Mažeikiai is a city in Samogitia in the northwest of Lithuania. It's the country's eighth largest city, with a population of 32,470 in 2020.

Understand

This was a small market town until 1869 when the Vilnius - Liepaja railway came through; in 1919 Mažeikiai became the provincial capital. It's close to the border with Latvia, which tried to claim it in 1921, but an international commission rejected the claim. It was occupied by Germany from June 1941, and its Jewish population of 4000 was wiped out; the Soviets recaptured the town in Oct 1944.

Today the principal business is Orlen oil refinery, a large complex 10 km northeast of town. Its design capacity is 15 million tons of crude oil per annum.

Asteroid 248839 Mazeikiai, discovered in 2006, is named in honour of the town. Its dimensions are similar, with a diameter of 2.6 km.

Get in

Mažeikiai is on Highway 170, which parallels the border with Latvia; Highway 163 branches north and crosses it to Ezere. From Vilnius or Kaunas drive via Šiauliai then take A11 west onto Highway 155.

Five buses a day run direct from Vilnius, taking five hours via Ukmergė, Panevėžys, Radviliškis, Šiauliai and Kuršėnai. A couple of other services involve a change but take no longer.

Five buses run direct from Kaunas, taking 4 hr 30 min via Kėdainiai and Šiauliai, and with other connecting services.

Four buses run from Klaipėda taking 3-4 hours either via Kretinga and Plungė or via Palanga and Skuodas; one continues to Akmenė.

There are no direct buses from Latvia: change in Panevėžys for the daily bus from Riga towards Vilnius.

The bus station is next to the railway station. For times and online tickets see Autobus Bilietai.

Four trains a day trundle from Panevėžys via Seduva, Radviliskis, Šiauliai, Kursene, Akmene, and a dozen little unheard-of places. Getting here from Vilnius means changing at Šiauliai and takes four hours, with three connecting services daily. From Kaunas is likewise four hours with three connecting services. For times and online tickets see LTG Link.

1 Mažeikiai railway station is north side of town. It's a fine old building but there are no ticket offices or other facilities here.

Get around

Walk, the sites of interest are all within a 1-km radius.

Local buses 1 and 2 potter round the town, and other routes run out to Orlen oil refinery.

Taxi services are Taksi 1425 (+370 614 25555) and Taksi Mazeikiai (+370 622 80727).

See

• 1 Mažeikių Museum, V Burbos g 9, ☏ +370 443 26791. Tu-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-17:00. Small but informative museum of local history, which you'll probably have to yourself. (updated Feb 2024)
• Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus is a tall redbrick building 100 m south of the museum.
• 2 Church of the Assumption (Staciatikiu Dievo Motinos emimo i dangu parapija), Respublikos g 50, ☏ +370 699 43468. Charming little wooden Orthodox church erected in 1933. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 Church of St Francis (Sv Pranciskaus Asyziecio baznycia), Naftininkų g 13, ☏ +370 687 19447. This striking modern building, completed in 2005, is now the main RC church. (updated Feb 2024)
• 4 Evangelical Lutheran Church (Evangeliku liuteronu baznycia), Žemaitijos g 22, ☏ +370 686 36109. This was completed in 1940 but promptly destroyed in the war. The Soviets rebuilt it as a fire station and it only completely returned to church use in 1998. (updated Feb 2024)

Do

Flag of Mažeikiai

• Mažeikiai Culture Centre (+370 443 65300) puts on music, plays and other events. It's at Naftininkų g 11.
• Juodpelkis Park is a large green space with a lake at the south edge of town. The football ground is here.
• Football: FK Atmosfera play soccer in II Lyga, the country's third tier. They're a phoenix club founded in 2012 when FK Mažeikiai went bust. Their home ground Centrinis stadionas (capacity 2400) is 1 km south of town. The playing season is April-Oct.

Buy

• Maxima has two supermarkets: one is 200 m north of the railway and bus stations at Laisvės g 56, open daily 08:00-22:00. The other is at Žemaitijos g 20, same hours.
• Lidl is at M Daukšos g 24A east side of town, open daily 07:00-22:00.

Eat

• Near the station are Charlie Pizza, Avokadas and Mario. Rosso Steak House is within Astrum Palace Hotel.
• Along the east-west main road are Hesburger, Mejera, Katpėdėlė, La Crepe (within Rimi), Asia Express, Gruste Chinese and Cancan Pizza.

Drink

Orthodox church

Pubs are Old House at Laisvės g 5 and Alynas at Naftininkų g 40A.

Sleep

• Palma Hotel, Respublikos g 27 (by railway station), ☏ +370 443 35355. Clean and convenient, with restaurant, no aircon. They got dire reviews to 2022 but are much improved. (updated Feb 2024)
• 1 Astrum Palace, Laisvės g 7, ☏ +370 620 30003. Drab exterior but smart and clean within. Some noise from street and railway. (updated Feb 2024)
• 2 Rugelis, Ventos g 31B, ☏ +370 624 43115. Simple clean place a short walk to town centre. B&B double €45. (updated Feb 2024)
• Synet is a Soviet slab at Žemaitijos g 36 south side of town.
• 3 Pusyno Namai, Sedos g 3, Tirkšliai, ☏ +370 615 99404. Relaxing place on the edge of the forest in Tirkšliai village. B&B double €70. (updated Feb 2024)

Connect

As of Feb 2024, Mažeikiai and its approach highways (including R163 into Latvia) have 4G from Tele2 and Telia. Town centre has 5G from Telia and 4G from Bite.

Go next

• Palanga is the country's main beach resort.
• Klaipėda is mostly modern but has an old castle. A five-minute ferry ride brings you onto the Curonian Spit, a 100 km bootlace of sand dunes.
• Šiauliai is near the Hill of Crosses pilgrimage site.