VILNIUS SURVIVAL GUIDE

What will definitely help you a lot for your preparations, is to write a checklist with all the things you have to do and with all the stuff to bring to Vilnius. It helps you with the organization of your planning, by getting an overview over the necessary purchases you have to make for your upcoming semester abroad and for all the things that have to be done in advance.  

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There are a lot of different options to start a checklist. You should choose a format, which is portable, suits you and which is easy to reach from everywhere.

Some options are: 

• Excel 

• Notes Document 

• Checklist application on phone/computer 

• Or the classical handwritten one on paper

• ...?

 

If you are staying for the winter semester, be prepared for short, cold and dark days and a lot of rain, especially in November.  

Let your Family and Friends send you survival packages from home with sweets or nice letters, that helps a lot against home sickness. 

Try not to focus too much on the Lithuanian people, because they sometimes seem to be in a bad mood and grumpy, but rather concentrate on the beautiful nature in the city and the amazing architecture, which covers almost every style from past eastern and western European epochs.

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We prepared a short checklist for you with the most important stuff to bring and to do: 

 

Important things:

• Passport  

• or Identity Card (only if you live inside of the EU) 

• Visa: if you come from outside of the EU

• Insurance Card 

• Other important documents (which?)

• Money (Currency of Lithuania is the €URO): Credit Card or Mastercard (only if your Bank is from inside of the EU)

• Umbrella: It really rains a lot in Lithuania 

• Computer: always useful and as a student, you will probably need it 

• Smartphone: It is a lot easier to guide yourself around the city with an interactional map on your phone, also you can check the public transport lines there 

• First aid kit

• Necessary medicine for yourself 

  • Vitamin D: especially in autumn, Vilnius has a big lack of sunshine. If you are a person, that needs a lot of sunlight to be in a good mood, this can seriously become problem for you here because you easily can become depressed, trust me on that, I experienced it myself. It's nothing unusual, winter depression is a known disease... but don't worry, Vitamin D tablets help against that and keep you on mood even if the sky stays grey for a whole week. 

• Cosmetics

• Note/writing pad and stuff: something to take down you notes is always a good idea 

• The Checklist: in the end, you should check, if you are taking all the stuff back home with you, that you brought to Vilnius. It's basically to check, if you lost anything and to make sure that you don’t miss anything in Vilnius. 

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Clothing:

• Generally: 

  • Wind- and waterproof clothes in any case!!! 

  • Jackets 

  • Underwear 

  • Socks 

  • T-Shirts 

  • Pullovers 

  • Pants 

  • Leggins 

  • Sleeping clothes 

  • comfortable stuff to relax at home 

  • Rain Boots 

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• Winter: 

  • Winter jacket/Thick coat

  • Thick pullovers (Fleece, Thermotic) 

  • Thick shoes 

  • Thick socks (fluffy *-*) 

  • Thermotic underwear 

  • Scarf 

  • Gloves 

  • Hat or headband 

  • House shoes: the floor in the apartments can be really cold

  • Use Layer System to be prepared for every weather 

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• Summer:

  • Short Pants: yes, it really also can be warm up here ;) 

  • Rain Jacket 

 

Of cause, a lot of stuff, you can also buy here but let's be honest, we all prefer to bring the stuff we already know and love. ;) 

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Things to do before your arrival: 

• Check if all necessary documents are still valid until the end of your stay 

• Get vaccinated

• Make sure you are insured during your stay 

• Inform yourself, at which banks you can withdraw cash for free 

• Inform yourself about roaming coast included in your contract 

• Look for long-term apartments

• Book a flight

• Inform yourself about the transport from the airport to your apartment 

• Inform yourself about financial support and scholarships

• Ask former students, who came to Vilnius, about their experience 

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There are a few helpful Apps, that you should download on your Smartphone, before you come to Vilnius

• Taxify: for easy and cheap transport around the city

• Google Maps: for guidance around the city and public transport informations

• Google Translate: allows you to take pictures of text and translates it afterwards, very useful for your first grocery shopping trips 

• Trip Advisor: in addition to our good advises, it helps you to find the location of several recommendable restaurants, bars and places to be