Travel to Lithuania From Canada: Entry Rules, Safety and Getting Online

A HelloRoam Lithuania eSIM can be installed at home before you fly. Maps, train tickets and messages to family then work when you land, with 24/7 support if setup stalls.

The basics for a first trip:

• EU and Schengen: EU member since 1 May 2004, Schengen member since 21 December 2007
• Currency: the euro, which replaced the litas on 1 January 2015
• Language: Lithuanian is the state language
• Capital: Vilnius
• Size: 65,284 km² and 2,890,664 people (Eurostat 2025 figures)
• Emergency number: 112
• International airports: Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga

Canadians get 90 visa-free days, counted across the whole Schengen area

The Government of Canada says Canadian citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area. Lithuania is a Schengen country, and the days are cumulative. If you spend three weeks in Spain and two in Germany before Vilnius, those 35 days come off the same 90.

Get your Lithuania eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then turn on data roaming for it when you land. From CA$3.52.See Lithuania plans

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area. Airlines can set stricter validity rules, so check with yours before you book.

Study needs a student visa and work needs a work permit. A stay longer than 90 days needs a visa, arranged before you leave Canada.

Lithuania may ask for proof of medical insurance when you arrive. Without it, you may have to buy health insurance from a Lithuanian company on arrival, the Government of Canada says. Our guide to choosing travel insurance as a Canadian covers what a policy should include.

Internal Schengen borders can still have checks. Canada warns that you may have to pass immigration control when entering Lithuania from another Schengen country. The European Commission lists Polish border controls on Poland's land border with Lithuania from 2 October 2026 to 30 March 2027. Keep your passport with you on a bus or train from Warsaw.

ETIAS is not open yet, and the EES records your fingerprints at the border

The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, the European Commission says. When you enter the Schengen area, it collects your trip details, a facial image and your fingerprints. Canada's advice says you do not need to do anything before you travel.

ETIAS is a separate step. It will be an online authorization that Canadians apply and pay for before visiting any of 30 European countries, Lithuania included. The European Commission says ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being collected. The EU will announce the start date several months before launch.

Canada warns about fraudulent websites that claim to sell ETIAS authorizations. Apply only through the official EU website once the system opens.

Entry rules can change before your trip. Check the Government of Canada's Lithuania travel advice and the EU's official ETIAS site a few weeks before you fly.

Normal precautions apply in Lithuania, with alerts for drones and balloons

The Government of Canada's risk level for Lithuania is "take normal security precautions", the lowest of its four levels. Read Canada's Lithuania page again in the days before you fly.

Canada's page also covers risks from beyond Lithuania's borders. Drones and other objects from the war in Ukraine have passed through Lithuanian airspace, and military debris has fallen in various places. More incidents could occur. Balloons linked to smuggling from Belarus have entered Lithuania and led to closures of Vilnius Airport. Lithuania declared a nationwide emergency situation over the balloons in December 2025, which Canada says remains in effect. NATO's member list shows Lithuania joined the alliance in 2004.

For travellers, that can mean border closures, cancelled flights or closed airspace at short notice. Canada advises following local authorities, including mobile phone alerts and air raid sirens. Lithuania's public warning system, LT72, gives some information in English.

Theft, card fraud and public Wi-Fi are the everyday risks

Canada's advice says pickpocketing and bag snatching happen, especially on public transport, and that thieves target tourists. Its list of busy places to watch includes tourist areas, stations, airports, hotel lobbies, and restaurants, bars and night clubs, including outdoor seating areas. Card and ATM fraud also occurs in tourist areas, so use ATMs inside a bank or business and cover the keypad.

Canada also warns that criminals can compromise public Wi-Fi networks to steal personal data, and it advises using secure networks.

Canada's advice lists a few road rules that are easy to miss. Pedestrians must wear small reflectors from dusk to dawn on unlit roads and rural roadsides. Drivers can use a valid Canadian licence for 90 days. The blood alcohol limit is 0.04% for experienced drivers and 0.00% for new drivers and motorcyclists.

Ticks and medical bills need planning before you go

Tick-borne encephalitis is a risk in some areas, Canada's health advice says. The risk is higher from April to November and highest for people who hike or camp in forests. Canada notes that the vaccine is not available in Canada but may be available in Lithuania, and it advises protecting yourself from tick bites. It suggests seeing a health care provider or travel clinic, ideally 6 weeks before your trip.

Good health care is available only in major cities, and doctors and hospitals usually expect payment right away. Many doctors speak English, but other hospital staff may not. Canada advises travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and hospital stays. For emergencies, dial 112.

Lithuania sits on the Baltic coast, close to the geographical centre of Europe

Lithuania is in Northern Europe, on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia's Kaliningrad region, and it is one of the three Baltic states, with Latvia and Estonia.

Europe's geographical centre is in Lithuania, according to Go Vilnius. Scientists from France's National Institute of Geography placed it in 1989 at the village of Purnuškės, 26 km from Vilnius. Visitors can get a certificate saying they reached the centre of Europe.

The easiest way there is by car on the A14 toward Molėtai. A shuttle bus also leaves from stop 32 at Vilnius Bus Station, and the trip takes about 30 minutes. You buy the bus ticket from the driver, and entry to the site is free.

On 11 March 1990, Lithuania's parliament adopted the act restoring the independent state. Lithuania became the first of the 15 Soviet republics to declare independence, and the Žinia monument on Independence Square in Vilnius marks the date.

Vilnius, Trakai, Kaunas and the coast shape a first trip to Lithuania

Lithuania has five UNESCO World Heritage sites, according to the Lithuania Travel website. They are Vilnius Old Town, modernist Kaunas, the Kernavė archaeological site, the Struve Geodetic Arc and the Curonian Spit. Five places to plan your route around:

• Vilnius Old Town: UNESCO-listed, with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical buildings. St. Anne's Church and Gediminas Castle Tower are among its landmarks, and Vilnius was the European Green Capital for 2025.
• Trakai Island Castle: a castle built in the 14th century on an island in Lake Galvė, reached by a long wooden bridge. Go Vilnius puts Trakai 27 km from Vilnius by car. Buses leave Vilnius Bus Station about 50 times a day, or about 40 times a day on weekends. In October 2026, the Trakai History Museum listed adult tickets at €12 from October to March and €14 from April to September. From October to March the castle is closed on Mondays, and from December to February on Tuesdays too. Go Vilnius notes renovation work in the castle's Dukes Palace, and the museum expects the castle works to finish in 2027.
• Kaunas: the country's capital between the world wars. Its modernist architecture is UNESCO-listed, and Lithuania Travel names the Central Post Office and the Romuva Cinema among its examples.
• Hill of Crosses: a pilgrimage site near Šiauliai with more than 200,000 crosses. It survived repeated attempts by Tsarist and Soviet authorities to destroy it. Lithuania Travel lists it as free to visit.
• Curonian Spit: a UNESCO-listed strip of dunes and pine forest that runs 98 km between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, with seaside towns such as Nida. Regular ferries cross from Klaipėda. The spit is divided between Lithuania and Russia, and Canada notes that the Nida border crossing into Kaliningrad is closed.

Vilnius averages 18.5 °C in July and below freezing from December to February

The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service's 1991 to 2020 averages for Vilnius show a short warm season and a long cold one. July is the warmest month at 18.5 °C, and also the wettest, with 92 mm of precipitation.

May and September average 12.9 °C and 12.6 °C, with 56 mm and 57 mm of precipitation. On the coast, Klaipėda averages 18.3 °C in both July and August. Lithuania Travel notes that winter temperatures can occasionally drop to -20 °C or lower.

Summer brings Joninės, the midsummer festival on the night of 23 to 24 June, and the Sea Festival in Klaipėda on the last weekend of July. If you plan forest hikes between April and November, Canada's tick advice above applies.

Prices sit below the EU average, and most places take cards

Eurostat puts Lithuania's 2025 price level for restaurants and accommodation at 82.6, where the EU average is 100. France scored 116.0 on the same measure. For consumer spending as a whole, Lithuania's level was 81.4. Groceries are the exception: food and non-alcoholic drinks scored 103.0, slightly above the EU average.

Lithuania Travel's must-try dishes are šaltibarščiai (a cold pink beetroot soup), cepelinai (potato dumplings, with pork the most traditional filling) and šakotis (a cake cooked over an open flame).

Lithuania Travel says most shops, restaurants and hotels take cards, including contactless payments. Carry some cash for markets, fairs and rural homesteads.

The Government of Canada notes that if you carry €10,000 or more, you must declare it to customs when you enter or leave the EU. The same applies to that value in Canadian dollars, other currencies or monetary instruments.

Lithuanian is the state language, but English speakers get by

Article 14 of Lithuania's Constitution makes Lithuanian the state language. Lithuania Travel says English speakers will have no problem getting around, since nearly 97% of people aged 25 to 64 know at least one foreign language.

Trains run daily from Vilnius to Riga, with one change for Tallinn

LTG Link runs a direct train between Vilnius and Riga every day, and the trip takes about 4 hours. For Tallinn, one ticket covers the whole journey, with one change of train at Valga in Estonia. A standard Vilnius to Tallinn ticket cost €39 on LTG Link's site in October 2026. LTG Link says passengers must carry proof of identity, so keep your passport with you, and it warns that tickets for the Riga train often sell out in advance. Its timetables can change during the year, so check its site before you book.

For taxis, Canada advises booking through hotels or taxi apps. If you hail one, agree on the fare and ask for a receipt first.

If Lithuania is one stop on a longer trip, our guide to eSIMs across Europe explains how multi-country plans work.

Your phone can use a travel eSIM, Canadian roaming or Wi-Fi in Lithuania

Our Lithuania plans connect to the Telia and Tele2 networks. If your route continues to Riga, Tallinn or Warsaw, the HelloRoam Europe plan covers Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland on one eSIM. You skip buying a new plan at each border.

Before you buy, check that your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked, which HelloRoam plans need. Then install it at home over Wi-Fi with the step-by-step eSIM install guide.

On an iPhone, only one line at a time uses mobile data. Apple's steps are Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data, where you pick the travel eSIM. Apple adds that turning on Allow Cellular Data Switching lets the iPhone use data from both lines, depending on coverage, so leave it off to keep your data on the travel eSIM. Your Canadian number can stay on for calls and texts, so check your carrier's rates for those before you go.

If you use your Canadian plan abroad, its roaming terms apply, so check what it charges for data in Lithuania. You can also compare a travel eSIM with roaming before you decide.

Hotel and café Wi-Fi can be enough for a short city stay if you mostly need messages. Keep banking and bookings on mobile data, given Canada's public Wi-Fi warning above. For a stay of several weeks, a prepaid plan from a Lithuanian carrier is also worth comparing.

Not sure how much data a week in Lithuania takes? Estimate your trip's data use before you pick a plan size.