In rural areas of Lithuania and Poland, you can choose from a wide range of accommodation providers. Cottages, campsites, and small hotels are carefully designed with attention to detail, style, and decor. Most accommodation options offer double rooms with showers and toilets. In rural guesthouses, meals are often not provided, but the cottages typically have kitchens where you can cook your own food.
In hotels, breakfast is usually included in the accommodation price, but lunch and dinner must be ordered in advance. Menus often feature locally grown seasonal food products. In Lithuania and Poland, traditional meals include chicken, pork, fish, eggs, roasted and fresh vegetables, fresh salads, cheese, and both white and black bread. If you inform the hosts in advance, you can request meals tailored to your dietary preferences. Seasonal menus may also include forest mushrooms, wild herbs, herbal teas, birch sap, and fish caught from local rivers and lakes.
In these countries, farms are open to visitors who can buy their produce and taste local products. Many farms offer certified organic or non-GMO products and often demonstrate their production processes. Rural delicacies such as cheese, fruits, berries, homemade sausages, smoked fish, mushrooms, bread, honey, beer, and homemade wine make excellent choices. If you want to experience authentic rural life with farm animals and gardens, visit self-sufficient farms. Here, you can become part of a farming family and immerse yourself in their daily routines, such as feeding animals, weeding gardens, picking berries and apples, and making cheese. The food will be made from fresh products and tailored to your dietary preferences.
Visit artisans and watch them demonstrate traditional crafts while exploring their works. In some workshops, you can try your hand at ancient skills, such as pottery, butter churning, archery, or spinning. In workshops and souvenir shops, you can purchase the crafts you like and take home a unique gift.
The sauna is an important part of rural life and national culture in Lithuania, Poland, and all the Baltic States. Sauna traditions and customs vary slightly from country to country, but they all share deep-rooted historical practices. The sauna helps the body to recover physically and spiritually, providing an opportunity to relax and experience a positive mental shift. Sauna rituals are often conducted by certified specialists who use local plants and products such as exfoliators and body masks, and they also offer herbal teas.
Lithuania and Poland are heavily forested, so during August or September, it's worth trying mushroom picking as an activity. Local residents are familiar with edible mushrooms and can show you the best spots. Afterward, you can visit local kitchens and restaurants to sample various mushroom dishes, which are especially popular in early autumn.
Many rural hotels and guesthouses specialize in SPA services, offering high-quality treatments that will help you relax and rejuvenate. The fresh air, stunning landscapes, and sounds of nature will enhance your relaxation experience.
Visitors who love nature and care about its preservation are invited to visit the national parks. Here, you can walk through beautiful landscapes, see wildlife, and observe rare plants. Hiking along specially designed trails with wooden bridges or viewing platforms allows you to enjoy the magnificent scenery. National parks also have visitor centers where you can find information and recommendations for tourists.
Souvenirs
Hand-made and home-grown products from the countryside carry the true spirit of the country. Traditional products that originate from the past are still in use today. Pottery, natural textiles, knitwear, woodworking products, wax candles, herb teas, natural honey and other handmade and home-made things are favourite gifts. Souvenirs and gifts can be bought in specialised handicraft design shops in cities, in tourist information centres, at country outdoor markets in rural communities, from specialised home-producer shops and directly from producers while visiting them.
