Waiter service is usual in restaurants and cafes, but self-service restaurants, bistros and snack bars are also popular.

National specialities:
• Skilandis (smoked meat).
• Salti barsciai (cold soup).
• Vedarai (potato sausage) and bulviniai blynai (potato pancakes).
• Smoked eel is a famous Baltic delicacy.
• Mild white curd cheese, best served with honey.

National drinks:
• Local brands of beer and imported drinks are popular.
• A famous Lithuanian spirit is midus, a mild alcoholic beverage made from honey.

Tipping: Restaurant bills include a tip. Otherwise, tips are discretionary.

Cinemas can be found in all towns. Lithuanian theatres, most of which are concentrated in the capital, are also renowned. The Jaunimo teatras (website: www.jaunimoteatras.lt) in Vilnius are famous throughout the country. Opera and ballet are staged in the city at the Vilnius Opera Theatre and Kaunas has a Musical Theatre. Puppet shows are staged for children in Vilnius and Kaunas. There are restaurants with live music as well as numerous discos and nightclubs with variety shows in the larger towns.

Baltic amber can be purchased in various forms, especially jewellery. Linen goods, clay pots and local crafts are also good buys. National artists sell their works in specialised art galleries in major towns.

Shopping hours: Grocery shops open Mon-Fri 0800-2000.