How safe is Lithuania for travelers?

GPS interference

• Satellite navigation is unreliable across the region and Lithuania has publicly attributed a large rise in GPS jamming incidents to Russia.
• It affects your phone, not just aircraft. Map apps can misplace you or refuse to lock on, particularly near the Kaliningrad and Belarus borders and on the coast.
• Download offline maps before you travel, and carry a paper map if you are cycling the spit or walking in the forests.
• Do not build a route that depends on live GPS in the national parks.

Crime

• Lithuania is a low-crime country and violent crime against visitors is rare.
• Pickpocketing happens in Vilnius old town, at the bus and railway stations and in crowds. Ordinary precautions are enough.
• Vilnius station area is scruffier than the rest of the city at night, though not dangerous.
• Card skimming has been reported at independent ATMs - use bank machines.

The borders

• Do not attempt to travel to or through Belarus. The FCDO advises against all travel there and there are no consular services.
• Kaliningrad transit is heavily restricted and is not a route you should plan.
• The border regions of Lithuania itself are safe to visit - it is the crossings that no longer work.

Nature

• Ticks are a genuine risk - see the health section. Lithuania is heavily forested and the season runs spring to autumn.
• Winter cold is serious, with weeks below freezing and a hard wind off the Baltic.
• The Baltic has rip currents on the open coast. Beaches are flagged; take the flags seriously.
• The Curonian Spit is a protected dune system. Walking off the boardwalks is both damaging and fineable.