I was searching for a flat, 5 Lithuanian landlords told they don‘t want foreigners in their flat and also my Lithuanian estate agent told me that a lot especially old landlords don‘t want foreigners. That was my first experience with xenophobia and my classmates told me that they made similar experiences. Also some people in Vilnius are very rude especially when you don‘t speak Lithuanian and I personally think xenophobia is a problem in Lithuania! Ok, to be fair xenophobia and racism is also a problem in Germany my home country. But sometimes I have the feeling that it is not a problem to say no I don‘t want foreigners here but it is. Don‘t get me wrong, I also met really open minded people here, my university is very nice and international and Lithuania is really beautiful. But I also want to share my experience with xenophobia!
Really? In Vilnius? We should work on it some more then. But could seemingly 'rude' attitude in some cases come from not being confident with their own English and therefore refusing to speak or making a sour face? That is very common. Even more so in Latvia. People seem rude there in general, even to a Lithuanian, when they actually aren't :)
@@omnizsk my current Lithuanian landlord doesn‘t speak English too, but nowadays there are oppurtunities (Google translate and so on). But to say I don‘t want foreigners here in very rude way, this is xenophobia and not very hospitable!
@@Westblocklatino this is also how we, lithuanians, sometimes just say things straight, but we most often don't intend to offend people. I agree, it is rude.
If you want to recreate the experience of being in the movie Eurotrip, you can go to either Kėdainiai in Lithuania or Ugale, Latvia. Those vibes really hit there.
You should go to Visaginas, where the nuclear powerplant was, there the depression vibe rll hits, with streets being empty and all buildings being soviet.
Great video. Nice to see that they have some good bike lanes. That's one of the things that I miss most about Vancouver. I know what you mean about walking around the older parts of cities. Such a different feel from Vancouver.
As a Lithuanian, who has commuted in Vilnius, Vancouver, and now in Copenhagen, I can tell the differences. There are bicycle lanes in Vancouver, and Vancouver people are very proud of that and also are good in promoting healthy lifestyle (e.g. nice ideas to have bicycles designated parking areas at the event venues etc), however my conclusion was that people cycle there only in Downtown. For example, I was cycling between east vancouver and north burnaby - I could rarely meet 1-3 cyclists in 20-30 minutes route, while in Denmark people cycle more or less everywhere. In Vilnius is different. I lived in Naujamiestis (Savanorių), no bicycle lanes, so I cycled often in the streets with the traffic or on pathways-depends how risky is to be in traffic- so it is quite dangerous and you need to be enthusiastic about bicycles in order to enjoy it, especially in winters. And yes, have to admit, I didn't want to spend whole life in Vancouver and I got back to Europe, because I missed rich history, culture and great architecture in Europe :)
I've just moved here from Dubai after pretty much a lifetime in the Middle East (including Bahrain). Their transport infrastructure lacks functionality not just because of how limited it is, but how little ground it covers. Neighbourhoods are so spread out. A 5km distance here versus there is majorly different! I came during the heatwave in late June, so it suited my desert climate sensibilities, but I'm reaaaally curious to see (and feel!) what the winter will be like for me. I know you're Canadian so you probably have the right blood for it, but having lived in Kuwait, do you have any tips for handling the extremities of winter here? :)
There’s a video on this channel about winter survival :) but to summarize my own strategy: get warm clothes from a thrift store, find footwear that will prevent you from slipping on ice, watch for snow falling from rooftops, find ways to stay social during those long dark months
I was always wondering: is the heat different here from Middle East? I heard Middle East has dry heat, which is much more bearable than humid and hot days here in Lithuania.
Most of the heat I experienced in Kuwait was a dry heat, and it really is a lot more bearable than heat with humidity. I understand that the heat in Dubai can be quite humid… at least during certain times of the year.
@@exlibrisas having lived in Bahrain and Dubai, the heat there is more humid-based than dry. It is far more intolerable than the heat in Lithuania. However, what makes it intolerable here, is the lack of a/c everywhere you go and the fact that people are outdoors whereas in the Middle East, your movements are almost always inside - whether that's in a car or a mall. You have as little interaction with the outside to avoid heatstroke...
'I came there and was surprised how developed they were - they had public transportation!' 😆 Some just have wrong stereotypes about what post-soviet means. Some others know more, but have their info from the 90's. Things have been improving extremely fast, especially in the Baltics, while in the West, everything has been slowly going down in the same time.
Right- I was more referring to population. But when I talked about being able to walk across town I was talking about the city center so it wasn’t that clear.
This is misleading comment. Vilnius covers large area because of the way it is measured. Many areas around the city could be counted as individual municipalities by Western Europe standards.
The scene where they came to Bratislava is quite acurate. I live in Slovakia and ofc been in Bratislava. It's the so called bad part of town. Fr I've heard people get atabbed there quite frequently. But that was a long time ago. Now Bratislava is more developed soo yea... good for us 😅
An advice or a request call it as you like. Some vilnius night life, but not vilnius street, which is a bit fake, nothing too lithuanian. Please spare a night out to visit stranger places we party at like: 1. Lukiškės prison. We've closed it a couple of years ago and now we have city festivals, concerts, art expos and so on... 2. Take your girl out to bazar/marketplace of halė. Not every night is golden, you can check out club young's for when is there an event with lots of interest. Trust me its weird and cool to party in between cheese and tea stands. 3. The train station with an outside club parkas during summer. And club peronas which works all year. 4. These are just industrial clubs, nothing during the day, but they could be cool as well if you pick the right concert: kablys and loftas. Lasty, thank you for your effort. Congrats on your cliche wedding ;)
My birth fathers name is Vassilis Degutis. He told my birth mom he was from Athens Greece Just found put the surname is Lithuania? I'm disappointed...only because irs a shock. I always thought I he was Greek
Regard Vancouver vs Vilnius - how walkable is Vilnius? As you know, it maybe walkable in Downtown (subject to DTES... especially now), but outside of CoV, I consider walkability to be bad. Those who live outside of CoV may lament there is nothing good around their neighborhood reachable on foot.
The Vilnius city centre is very walkable. Its surrounding neighborhoods are still not too bad. There are some areas that lack curb cuts (for strollers, wheelchairs, etc), and some sidewalks could use some extensive repairs too. But I really appreciate the fact that in most parts of the city, you're never more than a 10-15 minute walk away from a supermarket or bus stop. But that's just my experience of Vilnius.
I don't want this question to sound rude, but do the winters in Lithuania feel depressing? Is there really a severe lack of sunlight throughout the day and extreme cold weather, or is that just a stereotype for Baltic countries? Great video btw
I would reply that as long as you are involved in different activities in winter season you should be fine- no time to get depressed. As we say- winter is for gatherings/dinners with friends, concerts and other cultural attendances, cozy evenings with candles, different types of classes (ceramics, book club or singing in a choir) etc. Some people travel to southern countries (e.g. Tenerife) in winters, while others choose travel destinations with Christmas or even more wintery vibes (e.g. Christmas markets in Germany).
I was just searching about how's life in Lithuania and i found your video, this is so much more interesting since I think we both work/live in kuwait just your case you were. I just have a question does it hard to look for a professional job there? I am planning to go there too :)
Nice video. Can I ask you to explain your comment about "Eastern Europe?" I've just lived in Budapest for 2-years and Hungarians there are usually offended when it's referred to as "Eastern Europe." They consider it "Central Europe." They imply that Eastern Europe are the "other countries" that were under Russian influence at one time such as the Baltic States. So, what's the issue in Lithuania? Thanks.
As far as I know life is about relationships … there is nothing about the people and education system or possible contacts with people as Lithuanian are welcoming or not…. Traveling and buy things everywhere is possible . Question if I want to do that there as meeting with natives ?
Vilnius is not Lithuania, actually it’s multicultural city, so you won’t understand anything about Lithuania if you spend your time in those 3 streets in old-town, that you mentioned. Lithuania is so MUCH MUCH MORE than Vilnius…
I moved here to Lithuania from Ukraine cause of war. I agree about public transportation and people mostly knowing English, if they dont i can speak russian too. Prices for food - higher than in Ukraine, salaries twice lower than in Ukraine. Even i found job in foreign company. Foreign companies come to Lithuania to find cheap English speaking employees , just my vision. As for safety, yep, pretty in any town in Lithuania feels safe, there is no crimes almost. And if u love bicycles - Vilnius definitely the city for u
Salaries are two times lower than in Ukraine? Maybe in some specific fields or for you personally, but not in general (just look at statistics). Yes, being able to speak English is an absolute must for jobs in foreign companies, also university education, but it does not impress anyone and does not automatically translate into a higher salary.
Are the alcohol sales time accurate in the video? In Estonia, alcohol cant be sold from 10pm to 10am, but in your video, the hours were in daytime, not night-time, curious if you can buy alcohol during night-time in Lithuania.
I think you’re flipping the meaning of the hours around? In the video, those hours are the times where you are allowed to buy alcohol. Outside of those times, you are not.
5:!9 cost of living is expensive in Lithuania, I get that you work with foreign companies however if you worked a true Lithuanian job you'd see how much harder it is to get by especially while living in Vilnius. I'm a Lithuanian, I live in the UK with my sibling and parents we went back for holiday 2 weeks ago. I was gifted over 200 euros majority went towards school supplies like a backpack that cost me 30 euros or a simple squared paper that cost me 13 euros. The notebook did have a 40% discount but it is still expensive sine I was buying in bulk I ended up spending over 57 euros with the discount. Another thing, staying in the capital does not allow to experience the true culture of the Lithuanian people, going to smaller cities or even to one of the many villages scattered about you can tell the kind of history this country has, but also more emphasis on cost of living. That is because the only ones with good looking homes in the country side villages are either government officials or Lithuanian's buying property while living and working over seas. Another thing life there is dreadful no matter how much you enjoy the location after being there for more then 2 years you wold end up starting to pay attention to politics and how bad the government situation it right now, and example of this is seen via my extended family, the only ones left living in Lithuania are my grandparents (both sides) my aunti (dads side) and my uncle (moms side) the rest had move out to the UK to live mush more better lives. Sorry about the rant just thought to explain some things.
It's like you are describing Lithuania in early 2000's. I too enjoy living heare, even goverment isn't that bad when compared to trends that goverments in eastern Europe tend to folow. And living standarts while yes not compleatly the same is geting closer and closer to western Europe year by year. Sometimes I see job offerings in Germany in my fb feed where salary is something like 1500 euros / month and I even wonder is there any point in emigrating these days anymore.
@@tamolamo4698 Let me give you an example in regards of recent news. With Prince Charles now ascending the throne the Lithuanian government thought it would be a great idea to rename him Korllis which is a common Lithuanian name. Because they want everything to be about them.
@@scaramouchiefandango5060 And that is importasnt / shuld worry me becouse ? Dude its common in easter Europe for goverment to run for 20+ years unoposed, assesinate promenant oposition leaders, or feed theyre population nastiest forms of nationalism. When compeared Lithuanian goverment (this or previous) is definately not that bad and while we shuldn't prase it or anything like that, I'm proud of my country and the way it chose and come to this point since the 90's
@@tamolamo4698 You know arguing with you is pointless since we both have different views and I don't have the mental capacity to need to worry about something like this, so lets just forget it or something k. Good talk bye.
i responded to an earlier similar comment to clarify that i meant the city center, perhaps including naujamiestis. Yes, the entirety of vilnius is quite large.
Question for you or anyone else who would be knowledgeable. I'm planning to attend grad school in Vilnius this upcoming school year (hoping to get accepted soon), I speak english natively and intermediate Russian. Since the start of the war, has there been a negative opinion of speaking Russian? Will it be looked down on if I try to converse in Russian right off the bat, or should I try to greet in Lithuanian? I'm really not sure, any thoughts would be great!
I think so, at least this is the impression I get, particularly if you are speaking to someone younger than 50. I would try English first. If they are quite old then Russian is more likely to be a language they speak. I could be off on my assessment so maybe someone else has a different perspective on it
As a person who lived my whole life in Vilnius, I mean, it is always nice to try and greet people in the language of the country, which in this case is Lithuanian :-) As for using the Russian language, it really depends on the people you are going to meet at your school - of course, some people may strongly oppose the use of the Russian language due to the war or some other past historical events. But there are also many people in Lithuania who actually can speak Russian natively or at a very high level as a second language, and do not view it as something negative because what Russia is doing politically is not the fault of the language, and definitely not the fault of the Lithuanians who just happen to know how to speak Russian 🙂But you also said that you are an English native speaker, so I can assure you that majority of our youth under 30 can speak really good English, so you won't have any problems with communication :-) Hope you'll like it in Lithuania!
Hey there! Just writing an update to say that I’ve made another channel to better focus on my personal experiences of Lithuania. This channel will focus on Lithuanian geopolitics, military, and defence/security.
You can check out the other channel here:
youtube.com/@lithuaniaexplainedvlog?si=8RijI-sKDzOcquZA
Very interesting to hear your feedback and perspetive as an expat! Many lithuanians are very happy having you covering various relevant topics. Keep up the good work! :)
Thanks so much!
As an lithuanian i am proud that there is channel made in english, and by foreigner! Great and interesting information! Ačiū 😊!
Are there any Degutis in the country?
Hey we moved to Lithania at like the same exact time, I just passed my two year mark two weeks ago.
Nice! Congrats! 🙌
So Thomas since you have lived in Lithuania for a reasonable amount of time, what is your impresion of my country?
Thanks for staying around ;)
Sounds absolutely wonderful, as someone who’s part Lithuanian and Estonian but was born in America, I feel the need to go back and connect with my original culture and peoples🇪🇪💖🇱🇹
This comment made me feel happy, initially being Lithuanian, I travelled Estonia last summer a little. It really is breath-taking! Having a capital near the sea is one of the best combos imo 😄
Do not hesitate, do it. Better regret for not right decision, than no decision!
I’m a Turkish American, living in New York about 12 years. I just got my ome way ticket to Vilnius and remote working there 😂 lets see how it goes ))
@@onurozdemir1763 And how is it not speaking Lithuanian
Did you know you can apply for citizenship as a US citizen? It’s called citizenship by descent and I’m in the process right now.
Soon I’ll be a Lithuanian citizen, as well American citizen.
Look into it if you know your families history pretty well.
I've visited Vilnius a number of times over the years and I'm making the permanent move to Vilnius from the UK this coming Friday.
Thoroughly enjoyed your video and another perspective on living in Vilnius
Welcome and have fun! Or should I say "Sekmės!"
In Lithuania actualy getting even worst better stay in UK :D
@@fatezepp388 why? :) It's great here.
@@fatezepp388 UK is having a massive energy price crisis. A lot of businesses are failing + the Brexit consequences issue..
I’ll be going through the same process next year, I can’t wait.
I just came back in my country at the beginning of the month after 1 year living in Vilnius ; it was an incredible time in my life and Vilnius is definitely to visit. I recommend too :)
Come again in a while once we have advanced a bit more ;)
lithuania is so amazing. one of the most underrated and under-covered countries I've been to.
Yep, Lithuania is underrated. It is better to be underrated than overrated.
Let's keep it that way. Last thing we need is to be overrun by immigrants.
With buildings, some neighbourhoods in Vilnius like Fabijoniškės and Šeškinė ( Where I live) are quite depressing and often times give that soviet union/eastern vibe. But more and more modern homes are being build or the old ones get renovated. So it's getting better.
Its not depressing because most buildings and surrounding areas are well maintained. There are towns where neither people nor local elderships take care of that, making them look depressing. It used to be especially depressing in Rukla (main hub of LT military).
Some nostalgic people really want to feel the smell of soviets. They are able to do that passing along the outdoor toilets in Šeškinė.
the most depressing neighbourhood is Perkūnkiemis, which was built in the 2000's
Lithuania is a great country with cozy infrastructure and lovely people. I loved to ride my bycicle there before. We all must live in peace and freedom. From Russia with love.
Yes, we must live in peace and freedom. U r welcome! Come with a bicycle again the next time, not by a tank. Slava Ukraini.
@@Mr.Whitecock dalbajobe tu, nuo kada paprasti rusijos gyventojai kalti , kad ivyko karas?
@@Mr.Whitecockthis is not the russian goverment, its just a person loving Lithuania, no need for hate and that huge passive aggressiveness
@@RichD1 Im from Lithuania and i wanted to see what yt thinks of us and we are a great country our passport is top 10s and we can visit arnd 158 countries and no i saw on yt russian ppl sayin Lt is bad but no its rlly good
I started watching your videos in May/June where I gained some valuable info prior to visiting Lithuania, so thank you for that. I continue to watch as I find your content enjoyable, informative and I've no doubt I will return to LT in the near future. Keep up the great work 👏🏼
Thank you Sir! 😊 I appreciate the words of encouragement! Hope you’ll make it back some time. 🇱🇹
With all the views coming from political and cultural stuff, It’s a challenge to make videos that offer practical advice that are still appealing but I’m sure I’ll find a good balance.
@@LithuaniaExplained your videos are definitely appreciated, no doubt your increased viewership and subscriptions reflect this. I visited in June and I'm only finding time to create my own videos, so I can appreciate it's no quick task to think up and create the content. I think it was your video on public transport that I first found and then watched the others from there. Whilst your practical advice videos will always be beneficial to prospective visitors, for me, I'm very much interested in the sociological aspect of somewhere i'm visiting (especially former Soviet states) so your 'non-advice' videos are equally as engaging to me.
Cheers! And Best wishes on the growth of your channel!
😍😍🥰
Šaunuolis, kad kuri video apie Lietuvą. Respect, Žmogau!
As a local I can confirm that everything said is pretty much true except that author has lived only in Vilnius and all info is only about it, not about Lithuania in general. Life in Vilnius and outside of it is totally different. For example public transport in city is ok, but even in suburbs of Vilnius it's terrible. I'm living 500m from Vilnius sign, going to city centre with a car takes me 20-30min, with a public transport it takes ~2hrs. Also no bike lanes or even sidewalks here.
I love it when foreigner comes and stays here :)
Thank you for having us!
What if he's Polish?!
@@BenyNukem still, if they don't demand for certain rights like Polish schools, writing street names in Polish and so own, this is our country, our culture, our language, accept it, honor it
@@RidingWithGerdas Doesn't polish minority that lived there for centuries deserve right to maintain their culture? I don't know the subject as well as I wish, just have impression like there is Lithuanian hostility against anything "polish", while I don't see it at all among Poles towards Lithuanians. I personally respect all decisions of sovereign Lithuanian government - even if they don't line up with my vision of brotherly nations relationship. If you can't tolerate minorities passing their language down the generations, (is that desrepecting do Lithuanians?) maybe you should just deport them?
@@BenyNukem nobody talks about rights to maintain culture. Problem with Polish schools is a little bit different, children from those schools has a big difficulties with lithuanian language. Few Polish lessons per week is fine, not all lessons in Polish. About tolerance, current LT government is second in row with some Polish members in. How many Lithuanians are in your government? 😃
I have been in Vilnius it's a really wonderful city and I will move there ASAP promise 🙏🏻
Good video, calm and informative. I have been to Lithuania several times, close as it is to Sweden. I know it is nice and now have an idea to retire there, not necessarily in Vilnius. It could be in the country side or by the sea. Next film perhaps could have that kind of focus, for us a bit older.
Walk across the city across the city in less than an hour? I would like to see you do that :) Maybe you mean Vilnius Old town district only?
Right, I did mean old town and perhaps a little bit of naujamiestis too. I should have been more specific.
I'd love to see you do a video on that too
you can get with the bus in 1 hour across city. Also, with the car during off peak hours. So he was quite accurate by stating this.
@@ufoFriend „walk across“
@@LithuaniaExplained im a Australian part lithuanian and im looking to visit or move to lithuania when i can afford it and hopefully the war has died down a little. i would love for you to do a video on the difference between kaunas and Vilnius.
I love Baltic States so much, wish I could visit them one day or even live there, but they don't allow people from my country in, due to recent events in the current year... Which is understandable though. I hope the situation will change and I'll be able to visit Vilnius one day
We good fam
U russian?
Mort aux occupants russes ! Gloire à l'Ukraine ! Lithuanie, ville de Kaunas.
Love From Lithuania
Very helpful! Thank you, lovely content!
Your video is really helpful to me
I will coming to Lithuania soon🎉
Thanks you for your insights of my beautiful country. I think all baltic countries are a great example of post SSRS states that joined EU and flourished compared to ones that stayed in close relationship to Russia.
Good introduction to living in LITHUANIA . Thanks for this.
Vilnius could have gotten a metro in 2011 where 90% of the parliament agreed on it but it got cancelled sadly :(
Interesting! Sounds like a good future video topic 😊
@@LithuaniaExplained 👍
Would be nice to have but I bet its too expensive considering the city size and popullation numbers.
Tram is more suitible solution.
Foreigners are always talking about our public transport. They are mostly satisfied and it's cheaper. But try to force a typical lithuanian jump from a car to a bus or new built metro.
Amazing😇 I visited Lithuania the first time with my 3 friends from Bangkok - I live in Stockholm so it the best opportunity for me to take this trip. I really like the country even I was there only 3 days.
Vilnius and Trakai are beautiful. People in Lithuania are really freindly, helpful. So I maybe try to live for 3 months after my retirement. First I have to study the language first. Next Spring 2024, May I will visit Lithuania again. 😇 Thank you for your informative video clip.
Best Wishes from STOCKHOLM - SWEDEN💛💚❤
To anyone curious. If you decide to live in another city (not vilnius), trains are quite a useful tool. I have traveled all across lithuania by train, be it from kretinga to vilnius, from vilnius to lentvaris and from lentvaris to trakai and vice versa. If you live somewhere near vilnius, usually one or two buses will probably get you straight to vilnius in a heartbeat
I am a fellow Canadian from Edmonton, with a Lithuanian heritage. I have visited my relatives in Lithuania in 1993. Also, I visited Lithuania in 2015. I have really enjoyed your channel.
Just curious. In Lithuania, how many eggs are sold in a package? Are there other packaging differences in Lithuania? How about milk? In Canada, we found some ice cream products imported from Lithuania.
@@draugami you can buy butter, Lithuanian cheese, soups, bread, pickles from Lithuania in Toronto
@@natalia18233 Please tell me where. I am visiting close to Toronto. Thank you!!
@@draugami there are many of them , the one that I occasionally go and it’s great place for Eastern European food called Yammy market it’s Major Mac and Dufferin
As a Spaniard my biggest issue is just finding people. And when I do find someone, because social norms are different they either feel uncomfortable or don't know how to act. That doesn't mean that I haven't found good people to talk with
Right. I was considering talking about social culture in the video too, but me being an introvert anyways I haven’t tried to hard to connect with people. It might be a video topic of its own later on.
There's quite a community of spanish medical students in Kaunas. Saw them hanging out by Pažaislio vienuolynas beach :)
Other than that, yes, we're introverts big time. Once warmed up we're ready to give an arm and a leg for a friend though!
see my comment above
@@UtamagUta great to know. I had a good friend but last time I visited his parents told me he hasn't gone out of his room and doesn't want to go out
I recommend going to klaipėda during the sea festival happening between 29-31 of june.
Thanks! Hopefully next year!
God help us! That's a crazy event :) Speaking as a Lithuanian. Not for everyone. It's like recommending somebody to go to Oktoberfest in Germany - some may enjoy it, but not others.
@@kazkaskazkas8689 as irgi lietuvis
As an expat working in Kuwait 🇰🇼, looking forward to move to Lithuania.. This video is resourceful 🫡👌
Very cool video editing and a lot of information!
It's an amazing place ... Looking forward to visit one day
I went to Estonia 3 month ago and on my way i stopped in vilnius and thought weyooo thats a nice city. Now im back in Lithuania, right now in Klaipeda and its amazing. Also all prices are 30-50% cheaper then in Germany/Netherlands were i spent most time of my life. You can pay nearly everywhere with card, good infrastructure and a good tax system. Thats why i want to live here now and recommend it to all my west european friends.
It's funny because a lot of lithuanians are mad, because it seems to us that prices are cheaper in Germany than here :D
@@wifi588 petrol is at least 1,70-1,80 when i was in Lithuania was everywhere around 1,50-160. When you go in a good Burgershop you be fine with 10-15€ in Germany you most pay around 20 euro. In the supermarket Maxima/IkI i paid for 800g of handmade sushi 9€ in Germany you would pay at least around 20€. Glass bottle Water like St Pellegrino was same. I think sweats and chocolate and chips was also same. What kind of products are higher in Lithuania do you may have some examples?
@@wifi588 in Germany the average salary is higher but i think the costs especially for living and energy are a lot higher. I think after corona the world saw how stupid the new government of germany is and after that prices went up very heavy, because we have a economy minister called Robert Habeck sitting in an interview saying there will be no insolvencies the fabrics just need to stop producing HAHHAHAAH all the world laughts about my country now and we really had a strong economy years ago. Also what you dont have in Lithuania is so many refugees who gonna stab you with no reason. In germany are already 400.000 refugees who did not get a right for asyl but they still in the country and to the same time you just have 279.000 police man. there are heavy riots sometimes but the media always says its just a single case. But the statistic says from 2015 (refugee crisis) the sex offender more then double until today. And in the End the rich germans laugh about them poor germans having all these troubles. if you want to have a rich country go to switzerland or norway or denmark. Germany is really over and im ofc sad about it. The big companies like BASF, Linde, BMW, Volkswagen now invest huge ammounts in USA and China and run down the business in Germany. I dont know what the media tells you there in Lithuania but its really like this to 100%.
@@markott3978 There's some discussion going on that in Germany raw produce, like meat and vegetables, also everything in Lidl is a lot cheaper. I can't confirm this as the last time I have been to Germany was 5-6 years ago
love Lithuania and would love to live there
Vilnius is wonderful, you want to stay there and not leave, there are also many beautiful places in all of Lithuania, « Kaimo Turizmas» with Friends it is especially popular...west side.., Curonian spit” …
It's really nice to hear another foreigners opinion about this truly beautiful country! While I have been there a lot of times myself (because I have lithuanian heritage) but I never got to experience a lot more about it other than one of the major cities.
So I am really excited for my Erasmus project where I chose Lithuania to be the country I want to do it in. One full year of time to learn more about a place I already learned to love when I was young. Super excited to learn more about this awesome country!
Great video just as your channel is. Your English is super clear and understandable (yes, many native English speakers are tough to understand but not you - kudos for that).
The size of Vilnius is deceiving. If you are one-day tourist who just have time for downtown then you may feel it is small. Vilnius possesses 401 sq km of area which is more than many European capitals with over a million people. It stretches 20 km East to West and 25 km South to North - go figure how to walk it in less than an hour :-) And yes, we are talking about the actual city property, not suburbs. I don't think you can reach Fabijoniskes from Old town in an hour and this would be just 1 (one) vector of hundreds of them you could take in Vilnius.
Public transport. It has improved and it is improving further with more new electric buses and trolley buses on the way. Interesting fact: the is a metro (subway) planned for Vilnius. The lines with stations are available on the Internet. But...the project is frozen since 10 years ago. And it is not only about money. It is about the fact if Vilnius really does need metro or not.
Winter in Lithuania...super cold? Last Winter we barely had snow...and it is not the first time. Foreigners will survive, for sure. Dark Winter night? The are just as dark as in UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Northern Germany. And there is never an issue...
Belarus is a threat for Lithuania? The poorest country that is banned by Europe? It has no power or money to hurt Lithuania. Their nuclear plant is civil but not military facility. Lithuania had its own nuclear plant but gave up nuclear energy for ecology.
:-)
Thanks for all of your feedback and opinions 😀
Yes I definitely didn’t explain my opinion about size very well. I meant it in terms of population. And the walking comment was more about the city center.
And I think cold and dark is all relative. With many international students coming from India and Africa, it’s quite a big change from those parts of the world.
I really should look into this metro plan, it sounds quite interesting!
@@LithuaniaExplained
Thank you for replaying.
Vancouver is one of my very favorite cities. I've been there a lot. And this is where I wanted to live.
When we are in Lithuania we have to switch to a new mode and to forget about North America. Everything ia different. We have to stop looking for Soviet heritage. Because even if it is there sometimes it is not defining Lithuania. Lithuania is a 1000 year nation that happened to spend only 50 years in USSR. And now all foreigners seem to be obsessed with it. This is foul.
Take a bike and ride it to Verkiai. Or Belmontas. Or Pilaite. And you will experience new distances of Vilnius.
Curious fact: Vancouver city is 0.29 % as big as Vinius by area.
Here is a link to find out:
mapfight.xyz/map/vilnius/
Good question. I enjoy learning European languages - French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Italian. They are easier than Chinese, which is my second language. If I would like to improve my French, I would choose a non-touristy area of France. If I would like to improve my German, I would choose a non-touristy area of Germany. And so forth. If I would like to watch a show every day, I would choose London and Las Vegas. If I would like to explore underrated places, I would choose the Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and the Eastern European countries.
I mean no hate, but I would like to point out some things:
1. You mostly talked about the bigger cities which is not good, because if you go to a smaller city like Panevėžys there is almost nothing to see
2. A lot of people are not so friendly, especially younger people. They will gang up on you if you look at them funny
3. This country is very not friendly towards the LGBTQIA+ people. The reason is that this country is full of old people which still try to make the children also homophobic
4. The health care system is also not so good. In the big cities, yes, they can help you with a lot of things. But in smaller cities is way worst if you got a tumor, they won't find it. And a cherry on top, if you want to get taken good care in the hospital in here, you need to bribe the doctors, because they will care about you less if you won't.
I can go on and on, but these are just some of the main problems in here.
And if you want to ask how I know this, that's because I live here since I was a child and I still live here
How high a bribe for doctors should be?
And how do the Lithuanians see Ukrainians who fled Ukraine in 2022? Of coarse, Ukrainians are different like people everywhere...
This comment cracked me up 😂because definetely there is some truth, but the way you wrote it makes it look way worse than it is.
A nice look into Lithuania.
I moved to Vilnius for studying. I love Lithuania but there are also some negative sides. When I was searching for a flat, 5 Lithuanian landlords told they don‘t want foreigners in their flat and also my Lithuanian estate agent told me that a lot especially old landlords don‘t want foreigners. That was my first experience with xenophobia and my classmates told me that they made similar experiences.
Also some people in Vilnius are very rude especially when you don‘t speak Lithuanian and I personally think xenophobia is a problem in Lithuania!
Ok, to be fair xenophobia and racism is also a problem in Germany my home country. But sometimes I have the feeling that it is not a problem to say no I don‘t want foreigners here but it is.
Don‘t get me wrong, I also met really open minded people here, my university is very nice and international and Lithuania is really beautiful. But I also want to share my experience with xenophobia!
Really? In Vilnius? We should work on it some more then. But could seemingly 'rude' attitude in some cases come from not being confident with their own English and therefore refusing to speak or making a sour face? That is very common. Even more so in Latvia. People seem rude there in general, even to a Lithuanian, when they actually aren't :)
@@kazkaskazkas8689 yes you‘re right. I also have to say that foreigners in my home country Germany made similar experiences.
It must be a language problem in the first place.
@@omnizsk my current Lithuanian landlord doesn‘t speak English too, but nowadays there are oppurtunities (Google translate and so on). But to say I don‘t want foreigners here in very rude way, this is xenophobia and not very hospitable!
@@Westblocklatino this is also how we, lithuanians, sometimes just say things straight, but we most often don't intend to offend people.
I agree, it is rude.
If you want to recreate the experience of being in the movie Eurotrip, you can go to either Kėdainiai in Lithuania or Ugale, Latvia. Those vibes really hit there.
Kėdainē wasn't developed by the societ union that much, so it lacks Soviet buildings. Thoose are just similar looking Lithuanian built buildings
You should go to Visaginas, where the nuclear powerplant was, there the depression vibe rll hits, with streets being empty and all buildings being soviet.
@@vytilostudios6110 he visited Visaginas and Ignalina PP not so much time ago, made a vid about it
@@beisiknikneimas Ohh, didn't see it, but in my opinion that place is like going 40 years back in time.
Do you know what is Kaunas like?
Great video. Nice to see that they have some good bike lanes. That's one of the things that I miss most about Vancouver. I know what you mean about walking around the older parts of cities. Such a different feel from Vancouver.
Thanks Karl! Yes, there's a reason why Gastown is such a popular neighborhood to visit! Hope you're settling in nicely in the UK :)
As a Lithuanian, who has commuted in Vilnius, Vancouver, and now in Copenhagen, I can tell the differences. There are bicycle lanes in Vancouver, and Vancouver people are very proud of that and also are good in promoting healthy lifestyle (e.g. nice ideas to have bicycles designated parking areas at the event venues etc), however my conclusion was that people cycle there only in Downtown. For example, I was cycling between east vancouver and north burnaby - I could rarely meet 1-3 cyclists in 20-30 minutes route, while in Denmark people cycle more or less everywhere. In Vilnius is different. I lived in Naujamiestis (Savanorių), no bicycle lanes, so I cycled often in the streets with the traffic or on pathways-depends how risky is to be in traffic- so it is quite dangerous and you need to be enthusiastic about bicycles in order to enjoy it, especially in winters.
And yes, have to admit, I didn't want to spend whole life in Vancouver and I got back to Europe, because I missed rich history, culture and great architecture in Europe :)
I’m from Lithuania
I've just moved here from Dubai after pretty much a lifetime in the Middle East (including Bahrain). Their transport infrastructure lacks functionality not just because of how limited it is, but how little ground it covers. Neighbourhoods are so spread out. A 5km distance here versus there is majorly different! I came during the heatwave in late June, so it suited my desert climate sensibilities, but I'm reaaaally curious to see (and feel!) what the winter will be like for me. I know you're Canadian so you probably have the right blood for it, but having lived in Kuwait, do you have any tips for handling the extremities of winter here? :)
There’s a video on this channel about winter survival :) but to summarize my own strategy: get warm clothes from a thrift store, find footwear that will prevent you from slipping on ice, watch for snow falling from rooftops, find ways to stay social during those long dark months
🥰🥰
I was always wondering: is the heat different here from Middle East? I heard Middle East has dry heat, which is much more bearable than humid and hot days here in Lithuania.
Most of the heat I experienced in Kuwait was a dry heat, and it really is a lot more bearable than heat with humidity.
I understand that the heat in Dubai can be quite humid… at least during certain times of the year.
@@exlibrisas having lived in Bahrain and Dubai, the heat there is more humid-based than dry. It is far more intolerable than the heat in Lithuania. However, what makes it intolerable here, is the lack of a/c everywhere you go and the fact that people are outdoors whereas in the Middle East, your movements are almost always inside - whether that's in a car or a mall. You have as little interaction with the outside to avoid heatstroke...
'I came there and was surprised how developed they were - they had public transportation!' 😆
Some just have wrong stereotypes about what post-soviet means. Some others know more, but have their info from the 90's. Things have been improving extremely fast, especially in the Baltics, while in the West, everything has been slowly going down in the same time.
Proud of Lithuania
Loved the video! However, Vilnius is not that small. It covers 401km^2, while for comparison Paris is only 105km^2 wide with population of 2.1mil.
Right- I was more referring to population. But when I talked about being able to walk across town I was talking about the city center so it wasn’t that clear.
This is misleading comment. Vilnius covers large area because of the way it is measured. Many areas around the city could be counted as individual municipalities by Western Europe standards.
The scene where they came to Bratislava is quite acurate. I live in Slovakia and ofc been in Bratislava. It's the so called bad part of town. Fr I've heard people get atabbed there quite frequently. But that was a long time ago. Now Bratislava is more developed soo yea... good for us 😅
An advice or a request call it as you like. Some vilnius night life, but not vilnius street, which is a bit fake, nothing too lithuanian. Please spare a night out to visit stranger places we party at like:
1. Lukiškės prison. We've closed it a couple of years ago and now we have city festivals, concerts, art expos and so on...
2. Take your girl out to bazar/marketplace of halė. Not every night is golden, you can check out club young's for when is there an event with lots of interest. Trust me its weird and cool to party in between cheese and tea stands.
3. The train station with an outside club parkas during summer. And club peronas which works all year.
4. These are just industrial clubs, nothing during the day, but they could be cool as well if you pick the right concert: kablys and loftas.
Lasty, thank you for your effort. Congrats on your cliche wedding ;)
You can play curling in Vilnius too. ;)
As an Indian I found living in Kaunas for 2 years was super easy compared to China.
I am Lithuanian and i love my Life in Lithuania ❤
And how about for someone who doesn't speak Lithuanian, but English?
Thanks 🇱🇹♥️🇨🇦
if you want better connections for flights, you have to go to Riga, Latvia, but it's not that far for North American standards, around 300 km
lived 25 years in Lithuania , 25 in Canada . I Want to go back.
Moving to Vilnius shortly from the failed society that is the UK. Having visited last summer I fell in love with the place. Wish me luck!
I may move there permanently if I earn enough money.
You should visit Klaipėda, if you haven't already!!
My birth fathers name is Vassilis Degutis. He told my birth mom he was from Athens Greece
Just found put the surname is Lithuania? I'm disappointed...only because irs a shock. I always thought I he was Greek
I did the sane thing in Serbia lol. Went on vacation. Left 2 yrs later and married lol. We are still together. Pretty wild lol
Vilnius isn't that small in territory 401 km². Tallinn for example is 159 km²
Regard Vancouver vs Vilnius - how walkable is Vilnius? As you know, it maybe walkable in Downtown (subject to DTES... especially now), but outside of CoV, I consider walkability to be bad. Those who live outside of CoV may lament there is nothing good around their neighborhood reachable on foot.
The Vilnius city centre is very walkable. Its surrounding neighborhoods are still not too bad. There are some areas that lack curb cuts (for strollers, wheelchairs, etc), and some sidewalks could use some extensive repairs too. But I really appreciate the fact that in most parts of the city, you're never more than a 10-15 minute walk away from a supermarket or bus stop. But that's just my experience of Vilnius.
good rewiev
I don't want this question to sound rude, but do the winters in Lithuania feel depressing? Is there really a severe lack of sunlight throughout the day and extreme cold weather, or is that just a stereotype for Baltic countries? Great video btw
I would reply that as long as you are involved in different activities in winter season you should be fine- no time to get depressed. As we say- winter is for gatherings/dinners with friends, concerts and other cultural attendances, cozy evenings with candles, different types of classes (ceramics, book club or singing in a choir) etc. Some people travel to southern countries (e.g. Tenerife) in winters, while others choose travel destinations with Christmas or even more wintery vibes (e.g. Christmas markets in Germany).
I am a lithuanian!
❤ Thanks
I guess "it feels safer than most of CANADIAN cities" sums up this video best. to anyone still stuck in their "eastern Europe" stereotypes.
Nice video
There are lots of direct flights to England by Wizzair and Ryanair.
I was just searching about how's life in Lithuania and i found your video, this is so much more interesting since I think we both work/live in kuwait just your case you were. I just have a question does it hard to look for a professional job there? I am planning to go there too :)
Sorry I can’t answer that from my own experience because I work remotely for an international company.
Is Kaunas similar to Vilnius? How is life there?
Kaunas is also stunning, less tourists but equally relaxed, artistic friendly people, has a different vibe but still really great.
In any case, Lithuania cannot be called the land of smiles. I have been there several times and I have never seen fewer smiles than in this country
Nice video. Can I ask you to explain your comment about "Eastern Europe?" I've just lived in Budapest for 2-years and Hungarians there are usually offended when it's referred to as "Eastern Europe." They consider it "Central Europe." They imply that Eastern Europe are the "other countries" that were under Russian influence at one time such as the Baltic States. So, what's the issue in Lithuania? Thanks.
I made a video about it:
Lithuania Is In Eastern Europe...Isn't It?!
ruclips.net/video/BUtYH6mpNJE/видео.html
As far as I know life is about relationships … there is nothing about the people and education system or possible contacts with people as Lithuanian are welcoming or not…. Traveling and buy things everywhere is possible . Question if I want to do that there as meeting with natives ?
👍👍👍
I like what I see. This is one of the best countries to live in to be honest. How can I get residence to live in Lithuania
I’m on the path to my citizenship right now! I can’t wait to hold two passports and I may move over to Lietuva one day.
Vilnius is not Lithuania, actually it’s multicultural city, so you won’t understand anything about Lithuania if you spend your time in those 3 streets in old-town, that you mentioned. Lithuania is so MUCH MUCH MORE than Vilnius…
Good day, if i apply a tourist visa to Lithuania can i visit other schengen countries like Spain?
I moved here to Lithuania from Ukraine cause of war. I agree about public transportation and people mostly knowing English, if they dont i can speak russian too. Prices for food - higher than in Ukraine, salaries twice lower than in Ukraine. Even i found job in foreign company. Foreign companies come to Lithuania to find cheap English speaking employees , just my vision. As for safety, yep, pretty in any town in Lithuania feels safe, there is no crimes almost. And if u love bicycles - Vilnius definitely the city for u
Salaries are two times lower than in Ukraine? Maybe in some specific fields or for you personally, but not in general (just look at statistics).
Yes, being able to speak English is an absolute must for jobs in foreign companies, also university education, but it does not impress anyone and does not automatically translate into a higher salary.
Wages usually in Lithuania 1729 euro,minimal wage 730 euro.In Ukraine minimal wage 190 euro,normal 500 euro.
Good video 💖
you are awsome
Im from lithuania
Good video quality
Answer to your last question: Kaunas 😉 .. great video, btw! 👍🙂
Thank you!
I must say it’s quite an objective video .
3:20 it's about 600k+ because of Belarusians, Ukrainians.
I would love to live for a while in Incheon.
Nice! Any reason Incheon specifically and not somewhere else in South Korea?
Somewhere else in Korea will work for me as well. :)
:) I would love to visit again. But I understand that the work-life balance there isn’t as nice.
I live in Incheon😂😂i’m from south Korea
I was recently in Kaunas and Vilnius
Are the alcohol sales time accurate in the video? In Estonia, alcohol cant be sold from 10pm to 10am, but in your video, the hours were in daytime, not night-time, curious if you can buy alcohol during night-time in Lithuania.
I think you’re flipping the meaning of the hours around? In the video, those hours are the times where you are allowed to buy alcohol.
Outside of those times, you are not.
5:!9 cost of living is expensive in Lithuania, I get that you work with foreign companies however if you worked a true Lithuanian job you'd see how much harder it is to get by especially while living in Vilnius. I'm a Lithuanian, I live in the UK with my sibling and parents we went back for holiday 2 weeks ago. I was gifted over 200 euros majority went towards school supplies like a backpack that cost me 30 euros or a simple squared paper that cost me 13 euros. The notebook did have a 40% discount but it is still expensive sine I was buying in bulk I ended up spending over 57 euros with the discount. Another thing, staying in the capital does not allow to experience the true culture of the Lithuanian people, going to smaller cities or even to one of the many villages scattered about you can tell the kind of history this country has, but also more emphasis on cost of living. That is because the only ones with good looking homes in the country side villages are either government officials or Lithuanian's buying property while living and working over seas. Another thing life there is dreadful no matter how much you enjoy the location after being there for more then 2 years you wold end up starting to pay attention to politics and how bad the government situation it right now, and example of this is seen via my extended family, the only ones left living in Lithuania are my grandparents (both sides) my aunti (dads side) and my uncle (moms side) the rest had move out to the UK to live mush more better lives. Sorry about the rant just thought to explain some things.
It's like you are describing Lithuania in early 2000's. I too enjoy living heare, even goverment isn't that bad when compared to trends that goverments in eastern Europe tend to folow. And living standarts while yes not compleatly the same is geting closer and closer to western Europe year by year. Sometimes I see job offerings in Germany in my fb feed where salary is something like 1500 euros / month and I even wonder is there any point in emigrating these days anymore.
@@tamolamo4698 Let me give you an example in regards of recent news. With Prince Charles now ascending the throne the Lithuanian government thought it would be a great idea to rename him Korllis which is a common Lithuanian name. Because they want everything to be about them.
@@scaramouchiefandango5060 And that is importasnt / shuld worry me becouse ? Dude its common in easter Europe for goverment to run for 20+ years unoposed, assesinate promenant oposition leaders, or feed theyre population nastiest forms of nationalism. When compeared Lithuanian goverment (this or previous) is definately not that bad and while we shuldn't prase it or anything like that, I'm proud of my country and the way it chose and come to this point since the 90's
@@tamolamo4698 You know arguing with you is pointless since we both have different views and I don't have the mental capacity to need to worry about something like this, so lets just forget it or something k. Good talk bye.
@@scaramouchiefandango5060 Korllis?????nothing changed in good old Lithuania
Maybe you can run across Vilnius in an hour if you are an experienced runner. But walking? I doubt that
i responded to an earlier similar comment to clarify that i meant the city center, perhaps including naujamiestis. Yes, the entirety of vilnius is quite large.
As a Lithuanian, Lithuania is kinda off underrated.
Im a lithuanian
How is the job situation for a non-lithuanian/russian speakers over there? :)
Im lithuanian.
Can you help with relocating to Lithuania, even with your connection and experience? I'm currently in Nigeria... thanks
Maybe this website will help www.renkuosilietuva.lt/en/
The RUclipsr Kindness Aniogbo is a Nigerian in Lithuania. Some of her videos offer advice.
And I live in lithuania
Į am Lithuanian
Question for you or anyone else who would be knowledgeable. I'm planning to attend grad school in Vilnius this upcoming school year (hoping to get accepted soon), I speak english natively and intermediate Russian. Since the start of the war, has there been a negative opinion of speaking Russian? Will it be looked down on if I try to converse in Russian right off the bat, or should I try to greet in Lithuanian? I'm really not sure, any thoughts would be great!
I think so, at least this is the impression I get, particularly if you are speaking to someone younger than 50. I would try English first.
If they are quite old then Russian is more likely to be a language they speak. I could be off on my assessment so maybe someone else has a different perspective on it
As a person who lived my whole life in Vilnius, I mean, it is always nice to try and greet people in the language of the country, which in this case is Lithuanian :-) As for using the Russian language, it really depends on the people you are going to meet at your school - of course, some people may strongly oppose the use of the Russian language due to the war or some other past historical events. But there are also many people in Lithuania who actually can speak Russian natively or at a very high level as a second language, and do not view it as something negative because what Russia is doing politically is not the fault of the language, and definitely not the fault of the Lithuanians who just happen to know how to speak Russian 🙂But you also said that you are an English native speaker, so I can assure you that majority of our youth under 30 can speak really good English, so you won't have any problems with communication :-) Hope you'll like it in Lithuania!