Tuesday 14 July 2009

The wheels on the bus....



Getting around Lithuania can be hard if you don't like taking the bus. While in other countries in Europe, the train reigns supreme, the bus is the best alternative 9 times out of 10 for getting to the place you want to go.

Buses run all of over the country all the time. They aren't cheap when you work in Lithuania and earn the local wages, but for a traveller, the prices will be quite comparable to other countries.

Buses from one side of the country to the other are around 20 euros each way - not really that cheap - but they are frequent and pretty comfortable.

Going internationally also means taking the bus unless you go to Warsaw or Minsk. Buses to Riga are very frequent (at least four per day) and some are equipped with free coffee machines, wireless internet and TVs for watching moves. Keep in mind though that if you don't ask, you don't get. The nice buses, which are called Lux Express, don't cost more, but you need to ask for them.




The bus companies you should know about are Euroline, Ecolines and TOKS. Tickets for all of the are available at the stations before departure or on the bus. When buying on the bus be aware that the drivers sometimes try to cheat people. Get an idea about how much the fare is before you alight - then you know if they are cheating you.

Be aware that there are some people who mirror the routes of the buses with private vehicles - they usually wait outside the bus station and yell the destinations. They are usually the same price as the bus, but can be better. Try this at your own risk.

Have a good ride!

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