I book golf trips in both directions. Lithuania I organise myself, because I live here and know every course manager. The Algarve, Costa del Sol and Belek I match to operators I trust. So when someone asks me whether they should do their buddies trip in the Algarve or in Lithuania, I do not have a horse in the race. I just want them in the right place.
Here is the honest comparison I give them.
The case for the Algarve
Let me start with the obvious. The Algarve is the default European golf destination for good reasons. It has dozens of courses, several of them genuinely world-class. The weather is reliable from March to November. The infrastructure is built entirely around golf tourism, so everything from tee-time booking to buggy fleets to English-speaking staff is frictionless. If you want a full golf week with a different marquee course every day and near-guaranteed sunshine, it is hard to beat.
That is exactly why I keep sending groups there. It is a great trip.
The case for Lithuania
Lithuania is a different shape of trip, and for a specific kind of group it is the better one.
There are five championship 18-hole courses in the country, all within about 90 minutes of Vilnius or Klaipėda. The season is shorter, May to September. What you get in return is a long weekend rather than a full week, a short direct flight rather than a haul with a connection, green fees that still feel like a decade ago, and tee sheets that are close to empty. You also get a proper historic city to base in, Vilnius Old Town, instead of a resort strip.
For a fuller picture of the destination itself, the Golf in Lithuania guide lays out all five courses.
Price, side by side
This is usually where the conversation turns. These are 2026 green fees for the Lithuanian courses, straight from the clubs:
| Lithuanian course | Green fee (2026) |
|---|---|
| Wolf Golf Club (links, near Druskininkai) | €35 for 18 holes |
| National Golf Resort (Baltic coast) | €50–€79 |
| European Centre Golf Club | €55–€80 |
| The V Golf Club at Vilnius Grand Resort | €60 for 18 holes |
| Capitals Golf Club | €60–€85 |
The better Algarve courses run roughly €90 to €250 a round in peak season, with the marquee names at the top of that. So one peak-season round at a name-brand Algarve course can cost more than three rounds across three different Lithuanian courses.
Scaled up to a whole trip: a 3 to 4 day Lithuania trip with a 4-star hotel, transfers, two or three rounds and one organised evening comes in around €600 to €1,400 per person. The equivalent Algarve trip usually lands at close to double that. If you want to dig into the value angle specifically, I wrote a separate piece on cheap golf in Lithuania and the truth about “unlimited rounds”.
Flights, the part people forget
For a long-weekend trip, flight time matters as much as green fees, and this is where Lithuania quietly wins for Northern European groups.
| From | To Vilnius (direct) | To Faro (Algarve) |
|---|---|---|
| Warsaw | ~1 hour | ~4 hours, often connecting |
| Helsinki | under 1 hour | 5 hours plus, usually connecting |
| Stockholm | ~1.5 hours | 4.5 hours plus |
| Riga / Tallinn | under 1 hour | 5 hours plus, connecting |
If you are starting from Poland, the Baltics or the Nordics, the Algarve is most of a day of travelling each way. Lithuania is a short hop. On a three-night trip, that difference is the whole argument: it is the gap between arriving in time for dinner and losing a day to airports.
The Algarve makes more sense as a flight when you are coming from the UK, Ireland or western Germany, where Faro is close and Vilnius is not.
Weather and courses, the honest trade-off
I will not pretend Lithuania matches the Algarve on climate. The Lithuanian season is May to September, mornings can be cool in the shoulders, and you would not plan a golf trip here in November. The Algarve gives you reliable warmth for eight months of the year.
On courses, the Algarve wins on sheer choice, a dozen-plus quality layouts against Lithuania’s five. But Lithuania wins on peace. You are not queuing on the first tee, you are not playing behind a four-ball every hole, and the courses feel like they are yours for the day. Whether choice or calm matters more to your group is the real question.
Who should pick which
Rough guidance, based on the groups I actually book:
- Pick the Algarve if you want a full golf week, a big choice of famous courses, guaranteed warm weather, or you are flying from the UK, Ireland or western Europe where Faro is close.
- Pick Lithuania if you want a long weekend rather than a week, you are flying from Poland, the Baltics, Finland, Sweden or Germany, you care about cost, you like the idea of empty courses and a historic city, or you have simply done the Algarve already and want somewhere your friends have not been.
The short version
The Algarve is the safe, proven, warm, well-stocked choice, and I will happily book it for you. But if you are in Northern Europe, want a long weekend instead of a week, and would rather play three empty championship courses for the price of one busy one, Lithuania is the trip your group has not tried yet. The Lithuania Golf Weekend is the format most first-timers pick.
Not sure which fits your group? Send a trip brief with your home airport, dates and group size, and I will tell you honestly which way I would point you, even when that is away from the trip I run myself.