Lithuania

Mike, I don't know Lithuania, but your logic about spending the night in Trakai sounds good to me and seems that it will make for a better day in Trakai.

There's not a whole lot to do in Trakai beyond the castle and museum (tho it's a nice place to walk around), and when we went as a day trip from Vilnius and arrived late morning the castle wasn't crowded at all. This was over the Easter holiday weekend so would have been one of the busier times. If you're going to have to go back to Vilnius anyway it may be easier to just do it as a day trip. However, I don't think it's a bad idea to stay in Trakai for a night if that's what you prefer. We had planned to take the train but wound up taking the bus as it was more frequent (this was in 2022).

Thanks for your input. It looks like it is not possible to buy these bus or train tickets I advance. It is obviously possible to spend a night in Trakai. I already reserved a night in a hotel. It is way more common to travel to Trakai as a day trip from Vilnius.

We took a day trip from Vilnius to Trakai and had plenty of time to see everything. We enjoyed our time there. With the Vilnius Pass, you can book a tour at a discount. We had a good lunch at this restaurant Trakų dvarelis.

If just before I leave home, the train and bus websites still don't show an option to buy tickets in advance to Trakai or from Trakai to Kaunas, I will have to put up with some uncertainty about whether my trip will work out ok. Thinking logically, a day trip to trakai and then a trip from Vilnius is three trips with an extra night in Vilnius. Traveling to Trakai in the late afternoon or evening, spending a night there, and then a trip to my next hotel in Kaunas if this requires switching trains or buses in Vilnius, would the same three trips with one less night in Vilnius. I want to think this will work, it probably can work, but I won't really know for sure whether it will work until I actually arrive in Kaunas. This wouldn't be the first time I have put up with uncertainty in travel but I would rather minimize this kind of uncertainty by buying tickets in advance when possible. I could buy a ticket from Vilnius to Kaunas in advance, but then there is the uncertainty of whether I would arrive back in Vilnius in time to catch the reserved bus trip.

Edit: my current itinerary means not waking up too early and less rushing and travel before reaching the castle but in some ways is irrational because a day trip from Vilnius with an extra night in Vilnius would provide 10-25% more certainty because I could reserve a trip from Vilnius to Kaunas and then the trips to and from Trakai probably wouldn't be a problem because there probably are enough buses or trains because it is a common day trip that doesn't need to be reserved in advance. I have a talent for traveling to infrequently visited but still worthwhile places.

FYI. Been to Lithuania several times and coming from DC to Frankfurt then to Vilnius, the flight connections have been bad on each trip - yesterday included - when we’ve lost day due to missed connections and assorted delays. Prepare a Plan B. YMMV, of course.

SamA: Exactly what happened on your way to Vilnius? Which airline did you take? What if anything did the airline staff do about you missing your connecting flight?

Mike L - This trip’s first leg was on United. First delay was for “weight loading” concern. Once we pushed off from gate, we were stuck in tarmac traffic delay.

Arriving in Frankfurt late, airport bussed all from terminal A to terminal B. Upon arrival, all were loaded into another bus to return to terminal A. Passport line was so long, they stopped doing the Entry/ Exit registration. Connecting flight missed.

Lufthansa rebooked us on next available flight skedded about seven hours later. Incoming aircraft arrived late, then delayed for equipment issue. Finally, we bussed to plane only to return to terminal on an “electric storm warning.”

Then, For some reason, they needed to get another plane, resulting in another delay. We eventually boarded on the new plane arriving in Vilnius and “home” many hours later than planned.

I get it. Stuff happens. Just have a Plan B for tight schedules.

My flights will be on Lufthansa. The first flight arrives in Frankfurt am Main. If the first plane arrives on time, there is 3 hours, 50 minutes until the next plane leaves. I took a 4-week summer Yiddish class in Vilnius when I was 24 but I didn't make time for museums or sights. On that trip, I took the now defunct Northwest airline. I switched planes in Amsterdam and had over 8 hours between flights.

For comparison to your trip, I went to Mexico in 2023. The flight was cancelled. I made the mistake of not asking for a refund. I was stupid enough to let myself get rebooked onto a flight leaving the next day. And worse, that trip required 2 stops. One of connecting flights was delayed with no given time the flight would leave. Finally I waited in a long line to talk to a staff member. When it was my turn, I asked for a flight back to Detroit. After I returned, I got a refund from Delta, went home, and a week or less later, I rescheduled my trip for 3 months later.

After my Yiddish class, I didn't travel far from home for over 8 years. Then I went to different parts of Europe 6 times so far but on those trips, I didn't have any more flights until my flights back to Detroit. My trip to the class was the only time so far that I flew to Europe and switched planes in Europe. I have never taken a United airlines flight. Since the class, I only took flights with Delta or American.

Keep us posted. I've visited only Estonia, and Lithuania and Latvia remain on my must-visit list. It's a beautiful part of the world.

Mike L. - enjoy your trip. I’ve found that a contributor, Endis, over at TripAdvisor, is very good with Lithuania tips and details.