Safety in Lithuania

Overall: Lithuania is a calm country with low crime, and walking alone in the evening does not normally give anyone pause.

Pickpockets: Watch your wallet in the crowds on Cathedral Square in Vilnius and on packed buses heading to the station. It is the only common problem visitors report.

Alcohol rules: Sales are tightly regulated. Shops can sell alcohol only until eight in the evening, and on Sundays only until three in the afternoon, which catches people out constantly.

At night: After dark in the capital it is worth avoiding the darker back streets of the Naujininkai district, where drunk groups can turn aggressive.

Ticks: On the Curonian Spit, ticks are active in long grass and woodland. Use repellent and check your clothing after any walk through the dunes and forest.

Getting help: In any emergency, dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance. Operators speak English and the response is quick.

Documents: Carry a copy of your passport and leave the original and most of your cash in the hotel safe or somewhere well hidden.

Conversation: Visitors are treated correctly and politely, but starting political arguments in public is best avoided, as it is anywhere.

Lithuania is a calm country with modest street crime. Organised schemes against tourists barely exist.

Taxis. Bolt and local firms operate in Vilnius and Kaunas at moderate prices. Private drivers at the airport charge more, but outright deception is rare.

Restaurants in Vilnius Old Town. A premium for the location and the occasional service charge beyond the menu. Check the bill.

Currency exchange. Lithuania is in the eurozone; there is nothing to change.

ATMs. Decline the machine's currency conversion.

Amber. Souvenir shops on the Curonian Spit and in Palanga sell "Baltic amber", some of it pressed chips or plastic. Real amber is warm to the touch, light, and floats in salt water. Buy from specialist shops with a certificate.

Vilnius is calm at night, Užupis and the Old Town included.

Alcohol — the strictest rules in the European Union. Shop sales are permitted only from 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and Saturday, and until 15:00 on Sunday. The age is 20, the highest threshold in the EU, and identification is always requested. Alcohol advertising is banned entirely.

Drinking in public is prohibited.

Drink-driving. The limit is 0.4 per mille, and zero for drivers with under two years' experience and for professionals.

Drugs. The law is strict.

The Belarusian and Kaliningrad borders. Controlled zones with restricted crossing. Approaching the border line away from crossing points, photographing border infrastructure and flying drones are categorically prohibited.

Drones. Registration is compulsory, and they are prohibited near borders and airports.

Winter tyres are compulsory from November to April.

The Curonian Spit. A national park: leaving the boardwalks on the dunes is prohibited with substantial fines — the sand erodes.

Vaccinations. None mandatory, but tick-borne encephalitis is strongly worth discussing: Lithuania is consistently among the countries with the world's highest incidence, and the vaccine is ordinary practice here.

Ticks. The season runs April to October, with risk everywhere including city parks.

Water. Tap water is drinkable nationwide, and in Vilnius it is artesian and very good.

Winter. Ice underfoot and short days. Falls are the main injury.

The sea. The Baltic is cold and the swimming season in Palanga and on the Curonian Spit is short. There are no dangerous currents, but the bottom drops away sharply.

Elk and boar on the roads. A genuine danger in wooded areas, especially at dusk.

Healthcare. The public system is middling; private clinics in Vilnius and Kaunas are good and inexpensive. Emergency care on 112, chargeable for foreigners.

Emergency number is 112, with English-speaking operators.

Lithuania sits in the upper half of the European corruption table. Bribes are not taken from tourists.

Numbers. 112 covers every service and works in English.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued, in English in Vilnius. Electronic filing is available.

Traffic police. Many cameras with automatic fines. Alcohol checks are regular, especially at weekends.

The border region. Document checks and border guard presence are possible near the Belarusian and Kaliningrad frontiers. This is routine.

Languages. English is spoken in the cities and among younger people. The older generation understands Russian, but English is better in official dealings.

What actually matters. Lithuania is a safe country where the difficulties come down to alcohol trading hours, ticks and winter roads.