The most beautiful natural sites to discover Lithuania

To reach the beaches of the Baltic Sea, follow the road to the south at the end of Nida (from the post office), then take the paths indicated through the forest.

On 15 June 1940, 150 000 Red Army soldiers entered Lithuania. Until 1990, the application of the ideology of the «foreign» regime is causing considerable damage: 360 000 persons are imprisoned, killed or deported; 440 000 leave the territory. It is one third of the population that disappears.

The visit begins by immersing you directly in the atmosphere: Barbelés and mirador, as if you enter a camp, and on the left, the time wagon (zisai) is there to remind, or make concrete, the conditions of transport of the deportees to Siberia. The trip lasted for a month, without hygiene or health. A thousand people were leaving each day for the Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Tomsk regions. On the right, all the press clippings in many countries, including France, remind us that, at the opening, this park was not unanimous.

It is after this entry that you have to pay the right of entry. In particular, the park exposes all the statues of the great Russian and Lithuanian dignitaries who were déboulonnées from the country's squares to the fall of the regime in 1990. All of these dignitaires, bronze-carved dignitaries, all of these groups of workers or supporters who were part of the old landscape were, for the most part, recovered by Viliumas Malinauskas, a businessman who made fortune in preserved mushrooms. The statues of Stalin, Lenin, Marx, Engels are the most numerous. We will note that of the first gulag of the first gulag Feliks Dzerzhinsky (who will inspire the idea of concentration camps later). Some sculptures are accompanied by a biography of the tyrant. The visit of the museum, the library and the'house of culture'is appalling: medals, films and comments retrace the alienation made for 50 years. As we walk between these ghosts of a bygone era, here and there, the speakers distils Soviet partisan songs. The park offers more fun spaces, especially for children: a zoo and games.

These stretches of fine sand contrast with the brilliant green of the pine forests at their feet. At the very end of Naglių, you'll want to climb the wooden steps leading to the top of the dunes. If you look closely, in the middle of the dunes you can see the barbed-wire line that marks the border between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad enclave, as well as watchtowers. At the top of the dunes, don't miss the granite sundial decorated with runes. Partly destroyed by a hurricane in 1999, it has now been rebuilt.

The particularity of this park lies in the numerous holes, a phenomenon of corrosion of the limestone that appears when the water erodes the gypsum layers. These landslides create chasms and underground cavities that abound in pagan legends. Today there are 9 000. The most visited is the "cow's cave" (Karvės ola) consisting of five caves and underground lakes, which attract speleologists. It is located in Karajimiškis, 2 km from Biržai. Many other holes can be seen along the road of Mantagailiškis, near Padaičiai, Užubaliai and Kirkilai. The Regional Park was established in 1992 to preserve these geological formations.

In the park you can travel by bike, foot or boat. At the edge of Feature Lake, the largest of the park and the entire region, a campsite is located. You can find amber, bathe and walk in a boat, canoe or pedal boat. Many mounds are visible in the park, dating from the wars between the teutonic knights and the Order livonien.

Around Lake Biržulis you can find stone age camps. The park identifies more than rare plants listed in the Red Book. A trail of botanical discovery is set up (2 km). For the best walkers or cyclists, a road through the forest is located in the south of the park (23 km). The park is also an important ornithological reserve in Lithuania.

In the country's largest regional park, forest covers 80% of the territory, and lakes 14%. It includes the districts of Moletai, Svenčionys and Utena. It houses many pagan sites, wooden churches and the very famous astronomical observatory. The park is ideal for fishing, berries and mushrooms (in season), walking and kayaking, especially on the Lakaja River to the south of the park. Please contact the park office for the rental of the equipment.

3 km north of Utena, on the shores of Lake Kloviniai, there are wooden sculptures representing the ritual of marriage.

Here you will find a fishing licence. Free exhibition, park information, children's games at the entrance.

Located in the region of Trakai and crossed by rivers and Verknė Strėva, this picturesque park and rich in lakes and forests of century-old pine attracts all nature lovers. The park has five courses hiking or cycling, and also allows you to canoeing.

Ladakalnis Hill, between the lakes Ūkojas and Linkmenas, not far from the village of Ginučiai, is 175 metres high and offers a sublime panorama on seven lakes in the heart of the ancient tree forest. The view is incredible. This hill is known for being the place of sacrifice for Lada, the goddess who gave birth to the Earth.

A beautiful area ideal for walkers, in unspoilt wilderness.

A 3,5 km botanical road is located around Lūšiai Lake, between the villages of Palūšė and Meironys, to discover more than 150 plant species.