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An exclusive Tourist Information Centre has opened its doors in the heart of Vilnius, on Pilies Street, and will become the gateway to special discoveries in Vilnius. The modern and interactive centre offers visitors a unique experience, taking them through the city’s culture, history and leisure opportunities.

Exclusive Personalized Travel Planning Service

The Vilnius Tourist Information Center is delighted to introduce a new and innovative service – personalized travel planning based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This service is designed to help visitors make the most of their time in Vilnius by considering their individual interests, needs, and preferences, ensuring the best possible experiences in the Lithuanian capital.

We invite you to answer a few questions from our virtual assistant about your favorite activities and the duration of your stay. With the help of AI technology, a personalized itinerary will be created, which you can download to your email. Each trip is unique and tailored to individual needs.

Why choose this service?

· Personalization. Each travel plan is tailored specifically for you, taking into account your personal interests and preferences.

· Efficiency. We ensure that your journey is as smooth and efficient as possible, making the best use of your available time.

· Up-to-date Information. We regularly update information, so your travel plan will always be based on the latest data.

· Convenience. We will offer you a suitable travel route in Vilnius – all you have to do is enjoy it.

Visit the Vilnius Tourist Information Center and try the new personalized travel service, which will allow you to discover Vilnius from a new perspective and uncover the city’s hidden treasures. We are here to make your journey unforgettable!

Vilnius Tourist Information Centre Pilies g. 7, Vilnius , +370 5 262 9660 [email protected]

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Must-see attractions in Vilnius

Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

If you only see one museum in Vilnius, make it this one. On a site that has been settled since the 4th century AD stands the latest in a procession of…

Vilnius Cathedral

Stately Vilnius Cathedral, divorced from its freestanding belfry, is a national symbol and the city's most instantly recognisable building. Known in full…

Vilnius University

Founded in 1579 during the Catholic Counter Reformation, Vilnius University was run by Jesuits for two centuries. During the 19th century it became one of…

Museum of Genocide Victims

This former headquarters of the KGB (and before them the Gestapo, Polish occupiers and Tsarist judiciary) houses a museum dedicated to thousands of…

Cathedral Bell Tower

Climb the creaky stairs into the free-standing belfry of Vilnius Cathedral, once part of the city's 13th-century defences. Towering 57m high, it's one of…

Cathedral Square

Katedros aikštė buzzes with local life. In the 19th century markets and fairs were held here and a moat ran around what is now the square’s perimeter so…

Tolerance Centre

One of the main branches of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, the Tolerance Centre is simultaneously a museum of Jewish history and culture, and a…

Sts Johns' Church

The full name is 'Church of St Johns, St John the Baptist and St John the Apostle and Evangelist', but 'Sts Johns' (plural) will do nicely. Founded in…

Užupis Art Incubator

One of two branches of the creative powerhouse of the Užupis Republic, the Galera shows exciting temporary exhibitions by local talent and invites artists…

Opened in October 2018, this assemblage of contemporary Lithuanian art and photography is the country's first private museum. An orderly union of sharp…

This landmark statue depicts the early unifier of the Lithuanian tribes in the mid-13th century and the country's first king.

Antakalnis Cemetery

In this leafy suburb, little-visited by tourists, Antakalnis Cemetery is the final resting place of Lithuanian luminaries and locals lost to war…

Gediminas Castle & Museum

With its hilltop location above the junction of the Neris and Vilnia Rivers, Gediminas Castle is the last of a series of settlements and fortified…

Gates of Dawn

The southern border of Old Town is marked by the last standing of five 16th-century portals that were once built into the city walls. A suitably grand way…

St Casimir's Church

This striking church is the city’s oldest baroque place of worship. St Casimir’s dome and cross-shaped ground plan defined a new style for 17th-century…

St Anne's Church

Flamboyant and Gothic St Anne's Church, a vision of undulating lines and red-brick arches, was built in 1500 on the site of a wooden church that burned to…

Holocaust Exhibition

The 'Green House' exhibits the unvarnished truth behind the destruction of Lithuania's once-vibrant Jewish community, the Litvaks. The displays – mostly…

West of Jasinskio gatvė across the Neris River is this kenessa, a traditional Karaite (sect of Turkic Jews) prayer house, built in 1911. It's one of three…

National Museum of Lithuania

This wide-ranging museum (inside the New Arsenal) exhibits art and artefacts from Lithuanian life from Neolithic times to the present day. Early history…

Presidential Palace

The Bishops of Vilnius’ Palace in the 16th century, this classical edifice now houses the president and chancellery. It gained its current Russian empire…

St Michael the Archangel Church

This grand early-17th-century chuch, built by the Sapiega family, now houses a wonderful museum of sacral art. The building itself, with its single Gothic…

Three Crosses

Crosses were first erected in the 17th century, in memory of a group of monks martyred by pagans three centuries earlier. The current crosses replace…

Užupis Republic Constitution

The 'Republic' of Užupis's Constitution is engraved in English, French, Lithuanian and several other languages on plaques running along Paupio gatvė. It…

Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit

The peachy facade gives an understated first impression but there's an electric atmosphere inside Lithuania’s chief Russian Orthodox church. The 16th…

Bernadine Church & Monastery

The massive buttresses and towering walls of this, one of the most impressive churches in Vilnius, are capable of providing defence as well as worship…

It’s hard to miss the 326m TV tower on the city’s western horizon. This tall needle symbolises Lithuania’s strength of spirit: on 13 January 1991 the…

Make Everything Great Again Mural

In 2016 the mural by artist Mindaugas Bonanu, depicting Trump and Putin kissing and the slogan 'Make Everything Great Again', went viral. It was a…

Museum of Applied Art

The Old Arsenal, built in the 16th century and restored in the 1980s, houses temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection showcasing 15th- to 19th…

Choral Synagogue

Vilnius' flourishing Jewish communities and 100 synagogues gave the city the nickname 'Jerusalem of the north' until WWII. The Choral Synagogue, built in…

Chapel of the Gates of Dawn

Above the Gates of Dawn you'll find this 18th-century chapel, aka the Gates of Dawn Chapel of Mary the Mother of Mercy. Inside is a venerated painting of…

Theatre, Music & Cinema Museum

Artefacts of Lithuanian song, stage and screen are the stars of this museum. Three centuries of notable instruments – including the pūslinė (a primitive…

Samuel Bak Museum

This art gallery, a branch of the Jewish State Museum, showcases the bold, vivid, somewhat surrealist paintings of renowned artist Samuel Bak, whose works…

House of Signatories

Lithuania's Declaration of Independence was signed here on 16 February 1918. Today, across 14 rooms of this 18th-century house, you'll find a reverent…

Amber Museum-Gallery

Dedicated to Baltic gold and the beautiful things it can be crafted into, this enthusiastic little museum occupies a 17th-century baroque house. Upstairs…

Frank Zappa Memorial

West of Vilniaus gatvė, rock 'n’ roll legend Frank Zappa is immortalised in a bronze bust atop a 4.2m-high stainless-steel pole. It was the world’s first…

St Nicholas Church

Lithuania’s oldest church, this red-brick Gothic pile was built by German Christians around 1320, when the country was still pagan. From 1901 to 1939 it…

Kazys Varnelis Museum

During his 50 years in the US, Kazys Varnelis earned fame and fortune with his optical and three-dimensional paintings. This museum shows his personal…

St Peter & Paul Church

Don’t be fooled by the uninspiring exterior of this church. Its baroque interior – a riot of over 2000 stuccoes created by Italian sculptors between 1675…

Gediminas Hill

Vilnius was founded on 48m-high Gediminas Hill, topped since the 13th century by a red-brick tower. To reach the top of the hill, clamber up the rocky…

Contemporary Art Centre

With 2400 sq metres of space for photography, video, installations and other exhibits, plus a program of lectures, live music and film screenings, this is…

More destinations you need to see

Top 25 Things to Do in Vilnius | Travel Guide, Points of Interest, & Landmarks

By Author Christian L.

Posted on Published: August 17, 2021  - Last updated: September 18, 2021

Categories Destinations , Europe , Lithuania

Vilnius is probably one of the least-known European capitals. However, this hidden gem should definitely not be left out of your latest travel plans. From fascinating architecture and local history to all of the exciting activities available, there are plenty of fun things to do in Vilnius.

Although Vilnius only appears in records from the 13th century, it has been at the center of Lithuanian politics since then. The castles, palaces, and museums built in the city and the surrounding areas tell tales of the history of Lithuania – from the Grand Duchy to its independence from the Soviet Union.

Without further introduction, let’s explore everything there is to know about Vilnius so that your time here can be as adventurous as possible.

Where is Vilnius, Lithuania?

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, a Baltic state in North-East Europe. The city lies in the South-East region of the country, close to the borders of Belarus. 

The city was originally limited to the medieval Old Town (now a popular attraction) but has since expanded to include a larger municipal area of almost 750,000 people. The neighboring districts are made up of 1,163 villages and stretch over an area of 2,129 square kilometers.

How to Reach Lithuania, Vilnius

You can reach Vilnius via plane or road. The capital of Lithuania has an international airport, but if you are traveling from a neighboring Balkan state, you could also choose to travel by bus, car, or train. 

Traveling to Vilnius by Plane

The easiest way to travel to Vilnius is by plane. The Vilnius International Airport is one of the three biggest commercial airports in the country, together with international airports in Palanga and Kaunas.

Unfortunately, as with the rest of Lithuania, you will not be able to get a direct flight from outside of Europe or the UK. The international airports in Lithuania are rather small, with only one runway, which is not long enough to accept bigger airplanes. However, with a quick stopover in one of the bigger European airports, you will be in Vilnius in no time. 

The airport is on the southern outskirts of the city. It will take approximately 10/15 minutes to reach the center via car. Costing from 5 to 10 Euro. The two best Taxi apps in Lithuania is Bolt and Uber.

From Vilnius Airport to City Center with public transportation

Getting from Vilnius airport to the city center is fairly straightforward. You can either take a bus or a local train. However, the airport is located just 6 km south of the city center, so it’s a very short trip between the city center and the airport. There are 5 different busses from the airport, so be sure about which one you should take, the bus ride from the airport to the center of Vilnius takes around 15 minutes, and the buses depart from the airport every 10–15 minutes. NB. You can not buy the ticket (1euro) from the bus driver anymore; you can either use the app Trafi or buy the ticket from the tourist centre or the Narvesen Kiosk. Trafi is used for all public transportation in Vilnius. Busses which has the letter G after the numbers are express buses, while it stops on the most popular stops around the city while skipping some regular stops before and after the centre.

• Bus #1  From airport to the central bus/train station, which is located south of the city.
• Bus #2   Also goes from the airport to the bus/train station.
• Bus #88  From the airport to the City Business Centre, but goes trough the Old Town first.
• Bus#3G  goes to the north through the centre ( Lukiškės  square) and business centre ( Konstitucijos  avenue). Travel along the western outskirts of the old town.
• N ight minibus #88N  goes hourly 23:30–05:30 same route as nr 2.

By train from Vilnius airport: There´s a train from the airport to the train station which depart every 45min and takes 7min to reach the train station. costs 0.72 Euro. The train station is located in the south part of the city, so you are probably best of taking one of the busses if you are planning to stay in the old town part of Vilnius or in the new part of town.

Traveling to Vilnius by Bus, Car, or Train

If you are coming from Minsk (Belarus), Warsaw (Poland), or Riga (Latvia) , you can easily take a bus, rental car, or train. There are plenty of options from any of these countries. The popular weekend destination, Klaipeda, along the Baltic Coast, is 3 – 4 hours away.

The bus is the cheapest option, ranging from $15 to $30 for the shortest (and cheapest) options. Trains and cars are slightly more expensive but do offer on average an hour less travel time. 

Note: Once inside the country, public transport is a great option. The train network and bus schedule can be found online. 

What to Do in Vilnius | 5 Fun Activities & Day Trips

There are so many great Lithuanian things to do in Vilnius that you will need to stay here for more than a few days. These fun activities and day trips will have you exploring every part of the city and the surrounding country. Make sure to tick a few of these off your bucket list the next time you’re in Vilnius.

1. Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Vilnius

One of the best ways to truly appreciate a city is from the air. Although you will get glimpses if you are flying in, it’s definitely worth it to take a closer look. The best way to do this is with a hot air balloon trip . As you float above the city, you will appreciate a side of Vilnius that many people don’t get to enjoy.

These trips usually last for between 1 to 2 hours, but that will fly by, quite literally. Take as many pictures as you can because you’re going to struggle to find a viewpoint this good again.

You will be in small groups of up to 4 to 7 people in the basket for this trip, depending on the size of the basket. However, there are more romantic couple options available. 

2. Canoe Through Vilnius

The history of Vilnius is closely connected to the two rivers that run through the city – the Neris and the Vilnia River. If you’re visiting Vilnius in the summer and are a fan of water activities, then a guided canoe trip is a great activity.

You’ll be able to explore the city using the rivers to your advantage. Not only will you get to challenge yourself with the most difficult river route in Lithuania, but you will also get to take in the city from a completely unique perspective.

Note: Even though the river can be challenging at times, it’s not impossible for the keen adventurer, and it’s a boatload of fun.

3. Explore Trakai Castle

Although not in Vilnius itself, Trakai Island Castle is a must-do day trip for anyone visiting the city. This castle played a pivotal role in the safety of the Lithuanian capital and is a great opportunity to glimpse back into 14th- and 15th-century European culture. 

You can either take a guided tour to learn as much as you can about the complicated local history or explore the museum and castle grounds by yourself. It’s only a 40-minute drive from central Vilnius and is any history-lover’s dream. 

The castle had a complicated history that began in the 14th century. Because of its strategic position, the castle quickly found itself at the center of a war – which shaped future constructions. The castle fell into disarray in the 17th century and was only restored in 1951. 

Now a part of the Trakai History Museum, the grounds are filled with archaeological findings, art, and exhibitions commemorating the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. If you visit during summer, you can also enjoy one of the medieval festivals or various concerts or events that are hosted there.

Note: If you still want to head out on the water. The castle is located on an island that you can explore via a beginner-friendly canoe tour . 

4. Learn About Vilnius Ghost Stories & Legends

If you’re looking for an unconventional adventure that will leave you in awe of Vilnius, then this guided tour is a great choice. You will meet up in the evening as the sun sets and begin exploring a unique side of the city.

The two-hour walking tour will take you through Vilnius Old Town and will introduce you to various real stories as well as some interesting legends. Although the city might not be as old as some other European cities, it has still racked up an impressive collection of tales.

Find out about the love stories of the ancient Dukes, hear about atrocities committed during wartime, or find out about the extraordinary lives of Middle Age executioners – this tour has everything you won’t find on a regular Google search. 

5. Visit the Hill of Crosses

The Hill of Crosses is one of Lithuania’s must-see tourist attractions – although it is a bit of a trip away from the city. If you want to know what to do in Lithuania and are ready to explore a little bit more of the country, then why not experience a full-day trip from Vilnius . 

Not only will you get to see a famous Christian pilgrimage landmark, but you will get to stop and explore the Ukmergė District and have a Lithuanian lunch in the city of Siauliai. The Hill of Crosses is 220 km (135 miles) away from Vilnius. You will depart the city in the morning and return between 5 – 6 pm. 

Vilnius Lithuania Points of Interest | 7 Tourist Attractions

Although there are plenty of fun activities to do in and around Vilnius, don’t forget to spend some time admiring the local attractions as well. Vilnius is a treasure trove of European architecture, Lithuanian culture, and all-around beauty, and it´s definitely one of the most underrated cities in Europe.

Explore some of these Lithuanian landmarks to truly check the city off your bucket list. 

1. Vilnius Old Town

A trip to Vilnius would not be complete without exploring the historic old town. It was proclaimed a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994, and, if that wasn’t enough, it is one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in northern Europe.

Vilnius has been a melting pot of European cultures since its inception. It is one of the most unique old towns in the world, where you will be able to see such a wide variety of architectural styles blending together. Don’t be surprised if you happen past buildings designed in the gothic, renaissance, baroque, and neoclassical styles standing side by side. 

Whether you want to explore the old town by yourself or on a guided tour , there are plenty of exciting things to see in Vilnius’ historic centre. 

2. Palace of the Grand Duke of Lithuania

On the southern banks of the Neris River, just north of the Vilnius Old Town, you will find this historic landmark. Although the original palace was demolished, the reconstruction was completed in 2016 and allows you to take a glimpse back in time.

What started out as the Vilnius Castle eventually became the official residence of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. It was during this period of prosperity that the city of Vilnius reached its medieval heights. 

Now that it has been redone, the public is welcome to explore the museum grounds and learn more about the history of Vilnius and the palace’s occupants.

3. Gediminas’ Tower

If the Old Town is the lifeblood of Vilnius, then Gediminas’ Tower is the heart. According to legend, this is the oldest part of the town, where Grand Duke Gediminas proclaimed his new settlement.

Although only the tower remains, it was once part of the old castle complex – located on the same grounds as the Palace of the Grand Duke. This historic landmark is located on a hilltop, which makes it a popular place for locals and tourists alike to relax and admire the views. You can see all of the surrounding city from here, which makes for a great sunset viewing spot. 

The Gediminas’ Tower is located right behind the national museum on a hilltop, while it´s not a long walk up to the tower, so can you take a Funicular train each way for 1 Euro each way.

4. The Three Crosses Hill

If you can´t get enough of the view over Vilnius, you can head to the Three Crosses Hill, a hill overlooking the city with three 12m tall white concrete Crosses overlooking the city.

According to history, there have been wooden crosses on this site since the early 17th century, and since then, they became a symbol of the city and an integral part of the city’s skyline. The original wooden crosses rotted, the crosses needed to be periodically replaced. In 1916, when a concrete monument was constructed and stood here until it was torn down in 1950 during the soviet times. The current Three Crosses was constructed in 1989. 

5. Vilnius Museum of Illusions

The Vilnius Museum of Illusions is the most unique landmark on this list. Where the other museums and stops will have you learn about local history and culture, this one is all about blowing your mind.

Walkthrough the building as you discover the various optical illusions and unique exhibitions. The staff are friendly and more than willing to help show you around the place. This is an excellent stop for any family or illusion lovers visiting the city. 

You can buy a ticket at the entrance, which costs $13 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and for $36, you can get a family pass. Children under the age of 7 can accompany an adult for free (max 3 kids per adult). 

6. Vilnius Cathedral

Vilnius Cathedral is one of the oldest areas of the city. Although the current church is not the same building as the original, there have been numerous reconstructions and modifications made throughout the century.

The first church was built in the 13th century but faced fires, wars, and general dilapidation over the years. It was originally a Gothic-style church, but when it was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, it was adapted to the current Neoclassical style. 

It’s a popular stop in Vilnius, thanks to its beautiful white walls and elaborately decorated interior. The Vilnius Bell Tower (just outside the entrance to the church) offers a great opportunity to take in the surrounding views. 

7. Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet Theatre

Home to the Lithuanian National Ballet, this theatre is both a historical and cultural landmark. You can visit the modernly designed building to learn more about the history of ballet in Vilnius, or you can book a ticket and enjoy one of the many performances that take place there. 

From their website, you can view all of the upcoming events as well as book tickets. The pricing varies depending on the show and what seats you want to choose. On average, you’re looking to spend between $20 – $70. 

8. Visit The KGB Museum / Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fighters

This museum is the only one of its kind in the Balkans and serves as a reminder of the struggles that the people of Vilnius have faced over the past 100 years. There are exhibitions highlighting important events, including the underground resistance movements during WW2 and political prisoners that were housed here during the Soviet Union.

The basement of the building was once the KGB prison, and it´s easy to see that this place is not a pleasant place to spend your time in prison. There´s even an execution chamber in the basement.

9. Try the Local Lithuanian Craft Beer

Like most other countries, so are also Vilnius and Lithuania experiencing a craft beer revolution.

But Lithuania seems to favour sour beer when it comes to experiencing with local ingredients, like beetroot sour beer and blackcurrant sour beer. While the two most common craft beer breweries in Lithuania and Vilnius are Genys Brewing and Raudonu Plytu, however, none of them is originally from Vilnius, so do about every bar en restaurant sell them these days. A guide to craft beer in Vilnius and Lithuania.

10. Visit Lukiškės Prison

Once the most notorious prison in Lithuania until the prison was officially closed on 2 July 2019. The prison opened up in 1904 when Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire. It was also used by the Germani Nazi s occupation of Lithuania during WW2 when it was used by the Gestapo as a holding cell for thousands of Jews.

Now the prison has reopened under the name Lukiškės Prison 2.0, which these days offers everything from art studios which is used by around 250 famous local artists., to tours of the old prison with some of the old prison guards working as guides in prison now, (you will hear some crazy stories from their own experience working in the prison during the time it was a notorious prison, similar to Alcatraz in the USA .

The old prison is now considered to be a Culture Hub of Vilnius.

But there are also concerts on a newly built stage in one of the courtyards of the prison, there´s been a night nightclub, and there´s even a well-stocked bar in another of the courtyards.

There´s also rumours that they will turn a part of the prison into a guesthouse in the near future.

Lukiškės Prison was in 2020 also used as a filming location for the fourth season of the popular Netflix show, Stranger Things.

11. Visit Užupis Bohemian Republic

Just east of the old part of town, across the river, is the small bohemian district of Užupis, which try to be the self-proclaimed Republic of Užupis .

Following Lithuania’s independence from Soviet rule, artists in Vilnius took advantage of the cheap accommodation in the area. These new residents turned Užupis into a hive of creativity. Since April 1, 1997, the Užupis neighborhood in Vilnius has been considered a free republic, much like Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The name Užupis means “over the river”, as the tiny neighborhood sits on the other side of the Vilnelé River, separated from the Old Town, the small bohemian district is well worth a visit.

12. Bernardine Cemetary

Bernardine Cemetery is the second-oldest cemetery in all of Vilnius, located in far edges of Užupis on the right bank of the Vilnia River. Bernardine Cemetery is the eternal resting place of various cultural, social and scientific figures for over 200 years.

The Cemetery was established in 1810 by the Bernardine monks of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, and the place is today beautiful local historical and cultural objects of the 19 t still visible in Vilnius.

13. Town Hall Square

The Vilnius Town hall square is the main square in old town Vilnius. The first time was mentioned back in 1432 but has since been reconstructed many times.

The current building date back to 1799, and it has remained unchanged since then. These days the town hall is a popular meeting place for locals, and the square is now full of local bars and restaurants.

14. The Gate Of Dawn

The Gate of Dawn, locally known as Aušros Vartai, is one of the most important religious and historical monuments in Vilnius. The Gate of Dawn was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications around the old town of Vilnius, which was then the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The Gate of Dawn is an important Catholic pilgrimage site in Lithuania and a site for pilgrim travellers coming here from far away to pay a visit to a tinny chapel and to pray in front of an old painting of Virgin Marry which is believed to have miraculous power.

15. National Museum Of Lithuania

The National Museum of Lithuania is like all other national museums in different countries, displaying the development of Lithuanian history from the creation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until the first half of the 20th century. The National Museum is located right in front of the Gediminas’ Tower and to the left of the Vilnius Cathedral.

16. St. Anne’s Church

The 500-year-old St. Anne’s Church is a prime example of Gothic architecture in Vilnius. Legend says that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with the church so much when he visited Vilnius in 1812, that much as he wanted to tear it down and move it to French. 

Today the Chuch of St. Anne is one of the famous landmarks of Vilnius.

17. Literature Street

One of the newest sites in Vilnius is the Literatų gatvė (Literature Street) which is dedicated to writers who have some kind of connection with Vilnius.

A street which started to be decorated in 2008 when a group of local artists came up with the idea of revitalising the street and decorating it with works of art related to authors with a connection to the city.  Each of the artworks on the wall has its connection to a writer. Some are made in plastic, metal etc., but one stands out as the most bizarre, the denture that was used personally by one of the writers. Now counting more than 200.

18. Climb Bell Tower of St. John’s Church for the best view over Vilnius

The tallest of all Bell Towers in Vilnius is the Bell Tower of St. John’s Church standing 68m tall, attached to Vilnius University.

Built-in renaissance style at the end of the 16th century, but was badly damaged during a fire in 1737. The Bell Tower was then rebuilt in the current Baroque style. The St. John´s Church bell tower is also the tallest building in Old Town Vilnius.

The Bell Tower is located in the middle of old town Vilnius and offers an amazing view if you decide to climb the very steep 193 authentic wooden steps to the top of the tower, or you can take the newly built elevator up to the open-air 45-metre high observation platform. The top of the bell towers offers the best view over Old toWN Vilnius. The entrance fee is 5 Euro.

19. Vilnius University

Vilnius University, located right next to Bell Tower of St. John’s Church. Vilnius University is the oldest higher education in the Baltics and one of the oldest in all of northern Europe.

Opened in the year 1579, it´s famous as the best University in the region, and even today, it´s ranked among the top 400 universities worldwide. 

20. Enjoy the view from Vilnius TV Tower

The Vilnius TV Tower is the tallest structure in Lithuania, standing at 326,5m tall, making it the 29th tallest tv tower in the world.

The Tv tower is easily recognisable from all over Vilnius, and it will be the first thing you will see when you are entering Vilnius.

At the round section at 165m at the tower, there´s a rotating viewing platform and the Milky way restaurant offering a breathtaking view over all of Vilnius. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees which take 55min.

There´s also a small museum at the base of the tv tower, the “Fight for freedom Museum”, which display the event that took place here on the night of 13 January 1991, when Lithuanians got their independence from the Soviet Union. There´s a small granite obelisk near the TV tower in honour of the 12 Lithuanians who lost their lives here that night.

21. Frank Zappa Memorial

One of the strangest monuments and sites in Vilnius is the Frank Zappa memorial in the city.

Why a Frank Zappa statue in Vilnius? He has done nothing for Lithuania. In fact, he has never even been to Lithuania. During the Soviet times, no American or Western culture was allowed. So after the fall of the Soviets, the statue of Frank Zappa got put up as a sign of freedom of speech and creativity, marking an absence of censorship.

22. John Lennon Statue

In the far southern part of the old town, just behind the Comfort Hotel, is a small monument in memory of John Lennon. Even tho the statue was unveiled in 2015; it has fast become one of the most popular sites in Vilnius, even tho it’s one of the newest attractions in Vilnius.

23. The Barbakanas / Artillery Bastion

There´s not much left of the old city wall from the 16th century. But one of the few places you can see the original Vilnius city wall is at Vilnius Artillery Bastion.

The Artillery Bastion was from the 15th to 19th centuries full of explosives, cannons, soldiers and guns. These days there is a small museum in the Artillery Bastion with some of the original weapons on display. The top of the Bastion is a popular place to enjoy the view out over the city.

24. Relax in the Bernardine Garden

The oldest park in Vilnius was created all the way back in 1469; the garden is still open in the heart of the Old Town, a popular place for locals to relax and go for a walk.

The park was completely redesigned a d opened in 2003 after old images. Bernardine Garden is located right behind the Gediminas’ Tower and along the Vilnia river. The Bernardine Gardens is a perfect place to relax after a long day walk around the old town.

Where to Stay in Vilnius

Planning all your activities and trips might be the best part of creating a travel itinerary, but choosing the right accommodation can make or break a trip. Whether you are trying to save money while traveling or have the most unforgettable experience possible, there are plenty of great places to stay in Vilnius.

• Amberton Cathedral Square Hotel : For some, the best place to stay when visiting Vilnius is in the historical Old Town. If you choose the Amberton 4-star Hotel, you will be in the center of all the action and have the cathedral on your doorstep. There is a breakfast buffet included.
• Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius Center : Just outside the Old Town, near the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, you will find this classy 4-star Hilton hotel. This world-renowned hotel chain is a reliable option that includes modern rooms, a fitness center, and private parking.
• Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva: This 4-star hotel is located on the opposite side of the Neris River to the historical Old Town, however it’s still close to all the best Vilnius attractions. The interior decoration is exceptional and they have a wide range of rooms to choose from – whether you are on a tight budget or looking to stay in a more luxurious suite. Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva is home to the only skybar in Vilnius. Which is well worth a visit for a eveening drink.
• Comfort Hotel LT – Rock ‘n’ Roll Vilnius : One of the newest hotels in city, located about a 10min walk of the old city, a eco friendly hotel, often used as a busniess hotel but is just as popular among travelers. I personally stayed 5 nights here and I would stayed here agian.
• Artis Centrum Hotels : One of the most central located hotel, right next to the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania. Artis offers a popular resturant and bar, and is one of few hotels with swimming pool, a sauna and steam bath in Vilnius. I did stay my two first nights here.

Can You Go Skiing in Lithuania?

Although many people don’t realize it, Lithuania is a great place to go skiing. Whether you are traveling here in the summer or winter months, there is an opportunity to hit the slopes.

Naturally, most ski resorts open during the winter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a place to ski during summer. Thanks to the state-of-the-art Snow Arena , you can find some exciting things to do in Lithuania throughout the year. 

The Snow Arena is located just outside the Druskininkai, a famous spa town in southern Lithuania. It is only a 2-hour drive away from Vilnius and a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. 

Although not many tourists travel to Vilnius during winter, there are opportunities to go skiing. Just outside the city, close to the airport, you can find the Liepkalnis entertainment area. During winter, the slopes are open for snowboarding and skiing. While in summer, there are plenty of fun activities like mountain biking, tobogganing, climbing, tubing, and more. 

Lithuanian Vilnius Tourism Guide | FAQs

When traveling to a new city or country, it’s always a good idea to find out everything you can about it. These are some of the most frequently asked questions by tourists going to Vilnius. 

Is Vilnius Safe for Tourists?

Yes, Vilnius and Lithuania is a very safe place for tourists. Although petty theft and tourist scams do take place (like in all major cities), it is not a high-risk city. Individual travelers (whether male or female) should feel safe traveling here. 

As long as you aren’t careless with your possessions, you should be alright. However, when traveling, it is always best to exercise a bit more caution than you normally would. Having goods stolen while on holiday is a quick way to ruin your day. 

Scams aren’t overly common, but some opportunistic locals may try to take advantage of you. This is especially true for taxis, and tourists are not recommended to use these services. It’s not unheard of for foreigners to be charged 10x the normal fare – and you could be refused service otherwise. Stick with the busses, and you should be fine!

Do I Need a Visa to Travel to Vilnius?

If you are a European or US citizen, you can travel to Vilnius for up to 90 days without requiring additional documentation. The rules are slightly different for EU and US citizens, but both do not require visas to enter for holiday. 

Lithuania joined the EU in 2007 and became a member of the Schengen zone. As a result, any EU citizen can travel to or from Lithuania without needing a visa. EU citizens are allowed to visit or work here for a period of up to 3 months.

Do They Speak English in Lithuania Vilnius?

Approximately 30% of Lithuanians can speak English. The majority of these come from the younger generation (between 15 – 29). English has become more popular in recent years after Lithuania’s independence from the Soviet Union.

In Lithuania, it is compulsory to learn a foreign secondary language at school. The three most popular options are English, Russian, and German. During the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the most popular foreign second language was Russian, but this has since changed to English.

However, about all the people working in bars, restaurants, coffee houses, hotels, etc., is from the younger generation and speak fluent English, making travelling in Vilnius and Lithuania very easy.

Does Lithuania Use the Euro?

Lithuania has used the Euro as its official currency since 1 January 2015. The Euro replaced the previous currency – the Lithuanian Litas. But few people use hard cash these days. Everyone just pays with their credit cards these days, and also did I during my visit.

What Are the Major Cities in Lithuania?

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and the most populous city. The second biggest city is Kaunas, followed by Klaipėda and Šiauliai.

What is the Best Time to Visit Vilnius?

The most popular time to visit Vilnius is during summer. The temperature is moderate and pleasant during this time, averaging 23 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s the time of year where the Lithuanian countryside looks the best, and you can enjoy exploring Vilnius and the surrounding areas. 

Being in northern Europe, Lithuania can get very cold during winter. The average temperature during winter is -10 degrees Celsius, and it can get as cold as -20 degrees on some of the colder days. Don’t let this put you off, though; there are still plenty of Vilnius things to do.

The main reason why people visit Lithuania during winter is because of the snow. There are a few popular ski resorts in the south of the country. There are far fewer tourists during these colder months, so you’ll also be able to visit attractions while avoiding long queues. 

Explore a Hidden Gem in the Balkans

Vilnius is a European city, unlike many of the more conventional stops. This unique destination will allow you to experience combinations of culture and architecture that are rarely seen anywhere else. 

Now that you know what to see in Vilnius, where to stay, and some FAQs, all that’s left to do is to figure out what to pack . Your Baltic-European adventure awaits!

• Accomodation and Food
• Entertainment
• Transportation (get in & around)
• Warnings, dangers and red tape
• Architecture
• Ethnicities
• Holidays / Celebrations
• Ethnic relations
• Famous Lithuanians
• Politics and Law
• State symbols
• Art and literature
• Theatre and Cinema
• Aukštaitija (Northeast)
• Dzūkija (Southeast)
• Lithuania Minor (Southwest)
• Samogitia (Northwest)
• Sudovia (South)
• The environs of Lithuania
• Beautiful nature
• Castles and fortresses
• Religious sites
• Top 10 lists
• Vilnius Travel Guide: An Introduction

A picture of Vilnius Old Town taken from the top of Gediminas Castle hill. Saint Johns' spire is the one visible the best. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Vilnius is the Lithuania's capital and its largest city (population 550 000). Officially established in the 14th century (but likely dating to an earlier era), this city is well-known for its massive UNESCO-inscribed Medieval old town . After all, Vilnius has been a capital since at least the 14th century. In that time, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania used to be the largest state in Europe.

Vilnius has been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious city for centuries, as evident in religious buildings of 9 different faiths, each of them pre-dating World War 1. Today that atmosphere still remains, with ethnic Lithuanians making less than 60% of the population ( Poles – 19,4%, Russians – 14,43%, Belarussians – 4,19%).

Alumnatas courtyard in the Old Town. Ranging from opulent to derelict, the courtyards of downtown Vilnius are a hidden face of the city. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

With its location in the heart of Europe (according to the French geographic institute, the center of Europe is in a certain well-marked spot north of Vilnius) Vilnius has been at the crossroads of many different armies and empires, Napoleon’s being just one of them.

The scars of the more recent occupations are felt better. You may visit the Parliament and Vilnius TV Tower where Russian soldiers killed 14 unarmed pro-independence civilians in January of 1991. Museum of Genocide Victims and Tuskulėnai memorial are located where Soviets used to torture, murder and secretly bury Lithuanians in 1940s-1980s (hundreds of thousands perished during that brutal occupation). Paneriai memorial marks the place where Nazi Germany killed a large share of Vilnius Jewish community during World War 2 (in 1931 Jews made up 27,8% of Vilnius inhabitants and the city is said to have been nicknamed the Jerusalem of the North).

Being a modern capital, Vilnius also has a new skyscraper district, centered around the Europos square. Moreover, the city is the best place in Lithuania for shopping , offering diverse opportunities such as Akropolis and Ozas shopping malls and the bazaar-like Gariūnai market. Together with Kaunas , it offers the widest array of museums : multiple art museums (both old art and modern art), the National museum and more. It is in Vilnius where there are the most cultural activities. It is here where the nightlife is the best in Lithuania.

More information: Vilnius by borough (district): An area-by-area guide to Vilnius and its sights, with maps and pictures. Vilnius by topic: Shopping, Entertainment, Churches and other topics of Vilnius.

Map of the Vilnius boroughs. The more interesting historical boroughs are color-coded and each has a separate article dedicated to it on this website. The Soviet boroughs area all painted in green shade. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

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• Old Town of Vilnius (Senamiestis)

The UNESCO-inscribed old town of Vilnius is the heartland of the city. Its old palaces, narrow streets and countless churches of different faiths are what attracts tourists to Vilnius.

Katedros Square and the Castle hill area

The Gediminas Hill castle proudly standing above the Old Town (at the end of Pilies street in this picture). The red-brick tower is crowned by the most important flag in Lithuania. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The heart of Senamiestis is Gediminas hill which is crowned by the Upper Castle (14th-15th centuries). A single red tower has been rebuilt. It provides good skyline views of the city and also hosts a small museum.

Vilnius Cathedral is the most important church in Lithuania. A church in this place was likely established in 1251. The current façade dates to 1801 (architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius), but many of the side chapels are older. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The nearby green area consists of two separate parks: the Bernardine Garden and Kalnų (Hill) park. In the Hill Park, one may ascend the Three Crosses hill crowned by a sculpture of three crosses by Anton Wiwulski (1916), reminding of the Christian martyrs killed here by the Pagans in the 14th century. Demolished by the Soviets in the 1950s, the crosses were hastily rebuilt in 1989. Its symbol-of-Vilnius value was thus strengthened further.

To the south of Bernardine Garden stands the Saint Ann church , one of the most beautiful churches in Vilnius, as well as Saint Francis of Assisi church and St. Michael church (Baroque), now serving as a museum of religious art. Not far away is a large white Russian Orthodox cathedral – the center of Russian Orthodoxy in Lithuania.

The Old Town itself lies to the west of these religious buildings. It includes many other elaborate churches with the baroque style of 1600s-1700s being the most prevalent one. The Old Town is crisscrossed by narrow streets. Behind the buildings lie courtyards. A few of them still could be used as shortcuts to go from one street to another, but most are now closed off by the owners.

Rotušės Square and the Gate of Dawn area

Triangular Rotušės square with the white city hall building visible. In summer outdoor restaurants are opened here. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Another major square is the Rotušės square ( City Hall square ) where a former city hall stands (the two-floored towerless white building is humble by western standards). The domed Saint Casimir church and Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church are among the buildings surrounding the square.

To the north and west from here is the former Jewish ghetto . While the name "ghetto" may imply negative connotations, for centuries it was an ethnic district that had not been secluded from the rest of the city nor it was the only area where the local Jews lived (until the forced Nazi German relocation in the 1940s). Unfortunately, large chunks of Vilnius ghetto were demolished by the Soviets in order to make large squares and wide streets such as Vokiečių street. Vilnius Great Synagogue and most other Jewish religious buildings were demolished as well in the 1950s. The only synagogue still operating is further away in Pylimo street next to a former Jewish hospital. Pylimo street marks the border between Old Town and New Town.

To the south of Rotušės square lies the Aušros Vartų street leading to the last remaining gate of the city: the Gate of Dawn , also a site for religious pilgrimage (a sacred miraculous painting of Virgin Mary adorns the gate and it is customary to make a sign of a cross when passing under). Next to the Gate, there are churches of three different Christian faiths: Russian Orthodox church and monastery of Holy Spirit, Roman Catholic church of Saint Theresa and Eastern Rite Catholic Church of Saint Trinity (an imposing gate leads to its monastery).

Gate of Dawn at the end of Aušros Vartų street. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Subačiaus street branches from Aušros vartų street. It passes the Artillery fortress . According to the myths, a basilisk used to live in nearby cellars. At the end of the Subačiaus street, there are two tall towers of the Missionary church not reopened since Soviet closure and the Holy Heart church that is closed as well. Beyond it, you may enjoy great skyline views of the city.

Pilies, Šv. Jono, Dominikonų and Trakų streets

Rotušės square and Cathedral square are connected by Pilies (Castle) pedestrian street which is beautiful but full of overpriced restaurants and souvenir vendors.

In Pilies street, there stands the university Church of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist . Behind its imposing white tower (for a long time the tallest building in Vilnius) lies the entire district occupied by Vilnius University . It claims to be the oldest continuously operating university in the Eastern Europe, teaching students in these same Renaissance courtyards since 1579 when it was established by Jesuits. Today, only three of the faculties (history, philosophy, and philology) are located here with the rest mostly transferred to a suburban campus in Saulėtekis ( Antakalnis borough) in the 1970s. Vilnius University has ~23 000 students.

Vilnius University main campus. It has many courtyards which can be explored. Some marvelous interiors survive or have been newly crafted inside. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Šv. Jono, Dominikonų, and Trakų streets form a former road to Trakai city which was second in importance only to Vilnius until the 18th century. Now they lead to the New Town (Naujamiestis) borough and pass by several important Roman Catholic churches: the Shrine of the Divine Mercy with its miraculous altar painting that has a worldwide cult following, the Church of the Holy Spirit with its ornate Baroque interior and the spartan gothic Church of Virgin Mary Assumption , still hurt by Soviet desecration. The latter two are surrounded by partly abandoned buildings of closed monasteries.

At the place where Dominikonų street becomes Trakų street, this former thoroughfare crosses Vokiečių (see above) and Vilniaus streets . Vilniaus Street leads to Gedimino Avenue high street in Naujamiestis . Its most impressive building is probably the Baroque St.Catherine Church now used as a concert hall (well visible from Trakų/Vokiečių/Dominikonų/Vilniaus intersection). Vilniaus street is also an important nightlife hub.

Near the intersection of Trakų and Pylimo streets, the Old Towns gives way to the New Town (Naujamiestis) . There, one may find the MO museum of modern art . Unlike most art museums in Lithuania, this one is privately managed and thus more concentrated on things such as marketing.

Administratively part of the Old Town, Užupis is widely regarded to be a separate neighborhood. This 19th-century district beyond the river Vilnia is alongside the former road to Polotsk city (today in Belarus). Under the Soviet rule, many Užupis buildings were abandoned. After independence, the run-down district became popular with artists and referred to as the "Montmartre of Vilnius". The artists declared a micronation called the "Republic of Užupis" which celebrates an "independence day" coinciding with the April Fools Day. The half-humanist half-humourous constitution of the Republic is proudly attached to a wall in Paupio street (with translations into some 20 languages). Other publicity stunts include a Tibetan Square, occasional political posters and an alley known as "Jono Meko skersvėjis" (literally "Jonas Mekas crosswind", a pun on words "alley" and "crosswind", which sound similar in Lithuanian). Most buildings in Užupis are now repaired, but there are exceptions. The " Angel of Užupis " statue marks the central square and symbolizes the rebirth of the once-derelict district.

The main square of Užupis with the famous angel statue.

The Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic church of Užupis offer masses in Polish and Belarusian. Not far away lie the early 19th century Bernardine cemetery , which is among the most beautiful in Vilnius.

See also: Churches of Vilnius Old Town .

Map of Senamiestis. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Churches of the Vilnius Old Town

Some of the more impressive or important churches of Vilnius Old Town are described here. Unfortunately only several among them survived the Soviet occupation without getting closed (Saint Nicholas, Saint Theresa, Holy Spirit and Saint Ann Roman Catholic churches and all the Russian Orthodox churches except for Paraskeviya). The closures meant not only a cease on celebrating the Holy Mass, but also massive desecrations, ransackings, and remodeling as the buildings were put to other uses (sports halls, warehouses, museums). As such, the interiors of these once closed churches were heavily hit and many are not yet completely restored. That said, the exteriors are now largely restored.

In total, there are 28 churches in Vilnius Old Town elderate (one church per every 700 inhabitants). Of them, 21 are Roman Catholic and 4 are Russian Orthodox. Lutheran, Reformed and Eastern Rite Catholic communities have one church each. All non-catholic churches are working, but 6 of the Catholic churches have not yet reopened after the Soviet occupation.

Part of the Vilnius Old Town skyline with its houses of worship marked by denominations. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Flamboyant facade of the Saint Ann church. The belfry on the right was constructed later (1802). The Saint Francis of Assisi church is in the background. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

* Saint Michael church (1594) is a late Renaissance church that once served the local nunnery. Soviets turned the church into a museum of architecture. While not reopened the church now houses a more appropriate museum of religious art. * Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Ascension is the most important Russian Orthodox religious building in Lithuania. Originally built in 1348 under Grand Duke Algirdas, it saw mixed fortunes, including abandonment and non-religious usage after the 1748 fire of Vilnius. It was returned to the Church by Russian Imperial government in 1868 (which also commissioned a major reconstruction work).

* Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox church once looked much more western until Russian Empire rebuilt it in its showcase neo-Byzantine style (mid-19th century). Today it is probably the most beautiful among Russian Orthodox churches of Vilnius. * Saint Casimir Jesuit church completed in 1616 is early baroque. Its large dome is well visible from the City Hall (Rotušės) square.

Baroque Saint Casimir church (1616) in the Rotušės square.

*Graceful Virgin Mary church is the only single-towered Baroque church in Lithuania. Constructed in 1768, it had its interior completely destroyed by the Soviets so since reopening it now has a modern non-church-like interior. *Following Rūdninkų street south from Rotušės square will lead you to the Church of All Saints and a former Carmelite monastery (1630, early baroque). * The Gate of Dawn is the only remaining historical gate to Vilnius city. It is also a chapel notable for its miraculous painting of Virgin Mary that is visible to everybody passing the gate. Some people make the sign of the cross when passing the gate. Back to the years before the Soviet occupation, it was common to kneel a pray here right in the street. Religious goods are still sold in the surrounding areas. Many Lithuanian emigrant churches have been dedicated to Our Lady of Vilnius (Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn) as this is one of Lithuania's most important religious places.

Lord Ascension (towered) and Jesus Heart (domed) churches as they are visible from Saint John church tower.

Pilies, Šv. Jono, Dominikonų, and Trakų streets

* Church of Saints Johns (1426 - 1610, Pilies Street) belongs to Vilnius University rather than the Roman Catholic archdiocese. Mass is celebrated here but it is also the place where students eventually receive their diplomas. The front rows are reserved to the academia. The tower of the Church of Saints Johns is the tallest spire in Vilnius at 68 meters. You can ascend in a newly installed elevator and see the best views of Vilnius Old Town. * Shrine of the Divine Mercy (Dominikonų street) is dedicated to a single miraculous painting that adorns its altar. This work of art represents Divine Mercy and it was inspired by visions received by nun Faustina Kowalska in 1931. This is a bit of Vilnius history that has spread to all Catholic nations of the world and beyond as copies of the Divine Mercy painting be found in churches as far as the Marshall Islands in Polynesia. The Vatican dedicated the year 2011 to Divine Mercy (the veneration of which started in Vilnius). * Holy Spirit church is the home of the Polish community. While Polish mass is celebrated in many churches of Vilnius only in this church there is no mass celebrated in any other language than Polish. Its interior is very elaborate Baroque one and dates to 1776. The church survived without major closures or desecrations. The nearby monastery is, unfortunately, derelict and closed. In the crypts bellow the church mummified bodies lay buried giving rise to many legends (closed to visiting).

Interior of the Holy Spirit church. A copy of the Divine Mercy painting in the center. The original used to hang here before it was transferred to a devoted shrine nearby. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

* Lutheran church is hidden in a courtyard of Vokiečių (German) street. Originally serving German traders it took centuries to establish a Lithuanian congregation. Today the church also serve tourist and expatriate protestants with English mass. *Standing in a narrow Mikalojaus street Saint Nicholas Roman Catholic church is the oldest church in Vilnius. Built for a community of German Hanseatic merchants in 1320 this Gothic church is so small because Lithuanians were still Pagan at the time. The interior vault decor showing human-faced Sun and Moon reminds that the artists who painted it were most likely Pagan. This church always had Lithuanian language mass celebrated even under the Polish rule (1922 - 1939) when only several percent of Vilnius inhabitants spoke Lithuanian as their native language. It was among the few churches not closed down by the Soviets. Hence its interior includes patriotic motives such as a statue of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great. * Saint Catherine church (1743) is a Baroque pearl in Vilniaus street. Closed and desecrated by the Soviets it was never reopened and currently serves as a concert hall. Damaged sculptures of the saints provide a unique atmosphere for what are mostly alternative music concerts (ethnic, religious, sung poetry, a capella, and other genres). *Gothic Church of Virgin Mary Ascension (1421) in Trakų street is slowly coming up from Soviet desecration; its massive interior still quite plain. The extensive nearby building once housed a Franciscan monastery but is now painstakingly restored as offices.

Church of Virgin Mary Ascension interior. The Soviet-looted churches such as Virgin Mary Ascension still have a lot of scars in their interiors as massive costs slow down their rejuvenation. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

*In Pylimo street beyond the former (demolished) city gate at Trakų street stands the neoclassical Reformed Christian church of Vilnius (1835). Having lost its roof statues to Soviet atheist fervor the church still boasts a grand ceiling.

See article on the Old Town for a map of all the church locations.

• Naujamiestis (New Town) Borough in Vilnius

New Town is a product of 19th-century expansion which was minor in Vilnius comparing it to major metropolises of the Western Europe but nevertheless increased the Vilnius population fourfold (from 50 000 in 1800 to over 210 000 in 1914).

Naujamiestis was conceived by the Russian Empire to be the grand center of what was then the capital of its Vilnius Governorate and the main city in the Northwestern Krai (an administrative unit roughly comprising of modern-day Lithuania and Belarus). Naujamiestis lies entirely to the west of the Old Town.

Gedimino Avenue

Gedimino Avenue near V. Kudirkos square during the Day of Street Music. Many events are organized in the Avenue and at these times it is pedestrianized. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

To the east of the Saint George Hotel, there is Vinco Kudirkos square (one-third way from the Cathedral to Žvėrynas) that boasts a statue to V. Kudirka (the author of Lithuanian anthem). It is surrounded by monumental buildings of every post-1880s style that was popular in Lithuania. To the north stands the Soviet functionalist Government of Lithuania (1982), east is dominated by the imposing historicist Gedimino 9 shopping mall (former municipality palace, 1893), west is covered by a Stalinist apartment building (1950s), whereas the southern flank of the square has interwar buildings (1930s) and a recently built Novotel hotel (2000s).

The Courts building (1890) at large Lukiškių square (about two-thirds of the way from Cathedral square to Žvėrynas) used to serve as HQ for both Gestapo and KGB. Many people were tortured and murdered here, some of their names now inscribed on the 19th-century building which now also houses an interesting Museum of Occupation and Resistance , also known as the Museum of Genocide Victims (where you can visit authentic KGB cells). Once a Lenin statue stood in the center of Lukiškių square and now this place is empty, but on the flanks of the square there are memorials for Lithuanian partisans and those exiled to Siberia by the Soviet regime. The particular Exiles monument was planned to be erected in Yakutsk, Russia, but this was banned by the Russian government even though accepted by city authorities.

The courts building in Gedimino Avenue and Lukiškų Square. Part of the building is dedicated to the Museum of the Occupation and Resistance. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Lukiškių square is surrounded by other interesting buildings such as the Church of Saints Phillip and Jacob (predating Naujamiestis, 1727) and a complex of terrace homes developed by banker Juozapas Montvila in 1911-1913; every part of the building is of different architectural style. One of the church towers hosts a carillon that offers free plays every day ~13:00 as well as before mass. Not far away is the 19th century Lukiškės prison, the nation's main penitentiary for over a century, now serving as an art space.

The Lithuanian parliament building on the western end of the Gedimino Avenue is modern (built in 1982, expanded in the 2000s). However, its historical importance far outweighs its size or beauty as it is the spot where the Soviet Union started to collapse when Lithuania became the first country to declare independence on March 11th, 1990. On January 1991 Soviet forces attacked Vilnius, but a great mass of people surrounded parliament and built concrete barricades (a couple of them remains as a monument on the Neris side of parliament still boasting the original graffiti). The Soviets did not capture the square, now named after independence (Nepriklausomybės). Laid over a major automobile tunnel, this square also houses the National Library and is overlooked by somewhat vacant office towers.

An example of the concrete barricades used during the siege of Vilnius in 1991 January. Graffiti tells a story of Lithuania's political climate of the time. Much of it is in English as the Lithuanians hoped to receive help from the West in their plight. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Bank of Neris

The southern bank of Neris at Žygimantų street (just to the west of the Cathedral Square) looks gracefully from the other side of the river. Buildings here are mostly early 20th-century apartment blocks and during this era, the street was a popular boulevard for leisure walks.

Naujamiestis remained the most important city borough up to 1990s. Therefore it has a fair share of interwar and Soviet monumental buildings. The best place to watch for Stalinist architecture is the banks of Neris river further downstream ( Goštauto Street ) where the House of Scientists stands crowned by a tower (1951). Here scientists used to live under the Soviet rule (some of them still do). Not far away to the east is the building dedicated for "returnees" - emigrant Lithuanians who chosen to return to Soviet Lithuania after Stalin's invitation the late 1940s. These returnees were important for propaganda but with the exception of apartments in this building Stalin gave them little else, breaking the promises.

House of the Scientists by architect Giovanni Rippa from Leningrad in Goštauto Street is one of the best examples of the monumental Stalinist architecture in Lithuania. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Between the Stalinist and the pre-War Neris banks stands a late-Soviet National Opera and Ballet theater (1974) with its kitsch interior decor. It is a good opportunity to see world-class opera and ballet performances at lower-than-in-the-West prices.

Tauras Hill area

Another nice 19th-century street is the uphill Basanavičiaus Street where the palatial HQ of Lithuanian railways (constructed in 1903 as HQ for railways of western Russian Empire) proudly stands. On the other side of the street is the Russian theater. This building used to be Polish theater before the Soviet occupation. It was built in 1913 following an architectural style reminiscent of southern Poland (Zakopane style).

Basanavičiaus-Mindaugo intersection. Railways HQ building is in the center. When built this 8 story building was the highest secular structure in the city. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Kalinausko street offers an alternative ascension route from the Old Town. It passes Frank Zappa statue unveiled by local fans amidst US media attention in 1995 (since 2010 its copy stands in Baltimore). It is not only a monument to the singer but also to the libertarian Lithuania of the 1990s when seemingly anything was possible with no bureaucracy to preclude it.

On the top of Tauras hill a Lutheran cemetery used to be but it was demolished by the Soviets. The hill gives nice views of the city.

The northern slope of Tauras hill is an open area. This allows great views towards Gedimino Avenue, Neris river, and New City Center. If you go downhill by stairs from here you will reach Pamėnkalnio street . Running parallel to the Gedimino Avenue Pamėnkalnio street also has some nice buildings from the 19th century and the Stalinist era Pergalė cinema (now a major casino). Pamėnkalnis, by the way, is the historical name for Tauras hill, possibly relating to ghosts.

On top of the Tauras hill a calm M. K. Čiurlionio street passes by turn-of-the-century urban villas, Vilnius university faculties, and new expensive developments. It leads to Vingis (Bend of Neris) park , a popular place for summer strolls and an unlikely location of the Lithuania's main rugby stadium in addition to the German soldier cemetery and the central lawn where the pro-independence demonstrations of the late 1980s have now been replaced by the gigs of foreign divas.

Station district

Both railroad station and bus station of Vilnius are located in the southernmost end of Naujamiestis. Together with the surrounding plaza, they were built under Soviet occupation (after destroying many older buildings). But the adjoining streets like Šopeno are still full of stately buildings dating to the dawn of the 20th century and are worth exploring. Additionally many cheap hostels and various restaurants are located within easy reach from the stations. This particular area known as „Stoties rajonas“ („Station district“) has a bad reputation for prostitution and criminal activity but it has been undergoing a rapid gentrification and "hipsterization" in the 2010s, offering numerous popular bars.

Map of Naujamiestis. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Šnipiškės Borough in Vilnius

Sometimes Šnipiškės is regarded as a "Village inside a city" and its central districts still live up to this title. They are almost entirely dominated by wooden private homes. Most of them are heated by burning wood in stoves and many even lack tap water and sewerage (public water outlets are used). Some of the streets are not yet paved. This central Šnipiškės is an indirect heritage of Soviet urban planning when new districts would be built in some places while some others would be left completely untouched. Šnipiškės was among the later and so you can still witness how a 19th-century wooden suburb of Vilnius looked like. Streets like Giedraičių or unpaved Šilutės are the best to see this.

Central Šnipiškės is no Žvėrynas . Despite being in a walking distance to the city center, this district somehow fails to attract the rich and remains dominated by its old inhabitants.

19th and early 20th century wooden houses in Giedraičių street, Šnipiškės. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The pro-development stance that regards the wooden Šnipiškės as a total anachronism frequently clashed with a stance that sees it as an important heritage that must be saved. There was a time when the owners of some old wooden houses would burn them down in order to get a construction permit for a modern building. However, as of now, it is still possible to see a remarkable contrast between a 19th-century suburb and 21st-century city center within meters from each other in Šnipiškės. They are nearby but not intermingled as there is a very fine invisible line that divides the glass-and-concrete skyscrapers on the one side, and the World War 1 era buildings on the other.

A view south from Central Šnipiškės (Giedraičių Street) with the new city center visible. The circular skyscraper to the right is the 33 floor Europa Tower. With 148 meters height, it is the tallest building in the Baltic States. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The main thoroughfare of Šnipiškės is the north-south Kalvarijų street . You see all the faces of Šnipiškės by traveling it and you may always turn westwards into the side-streets. Kalvarijų Street begins in the south with graceful Saint Raphael church and monastery (1709) on one side and a nice Gothic revival palace on the other, sadly half-destroyed by the Soviets. These elaborate buildings could as well be in the New Town which is just beyond the Žaliasis bridge.

Going the Kalvarijų street northwards you pass the recent developments and then wooden buildings start appearing. One of the largest marketplaces in Vilnius ( Kalvarijų turgus ) and a Russian Orthodox church of Archangel Michael  are located alongside.

Kalvarijų street serves as a trunk road linking city center to its northern boroughs. Therefore many buildings here have been converted to commercial use. If you want a more authentic experience, you may choose to stroll in some of the parallel streets such as Giedraičių and Šilutės.

There is a third and the least interesting face of Šnipiškės: the north of the district (to the north of Žalgirio street). It is dominated by Soviet functionalist apartment blocks that are not different from similar buildings elsewhere in Vilnius (except that there is an occasional wooden house left standing between the new apartment blocks).

Map of central and southern Šnipiškės. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Žvėrynas Borough in Vilnius

Žvėrynas name means "Land of the Beasts" and reminds of a time when this forest inside the bend of Neris river was the hunting ground of the nobility. By the early 20th century, however, it was built up as a wooden suburb. Many of its wooden houses have elaborate architectural details that made this district famous. Most of the homes here are still detached private houses owned by a single or several families.

An interesection of Kęstučio and Moniuškos streets. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

In the 1990s, Žvėrynas became a prestigious neighborhood. It is within a very easy reach from all main districts of Vilnius and yet next to the greenery of Vingis park. Moreover, its tree-lined streets are never overcrowded. Therefore, many new multistory apartment buildings were built while numerous old houses were repaired. This is in stark contrast to Šnipiškės where many wooden homes still stand in a sorry state.

Karaite kenessa in Liubarto street is one of only two remaining Karaite religious buildings in Lithuania. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

But these buildings may only serve as a pretext for your explorations as it is likely that you will find some of the ordinary houses that line the side-streets to be even more compelling.

Several embassies are located in the calmness of Žvėrynas.

Map of Žvėrynas with places of interest marked. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Antakalnis Borough in Vilnius

A former Antakalnis suburb of Vilnius is lined along a single street that starts near Cathedral Square and goes northwards parallel to river Neris. Its most interesting sight is definitely the white Baroque interior of the Saints Peter and Paul church (construction began in 1668), which is one of the wonders of entire Lithuania.

A detail of Saint Peter and Paul church interior with only a small fraction of its 2000 meticulously shaped white figures and reliefs. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Not far away from this church, there are several palaces built by the nobility and businessmen of years gone by. Some of them well visible from the main street (like that of Vileišiai ), others, like that of Sluškos (now Academy of Theater and Music), are hidden behind other buildings.

Many detached private homes of Antakalnis dates to the 19th century or the early 20th century. This includes the elaborate yet compact Vileišiai palace of 1906 (an era when businessmen rather than nobility were building the most impressive residences). Vileišiai family were industrialists notable for promoting Lithuanian language at the time when most of the city‘s elite preferred Polish.

Vileišiai Palace is small in size but not in elaborate details on its façade. The palace is surrounded by larger buildings that were also owned by the Vileišiai businessmen family. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The development of Antakalnis continued in the interwar period when a district of modern white terrace homes was added in front of the Saints Peter and Paul church. The borough was further extended by the Soviets who built many blank apartment blocks amidst Antakalnis‘s older manors and wooden homes. The expansion continues as some new buildings have been constructed in southern Antakalnis since the 1990s.

Surrounded by Soviet buildings is St. Faustina home , a former nunnery where sister Faustina received the visions that served as a basis for the world-famous Divine Mercy painting. Now it is a minimalist museum of relics, 1930s Vilnius images, and a religious shop.

The northern part of Antakalnio street (north of the Sapiega palace) is mostly built up by Soviet buildings. At the northernmost end, there is the Saulėtekis district that serves as a pan-university campus. Main campuses of Vilnius University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University are located here. 16 stories tall student dormitories, nicknamed "New York" by those who live there, dominate the scene. Unless you study here there is little to see as the campus is built in the 1960s or later. Modern University library is, however, a pleasant exception: free-to-use and open 24/7 its 4 story reading rooms houses thousands of English books including some travel literature (night-time entry restricted to members).

Vilnius University library (completed in 2013). ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Two cemeteries crown the forested hills east of Antakalnis. Antakalnis cemetery serves as the national pantheon for Lithuania's artists, politicians as well as multi-national soldiers and victims of war: the members of ill-fated Napoleon‘s Grande-Armee, the Polish troops of 1919-1920 and those killed by the Soviet invaders in 1991. Nearby picturesque Saulės (St. Peter and Paul) cemetery is much older (19th century), providing a final resting place for the pre-war nobility and ordinary citizens alike.

Map of the southern Antakalnis. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Southern Vilnius: Naujininkai and Rasos Boroughs

The area to the south of the railroad and east of the Old Town is a 19th-century district of Vilnius that was heavily rebuilt in the Soviet era. Only a minority of buildings are dating to pre-1940 here today. Furthermore, the district has a bad reputation for crime. Don't let this scare you, though, as in Lithuania crime is rather evenly spread and there are no "ghetto-like" districts.

The most visited site in this area is the Rasos cemetery (established in 1796). In this cemetery on a hill many 19th and early 20th-century famous people are interred. The inscriptions are mostly Polish, although some native speakers of Lithuanian are buried here as well, such as the Vileišiai businessman family, doctor Jonas Basanavičius, and painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. The heart of the first president of Poland Jozef Pilsudski also found its peace here (Pilsudski was born in what is now Lithuania).

Gravestones and crypts of Rasos cemetery in summer. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

A Russian Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky is beautiful but small and surrounded by blank Soviet walls.

Markučiai wooden manor , once owned by the family of famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, is also in Rasos. A Pushkin museum once operated inside (as Lithuanian philosopher A. Juozaitis states in his book, a memorial to Pushkin has been created in every Soviet city) but has been renamed after the Russian invasion to Ukraine in 2022. If it is worth a visit it is not because of the poet himself (who never visited Vilnius), but because of the old furniture and layout giving a vivid image on how the upper middle class of the Russian Empire lived.

Markučiai manor stands on a hill, surrounded by a nice park. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Map of Rasos borough. ©Augustinas Žemaitis, Open Street Map.

• Žirmūnai borough

Žirmūnai is a largely rebuilt borough that has some hidden gems.

Foremost among them is the Tuskulėnai Peace Park . Once a manor owned by Tiškevičiai and Valavičiai families (built in 1825) it was nationalized by the Soviets and used to dispose the bodies of political prisoners. At least 724 were buried here, including Lithuanian freedom fighters, priests, and Polish Armija Krajowa fighters. Some criminals (10%) were also buried but, as Soviets purposefully damaged all the bodies with acid, the bones were impossible to distinguish after exhumation in 1996.

Interior of Tuskulėnai Memorial. The symbolic round central room (right) is surrounded by a corridor full of numbered urns with the remains of Tuskulėnai victims. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The Soviet brutalist Palace of Concerts and Sports (1971) on the northern bank of Neris river is built on a place where Vilnius largest Jewish cemetery once stood (until it had been destroyed by the Soviets in the 1950s). With the completion of new arenas, this one is no longer used. The car park in front of it was turned into a grassland for memorial purposes in the 2000s.

Palace of Concerts and Sports in Vilnius (Olimpiečių Street) is an example of what the key public buildings of the late Soviet era looked like. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Formerly the complex also included the Žalgiris stadium, built by the German POWs in 1948 and the largest stadium in Lithuania, a red-brick ice rink, and a Stalinist Žalgiris swimming pool. However, all these buildings have since been demolished to vacate the expensive land. Nearby street names like Olimpiečių and Sporto still reminds of the past when southern Žirmūnai was the heart of Lithuanian sport.

On the opposite side of Rinktinės street, a Museum of Technology operates in what was Vilnius's first power plant (1904), still crowned by a statue of personified Energy. The showcases range from old turbines, cars and Lithuanian industrial history to generic optical illusions.

The North Town (Šiaurės Miestelis) area spent the 19th century as an Imperial Russian military base, which housed a Soviet garrison after World War 2. Around the year 2000, it was heavily redeveloped and now there is a modern district of new apartments, offices, and retail. A quarter of it forms the Ogmios Retail City which is the largest shopping park in Vilnius.

A few Russian imperial barracks remain in the North Town, purposefully restored instead of facing destruction. They add some atmosphere to the district but are not a reason enough to visit on their own.

The rest of Žirmūnai is effectively a Soviet apartment borough built around the 1960s when it became the first such district of Vilnius.

• Soviet Micro-Districts in Vilnius

By the 1960s Soviet urban philosophy moved from the expansion of natural city centers to the construction of new "micro-districts". Each micro-district would have a shop, a kindergarten, and many apartment blocks. Each apartment block would be built according to a similar design as the rest of them. Every micro-district would be separated from most other micro-districts by grasslands or small forests. The areas between apartment blocks would also be open spaces that are now filled by cars.

A typical Soviet district of Vilnius. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

There is little to see in most micro-districts but strolling around one of them might be interesting to fully understand where the majority (some 55%) of Vilnius inhabitants live. All the Soviet micro-districts are concentrated west of Vilnius 19th century districts. Four to eight lane trunk streets such as Laisvės Avenue, T. Narbuto street, Ozo street or Ukmergės street connect micro-districts to each other and to the city center. These thoroughfares are now commercial hubs.

Laisvės (Independence) Avenue with TV Tower annually converted into the 'World's largest Christmas tree'. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Viršuliškės was built in the 1970s. • Baltupiai was built in the 1970s. Unlike the rest of micro-districts, it has several old buildings. The Calvary church (1700), once proudly standing in the countryside, is a popular religious pilgrimage site with its long Via Dolorosa path in surrounding park recreating the final path taken by Jesus Christ (the 7 km length and relative directions are authentic). Destroyed by the Soviets in 1962 these 35 chapels are now rebuilt. This church is so important that the local village has been renamed Jeruzalė (Jerusalem) in the 18th century; the name is still used for the modern district. This district houses Museum of Customs . • Santariškės is the location of main hospitals and clinics of Lithuania. • Šeškinė was built approximately on 1980. It is now famous for Akropolis shopping mall, largest in the Baltic States (over 100 000 sq. m). Vilnius's 2nd largest shopping mall Ozas is also in the same Ozo street, forming the center of a wide-scale modern development which also includes a water theme park and an 11000-seat arena. As the heart of sports (and music) in Vilnius, the area has a basketball monument and an alley where every lamppost bears an image of Lithuania's major sportsperson.

Basketball monument in front of Vilnius arena in Šeškinė. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Justiniškės was built in the 1980s. • Fabijoniškės was built in the 1980s. • Pašilaičiai was built in the late 1980s. • Pilaitė is the last micro-district (the late 1980s – early 1990s) that was never completed (due to the collapse of the Soviet Union). It was envisioned to be so large that one-fourth of Vilnius population would have lived there, commuting to the city center by light rail. The wide central zone between traffic lanes of Pilaitės Avenue was meant for the rail line. Together with on-ramps descending nowhere, it reminds of the aborted massive visions. Nevertheless, Pilaitė is still continuously expanded, albeit following a more compact design and slower pace.

Some of the older neighborhoods such as Žirmūnai , Antakalnis or Naujininkai were also partly supplanted or expanded by Soviet micro-districts.

After Lithuania regained independence in the year 1990, Vilnius population ceased to expand. However, a few new districts were developed as people were eager to buy their own modern homes (during the Soviet occupation, the square meters of living space per one person in Vilnius used to be much lower than that in Western Europe). These new districts of high-rise apartment blocks were largely laid beyond the furthest Soviet boroughs: Fabijoniškės, Pašilaičiai, Pilaitė, Lazdynai. One exception is Šiaurės miestelis, a residential and commercial zone in Žirmūnai that supplanted a former Russian military base.

Map for Soviet micro-districts of Vilnius is joined to the Vilnius suburbs map

• Suburbs of Vilnus

The environs of Vilnius are as diverse as is the city itself. Depending on which side you will leave Vilnius you may encounter luxurious manors built by once-powerful families, Muslim, and Polish villages, unique art projects, dull Soviet "proletarian" homes, and factories, "private castles" of the 1990s nouveau-riche, modern credit-funded suburbia, genocide memorials, protected nature and wooden huts where the time (seemingly) stands still.

Take note that in Lithuania (unlike many other countries) it is a common practice to expand the city limits once new suburbs are established or historical towns effectively become suburbs. Therefore most of the suburbs are legally part of the Vilnius city. Also, note that the 1960s-1980s Soviet micro districts are sometimes incorrectly referred as suburbs, but on this website they are described separately.

Northern suburbs (west of Neris river)

Further north, the dull suburbs of Balsiai are notable for Europos parkas , a 55 ha open-air museum of local and international modern art (mainly sculptures). Most major works are at the paved path or central lawn.

Chair/Pool by Dennis Oppenheim at Europos parkas. Image ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The museum is named after Europe because the geographic center of the continent (according to one of several calculation methods) is not far away (marked by obelisk some 10 km outside the park limits).

Nearby Žalieji ("Green") lakes (Balsys and Gulbinas) help the inhabitants of Vilnius to survive the summer heat.

Northeastern suburbs (east of Neris river)

Among the more interesting suburbs of Vilnius is the forest-clad Valakupiai north of Antakalnis . Here you can see both old wooden villas and new private homes of the rich. There are two beaches where you can swim in Neris river in Valakupiai. Turniškės gated community where the leaders of Lithuania live (president, prime minister and others) is also located in Valakupiai woods. Turniškės was built in 1939 for the construction of a hydroelectric dam that was never completed due to World War 2.

Going eastwards from northern Antkalnis by Plytinės street you will encounter Kairėnai manor where the botanic park of Vilnius University is now established.

A view towards the Neris valley from Verkiai Manor viewpoint. Trinapolis monastery is visible to the right, Valakupiai beach is at the bottom. This area forms the Verkiai Regional Park, one of two protected natural zones within Vilnius city limits. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Like some other suburbs, Kairėnai is stuffed with large private homes of the 1990s dawn of the capitalism era. Many of them are built without competent architects and were planned to house entire generations of families.

Eastern suburbs

Pavilnis and Naujoji Vilnia to the east of city center have been separate towns included into Vilnius city limits after World War 2. The total population of these suburbs is 33 000, the plurality of inhabitants is ethnically Polish.

An old train perpetually bound eastwards serves as a reminder of the Soviet genocide. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Aukštasis Pavilnis was built in the 1930s for railroad workers, connected to a railroad station in Žemasis Pavilnis by a winding road still having its original cobbled surface.

Pavilnis and Naujoji Vilnia are separated from Vilnius-proper by pristine Pavilniai Regional Park . Protected nature here includes the 65 m height Pūčkoriai rock exposure at the Vilnia river valley. 20 thousand years old formations are visible from the lower side after 1 km easy hike from a restaurant located in a former mill.

Pūčkoriai rock exposure (left) and the renovated Belmontas mill (right). The dam that used to power the mill is still available forming so-called Belmontas falls. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

On the upper terrace of the exposure, you may find some abandoned Polish military installations of the 1930s that failed to defend that country in World War 2. Larger military warehouses exist at Šilo street to the north, now inhabited by bats.

Southern suburbs

When arriving at Vilnius by air, Kirtimai industrial district is the first sights on the ground. Airport itself is the most shining building among countless factories.

Westwards of Kirtimai stands another industrial district of Paneriai . Cut in half by the railroad this district has a grim past as in a certain place beside the railroad Nazi Germany murdered Jews , Poles , and some Lithuanians . A museum and an unofficial  memorial now stand there (the number of victims listed on it is disputed by historians as too large, however).

Keturiasdešimt Totorių (southwest) and Nemėžis (south) suburbs are known for their small wooden mosques and Muslim cemeteries that belong to the local Tatar community .

Nemėžis mosque (1909). Open in some Fridays; rooftop minaret not used for prayer calls. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Bleak Salininkai (south of Kirtimai) is a good example of a Soviet suburb with little of interest except for an atmosphere of 1980s Lithuania.

Western suburbs

Two large suburbs in the west are Lentvaris and Grigiškės . Grigiškės (on Vilnius-Kaunas highway) is a 20th-century town built for workers of a nearby paper factory, while Lentvaris is an older locality known for its Tudor style Tiškevičius family manor . Its palace has an imposing tower but is sadly partly abandoned and overgrown. Acquired by a real estate businessman Laimutis Pinkevičius in 2008 who hoped to restore the complex it shared the fate of Pinkevičius's business empire that went bust with the global economic downturn.

Trakų Vokė has another manor with a nice historicist palace although its massive garden has been partly built-up under the Soviet occupation.

Between Vilnius and Grigiškės there is Gariūnai marketplace . In the early 1990s, this outdoor frontier-like bazaar was where tens of thousands of Lithuanians tried out their entrepreneurship. The place used to attract both merchants and buyers from many foreign lands as it was the prime trading spot in the entire region. With some 10 000 traders offering their goods every morning the marketplace never lost popularity but now tries to reinvent itself as a tamed "business park". Trade area is 122 000 m2 (ranging from the original marketplace to a modern small-business mall) and 210 000 m2 used car market.

Map of Vilnius suburbs and Soviet districts. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Vilnius Churches Outside Old Town

The following are several of the most iconic Christian churches outside the Vilnius Old Town.

* Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul ( Antakalnis borough , 1675) has the prettiest interior in Vilnius. It includes over 2000 white statues and bas-reliefs made to reflect the idea that life is a theater. Many Biblical scenes are depicted here in this uniform way. * Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross ( Verkiai borough , 1772, Baroque) was once built outside the city limits. It is famous for its Via Dolorosa, an 18th-century system of forest paths with chapels reminding of various events during the passion of the Christ. Unfortunately, Soviets destroyed 31 out of 35 stations in 1962. However, now the chapels are rebuilt and the several kilometers long route through local woods makes a good hike. * Church of Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis (Karoliniškės borough, see “ Soviet districts “) was started in 1991 and frankly never completed. It is consecrated now and the Holy Mass is celebrated, but without the envisioned tower this brutalist building looks blunt. It is a good reminder of the early independence era when the Roman Catholic church used the newly gained religious freedom to build new churches in formerly „atheist“ Soviet boroughs and towns. Construction and real estate was unbelievably cheap at the time, but not for long. Therefore many early 1990s church designs had to be simplified or canceled altogether. Other 1990s Catholic churches in Vilnius (St. John Bosco in Lazdynai and St. Joseph in Pilaitė) are smaller. Contemporary LDS (Mormon) ward in Baltupiai, New Apostle Church in Rasos, and Tikėjimo žodis in Pilaitė signifies that 1990s religious freedom also brought in new denominations.

Church of Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis in Karoliniškės. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Znamenskaya Russian Orthodox church in Žvėrynas on the other side of the contemporary Žvėrynas bridge (1906). ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

For the locations of the churches see the maps of particular districts .

• Going to and from Vilnius

Vilnius Airport is the largest airport in Lithuania, offering both low-cost and ordinary airlines. The majority of direct flights are to Western Europe. A few routes lead to the key ex-Soviet cities. The remaining destinations are mostly Southern European resorts (seasonal flights).

Vilnius Airport is built within the city limits, merely 4 kilometers away from the Vilnius Old Town. In fact, most Vilnius inhabitants live further from the city center than the Vilnius International Airport is located. As such, the airport is easily reachable by cheap public buses as well as a train. Unless there are traffic jams or you need to transfer at the train station, it is both cheaper and more convenient to use the buses.

Arrivals building at Vilnius airport

Vilnius train station and the intercity bus station are located next to each other in Naujamiestis borough. Buses travel from Vilnius to most of the cities and towns of Lithuania at least a couple times a day, with buses to the main cities leaving over 10 times a day and every 15 minutes to Kaunas.

Trains are a quicker option on a route to Kaunas. On most other routes, however, they lag behind buses, are rare and their only advantage might be a slightly lower price.

Many public bus routes of Vilnius start and/or end at the station square, therefore it is easy to reach any district from this place.

• Getting around Vilnius

Vilnius has an extensive network of public buses . They reach even the most remote areas of the city as well as low-rise suburbs. The timetables to some areas may be scarce, but they are never rarer than once in two hours and usually at least one bus an hour. On the most popular routes, there is one bus every 10 or 15 minutes.

Trolleybuses generally travel on the busiest routes and their timetables are more frequent. During the morning and evening rush hours, there may be a trolleybus every couple of minutes on certain routes.

A Lithuanian-assembled Amber Vilnis trolleybus in Vilnius. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

In 2013, " fast buses" were introduced, their routes marked with the letter "G". Actually, they are the same buses as those in the other routes. The difference is that they are as frequent as trolleybuses and somewhat faster than regular public transport as they stop only at half of all stops en route. Moreover, their routes are long, making them convenient for tourists.

Note that the same numbers are reused for the bus, trolleybus, and fast bus routes (i.e. bus no. 1, trolleybus no. 1, and fast bus no. 1G are not related at all).

The best stop to catch a bus is "Stotis" near the intercity bus and train terminal, as there are routes to nearly everywhere from there. "Žaliasis tiltas" stop also has many trunk routes.

A scheme of the fast bus routes in Vilnius. Bus stop names are first and the local sight names (if available) are in the brackets. Only the stops with sights, possible transfers, or the final stops are marked. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

There is no subway or light rail in Vilnius (although there are perennial talks on the construction of rapid transit), making the public transport (even the "fast buses") rather slow compared to the other capitals.

The same one-time ticket (30 min or 1 hour with transfers possible) applies for all public transport. You can buy them at kiosks or from the driver. If you buy it from the driver it costs approximately 25% more (this money goes to the driver as compensation for the additional job).

In the case of the monthly tickets, there are both ones that apply to both types of transportation and ones that apply either to buses or trolleybuses alone. There are tickets valid for several days, useful if you will use public transport extensively.

The final regular public buses and trolleybuses depart at around 23:00, although in some stops it can be as late as 23:40. Only the airport-to-downtown bus (no. 88) operates at night.

A girl at a bus stop in Vilnius. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The timetables of Vilnius public buses, trolleybuses, and fast buses are available here . A powerful journey planning tool is also included in this multilingual website.

Car parking is free in most of Vilnius but has to be paid for in the Old Town , New Town , Žvėrynas , and southern Šnipiškės (except for the residential yards, some of which are not blocked for non-residents). The prices are lower than in most foreign and neighboring capitals.

During the morning rush hours (~7:00-8:30) avoid driving towards the downtown and during the evening rush hours (~17:00-18:30) avoid driving from the downtown as main thoroughfares get clogged.

Traveling by a taxi is not recommended as taxi drivers are known to cheat people, especially (but not only) foreigners. They inflate prices as much as 10 times. Uber is available, while Bolt is an Estonian-created ridesharing system that is even more popular in Lithuania. There are also self-drive car-sharing apps like "City Bee", although due to additional hassles to join and not that much lower price a short-term visitor is probably better with "Uber", "Bolt", or car rental.

Vilnius downtown has an automated bicycle rent system where short rent is free (if you join the system). Look for orange bicycle racks. Additionally, since the late 2010s, electric scooters became popular and they have their sharing service as well. The price is, however, not that small compared to the distance traveled.

The orange rental bicycles in Vilnius Old Town. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Shopping in Vilnius

The Vilnius's oldest and largest shopping mall is Akropolis ( Šeškinė borough , over 100 000 sq. m), well known not only to the people all over Lithuania but also in Belarus. In weekends and Christmas period Akropolis may get heavily overcrowded which leads to a lack of parking.

Other large shopping malls are not far away. Ozas mall , with its extensive food court, suffers from having opened during the financial crisis of 2009 but is more spacious and convenient. Panorama mall near Žvėrynas is lagging behind Akropolis and Ozas, while the mid-sized Europa mall in Šnipiškės caters to the upscale market.

Ozas mall (Vilnius), a new competitor to the successful Akropolis chain. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

If you want to shop the "old style" there are several bazaar-like open markets . In the suburban Gariūnai next to Vilnius many of today's businessmen started their business in the early 1990s. Just don't forget to negotiate. Kalvarijų market is a smaller marketplace close to the city center (in Šnipiškės), while the Halės marketplace is an even smaller historic one in the center itself. Today there are also a few modern markets mostly aimed at ecological food.

For groceries, supermarkets are the best option. They are located in every district of Vilnius.

The main supermarkets have working hours from ~08:00 until 22:00 or 23:00 and are open 7 days a week. Other shops may close down earlier. Marketplaces are only open in the first half of the day.

For souvenir shopping, there is the ordinary selection of t-shirts, cups, and magnets at the places most popular among tourists: Pilies street and Aušros Vartų street in the Old Town . A viable alternative is to buy your souvenirs at a supermarket - the larger ones among them have a dedicated shelf.

If you prefer regional souvenirs, there is amber (likely to be imported from Kaliningrad but turned into jewelry by the local artisans). In Pilies street you can also buy paintings by the local artists. Don't expect Michelangelo there, but the prices will be much lower than in the West (if you negotiate well enough).

Arts and crafts are also available there but if you want some real shopping, come during one of the fairs (St. Casimir, St. Baltrameaus). Many Old Town streets become large outdoor craft markets during these days.

Paintings for sale in Pilies street. Some of them depict the medieval streets of Vilnius but other topics are popular as well. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Given the stories of miracles in Vilnius, you may want to buy yourself religious goods. Christian religious paintings, including replicas of the famous Divine Mercy painting and the Our Lady of Vilnius paiting, are sold on the southern side of the Gate of Dawn.

• Entertainment in Vilnius

As the capital of Lithuania Vilnius is also its entertainment center.

Nightlife, theaters, and classical music

Most of bars and nightclubs are located in the Old Town (e.g. Vilniaus street, Totorių St.) and several streets of the New Town (Gedimino Avenue and environs).

Operas are performed in the Opera and Ballet Theater. Nearby Congress Palace is now the home of the National Symphony Orchestra . Other classical music opportunities exist in the Old Town Filharmonija. Classical music is both cheaper and less exclusive than in the West.

There are some 7 permanent drama theaters in Vilnius in addition to the troupes that lack their own buildings. Most are state-funded, but the Domino theater (Savanorių Avenue) concentrates on light-hearted comedies. Old Town doll theater performs for kids.

Cinemas, bowling, ice skating, theme parks

Main shopping malls double as entertainment hubs. Akropolis includes the iconic ice skating rink at its center. Both Akropolis and Ozas house multiplex cinemas . Bowling alleys , pool tables , children zones are also present there. Both Akropolis and Ozas are located between Šeškinė and Žirmūnai .

Vilnius largest cinema is a non-mall Vingis with some 11 halls ( New Town ). Boutique cinemas Pasaka and Skalvija exist in the Old Town and New Town respectively.

Vingis cinema. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Vilnius lacks theme parks but indoor water park is available near the Ozas mall.

Sports (basketball, football) and popular music

Vilnius arena (12 000 seats) near Ozas shopping mall is where the main indoor sport and musical events take place. "Lietuvos rytas" basketball team (the top sports franchise in Vilnius) plays its major home games here. Games against weaker Lithuanian teams are played in the small arena nearby. Euroleague games and the matches against arch-rivals Žalgiris from Kaunas are the most popular.

Interestingly Žalgiris is also the name of Vilnius own football team. Famous in the 1980s it failed to qualify to the main tournaments in the recent decades. The home stadium is located in Southern Vilnius . Football season is spring to autumn.

Active entertainment

There are some unique entertainment opportunities in Vilnius.

In Uno adventure park there is a possibility to zipline over Neris river from Antakalnis to Žirmūnai .

Unlike many capitals Vilnius does not restrict the hot air balloon flights . Every summer evening you may see many of the colorful balloons in the air and you may rent one yourself (with a professional pilot and ground support team).

Hot air balloons over Old Town in a typical summer afternoon. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

In summer Vilnius downtown may also be enjoyed from a hired ship. The hire spot is near National museum.

For more natural forms of entertainment in Vilnius see the article Green Vilnius .

• Green Vilnius (Parks, Cemetaries, Beaches)

A 2009 survey recognized Vilnius as the greenest capital in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, Vilnius air is the cleanest among all European capital cities.

To achieve this Vilnius urban planners intentionally skipped many areas during the city expansion. These are named " parks " but with limited landscaping some of them are in fact urban forests. They are now popular for strolling, dogwalking, or enjoying a picnic.

Larger and equally popular is the 162 ha Vingis (Bend) park to the west of New Town, hugged from 3 sides by Neris river. A former nobility hunting ground it is now a major location for summer song festivals and also hosts a rugby stadium and a WW1 German cemetery amidst its greenery. Today Vingis park forms a part of north-to-south chain of green zones which separates pre-1940 Vilnius boroughs to the east from Soviet boroughs to the west. While Vingis park is developed, much of this "Green belt" is not and there are places where one may feel to be teleported to a countryside forest after walking merely several hundred meters from high-rise residentials.

A bit further from downtown the two regional parks within Vilnius city limits (Pavilnis and Verkiai) are much better for recreation as they host some impressive scenery (Pūčkoriai rock exposure), interwar military installations and 17th-19th century manors (see Suburbs of Vilnius ).

People enjoying the views from the top of Pūčkoriai rock exposure at Pavilnis regional park. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The old cemetaries of Vilnius may compete with parks in their greenness but have a different aura. To contemplate you may visit the early 19th century hilly Rasos cemetery ( Southern Vilnius ) or the smaller Bernardinai cemetery in Užupis ( Old Town ). Both include elaborate tombstones and famous burials. Antakalnis cemetery ( Antakalnis borough) is the burial place for 20th century celebrities, heroes and villains. If you prefer religious minorities there is an Old Believer cemetery in Southern Vilnius , Muslim cemeteries near mosques in southern Suburbs and a Jewish zone in Sudervė cemetery ( Viršuliškės borough). Sadly many famous minority graveyards were razed by the Soviets, among them two Protestant and the main Jewish one. Under the Soviet rule the tradition to bury the dead along religious lines also faded and the modern graveyards accommodate people of all communities.

While swimming is not allowed in the city center, you may swim in Neris within city limits at the beaches of Valakupiai suburb north of Antakalnis. Other beaches are available at Balsiai suburb lakes. All of these are possible to access by Vilnius public buses.

Neris river beach at Valakupiai suburb. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

• Day Trips from Vilnius

As the major transport hub of Lithuania Vilnius offers multiple day trip possibilities using public transport or car. The most interesting ones are:

1.The historical Trakai town with its medieval island castle , many lakes, and ethnic Karaim minority. It is the most popular day trip from Vilnius. It is easy to reach by bus and by train (28 km to the west).

3.The Polish-speaking Medininkai borderland area is famous for a Romanesque 14th-century castle with a small-but-modern tower museum, the Soviet-led Medininkai massacre of 1991 and Aukštojas hill, its 293,84 m making it the highest location in otherwise flat Lithuania. 30 km east of Vilnius. A far call from Trakai island setting the out-of-the-beaten-path Medininkai castle is preferable for those who hate flocks of tourists.

4. Kernavė Castle Hills are the location of Lithuania's 14th-century capital but its multiple wooden castles and town have since turned to dust, making the location more interesting for nature lovers than cultural buffs. A local museum has a nice archeological collection, however.

• History of Vilnius

The tolerant capital of the largest medieval state (Until 1655)

According to a legend, Vilnius was established by duke Gediminas in the early 14th century, after his dream of an iron wolf was so interpreted by a pagan oracle Lizdeika. Modern historians, however, usually claim that the city is at least as old as the Lithuanian state itself and that the country‘s first Christian church built by King Mindaugas in the 13th century stood at the exact same spot where the Vilnius Cathedral stands today.

Whatever its beginnings were, Vilnius became an important city by the 14th century. It had received Magdeburg city law in 1387. After the conquests of Grand Duke Vytautas, Vilnius came to be the capital of what was at the time the Europe‘s largest country, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It was a very tolerant city where Muslim Tatars from Crimea, Lutheran German merchants, Jewish craftsmen, the Catholic Lithuanian and Polish elite, pagan-leaning Lithuanian commoners, and Orthodox Ruthenians lived side-by-side peacefully, each group building their own temples in their own streets and districts.

Subačiaus gate of the Vilnius city wall (painted by P. Smuglevičius in 1785). This gate together with the wall was demolished by the Russians in early 19th century. Only some fragments and the Gate of Dawn remain today.

Where to see the era today? The Gothic churches of Saint Anne, Saint Francis, Saint Nicholas, and some others in Maironio, Šv. Mikalojaus, Trakų streets (all in the Old Town ) date to this era (even if their interiors have been modified). The old campus of Vilnius University also survived the historical ravages almost intact. There are some very old buildings in Pilies street.

The era of lavish churches and impending doom (1655-1795)

The prosperous centuries came to a horrible halt on 1655 when the strengthening Russia (Muscovy) invaded and sacked the city in a long campaign of looting, mass-murdering and raping. The days of Poland-Lithuania as a great power ended, and so were the days of Vilnius as a seat of power. Vilnius palace became neglected and the Polish-Lithuanian Kings ceased visiting it. Furthermore, the Russian (Orthodox) and Swedish (Lutheran) invasions eroded the remarkable religious tolerance.

Although no longer one of the Europe‘s main cities, Vilnius continued to exist. The uncertain future at mercy of the surrounding great powers encouraged the local noble families to secure their afterlife by building lavish Baroque churches that still crown the city skyline today. By that time, Polish-speaking Catholic culture had become the elite one as many local Lithuanians had abandoned their language in favor of the more prestigious Polish.

The knot around Poland-Lithuania was tightening and the country started to lose lands rapidly in the late 18th century. In 1795, Vilnius was captured by the Russians who were to stay for 120 years.

This painting by J. Peška immortalizes the heart of Vilnius in 1808 when it still looked much as it did in late Poland-Lithuania era. The remains of the castle were still quite extensive, while large churches, such as the Cathedral (pictured), dominated over small residential buildings even more than they do today. In the foreground, you can see the place where Gedimino Avenue is today. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth era, this was a poor neighborhood of tanners.

Where to see the era today? The Baroque churches in Vilnius Old Town and former suburbs ( Antakalnis , Verkiai ) are your best option, as well as many manors and other stately buildings in the Old Town.

Industrial era under the Imperial Russian rule (1795-1918)

After Vilnius was annexed to Russia in 1795, it continued to be a backwater with a population of 50 000. However, Vilnius University remained a major intellectual center with various secret societies swiftly established, such as filaretai or filomatai , each of them aimed at critically studying history and potentially restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Knowing this, the Russians closed the Vilnius Univesity in 1832 (after a failed Polish-Lithuanian revolt) forcing the Lithuanian elite to seek education in Saint Petersburg. However, Vilnius remained an administrative seat (the capital of Russia's Northwestern Krai, roughly comprising of today‘s Lithuania and Belarus). As such, the government wanted to make the city look more Russian. Some of the Catholic church buildings were converted to Russian Orthodox or secular use, some others demolished, monuments for czars and governors were constructed.

The reconstruction of Saint Nicholas Orthodox church changed western-style architectural details into eastern style Neo-byzantine ones, 1863-1864, lithographies by I. Trutnev.

Technological changes implicated social changes and a process of rapid urbanization began. A grand new civic center was constructed to the west of the Old Town (it is known as New Town ), to be joined by largely wooden suburbs of Žvėrynas , Šnipiškės , Naujininkai , Rasos , Žvejai and Naujieji Pastatai in the 1890s and 1900s. The main extensions were planned to follow a grid layout that was anchored on large new Russian Orthodox churches. The new wide streets were named after locations and heroes of the large Russian Empire. With the Lithuanian language banned in 1863, the official public inscriptions were also in Russian.

The final decades before the World War 1 witnessed the most massive construction. Businessmen conceived 4 to 6 story buildings in the New Town, full of rental apartments, hotels, trade rooms for their businesses and smaller-yet-elaborate so-called urban villas for their own residences. Many stately administrative buildings were erected, such as the enormous Railways HQ. On the eve of the World War I, Vilnius had a population of over 210 000.

No ethnic, religious or linguistic majority existed in the Vilnius of 1890s after tens of thousands Russians and Jews moved in (Vilnius had been among the few cities where the Russian Czar would permit Jews to freely settle). But even this policy of cultural dilution failed to promote assimilation.

Two of the many faces of pre-war Vilnius. A street in the Jewish district, Old Town (left, 1898, S. Fleuri) and the new Saint George hotel with a horse-drawn tram in front of it in the New Town (right, 1910, A. Fialko). The pictured area of Jewish district was demolished by the Soviets in mid-20th century while the Saint Geoge hotel still exists in Gedimino Avenue, now refurbished into prestigious apartments.

The Lithuanian National Revival turned Vilnius into a capital once again, even if a shadow one. With the scrapping of some anti-Lithuanian policies in 1904, the first Lithuanian-language daily newspaper "Vilniaus žinios" became published here by the Vileišis family. In the year 1905, the Great Seimas of Vilnius convened in the city, declaring an aim for an autonomous Lithuanian country that soon turned into a drive for independence.

Where to see the era today? New Town (Naujamiestis) borough still boasts pre-war stately buildings and Orthodox churches, once visited by the career government workers from Saint Petersburg. In Žvėrynas and Šnipiškės you may catch a glimpse of how poorer suburban people lived at the time (in the case of Šnipiškės some live that way even today, lacking basic amenities). In Bernardinai and Rasos cemeteries ( Old Town and Southern Vilnius boroughs respectively) the elite and the commoners of the era are interred, while Markučiai manor ( Southern Vilnius ) is now a museum partly dedicated to the Russian nobility of the era.

The era of Polish rule and conflict over Vilnius (1918-1939)

German army captures Vilnius during the World War 1 (1915), walking past a Russian Orthodox church the Russians have constructed in 1913, merely 2 years ago. This was the first change of ownership of Vilnius in more than 100 years. In the next 10 years, however, Vilnius would change ownership approximately as many times as in all its previous history put together.

Having beaten back the Russians who in turn subdued the Belarusians, Poles and Lithuanians were the last two left to quarrel over Vilnius. In 1920 Polish irregular forces captured the city in breach of the previous treaty of Suwalki. This was the start of a painful final divorce of Lithuanian and Polish nations.

Lithuania never recognized the loss of Vilnius and remained at a state of war with Poland. International mediation failed. The plight for Vilnius was a major topic at any interwar celebration in Lithuania where the choirs would sing „Mes be Vilniaus nenurimsim“ („We won‘t calm down without Vilnius“) hymn. Many streets and squares in Lithuanian towns were renamed after the city, „Vilnius oaks“ were planted, „Union for the Liberation of Vilnius“ established.

Funeral ceremony of the heart of Polish president J. Pilsudski passes the Rotušės square in Wilno in 1935. Like many Polish-speaking people of Lithuanian descent of the era, J. Pilsudski called himself a Lithuanian but did not believe in independent Lithuania. He sought to establish a large country that would encompass Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus and would use Polish as lingua franca. His dreams were behind the annexation of Vilnius region to Poland in 1922.

A joke of the era was that Vilnius would not be subjected to a conflict only if it would be depopulated and turned into a museum. If people would have known that the first part of this joke will soon almost become true they probably wouldn't have laughed at it.

Catholics praying at the Gate of Dawn (Ostra Brama), a popular pilgrimage tradition. The interwar era within a deeply religious Poland meant that Catholicism enjoyed an official status in Vilnius once again (for the first time since 1795, and for the last time so far). Given that both Polish and Lithuanian nations are Catholic, the church was yet another key battleground of the Vilnius dispute. As many Vilnius Catholics were bilingual, the conflict was over how many holy masses should be celebrated in Polish and how many should be celebrated in Lithuanian. The pro-Polish view prevailed after the 1920s Polish conquest, with the Lithuanian-language masses reduced to a single Vilnius parish and the ethnically Lithuanian bishop of Vilnius Jurgis Matulaitis abdicating.

The city was an economic outback of Poland and only a limited construction took place, in contrast to Warsaw or Kaunas, at the time designated as Lithuania's "provisional capital while Vilnius is occupied". The total population of Vilnius was 195 071 during the 1931 census, the declining communities largely replaced by new Polish migrants.

Where to see the interwar era today? Limited large-scale construction left limited opportunities. The best visible building of the era is the hilltop Three Crosses monument even if it was demolished by the Soviets and then rebuilt. There are 1930s buildings in the Gedimino Avenue ( New Town ). Typically a flat roof coupled with old school architectural details indicate that a building was built in this era. A district of terrace homes in Antakalnis borough ant the opposing side of the roundabout from the Saint Peter and Paul church is another remnant of the era. There are many interwar homes in Žvėrynas and Šnipiškės (including the Žvėrynas Catholic church). In the case of wooden residentials, it might be hard to differentiate between pre-1918 and post-1918 ones unless a date is inscribed somewhere on the facade.

The 20 years that changed Vilnius forever (1939 – 1959)

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland and this sparked the World War 2. Vilnius was captured by the Soviets on September 1939. They sacked the city and then presented an ultimatum to Lithuania. Under this ultimatum, Lithuania would be given 1/5th of the Vilnius region (including the city) but would have to accept Soviet military bases in its territory. Refusal would have meant imminent Soviet invasion, therefore, Lithuania accepted.

„Vilnius belongs to us and we belong to the Russians“ was a popular irony at the time. It wasn‘t far from the truth as by the mid-1940 Russian forces deposed the Lithuanian government and completely occupied and annexed Lithuania in three months' time. Vilnius felt the full swing of the nationalization campaign and the genocide of the Lithuanian nation. „There will be Lithuania – but without the Lithuanians“ – said Mikhail Suslov, the chairman of the USSR Central Comity Bureau for Lithuanian Affairs. In June 1941 alone, some 2% of the entire Lithuania's population (50 000) were forced into railroad cattle carriages and deported to Siberia where most died. Campaigns like this became even larger under the Second Soviet Occupation. Vilnius's eastern location and railway hub status meant that most deportees were moved through the city.

Nazi German invasion (1941) relieved the pressure on some ethnicities (among them Lithuanians) but increased it on some others. The entire Jewish population of Vilnius, never before segregated from the others in what for centuries had been a tolerant multicultural city, was suddenly locked in a ghetto. A large share of them (up to 30 000) eventually was killed at the Paneriai suburb in 1941-1943, many others were sent to labor camps or fled; the Jewish population declined from 54 600 in 1931 to 16 400 in 1959.

Basanavičiaus-Pylimo street corner after the Soviet occupation of Vilnius in 1944. All public signs, such as these directions to Grodno and Kaunas, were swiftly translated into Russian by the Soviets.

After the 1944 occupation of Lithuania, Vilnius saw one of the biggest campaigns of destruction it witnessed in its history. Soviets closed and desecrated churches, destroyed chapels, upturned cemeteries, burned non-communist books, removed archives, stole sacred paintings and sold them on the black market, arrested, deported, and murdered people. Everything that reminded of either Germany, Lithuania, Poland, or non-Orthodox faith was attacked and destroyed. But this was only the beginning. When the Russian architects have drawn their plans of Vilnius of the future, it became clear that the Soviets wanted to completely obliterate entire boroughs of the old city and rebuild it on the Soviet model.

The project was started but never completed. Buildings that you may now only see in old pictures include large chunks of the Jewish district and the Vilnius Great Synagogue, multiple cemeteries, residential districts in Vokiečių, Rūdninikų, Vilniaus and other streets, the old municipality building, „Europa“ hotel (the largest in Vilnius), the Piarists college, the Kardinalija palace. Luckily a change of policies saved the Saint Catherine church, the Gate of Dawn and many other famous centuries-old structures that had also been initially condemned to destruction by Anikin, the architect from Leningrad behind the plans of Vilnius „redevelopment“.

Eastern side of Vokiečių street and parts of Jewish district after demolition in 1949. Many centuries-old stately buildings used to stand here.

The districts destroyed by the Soviets were replaced by large Stalinist buildings or transformed into squares and wide avenues. Old statues were replaced by new ones, dedicated to various communists and Russian soldiers. Road maps had to be redrawn with the majority of centuries-old street names changed to ones such as „Lenin Avenue“, „Red Army Avenue“ or „Gorkiy Street“. Citizens themselves were replaced: Russians, Belarussians, and Ukrainians were being relocated to the Vilnius homes of Poles, Jews, and Lithuanians who had been recently murdered or expelled.

During this time, most of the Catholic churches were closed and turned into sports halls, warehouses, and factories, their cultural wonders stolen and lost. Lutherans, Reformed Christians, Muslims, and Jews shared a similar uprooting of their religious culture. The only mosque of Vilnius was destroyed, while the majority of Vilnius Jews switched from Yiddish to the Russian language, and only 25% of them did not abandon their religion.

The only religious community that was persecuted less was the Russian Orthodox one. Not only their churches were largely spared but even their Holy Spirit monastery was allowed to operate at a time when monastic life was banned in Soviet Lithuania and every Catholic monastery had been disbanded.

In 1944-1990 the people of Vilnius had to march in Soviet celebrations. Here a 1950 children parade carries mandatory slogans such as 'We thank comrade Stalin for our happy childhood' in Gedimino Avenue (left image). Buildings are covered in communist portraits and slogans (example in right image).

Where to see the era today? The Soviet demolition campaign may be best seen in the Old Town Vokiečių street, Geto Aukų square and parts of Vilniaus street, where dense medieval neighborhoods had been replaced by squares and 1950s-1980s buildings. Massive Stalinist buildings are best visible in Goštauto street, additionally there is Pergalė cinema in Pamėnkalnio street (all in Naujamiestis ). To learn about the genocides you may visit the Museum of Occupation and Freedom Fights in former HQ of both KGB and Gestapo ( New Town ), Tuskulėnai memorial ( Žirmūnai borough) as well as the Paneriai memorial ( southwestern suburbs ).

The era of concrete slab boroughs followed by fifteen minutes of worldwide fame (1959 – 1991)

With the death of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet persecutions were gradually weakened although the policy remained totalitarian. What was already changed remained changed (including the closed churches and communist street names), save for occasional removal of references to Stalin, whose personality cult was uprooted by the new leader Nikita Khrushchev. However, the tide that threatened to destroy the Lithuanian culture altogether ceased to rise. For instance, the settling of the country slowed down: while the number of Russians and Russophones in Vilnius increased from 10 000 (~5% of total) in 1939 to 100 000 (~40%) in 1959, it only further increased to 170 000 by 1989 (~30%).

The monumental style of Stalinist buildings was changed to a functionalist one devoid of any architectural details. It was these mass-produced apartment blocks that were to become the new face of Vilnius. Instead of replacing the Old Town, throughout the 1960s they were largely built in place of the former wooden suburbs. In the 1970s and 1980s, completely new boroughs were constructed to the north and west of the city, connected to the center and to each other by wide avenues, traversed by unbelievably crammed public buses and trolleybuses (private cars were always a kind of luxury in the USSR).

Lazdynai Soviet borough in 1970 when it was still several years old. The planners of the borough were awarded Lenin prize. The main street visible at the bottom of the picture is Cosmonaut Avenue (now Independence Avenue), its four lanes almost empty.

New construction in the downtown was now limited to flagship buildings, such as the apartments of Communist Party officials, the meeting hall of the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania (currently the parliament) or the Opera and Ballet theater.

A Soviet-era official postcard with a shop named after Minsk in Vilnius. There were so few shops and restaurants in Vilnius in the Soviet era that most older people still remember them all by names and locations. The Soviet government sought to promote the "Soviet achievements" over the "dark past", leading to an emphasis on modern buildings in the Vilnius postcards and picture books of the time.

Vilnius became the intellectual center of Lithuania. However, with only 50% of its population ethnically Lithuanian, it left the title of the cultural center to Kaunas. The Russian language was the lingua franca in the Soviet Union, thus it was also much-used in the interethnic Vilnius (something heavily promoted by the Soviets). Nevertheless, an underground opposition always existed, its secret networks uniting street musicians of Gedimino Avenue to the Roman Catholic Church, to the banned and persecuted Freedom League of Lithuania, to the hiking clubs that were always treated with suspicion by the Soviets due to their habit to choose historically important places as the goal of their weekend expeditions.

With the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev and his perestroika campaign in the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian Sąjūdis movement was born in 1988 out of this underground opposition. It was also joined by freedom-sympathizers who previously would not have risked their lives to openly endorse Lithuanian independence. In mere months, what the Soviets once considered to be just another of their provincial capitals was catapulted to worldwide news networks such as CNN and BBC as the global population impatiently waited how would the Lithuanian aspirations unfold. By March 11th of 1990, in the same old hall of the Supreme Soviet, the first democratically-elected parliament to convene in Vilnius has declared independence. The Russian blockade followed, leaving Vilnius without fuel for heating or cars. Later came the Russian military aggression on January 11th-13th of 1991 that killed 14 people and injured 700. Due to an unbelievable cohesion of the people of Vilnius who stood unarmed against the Soviet tanks, all these actions failed. The Soviet Union collapsed. This collapse (and the end of the Cold War) started here – in Vilnius.

January 13, 1991, events, also known as Vilnius massacre. Countless thousands of unarmed civilians gathered to protect key places of Vilnius with their own bodies (in the picture top right a mass of people safeguard the parliament). 14 were killed, 702 were injured. The left picture shows a Russian tank running over people. The subsequent funeral of the January 13 martyrs is pictured on the lower right. The events were well covered by worldwide media.

Where to see the era today? Entire Soviet districts survive almost intact with only a few modern shops and apartment buildings here and there. You may easily pick up one of them and stroll, be it Fabijoniškės, Pašilaičiai, Pilaitė or Lazdynai. There are some functionalist buildings of the era in the city center as well. The focal points of defense by January 1991 were the TV Tower (Karoliniškės) and the Parliament (New Town) - memorials exist at both.

Capital of a modern European state (1991 and beyond)

The restoration of independence (marked in Vilnius by a removal of Soviet statues, restoration of the old street names and vacation of Soviet military bases) flattered Lithuanians‘ hearts, but the 50 years of exploitation took their toll. The city was lagging far behind the Western standards in almost every statistic. Its factories were uncompetitive, its people crammed into little-yet-uneconomic flats, real estate prices ridiculously small but nevertheless out of reach for many locals. Many reforms were to be done, and in the following decade, Vilnius led these reforms in Lithuania, always followed by Klaipėda and Kaunas, in that order.

The free market killed some of the old factories yet new businesses started to thrive in places such as the Gariūnai marketplace in western Vilnius. Private shops sprung up and the lack of goods that plagued the Soviet era was a thing of the past, all the Western trademarks becoming readily available. By ~1995 the shopkeepers even started to smile (something unheard of in the Soviet Union where the client was "always wrong" and often yelled at).

Most of the churches were reopened and new ones were conceived in the churchless Soviet boroughs. The used car import business was among the most lucrative, the number of private cars quadrupled in 1990-2010 and traffic jams formed for the first time in the late 1990s. McDonald‘s opened its first 4 outlets in the late 1990s.

In 1997, the first office high-rise was built (Hanner building). By 2003, there was an entire skyscraper district in southern Šnipiškės. A modern style with glass facades prevailed. Among those new buildings was the new Vilnius municipality building, the first example of a public-private partnership in Lithuania.

In the year 2000, Akropolis, the first hypermarket in Vilnius and Lithuania, opened, to be followed by many others. This changed the Lithuanian shopping habits, luring them from bazaar-like markets.

2000s developments changed the face of the right bank of Neris (background), especially the skyscraper district in Southern Šnipiškės with Europa Tower, still the tallest in the Baltics. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

After the year 2000, residential construction boomed with bank credits supplanting the cash payments (in US dollars or German marks) that used to be common in the quite lawless era of the early 1990s. North Town Soviet military base in Žirmūnai was the first area to be redeveloped, to be followed by many modern apartment blocks elsewhere.

Being the capital, Vilnius received a fair share of new public buildings. Among those are the Sodra palace, several extensions of Vilnius airport (1993, 2007, 2024), a minimalist General prosecutor's office (a black cube with windows that glow blue at night), and the extension of the parliament building. The most controversial addition was undoubtedly the Palace of Grand Dukes, a hundreds-of-millions-worth reconstruction of a long-lost palace right next to the Vilnius Cathedral. Despite the complaints on wasted money and doubtful authenticity, many needed the Palace to signify that Vilnius is once again the Lithuanian capital - just as in the Medieval era.

The Medieval tolerance and social cohesion returned as well. The percentage of Lithuanians peaked at ~60% - as the city-majority and the government-majority ethnicities were now the same (while the minorities were allowed full democratic participation), the communities stopped seeing each other as a threat.

In 1997 a campaign to repair the crumbling Old Town of Vilnius was launched. The main squares and streets became picture-perfect. Abandoned buildings were bought up by residential and hotel developers. Hotels received more and more guests from the West, discovering this once-hidden gem.

This art nouveau building in Totorių street used to be derelict in 1996 (left picture). Just like dozens of Old Town buildings under the Soviet rule, it was left to crumble suffering squatting and fires. The picture on the right shows the same building in 2012, renovated into a four star Hotel Artis. Both pictures ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

The main transformation ended in some 2001 when Vilnius was effectively a modern Western city. Its population still earned smaller wages, however, causing tens of thousands Vilnius residents emigrate westwards after the Lithuania's European Union membership (2004) abolished migration controls.

Vilnius was saved from a major population slump only by Lithuanians moving in from other localities. These trends made the demographic decline in the rest of Lithuania even acuter, increasing the gap between Vilnius and other cities.

By the year 2011, Vilnius was already 69% more populous than the second-largest city Kaunas (the difference stood at 37% back in 1989). As the capital, it also attracted most talents and key business HQs. Such transformation of Lithuania into a "single-city nation" is popularly seen as unwelcome. To combat it, the government has been transferring the majority of income tax paid by Vilnius residents to other areas.

2010s-2020s was a prime era of cultural Westernization for Vilnius. The decade witnessed the start of LGBT pride events, ecological-minded encouragement of bicycles and scooters at the expense of cars, and the import of many Western-European-styled traditions and measures. Emigration was now joined by immigration, especially from Belarus and Ukraine, as Vilnius was rich enough to attract those from further east. Also, some expert expats arrived from the West, Asia and beyond, while students and illegal immigrants came from Africa and Asia. Once again, the percentage of non-Lithuanian-speakers increased among Vilnius inhabitants and service workers. Furthermore, the initial post-independence dreams of safeguarding and even rebuilding the "authentic" old Vilnius were replaced by "architectural anarchy" as empty lot after an empty lot in Vilnius downtown was filled by cheaply-designed yet expensively-sold apartments and offices.

The fast Westernization of Vilnius was controversial. To some, it was the final brick needed to build that "Western city of Vilnius", the finishing of which had been already delayed too long. The others, however, increasingly felt that Vilnius is no longer feeling Lithuanian, somewhat backtracking on the post-independence achievements.

This "Vilnius culture war" was epitomized in the discussions on what memorial to build at the Lukiškės square to commemorate Lithuanian partisans. The "traditionalists" aimed for a memorial based on the Lithuanian coat of arms (Vytis), while the Westernizers sought a symbolic modern-art hill. Ultimately, no memorial was built at all, while the Vytis memorial that Vilnius municipality did not want was built in a more "traditionalist" city of Kaunas instead.

Where to see the era today? If you want to see 1990s suburbs like Kairėnai are your best bet as well as the church boom religious buildings like the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis church in Karoliniškės. If you prefer the 2000s, you have inherently more options: the main shopping malls (Akropolis, Ozas, Panorama), the extensive new residential districts (North Town in Žirmūnai, Perkūnkiemis beyond Pašilaičiai) and of course the New City Center high-rises in southern Šnipiškės. Grand Dukes Palace is near the Cathedral.

• Holidays and Celebrations in Vilnius

As Lithuania's capital Vilnius is the heart of most national celebrations (at least their official events). It also hosts so many local events that even if you come during some random weekend there is likely something to be going on.

Vilnius Cathedral is the heart of many Christian celebrations while secular ones take place in the Old Town and New Town (especially the Gedimino Avenue, Rotušės Square, Katedros Square and Pilies Street).

Flag raising is a daily event at Daukanto square in front of President's office. Three flags are lowered and raised by a group of soldiers dressed in medieval armor.

A band of soldiers with medieval Columns of Gediminas symbols ready for a flag change. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Winter celebrations and events

Spring celebrations and events.

Verbos (bouquets of dried flowers and leafs) are among the traditional items sold in the Kaziukas. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

FiDi Dinas Zauras (Dino Saur) begins its journey across the city at Faculty of Physics. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

A punk band performs at Vokiečių street pedestrian area during the Day of Street Music. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Summer celebrations and events

Autumn celebrations and events.

Fire performance near Cathedral during the equinox. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

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50 Fun & Unusual Things to Do in Vilnius

• 8 Pinterest

Are you looking for things to do in Vilnius ? Dazzling travelers for decades with its historic Old Town, charming countryside nature, and fascinating historical resilience – Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, has a little bit of everything.

A stroll through the picturesque Old Town is a step back in time (1387 to be exact!) as it’s known as one of the best preserved historic old towns in Northern, Eastern, and Central Europe. Vilnius is an incredibly walkable city that only deserves to be explored, whether on a walking or bike tour.

Walk past the stunning Cathedral Square to see local events take place or do a bit of people-watching. Head to the last remaining gates that formed the great wall that once enclosed the city from enemies.

Known as “the Jerusalem of the North” for its large Jewish community at the beginning of the 15th century, a stroll through the Jewish quarter is necessary to get the full spectrum of the Lithuanian history.

So pack your bags, and get ready to explore the next destination on your bucket list, Vilnius!

1 – Check out the impressive artwork and views at the Vilnius Cathedral & Bell Tower

Centered right next to the historic Old Town, the Vilnius Cathedral is a church dedicated to the saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, dating back to the 19th century.

Besides being known as where the Grand Dukes of Lithuania held their coronation ceremony, the church is a house of beautiful art.

Inside, you’ll see many paintings between the 16th-19th centuries, from frescoes to various other religious artworks. Step in a bit further, and you’ll also see remnants of the church’s previous use as a pagan temple, like the original floor and altars.

Next, stop by the 57 meters tall bell tower for epic city views, including all of Cathedral Square down below.

2 – Take a stroll through the charming Old Town

Enjoy a walk through the Old Town of Vilnius, northern Europe’s most extensive and continuous medieval town, founded in 1387.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site is an assortment of cultures, religions, and architecture that enchants visitors left and right with sights like Town Hall Square and the Gates of Dawn.

Discover unique sites like Vilnius University, the oldest Baltic education institution, on a walking tour! Stroll Gediminas Avenue and Pilies Street, and the restaurant-lined Vokieciu Street.

Afterward, pop into a store for some hand-crafted souvenirs, or sit in at a restaurant to sip on a beverage of a traditional Lithuanian drink like kvass, a low-alcohol drink, or coffee.

• old town walking tours

3 – Shop for local goods at Hales Market

Check out the fresh ingredients and wonderful food aromas at indoor Hales Market – Vilnius’ most prominent and oldest market!

Located in the heart of Old Town, spend a few hours looking through the food stall and checking out other items typically sold, like handcrafted home goods items.

The market is famous for selling authentic ingredients and organic produce and works closely with local farmers using best practices. Hungry? There are tons of cafes and restaurants to dine at to your heart’s content inside!

If market hopping is on your list of things to do in Vilnius, check out Kalvariju Market next! A cash-only, smaller local market overflowing with local vendors, local ingredients, and more.

4 – Stop and smell the roses at Bernardine Garden

Bernadine Garden is a breath of fresh air in central Old Town. The garden covers 9 hectares of plants and flowers of all shapes and colors, including a 400-year-old oak tree (the oldest in Vilnius!).

Also known as Sereikiškės Park, Bernadine Garden comes from the Bernadine monks who visited the garden. Bernadine Garden was officially opened to welcome them in the 15th century.

Since then, the garden has been a favorite place for locals to get together. Today you can stroll through the idyllic park with a beautiful square, giant fountains, a botanical garden, ponds and meadows, and much more.

Entry to the park is free, and opening hours are from 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM.

5 – Learn about the Lithuanian fight for freedom at the KGB Museum

Learn about the Soviet influence and the fight for freedom in Lithuania at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights.

Divided into two floors, get an idea of the day-to-day life of those who lived through the war between 1940-1953. The museum is inside the former office of the KGB Deputy Chief, where locals were held captive if there was any suspicion of rebellion.

The KGB Museum is immensely impactful, engaging, and an excellent opportunity to learn about the 50-year Soviet regime with detailed exhibits, artifacts, and stories from those kept captive inside.

The museum is open every day except for Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are 6 euros per adult.

• walking tours in Vilnius

6 – Visit the important site of The Hill of Three Crosses

The Hill of Three Crosses is a famous monument in Klanai Park – an 8-minute drive from Old Town Vilnius. The symbolism dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries when a group of Franciscans died as martyrs on the hill. Today the crosses honor their deaths.

Nowadays, the monument has become a national identity amongst Lithuanians. Today, you can walk by the memorial and see it for yourself. Pass the monument during sunset, and the crosses will illuminate beautifully, and sometimes in different colors, to celebrate a holiday.

From the Hill of Three Crosses, you can get spectacular views of the Old Town, so don’t forget your camera!

7 – Check out St. Anne’s Church, the most famous church in Vilnius

Sitting close to the right bank of the Vilnia River is St. Anne’s Church, a church with Gothic architecture in red brick and stunning detail.

The 500-year-old church has a few interesting stories and legends, including gunshot holes on the walls.

Though the outside may be impressive, the inside isn’t as much. After the fires and war destructions, the interior has changed a lot.

However, it’s still worth going inside and checking out the remnants of the Baroque interior and the frescoes inside that have since been redone.

The church is free to enter anytime between Tuesday-Friday – 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM.

8 – Check out the royal digs inside the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Only a 2-minute walk from the Gedimina’s Tower is the 15th-century Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania .

The lavish palace was built as the home of the future Kings of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, it was demolished in 1801 after it was used for various other administrative purposes.

You can visit the modern, Renaissance-style Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, which was rebuilt in 2002 and completed in 2018. It sits today where the original once stood.

Inside, you’ll see archaeological remains of the original palace and rooms restored to their original medieval design. You’ll learn more about the day-to-day life and purpose of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.

9 – Take in the stunning Lithuanian countryside on a Hot Air Balloon Flight

Enjoy the views of Vilnius and fly over the picturesque landscape of dozens of lakes, rolling hills,  and even the Trakai Castle on a magical hot air balloon ride!

Witness the beautiful views of Trakai, a beautiful historic town with a quaint lake right beside it. Take a peek at the Trakai Castle, which sits on its little island!

On your hot air balloon experience, you’ll be able to celebrate with a glass of champagne as the sun starts to set its rays on the beautiful Lithuanian countryside. When you book a hot air balloon experience, you will also receive roundtrip transportation from your hotel for your convenience.

The experience lasts around 2 hours.

• hot air balloon rides over Vilnius

10 – Experience the Trakai Castle, the only castle built on a lake in Eastern Europe

The famous Trakai Castle is a stunning piece of medieval architecture dating to the 14th century, situated on Lake Galvé, the deepest lake in Lithuania. Found on an island, the way to get to the castle is on foot using the bridge.

Inside the castle, you can discover some of the exhibitions which hold the history of the previous residents of the castle, the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Get to know how they lived inside the Trakai Castle, how long they lived there, and peek at a few of their belongings.

Make sure to check out a tour from Vilnius, which includes a stop at the Paneriai Memorial Park, the sight of the Ponary massacre.

• Trakai Castle tours from Vilnius

11 – Explore the inside of the rich Užutrakis Manor

Visit the beautiful Užutrakis Manor , known as one of Lithuania’s most well-preserved mansions and parks. Complete with French-style interiors, dreamy terraces, and stunning views of the Trakai Castle from the estate.

The park is a stunning mix of antique sculptures, busts, and various plants and trees. To get to the mansion, the noble family used a boat to traverse Lake Galve rather than take the road to the estate on the peninsula.

The manor was restored recently to its glory days, and the park, with its French landscape touches, grew to 80 acres.

The mansion hosts some concerts and events, so check them out!

12 – Get panoramic views of Vilnius from Gediminas’ Tower

Sitting atop Gediminas Hill is the last bit of the defense castle called the Deminias Tower. Named after the founder of Vilnius, the Grand Duke of Gediminas, the tower dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

The legend says that he ordered the tower’s construction after he had a dream of a howling iron wolf, which signifies a strong capital city.

Check out the museum inside and the exhibitions that display artifacts from the tower, like art, items, and letter archives. Don’t forget to also check out the events hosted inside!

The Gediminas’ Tower is a favorite local spot to catch a stunning sunset and 360-degree views of Vilnius.

13 – Enjoy the great outdoors at Pavilniai Regional Park

Enjoy a scenic trek through the Pavilniai Regional Park, renowned for its beautiful natural landscape and sights.

Check out the Pūčkoriai Exposure, the highest exposure in Lithuania of 65 meters near the Vilnia River, and the Pūčkoriai Dam, a fascinating geological sight. You’ll see tons of hikers, walkers, people fishing, and even four-wheeled motorcycles in the distance, taking advantage of the park’s beauty on a sunny day.

Visit the fun Ribiskes Labyrinth inside the Pavilniai Regional Park. If you’re visiting in winter, Minsk Liepkalnis Hill is famous for skiing.

Book a mountain bike tour through the park, seeing more geological and historic sites at the park, with the guidance and instruction of your tour guide.

14 – Climb to the top of St. John’s Bell Tower

Tucked into the corner streets of Old Town is one of the most beautiful churches, St. John’s Church Bell Tower .

Aside from its beautiful Baroque architectural style, and stunning interiors, one of the highlights of visiting the church is the spectacular views from the bell tower.

You can climb the 193 original steps or take the elevator to the top of the tower for incredible views of Vilnius’ famous red roofs and curvy streets.

The bell tower is the tallest building in Old Town, reaching 45 meters high! You can find this must-see spot on Pilies street. Adult tickets start at 5 euros for adults and 3 for students.

15 – Take a look at the ancient texts inside Vilnius University

Explore the oldest university in the Baltics, Vilnius University , adorned in various architectural styles, from Baroque Gothic to Classical.

Perhaps one of the treasures inside the university is the library, as it’s one of the largest in Lithuania. The library predates the university, as the Jesuits founded it in 1570.

Visit the library , and look at some of the books inside, some as old as 400 years. Also, inside the library, you can find documents, archives, and other fascinating literature pieces.

Look at the ancient texts in the library, and look around at the impeccable ceiling, wall frescoes, and intricate chandeliers.

The library is 6 minutes away from Old Town.

16 – Learn about the early Jewish community at the Jewish quarter

Travel 8 minutes north of Old Town to explore the  “Jerusalem of the North.” In the early 15th century, Lithuania saw a rise in Jewish immigration, most settling in Vilnius.

Back then, there was an opportunity to grow in Vilnius for the members of the growing Jewish community. They built their neighborhood and even constructed their synagogue, which today is the Great Vilnius Synogague.

Today, you can roam the streets of the Jewish quarter and read some of the commemorative plaques and memorials set out around the streets.

You can deepen your knowledge of the Jewish quarter by booking an engaging tour of the Jewish quarter. Learn about remarkable Jewish community members and their life in Vilnius.

• Jewish tours in Vilnius

17- Wander inside The Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard

Look at the intricacies inside the Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard, even after years of changes.

The church was restored to its original glory in 1994, with a few items saved from the original church worth checking out.

The Bernadine Monks founded the Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard in the middle of the 15th century.

Be greeted by wood altars in late Baroque style and see brilliant examples of frescoes from the 16th century depicting Bernadine religious imagery. Look at the original cross and a replica of the Holy Steps directly from Jerusalem.

The church is 9 minutes from Old Town, and mass is available in English for those interested.

18 – Plan an escapade to Kaunas

Kaunas is a historical and picturesque city 1 hour and 20 minutes northwest of Vilnius. It is known for its medieval charm, fortresses, castles, and quaint streets. There are many things to do to get lost in Kaunas for the day!

Explore the streets of Old Town, checking out the differently mixed architectural styles, enchanting cobblestone streets, and dozens of shops and restaurants to tuck in for a pick-me-up.

Visit the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, a Gothic church from the mid-15th century, or stroll through The Kiemo Galerija – The Courtyard Gallery for a peek at modern art in Kaunas.

Take a train or bus to Kaunas, costing between 5-9 euros one way.

19 – See a holy image of St. Casimir at The Pink Church of St. Casimir

The Pink Church of St. Casimir owes its name to its slightly pink-tinged facade and the mix-match of different architectural styles.

Like many other churches, the pink church of St. Casimir underwent many changes, from fires to war, but today, it has been restored as a Catholic church to honor St. Casimir.

Step inside to see an interior as beautiful as the outside. The Baroque interiors showcase beautiful dark marble mixed with pink stonework. You can also see a few images of St. Casimir and an icon surrounded by silver.

Some locals believe the icon of St. Casimir, also known as “Three-Handed St. Casimir,” grants miracles, so don’t be shy to ask for a wish!

20 – Get trippy inside the Vilnius Museum of Illusions

Step into an alternate reality when you visit the Vilnius Museum of Illusions , from upside-down rooms, optical illusions, and other activities that blend science and fun like nowhere else.

Check out the exhibitions, where you can see interactive art, solve tricky riddles, see lights and shadows, and do funky science experiments. The exhibits are constantly changing with new activities, so there’s always something new to see!

Once you’ve explored, have a cup of coffee inside the funky 2D cafe, and don’t forget to take a selfie inside!

Tickets are available for purchase online, starting at 12 euros per adult. The museum is open every day of the week, beginning at 10:00 AM.

21 – Get on the Swing of Destiny at the Free Republic of Užupis

Stop by the unique district of Užupis – the smallest community 12 minutes away from Old Town that recently underwent an artful transformation.

The Free Republic of Užupis was a dodgy neighborhood in the early 90s. However, towards the end of the decade, it all changed when a group of artists got together to create an art space called in the community called Užupis Art Incubator.

Today, the colorful, artsy, and innovative district attracts visitors to check out the art scene of sculptures, paintings, and creative installations at the Užupis Art Incubator.  Locals also recommend swinging on the “Swing of Destiny” under the Užupis Bridge. While there, you’ll also hear about the legend of the Mermaid of Užupis.

22 – Take a walk to explore the Street Art scene

Vilnius has many art displays on almost every corner, from art sculptures to murals and funky arrangements.

You already know about Užupis being a hotbed for creatives and the best art scene. However, there are other places to scope out as you go through the city.

Check out the mural of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on the wall of the barbecue restaurant Keulė Rūkė called “Make Everything Great Again.”

Walk through the Graffiti Alley of Vilnius, also in Užupis, a walkway covered in different art mediums and colorful murals.

Check out the “Think” mural in the Old Town, an inspiring work of street art, or the #WALLSTHATREMEMBER – a mural dedicated to honoring the once-growing Jewish community.

23 – Take a tour of the historic Lukiškės Prison

Check out the interiors of the Lukiškės Prison , an active detention center from 1904 until it closed in 2019.

The prison was known to be the first prison to have different religious worship centers inside, as well as for keeping some of the worst political prisoners from Lithuania and surrounding countries.

The prison underwent a cultural transformation and recently opened as an art center with multiple works of art inside by local artists. Along with art galleries, you can also check out a concert inside, and grab a drink and snack, all while exploring the former prison.

Check the website to book your entry to the events inside, see what’s happening, or book a prison tour.

24 – Get wild at Zoopark

If you have kids, you should add a trip to the Zoopark to your list of things to do in Vilnius and learn more about the local ecology and wildlife.

With over 80 different animal species living at Zoopark, you’ll be able to see and learn more about the natural habitats of local animals and a few exotic animals. Additionally, you can book a guided zoo tour to enrich your experience and even feed a few animals their favorite food!

If you have kids, the guided tours are entertaining, as the guides will typically offer fun trivia throughout the experience! Tickets and tours are available on the zoo’s website.

25 – Take a peek at Lithuanian heritage at the National Gallery of Art

Get an expansive view of Lithuanian art and experience the works of art through the years at the National Gallery of Art , located only 9 minutes from Old Town.

Explore the many exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, dating back to the early 20th century to today.

Each piece is organized chronologically to follow Lithuania’s art timeline, making it a great experience to walk through. It feels like the artist paints the country’s history and society before your eyes!

Tickets to visit the art museum start at 8 euros per adult, but entry is free if you visit on the last Sunday of the month!

26 – Sit for a while at Town Hall

Check out Town Hall in the center of Old Town, an administrative Neoclassical architectural building that dates back to 1432. The Town Hall is where Lithuanian government officials meet with other world leaders when visiting Lithuania.

The Town square on any other day is a lovely place to enjoy, and sit at one of the nearby cafes or restaurants and do some people watching.

On some occasions, Town Hall square is famous for street performers, from acrobatics to musicians.  Locals recommend taking a break at a cafe in the square to relish the architecture.

Other activities that take place outside of Town Hall are outdoor markets and different types of cultural festivals.

27 – Walk through the Hill of Crosses

Located a little under 3 hours north of Vilnius is the fascinating site of the Hill of Crosses . When you get there, you’ll be surprised to see a scene of many crosses placed in one place.

The tradition is that families place each cross for a loved one who passed, and it is a tradition that started as early as the early 1800s.

The practice began as an act of faith and a way for the families to honor their recently departed. The ceremony is said to have roots within the Šiauliai religion. For them, the cross is a symbol of love.

To see the site thoroughly, book a tour of the Hills of Crosses site from Vilnius!

• Hill of Crosses tours from Vilnius

28 – Take a tour inside the Presidential Palace

Book a tour to explore the Classical-style Presidential Palace .

It is a beautiful example of Classical style architecture built in the 18th century as the residence of a Lithuanian nobleman. However, today, it’s the official office of the President of Lithuania.

The free palace tours, typically between 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, are on Saturdays and Sundays. Also open on Saturdays is the park near the palace. Admission into the palace is free.

Stick around for the flag hoisting ceremony every Sunday at noon for 5-10 minutes. This event commemorates the Lithuanian Armed Forces, appearing in full uniform. There is also a Changing of the Guards happening daily at 6:00 PM.

29 – Dress up for a night at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

Bring your best outfit to attend a show to remember at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre !

After the first ballet concert in 1636 in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius became one of the first European cities to host this type of entertainment.

The Lithuanian National Opera House then opened in the 18th century to host many more ballet performances inside its Ballet Theatre, including opera concerts and even hosting film premieres.

Browse the performance calendar and dates and select a show that catches your eye! Tickets can be purchased online or by phone.

Pro tip: Book your tickets 14 days before the performance date.

30 – Admire the details at the Gates of Dawn

The Gates of Dawn was originally part of the city’s defensive wall, dating back to 1503, comprised of 10 gates. The only one standing is the now-famous Gates of Dawn, which has become a sacred space to gather for many locals.

Walking by the Gates of Dawn, you’ll notice a beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a cross at the top of the gate, and an overall light blue tone with gold details.

The image of the Virgin Mary is known worldwide across several religions; therefore, you may bump into a crowd when visiting.

The gates are located only a 7-minute walk from Old Town.

31 – Appreciate the art on Literatai Street

Lovers of art and curiosities must visit Literatai Street, only a 6-minute walk from Old Town, overflowing with numerous expressions of art using different mediums, from painting, woodwork, and glass sculptures.

It’s believed that the Lithuanian poet Adomas Mickevičius lived on this street in the 19th century. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that a group of local artists paid homage to Mickevičius, other artists, and the arts by adding different art forms throughout the street.

Since 2011, Literatai Street has become one of the most visited avenues in Vilnius to observe so much public art and learn about its inspiration. In addition, the walls are updated with new art, so visit it often, even if you’ve seen it before!

32 – Take a close look at 16th-century war artillery at City Bastion

The City Bastion is a museum showcasing the interesting history of the weapons and defense tactics used by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The museum is inside a replica of what the defense fortification would have looked like. It shows many examples of the different types of artillery used during the 16th century to fend off foreign enemies in Lithuania and most of Europe.

Walk through the brick tunnel hallways, glance at the cannons, and learn about the difficulties of war.

The museum tickets start at 6 euros per adult and 3 euros for children. The museum is only a 7-minute walk from Old Town.

33 – Learn about the currencies of the world at the Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania

Learn about the history of money and the world’s different currencies inside the fascinating Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania .

Dig deep into the more than 50 exhibits, each showing different types of currencies worldwide, from the early days of trading to the future of money.

See the history of the euro and why it became the main currency of more than a few European countries. Then, visit the interactive and digital displays of money, including fun money games.

Don’t forget to check out the record-breaking and largest coin pyramid, made of 1,00,935 coins using Lithuanian one-cent coins.

Entry is free to the museum.

34 – Bike tour your way around Vilnius

You could walk around Vilnius, but how about biking it instead?

Book yourself on the next bike tour to explore the historic Old Town of Vilnius, plus a few other parts a little outside the historic city center, fast on a bike tour.

You’ll ride behind a knowledgeable and local tour guide as you pass by the famous landmarks from Gedimino Avenue to the artsy Literatai Street, the Gates of Dawn, and more.

If you’re up for a different biking adventure, take a mountain bike tour to Pavilniai Regional Park for incredible nature views and slightly rugged paths. On your way to the park, you’ll stop by the artsy district of Uzupis.

• Bike tours in Vilnius

35 – Get to the top of the TV Tower of Vilnius

Reach new heights when you visit the top of the tallest structure in Lithuania, the TV Tower of Vilnius .

The 1974 TV tower was built to be a television transmission antenna, but today hosts several attractions and activities to check out inside.

Start with the panoramic views from the 19th-floor observation tower. If you’re visiting on a clear day, you’ll be able to see the best views of Old Town and the countryside near Vilnius. Also up there is the Milky Way restaurant, which serves primarily European food.

The Fight for Freedom Museum shares information on the Lithuanian fight for independence and is also inside the tower.

Entry inside ranges between 11-14 euros per adult.

36 – See how the different classes of Lithuanians lived at The New Arsenal of National Museum of Lithuania

Visit The New Arsenal of National Museum of Lithuania . This 2-floor museum encompasses Lithuanian cultural and ethnic artifacts, from archived documents to furniture pieces that belonged to the Duchy of Lithuania and much more.

Learn about Lithuanian history uniquely through items and imagery of what life was like between the 18th-20th century, not only for the noble class but also for the everyday laborer. Take a look at folk clothing, art, and typical items that decorated the homes of Lithuanians.

The museum is a short 5-minute drive from Old Town, and tickets start at 5 euros for adults and 2,50 euros for students. The museum is open every day except Mondays.

37 – Take a tour of the Scenarios of Chernobyl HBO Mini-series

Did you know that the HBO mini-series called Chernobyl was filmed in Vilnius?

To date, it’s considered the most significant film project that’s taken place in Lithuania. In preparation, various neighborhoods where the mini-series was filmed transformed back to the Soviet era that Lithuania experienced.

Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the mini-series? Check out the various tours hosted by a few locals that will show you the neighborhoods where the filming takes place and a bit about the real Soviet history and the filming process of the mini-series.

Check out the tour list, each granting a unique view of this real era that affected Ukraine and Lithuania.

38 – Stop by the other Churches

The 14th-century Holy Trinity Church is in the heart of Old Town. The church’s interiors reveal stunning frescoes and an ornate, gold-detailed altar.

Situated close to the Gates of Dawn is the Church of St. Theresa, overflowing with fascinating stories and sights to see. Walk near the Crucified sculpture and look at the legs, which have faded from the kisses it receives from its devotees. The church also has impressive artwork inside and even a few crypts underneath.

Visit what is known as one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Vilnius, the Church of St. Peter and Paul in the Antakalnis neighborhood. Inside you’ll find a variety of sculptures decorating the interior.

39 – Attend an event at Medininkai Castle

Medininkai Castle is a historic defense fortification built in the first half of the 14th century. However, the castle’s impressive exterior is no match for the many activities and fun attractions to see inside!

From musical performances to interactive castle games and dozens of cultural events, there always seems to be something happening at the castle worth exploring.

Undoubtedly, one of the main attractions is the observation deck, which gives optimal views of the Medininkai neighborhood and around the castle itself.

What’s more, the castle is near one of the oldest roads used as a trading route between Russia and Lithuania. Learn about all this and more when you stop by the Medinikai Castle!

40 – Stimulate your mind with the art inside MO Museum (Modern Art Museum)

Mostly housing modern and contemporary art, Mo Museum in Vilnius is one of Lithuania’s most significant private art collections, housing over 5,000 pieces.

Most art pieces are thought-provoking, with a select group of paintings considered entirely rejected by the Soviet authorities for various reasons. Today, many paintings inside are art pieces that have circulated the world for their message, often resonating as well as they did when they were first created.

Step inside, and check out upcoming events and gallery displays at the museum. Tickets can be purchased online, starting at 11 euros. Make sure to buy tickets at least 30 minutes before the museum closes to have sufficient time to explore the pieces yourself.

41 – Pay your respects at the Monument to Frank Zappa

Of course, visiting the Monument to Frank Zappa has to be one of the most interesting things to do in Vilnius, as the famous busts of the American musician hold a fascinating story.

Locals say Frank Zappa didn’t have a direct connection to Vilnius or Lithuania entirely. However, his contemporary, free-form musical styles inspired many Lithuanians, and Zappa accidentally became a symbol of freedom for Lithuanians.

The bust was created and unveiled in 1995, after the death of Zappa, and today, many locals look to the bust with fondness. The figure serves as a reminder of freedom, especially post-Soviet occupation.

You can find the bust 12 minutes away from Old Town.

42 – Go to an outdoor concert at Vingis Park

Vingis Park is a popular spot amongst locals, as the park hosts the most extensive outdoor concerts, and other special events in Vilnius.

When the green space isn’t hosting a show, the park is an ample open space with walking paths for cyclists, runners, and skaters to enjoy a moment in nature. In the summers especially, the park becomes the favorite local spot to enjoy a picnic with friends.

Also, in the summers, the park opens up an amusement park with a small zoo, and if you’re up for it, you can rent some sports equipment to enjoy the park even more.

The park is dotted with adorable lunch and coffee shops nearby as well!

43 – Learn about the fight for Lithuanian independence at The House of Signatories

Visit The House of Signatories , which was the backdrop of the moment in which the Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed in 1918.

Inside the House of Signatories, you’ll see examples of what the independence of Lithuania brought back to the country’s people, from speaking their language to using symbols that represent the country.

Check out the exhibits and objects, diving deep into the fight for independence with interactive technology.

Guided tours are available in English and can be arranged ahead of time via email for an additional price.

You can buy your tickets in person or online, which starts at 4 euros per adult. The museum is open every day except for Mondays.

44 – Spend a day visiting other fascinating Museums

Learn about the history of toys, specifically dating back to the 19th-20th century, at the Toy Museum . See a collection of Lithuania’s oldest toys, with original and replica toys.

Train enthusiasts, check out the Railway Museum of Lithuania, which covers the history of trains in Lithuania. The museum has an indoor exhibit with examples of train parts, while the Outside has real-life examples of historic trains.

The Church Heritage Museum combines religious art with Lithuanian culture. See the exhibits with various documents, art, and religious artifacts belonging to some of Lithuania’s most influential churches.

Visit the Energy and Technology Museum to look at the future of industrial machinery utilizing solar and wind power to create an alternative energy source.

45 – Browse the books inside Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Visit the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania to see different archives, documents, and artifacts that create the written history of Lithuania.

The library is 14 minutes away from Old Town by car. It is a popular place to visit because of the amount of information inside and how much it spans different areas of Lithuanian identity.

From education to science and economy, it’s a library that stores all of this information to educate the public.

Step inside to see the different activities to encourage locals and visitors to learn about Lithuanian culture and information. There are activities for children and adults, from free guided tours to heritage events and hands-on activities for children.

46 – Step on the Stebuklas for good luck

Take your spin and wish for your desires to come true when you spin on the lucky “Miracle” tile!

Located in the heart of Old Town in Cathedral Square is the “Miracle” Tile that locals and tourists believe bestows good luck upon those who visit it.

Spinning on the tile for good luck has gained more popularity with time and the internet. You’ll know you found it if you see a large crowd huddled near a tile!

The belief stems from the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and other countries. In 1989, the largest human chain was created across several nearby countries, beginning near the Stebuklas tile.

The brown tile itself says Stebuklas meaning Miracle in Lithuanian.

47 – Get your tickets to attend The Christopher Summer Festival

Visit Vilnius during the 2-month music festival called The Christopher Summer Festival. The concerts occur throughout Vilnius and are the country’s most significant musical event.

The genres of music at the festival range anywhere from classical to jazz and rock and electronic music, so there’s genuinely a genre for everyone!

Aside from different sounds, you can expect international musicians to take on the festival from flamenco to fado.  Concerts take place in some of the most beautiful spaces in Vilnius, from cathedrals to riverside outdoor areas.

The festival’s central theme is diversity in sounds and musical genres as a way of social inclusion.  The festival takes place from July to August, so don’t miss it if you can!

48 – Do a refreshing Beer Tasting

Sip on the best brews of Vilnius on a beer-tasting tour! Travel around the neighborhoods near Old Town and step inside the best bars and pubs serving local beer while learning about local drinking customs.

Try the most famous beer in Lithuania, Tanker Father Midnight, and learn about some of the exciting legends surrounding beer drinking in Lithuania straight from the bartenders and pub owners.

Learn about the process of making local beer, see how it’s changed throughout the years, and sample a few of Lithuania’s traditional and new beers. The tours last anywhere between 1-3 hours.

Join a group of like-minded travelers, and explore this unique (and refreshing) side of Vilnius!

• beer tasting in Vilnius

49 – Plan to hit up the best bars

Make your way to the “Beer Library,” Alaus Bibloteka , an infinite source of the best beers and cocktails you could ask for, from local drinks to international favorites. The “librarians” will happily help you decide on your drink from the detailed menu.

SOMM is the place where wine lovers get together. Located in Old Town, SOMM delivers not only a menu of over 400 wines but a great food selection to choose from. Allow the help of the in-house sommeliers to help you create the best food and wine combo.

Looking for something trendy? Check out Distilerija and Youngs Club , offering exquisite drinks (Distilerija is known for their whiskey!), snacks, and a long evening ahead of dancing.

50 – Devour local delicacies at the best Restaurants

Share a traditional meal at Džiaugsmas , voted one of the best restaurants in Lithuania. Enjoy biting into local and organic ingredients in dishes like Cepelinai (potato dumplings with minced meat).

Check out Ertlio Namas and Senoji Trobele and try classical old European dishes, some of which stem from the recipe books of the country’s noble class. Try a four-course dinner, or go all in with the 6-course dinner with an exquisite wine pairing fit for a king.

RoseHip is the perfect eatery for vegans and vegetarians, serving plant-based burgers and other hearty dishes made with the freshest plant-based ingredients.

For an authentic Lithuanian gastropub experience, check out Šnekutis for a sip of Lithuania’s best beers and traditional dishes.

How to get to Vilnius?

The main airport you’ll arrive at is Vilnius International Airport. From there, you can take a few buses that will take you to Old Town.

The best way, however, to ensure your transport to your hotel is to book an airport transfer ! Arrive well knowing that your airport transfer is waiting for you instead of looking for other public transport.

Where to stay in Vilnius?

Check out Grotthuss Boutique Hotel Vilnius , in the heart of Old Town. A mix of historic and modern, the clean rooms at this hotel is one of the things past guests enjoyed the most. Guests can enjoy the complimentary airport transfer with their stay!

Book a night at Artis Centrum Hotels , offering guests a hearty complimentary breakfast and free airport transfer. Try some traditional Lithuanian and European dishes and drinks at the on-site restaurants and replenish your energy with a treatment at the spa inside the hotel.

Stay at Old Town Trio , a beautiful and minimalistic hotel in the historic Old Town! Be a few moments away from a few central sites like the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater, Gediminas’ Tower, and more.

Check out Domus Maria , a previous monastery-turned-hotel with all the modern amenities for a comfortable stay and classical furnishings.

• best hotels in Vilnius

Visiting Vilnius on budget?

Get the most bang for your buck while traveling Vilnius, and book a free walking tour of the city! Walk to all the significant landmarks, passing through some main avenues and charming corners. Ask about the artsy districts, and pass by a few murals!

View local life as you pass the markets and restaurants, and ask your tour guide for a few recommendations!

Where to go next?

Warsaw is a city full of history with a modern twist. Walk through the Multimedia Fountain Park, decked out in 295 LED lights, or take an old-school stroll through the charming historic Old Town.

Walk through the long shopping avenue, Dlugi Targ, in Gdańsk, Poland, taking in the lovely architecture of the colorful houses lining the street. Climb to the top of the Main Town Hall for panoramic views of Gdańsk.

Feel enchanted by the art inside the Musee Art Nouveau in Riga , Latvia. Climb to the top of the Soviet-style building, the Latvian Academy of Sciences, for epic city views!

Jump over to Tallinn , Estonia, and get on a scenic Ferris wheel ride on the Skywheel of Tallinn. Then, go shopping for local crafts at Telliskivi Creative City.

Step inside the quaint and modern Temppeliaukion Church in Helsinki . Afterward, peek at the food and craft stalls at Market Square.

Final thought

From a bustling art scene to historic churches, and a variety of unique museums to visit, it’s safe to say that Vilnius surprises even the most seasoned traveler with numerous activities to do!

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best things to do in Vilnius and that you make it to the capital city of Lithuania soon.

Happy travels!

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40+ Unique Things to Do in Vilnius Lithuania (2024 Guide) – The Ultimate Bucket List!

I didn’t know much about the capital of Lithuania before I landed in this city.

But, once I arrived and experienced all the unique and amazing things to do in Vilnius, I fell head over heels in love with it!

Vilnius is not the typical destination people think of when booking a trip to the Baltics. But, I think it’s incredibly underrated and worth exploring.

From an Old Town that looks like something from a fairytale, gothic castles, and breathtaking viewpoints.

Colourful churches on every street corner, an epic craft beer scene, and some tasty local cuisine; there is enough to keep you occupied here for weeks!

So, without further ado, here are all the amazing things to do in Vilnius on your trip.

Heads up: my accommodation in Vilnius and some tours were sponsored by Tinggly , who is an awesome gift card experience company! Although I was a guest, all opinions are my own.

Table of Contents

Some top tips before you visit Vilnius

• If you’re travelling to Vilnius, don’t forget to take out Travel Insurance. I use World Nomads which can cover you for every type of trip.
• In Lithuania, they use the Euro. Although many businesses and attractions here do take cards, I would have cash on you at all times. 
• If you’re going to need WiFi, make sure you ordered this hotspot that can keep you connected and keep those roaming bills capped!
• I travelled to Vilnius from London with Ryanair and the prices in December were incredibly cheap at £30 each way. I always use Skyscanner to book flights . 

How to get around Vilnius city centre

Vilnius Old Town is really easy to get around on foot. So, once you reached the meeting point in Vilnius Cathedral Square you shouldn’t be walking more than a few kilometres to reach some of the main sites. 

I always use Google Maps if I have WiFi, or download Maps.Me if I’m going to be offline. 

If you’re going further afield, you may want to invest in a Vilnius City Card that will get you FREE transport and access to some of the local museums. It’s a great investment. You can also download the Trafi App for times and directions. 

Uber and the competing app Bolt work in Vilnius to get you around the city too. It was cheap and convenient. I preferred Uber as I found it cheaper and more reliable. 

40+ things to do in Vilnius

1. browse vilnius cathedral square.

In Vilnius, all roads lead in the Old Town lead to the Cathedral Square!

My guide on a Vilnius walking tour also told me that you can always navigate your way around the city by heading down to this spot.  

You see, the city is actually quite hilly and so if you’re heading downwards, you’ll know you’re on the right track to the square!

Usually considered as a meeting point for locals, the Cathedral Square sits at the heart of the Old Town. It is home to the Vilnius Cathedral, the Clock Tower, the Palace of the Grand Dukes, and lots more.

So if you want a nice little introduction to Vilnius, this is your first stop.   

Years ago, before Duke Gediminas united and founded Vilnius, it actually used to be a series of villages. Even today, there are markers where those used to be in the square.

Throughout the year, this is also the location of many community events like Concerts in the Summer and in December it comes alive with the annual Christmas Tree and Markets!

I visited in December and loved the festive feel of the square. They have a show stopper of a Christmas Tree all lit up and there is a lot of festive cheer around this area too. 

Read more – why you need to visit Vilnius in December

2.   Find the Magic Brick and make a wish!

Now, when you’re wandering around Cathedral Square you may find some bits a little interesting. Including a few tiles that look different from the rest.

One of those is a set of footprints. This is to represent the Baltic Way which took place in 1989.

It was a peaceful protest against decades of Soviet Rule which saw thousands of people unite together holding hands across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. 

This event showed the world that the Lithuanian people were tired of being occupied by a foreign country and wanted their independence. 

Just over a year later, Lithuania was granted independence in 1990.

As this act was seen as a miracle, a special tile was placed in the Cathedral Square which people now call the ‘magic tile’.

Lithuanians step on this tile facing the cathedral, spin around 3 times, all the while making a wish! So, make sure you try it out for yourself while you’re here.

3.  Visit Vilnius Cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius)

This Cathedral is seen as the most important icon of Roman Catholicism in the city and is a top pilgrimage site for catholics in Lithuania. 

When you enter the cathedral, you’ll often find pilgrims falling to their knees in prayer. The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius is seen as the heart of Catholic spiritual life. 

Years ago, the Grand Dukes of Lithuania was crowned here and many famous icons in Lithuanian history have graves inside its walls. 

The original cathedral was built all the way back in 1251 when the majority of Lithuania was Pagan. Then, when Lithuania converted to Christianity in the 14th century the cathedral was expanded. 

By the 17th century, the foundations were falling apart and it was reconstructed into the Neo-Classic style.

During the Soviet Era, it was converted into a warehouse. But, masses started again in 1988.

As well as religious monuments and memorials, there are over forty pieces of art by famous Lithuanian painters. 

It’s truly a beautiful place to visit and the architecture is breathtaking. You must remain silent inside out of respect and dress modestly. 

Vilnius Cathedral is FREE to visit and is open 7am – 7pm all week. It may be closed to visitors during mass times.

4. Climb up the Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower

Just outside the Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus is the Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower. This was an important part of the cities defense walls and the historic Lower and Upper Castle in the 13th century.

Only the bottom part of the Bellfry tower is original, the rest is a reconstruction from the 19th century. 

As the tallest and oldest tower in Vilnius, it stands approximately 52 metres high and overlooks the whole of the Old Town. 

You can pay to enter the Bell Tower and learn about its history inside, but the real payoff comes from the views from the top. 

Here, you can see a beautiful panorama of the Old Town, the Cathedral, the Palace of the Grand Dukes, and Cathedral Square! 

Read more – the best viewpoints in Vilnius

The Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower is open from 10am – 7pm in summer and 10am – 6pm in winter. Entrance is 4.50 Euros.

5. Visit the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania 

The Palace of the Grand Dukes is a reconstruction of the original palace that used to sit in the Lower Castle from the 15th – 17th centuries.

At this time, Lithuania was known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This was a state that was founded by Lithuanian people but formed unions with kingdoms like Poland, Prussia (Germany), and Austria. 

It was one of the most successful warrior states at that time and used Vilnius as its capital. 

The Palace used to be the centre of the political, diplomatic, and cultural aspects of the state and home to the Grand Dukes of Lithuania too. It became one of the most famous palaces in Europe at that time. 

Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the 18th century and what we see today was a huge reconstruction of the original building that used to sit here. Even today, you can find people excavating artifacts from the original foundations!

The Palace is HUGE so you’ll need at least a few hours to explore. Perfect for a rainy day. It’s split up into 4 sections, so if you didn’t want to see all of it, you can pay less for just one of the routes.

But, I would recommend seeing the whole thing. There are historical exhibitions, excavations, lavish reconstructed rooms (my favourite part) and also artwork too! 

Tickets for the Palace cost 2 Euros per tour route, or you can pay 7 Euros for all 4. Guided tours cost extra. See the official website for opening times.

6. Climb up the Gediminas Castle Tower to take in the views

If you want to learn some more history about the Upper Castle of Vilnius, then head up to the iconic Gediminas Castle Tower.

If you haven’t got the memo yet, Duke Gediminas is pretty popular around these parts. That’s because he is known as the founding father of Vilnius!

He had a prophetic dream on a hunting trip where he dreamt of a wolf made of iron, howling with the power of a thousand wolves. A Baltic Shaman then translated his dream and told him he needed to create a strong city like the wolf and it would be talked about for centuries, hence the howling. 

So, Gediminas united the villages, and Vilnius was born! 

The Gediminas Tower of the Upper Castle is the last remaining part of his legacy here. Years ago the whole upper castle was a defensive fortification built by Gediminas’ grandson, Duke Vytautas.

Today, you can climb up to the tower to find incredible views of the whole of Vilnius! The cherry on top? It’s completely free! 

There is a castle museum that is chargeable if you want to go inside which has a better view from the top. But, if you weren’t fussed the views from the bottom of the tower are pretty amazing too. 

Read my complete guide for Gediminas Castle here

7. Visit the National Museum of Lithuania

A short walk from Cathedral Square will take you to the National Museum of Lithuania. 

Outside, you’ll see a statue dedicated to King Mindaugas. He was the first and last Lithuanian King in the short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania in the 13th century. 

This is a chargeable museum but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of artifacts inside! Making it the largest collection of Lithuanian historical and cultural heritage in the country. 

The exhibits will take you on a journey of Lithuania from the prehistoric age to the present. So, it’s well worth checking out if you want to learn all about it!

The National Museum costs 3 Euro a ticket and is open from 10am – 6pm Tuesday through Sunday.

8. Climb up Three Crosses Hill 

Another amazing viewpoint in the city is the incredible Hill of Three Crosses in Vilnius. 

There is a legend surrounding this hill (known as Bleak Hill) that 14 Franciscan monks were invited to Vilnius and started preaching about God. At that time Lithuania was Pagan and the people didn’t really appreciate the monks bad-mouthing their Lithuanian Gods. 

So, the people revolted and kill them all. 7 were executed and thrown from Bleak hill and the other 7 were crucified thrown into the Vilnia River. Today, they are known as the Franciscan martyrs of Vilnius. 

This monument is a memorial to them that was torn down twice during the Soviet occupation. Today, it’s a popular viewpoint where you can see the whole of the Old Town.

Out of all the views in Vilnius, this one was my favourite. This is because you can see the whole of the city from there and the best attractions, like the Gediminas Tower.

It’s easy to walk up, open 24 hours a day, and is completely FREE to visit. 

Read my complete Three Cross Hill guide here

9. Take a walk down Pilies Street 

Once you’ve finished exploring the Upper and Lower Castle, make sure you head down Pilies Street. “Pilies” means Castle in Lithuanian and this historic cobbled area used to lead directly down the castle years ago.  

Today, this picturesque street is home to historic architecture, boutique stalls, coffee houses, restaurants and so much more. If you carry on to the end, you’ll find the Vilnius Town Hall. 

There is so much life happening in this part of town and so I would recommend scheduling time to explore a few places.

My favourite part of Pilies street was veering off down the small pretty side streets, courtyards and alleyways. You never know where it may lead!

10. Have some cheap eats or Lithuanian Mead at Snekutis 

I think if there is one bar or restaurant you need to visit while in Vilnius, it’s the quirky and eccentric Šnekutis!

There are 3 of them in the city and all have a fantastic selection of craft beers and a cheap and cheerful menu serving up traditional Lithuania cuisine. 

It’s a great place to sample a few dishes as the prices won’t break your budget! Some of their specialities at their Cold Beetroot Soup and Potato Dumplings are known as Cepelinai. 

The one reason why I popped into Šnekutis was to sample their Lithuanian Mead! Mead from the Baltics is one of my favourite drinks and so whenever I have the chance to drink some I snap it up! It’s delicious and I would highly recommend trying.

You can take a look at Šnekutis’ menu here and which bar you want to visit!

11. Visit the Free Republic of Užupis 

One of my favourite areas of the city was the bohemian Free Republic of Užupis! 

Once upon a time, this area was one of the poorest parts of the city, it was home to Jewish migrants and labourers. Once the Nazi occupation came around, unfortunately, a lot of the residents were deported to hard labour and concentration camps. 

So, the town became derelict making way for less desirable members of society to move into the neighbourhood and it got a bad name. In fact, during the Soviet era, it was the most neglected part of the city!

When Lithuania got its independence, a lot of the artists took advantage of the cheap housing that became available there. It was then a huge art district. 

Then in the 1990s, they declared the district the Free Republic. Although many see this as a little tongue-in-cheek, they do have border control, their own flag, priests, churches, and parliament! It also has a resident mermaid and an angel who guards them all. 

Užupis is an awesome place to explore and you can find street art murals and installations, boutiques, art galleries and so much more.

Make sure you take a bucket list selfie in the Užupis consitution. It means you’re officially a resident of Užupis! 

Read more – the top attractions in Užupis!

12. Find some epic Vilnius street art 

Street art in Vilnius is a big thing here and you can find a lot dotted around the city and in Užupis too. It speaks in Vilnius’ own unique voice and makes some awesome photo opportunities too. 

The most famous mural that Vilnius is known for is the shotgun mural of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin called “Make Everything Great Again” by artists Dominykas Čečkauskas and Mindaugas Bonanu. 

It sparked worldwide media attention and was extremely controversial at the time. But, the President of Vilnius celebrated the work, claiming that the people of Lithuania are not “silenced censorship”. 

This could be found on Pylimo Gatvė outside Keule Ruke a popular restaurant in Vilnius. But, it has been taken down in 2019 with a pink mural that reads “make compassion great again”

13. Take a stroll down Literatu Street 

If you’re looking for unique finds in Vilnius, then head down to Literatu street in the Old Town – it’s sure to spark some curiosity!

The wall first began in 2009, when a group of artists decided that Literatu Street should live up to the name. This street is like a temple for those that are fans of Lithuanian literature as there are artworks mounted to the wall dedicated to Lithuanian writers! 

They started small and placed a few artifacts, like tiles, paintings, abstract symbols, excerpts, and even FALSE TEETH!

Over the years, this has been expanded and now there are over 200 plaques dedicated to authors who have a connection with Vilnius and even those from around the globe.

Literatu Street is open to the public, is FREE to visit, and accessible 24 hours a day

14. Visit the Gate of Dawn

The Gate of Dawn, or Sharp Gate, is one of the most important religious and historical monuments in the whole city. It’s located on Ausros Vartu Street and was one of five gates in the cities defense wall that were built during the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

As was tradition, many of these gates had religious artifacts inside to protect the city from attacks and bless travellers that walk through them.

The chapel inside the Gate of Dawn contains a portrait of The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy or the “Vilnius Madonna” who is said to perform miracles. Even today, when you walk through the gate, you’ll see many locals pause and say a little prayer towards her portrait that can be seen through the window.

It’s lucky that this gate survived at all, because all the others were destroyed on orders from the government in the 18th century! 

Today, you can cross under the gate and visit the small chapel above the archway. I’d try to avoid mass times but the portrait is definitely worth a peek! 

The Gate of Dawns is open 24 hours a day to take photos from the outside.  The Chapel  is FREE to visit and is open from 6am – 7pm Monday to Sunday.

15. Admire the Pink Church of St Casimir

Ah, the effortlessly pretty pink church of St Casimir. As there are SO many churches in Vilnius, I’d try to visit just a few while you’re here. This is one of them. 

It’s located just off the Town Hall Square in the Old Town and is a Roman Catholic temple. 

As the oldest baroque church in Vilnius, it was built in the 17th century by the Jesuits and is dedicated to the holy prince Saint Casimir.

It has had quite a colourful history since it was built, becoming an Orthodox church, a museum about Atheism during the soviet era, and then going full circle back to a Catholic Church today. 

You can visit the inside of the church during the restricted opening hours, but even if it’s closed it’s worth stopping here for a photo! 

The Church of Casimir can be shot from the outside 24 hours a day. It’s also FREE to visit. From April – September it’s open 10am – 6.30pm Mondays to Fridays and 8am – 6.30pm on Sundays. From October – March it’s open 4pm – 6.30pm Mondays to Fridays and 8am – 2pm Sundays.

16. Visit the streets of the Vilna Ghetto (Jewish Ghetto)

Stikliu, M. Antokolskio & Žydu streets were all part of the Jewish Ghetto in Vilnius established during World War II. You can access this from Town Hall Square.

You’ll notice Hebrew on the signs and you can visit the spot where the Great Synagogue was destroyed during the Nazi era.

Look out for the ‘The Walls Remember, People Tell’ street art around here, these are paintings inspired by real people who used to live in the area.

All of them have small QR codes to scan to learn a little more.  See some more details here .

Today, the streets around here are incredibly quaint and colourful with cafés, bars, and boutiques for shopping. 

Throughout the summer, you’ll often find beautiful installations like umbrellas or lanterns hanging above you! 

My favourite café was the Augustus Ir Babora Café which I’ll explain more about below. It had the most EPIC Christmas decorations, but also has a gorgeous interior throughout the year. 

17. Have a Instagrammable lunch at Augustus Ir Babora Love Story Café 

One of my favourite coffee houses in Vilnius was the Augustus Ir Babora Love Story Café!

I was first introduced to it on my Vilnius walking tour and couldn’t help gawking at the pink exterior, with loads of shiny baubles and PINK UNICORNS!

Check out my complete guide for this café including the love story here!

Then, when I popped my head inside, I knew I HAD to pop back and have lunch there so that is exactly what I did. The interior is just as pretty with flowers and trellises and I made sure I was first there for photos! 

Their menu serves up breakfast, lunch, dinner, champagne, pastries, coffee, and the most exciting cakes too! It was so tasty and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Check out their page here. The café is open from 9 am – 11 pm daily. Reservations are recommended for large groups and at peak times.

Read more about the most Instagrammable places in Vilnius here

18. Visit the Frank Zappa Memorial

I am a long-time fan of Frank Zappa, throw back to me at 14 first listening to “Hungry Freaks, Daddy” and being hooked from there!

So, when I found out that there was a memorial dedicated to him in Vilnius I had to check it out.

Frank Zappa is American, so I wasn’t sure why his bust would be in the capital of Lithuania but I was sure there was a good reason for it. 

I later found out that the statue was erected in 1993 after his death to mark a new era of Post-Soviet Lithuania. 

Frank Zappa often spoke of revolution in his songs and became an icon to the youth in the city after their newfound freedom! 

You can visit the memorial on K. Kalinausko g. 2B, but it’s quite hard to spot at first. Look out for the amazing graffiti surrounding it. 

19. Lean about Lithuanian history at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

An important place that I feel every tourist should visit in Vilnius is the Museum of Occupations. This former gymnasium was the headquarters of both the Gestapo and the KGB. 

Lithuania has a long history of foreign forces occupying their country for centuries like the Teutonic Knights of Prussia (Germany), Russian Moscovy troops, Nazi invaders, and finally the Soviet Union, or the KGB. 

This museum highlights what life was like during the Nazi and Soviet eras. How the KGB converted the country to Atheism and communism. How many of the churches were destroyed and how so many Lithuanian people were deported to hard labour camps, imprisoned, or killed.

There was no freedom during these times. there was no listening to popular music, watching mainstream TV, freedom of speech. 

Lithuanian language and text were banned. Corruption was everywhere and you didn’t know who to trust. People were watched at every moment. This was shockingly even until the 1990s!

Many Lithuanian freedom fighters fought against the Soviet troops and were jailed and killed. Parents were separated from their children and sent away. Children were deported to labour camps in Siberia that saw just over 100 days of daylight a year and subzero temperatures.

A lot of the exhibitions are memorials to those who fought for Lithuania’s freedom at that time.  

Head into the KGB Prison

The most disturbing part of the museum is the KGB prison in the lower decks. Here you can see where prisoners were kept. How they were held in tiny cells, tortured and you didn’t know if tomorrow would be your last.

The tiny courtyard outside shows the place where inmates would walk for 15 minutes a day.

The part that really gave me the chills was the death chamber. Inside they play a short film that re-enacts what it was like. You were brought to the room and without a word shot. It was shocking and heartbreaking.  

But, I feel that although these are dark places, learning about history is necessary so these things do not happen again. It’s an enlightening visit. 

The Museum of Occupations is a must-visit. It costs 4 Euros and is open from 10am – 6pm Wednesday to Saturday. 10am – 5pm Sundays.

20. Take a food tour of Vilnius

During my week spent in Vilnius, one of my favourite tours had to be the ‘Flavours of Vilnius’ tour that I took with Urban Adventures. 

On our three-hour tour, we explored and ate our way through the Old Town. Trying all sorts of Lithuanian cuisine and alcohol as we went! 

We got to learn the history behind a lot of the Lithuanian dishes, like Zeppelins or Cepelinai, and other popular foods like Rye bread too.

It was a great introduction to Lithuanian dishes as I really didn’t have a scooby about what sort of food they ate in the country before that. 

I would highly recommend it and you can book onto the tour here. Make sure you arrive hungry!

Read my full review of the Vilnius food tour here!

21. Go on a walking tour of Vilnius

I love a free walking tour as they are a nice introduction to the city. You get to orientate yourself, know the area, learn about the history and visit some of the top attractions too!

Vilnius with locals run a fabulous free walking tour that runs from the Cathedral Square daily at 10am and 12pm. 

This classic walking tour will take you through the quaint Old Town of Vilnius and Užupis too! Like with most ‘free’ walking tours you pay what you feel the tour is worth (I usually tip around 10 Euros per head).

If the Old Town isn’t your bag, why not go on an alternative tour of Vilnius ? This will take you through the street art areas, Halle Market, and some of the vibrant streets of Vilnius New Town. 

I went on a private walking tour with them which I would also highly recommend if your budget can stretch.

I had a knowledgeable guide who customised the tour with some classic sites and what I was interested in. As it was private, I got all the time to ask any questions I needed to as well. 

Click here to see all the tours provided by Vilnius with Locals!

22. Have a massage at Azia Spa 

If all that exploring has taken its toll, or you’ve booked in for a relaxing break in Vilnius. Then I would book yourself in for a relaxing massage at Azia Spa. 

This zen space can be found in the heart of the Old Town and is extremely popular. There were people coming in all the time for treatments and massages. 

You can have a Thai massage, Segmented massages, facial treatments, and body scrubs too.

I visited Azia Spa as one of my experiences with Tinggly. I had a one-hour body scrub and full body massage treatment. It was really relaxing and just what I needed after some busy days exploring! After my massage, I was treated to some green tea and I felt so refreshed.

Prices start from 45 Euro for a one-hour treatment which is really reasonable for full-body treatments.

Click here to check out packages and treatments at Azia spa

23. Have dinner in the highest building in Lithuania (TV Tower)

The Vilnius TV Tower is the tallest building in Lithuania and an attraction in the new part of the city. It is HUGE at over 1,000 feet high, so you’re bound to feel like you’re up in the clouds.

As well as simply visiting for the views alone, you can also enjoy a delectable dinner up in the air too.

Traditional Lithuanian dishes start on their menu at 7 – 8 Euros, so I would definitely make a booking if you’re keen.  Here’s their menu. 

If you want to know what you can expect, they have a nifty  3D tour here . Or, I’ll leave it as a surprise!  Reservations in advance  are highly recommended. 

Tickets to visit the 19th floor of the TV tower and Freedom museum cost 8 Euros for adults and concessions are cheaper.

24. Visit the film locations of the Chernobyl series 

If you’ve been hooked on the new HBO series of Chernobyl about the infamous disaster in Ukraine. Then you may be interested to know that a lot of it was filmed in Lithuania, mostly in Vilnius! 

This is due to the fact that Vilnius has some perfect Soviet backdrops in the city. The mini series took over 1000 hours to film and is one of Lithuania’s biggest productions to date. They even have location tours now.  

The Fabijoniškės district plays the part in the infamous Pripyat, The Museum of Occupations plays the KGB prison and a few of the former government buildings and guest houses were transformed into courtrooms and hotels. 

25. Buy some food with the locals at Halés Market

If you really want to experience something local then Halés Market (Halés Turgis) should be your place. 

Originally set up as a horse market in the 15th century, it then became a grain market in the 16th. But, things really took off at the beginning of the 20th century and it became a huge food market in 1906. In 1914 it was officially known as Halés Turgis. 

It’s the oldest market in Vilnius that is still thriving today and sells everything from all sorts of meat including pigs ears, fruits, cheese, mushrooms, bread, to clothes and electricals. 

But, there are some food stalls in the market as well that sell tasty bagels, pressed juices, a cheese tasting stall, and “KEULĖ RŪKĖ” who sell all sorts of alternative burgers and craft beers.

It’s well worth putting this stop on your itinerary for lunch to do what the locals do!

Halés market can be found on Pylimo gatve and is open from 7am. But, most of the food stalls will not open until 9/10am. It shuts around 6pm each evening and is closed on Mondays.

26. Climb up to the City Bastion 

The City Bastion used to be a stronghold as part of the city defense walls during the Duchy of Lithuania but later on, it became a barracks for the garrisons of German troops during World War II. 

Today, the hill by the City Bastion is a popular park and viewpoint in the city and from here you get a great view of the churches, Užupis, Gediminas Tower, and beyond. 

This viewpoint around the area is FREE but if you wanted to visit the terrace in the City Bastion museum this is chargeable. 

In the museum, you can learn about Vilnius as a fortification and the history of its defenses through the ages. 

The City Bastion Viewpoint can be visited 24 hours a day, but if you want to go inside  the museum  or onto the terrace, this is only open from Tuesday – Sunday from 10am – 6pm

27. Visit St. Anne’s Church 

Another church that really caught my eye here in Vilnius was the flamboyant Gothic church of St Anne. Made with red bricks, it is one of the finest examples of a Gothic building in Lithuania.

This church is the reason why Vilnius Old Town is included on the UNESCO world heritage list as it hasn’t changed in over 500 years! It was originally built for Anna, the Grand Duchess of Lithuania, and the wife of Vytautas the Great.

There is a popular legend that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with this church and he wanted to take it back to Paris “in the palm of his hand”. But, the reality is that the French soldiers used it for shelter during the Napoleonic wars. Not as romantic as all that!

There is still no evidence to whom the exact architect was behind this church but many believe it was Michael Enkinger.

I will warn you that the church is located next to a busy road. But, there is a grassy area opposite to take a nice photo. Just be patient with the traffic and masses of tourists using the crossroads!

St. Anne’s Church is FREE to enter and open daily. May – September from 11am – 6pm and October – April from 5-7pm.

28. Try Lithuanian Mead or Craft Beer 

Oh, Baltic mead, how I have missed thee! 

Lietuviškas Midus is the main brand of Lithuanian Mead served up around here and I was on the hunt for the best spot to try some. Šnekutis came highly recommended, so that’s where I went! I wasn’t disappointed. The mead from here was incredible. 

In England, our mead is served up like a wine. So, I can’t drink it in huge quantities without falling flat on my face. But, with traditional Lithuanian mead, you can drink it cold and by the pint; it’s absolutely delicious! 

It’s made light with honey, but it’s deceiving as it’s also really strong. You could drink a few pints like juice and then be absolutely trashed.

If you want to go in for a proper tasting session, I would recommend visiting Lietuviškas Midus’ Brewery. They have slots available daily. See here for details.

29. Eat at Drama Burger 

OMG, I am still dreaming about my meal at Drama Burger!  

Drama Burger is an epic chain of Lithuanian burger joints in the city and you can find the best one on Gediminas Avenue. 

Inside they serve up gourmet burgers, signature fries, and even beers on tap! 

I had their Phillie cheese steak burger and it was layers of bread, juicy beef, and layers of yummy cheese with jalapeño sauce. Heaven.

All I will say is just GO, you won’t regret a thing.

Click here to see Drama Burger’s website and menu.

30. Visit the Presidential Palace of Lithuania

The Vilnius Presidential Palace is located in the Old Town and, as the name would suggest, is the office of the President of Lithuania! 

The palace has a long and noble history and has stood here since the 14th century during the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. But, through time, the building suffered major fires and had to be reconstructed. 

During the 19th century, this building was home to many important Russian governors. It was even used by both Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon while they were in Vilnius! 

During the Soviet Era it was used as a Military office until finally in 1997, it became the official seat to the Lithuanian President. 

Every Sunday at 12 pm you can see a solemn flag hoisting ceremony, where soldiers of the Honour Guard Company of the Lithuanian Armed Forces dress up in Medieval attire. They dress up in reconstructed uniforms from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century as part of an ancient tradition. 

There are free tours to go inside the Palace on Saturdays. But, it’s also a nice stop on your tour of Vilnius Old Town for a photo opp!

31. Take a tour of the Vilnius University Library

This library is one of the oldest and largest academic libraries in Lithuania founded in the 1570s by the Jesuits. 

It now holds over 5.7 million documents and its bookshelves cover a whopping 166 kilometres.

Due to its long history, it’s also beautifully decorated with paintings, chandeliers, and portraits in rooms such as the astronomical observatory and the Philology Room.

I was gutted I didn’t get a chance to explore the inside of the library, but you can go inside on an organised tour if you’re interested.

You will need to fill in a form and then you pay 8 Euros for a tour that will take you around the Library, University Halls and Courtyards too. 

Click here to find out more about booking a tour of the library

32. Climb up the Church of St John’s Bell Tower

The Church of St John’s is meant to have the most amazing views from the top of its bell tower. So, it’s a pity that it is only open during the summer season.

Unfortunately, I took way too long to find it before I realised that it was completely closed! 

This bell tower has unobstructed open views from its windows at the top which is why people prefer it over the Cathedral Square Bell Tower.

It’s also in the centre of the old streets. So, you get a birds-eye view of the gorgeous rooftops, cobbled streets, and church spires.

You will have to climb up 193 wooden stairs to reach the peak which is around 45 metres high. So, if you’re relatively fit and not scared of heights it’s perfect.

If you’re interested this church was built in 1387, so it has a lot of history to tell and is worth popping in to have a look too. 

Tickets cost 3 Euro’s and it’s only open in the Summer.

33. Walk through the Bernadine Gardens

As I visited Vilnius in December, I didn’t get to visit these gardens for long. But, in the summer I reckon this will be a small green oasis in the heart of the city.

The park is a reconstruction by Vladislovas Štrausas in the 19th century of the gardens that stood here from the 15th century all the way up to World War II. 

They were originally set up by Bernadine Monks that were invited to Vilnius. The gardens were built as part of their monastery.

Finally, in 1870, the three parks that were next to each other, the Botanical Gardens, the Cathedral Park, and Bernadine gardens, all became one park.

Today, you can find fountains, sculptures, flowers, benches, and grass to sit on or have a picnic!

It’s a lovely peaceful part of the city with great views of the Gediminas Castle and Hill of Three Crosses. 

The Bernadine Gardens are FREE to visit and open from 7am – 10pm all week

34. Visit Town Hall Square 

Once Lithuania became a Christian state in the 14th century it was granted Magdeburg rights.

This was a decree of the Flemish rule which granted certain members authority in the city. Vilnius needed a headquarters for the authorities and so the Town Hall was born.

It was a place that housed the local magistrate, held city meetings, had a courtroom and there was even a prison underneath in the basement. 

Originally it was built in the Gothic style but the style we see today is a Neoclassical reconstruction by Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius.

Today it serves as a community-building with events held throughout the year. You can see a concert, visit an art exhibition, literature events and much more! 

Make sure you have a look on the Vilnius Town Hall website for what’s on while you’re here.

35. Stroll down Ausros Vartu Street 

One of my favourite streets in the whole of Vilnius is Ausros Vartu Street. I think if one street captures the essence of Vilnius, this is the shot.

You’ve got the Gate of Dawns in the background, a whole range of historic architecture including the Philharmonic building, church spires, and cobbled streets. It really is as pretty as a postcard.

Of course, as well as capturing it there are a lot of shops, restaurants, and chapels you can pop into to pass the time too. 

I particularly loved the chapel in the Gate of Dawn where you can see the portrait of the Blessed Mary. 

36. Admire the Basilian Monastery 

With its striking shade of yellow and beautiful baroque design, you’ll notice the Basilian Monastery it in an instant, even from afar!

The first church that stood here was to mark the spot where the three Lithuanian Christian Martyrs (Anthony, John, and Eustace) died. According to legend, in 1347, the Grand Duke Algirdas’ wife Julijona built a wooden Orthodox Church in their honour.

Later, in the 17th century, the church belonged to the Uniates of the Basilian Order. Then it switched hands to the Orthodox Church in the 19th century and eventually, after the independence, went back to the Uniates! 

So, this seemingly small but beautiful gate on Ausros Vartu street has a big history to offer beyond a pretty photo spot. I didn’t end up going inside as it was closed, but the church itself has a mix of Gothic, Baroque, and Russian Byzantine styles. 

37. Step inside the Church of St Peter and St Paul

Another church you must add to your list is the 17th-century Baroque church of St Peter and St Paul. 

The architecture on the outside of the church is stunning, but when you go inside you can see what the church is famous for; over 2,000 stucco figures and a Rococo pulpit! 

It was included amongst the world’s most beautiful churches on Churchpop , alongside cathedrals in England and Italy. 

According to legend, before a church was placed here, it was a site of a Pagan temple dedicated to Milda. But, it was destroyed and burned down due to the Russian invasions.

The Church is open from 6am – 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

38. Browse an Art Gallery Museum

As well as the historical architecture of the Old Town, the New part of Vilnius has many art galleries that exhibit all sorts of art from classical portraits to contemporary works and installations.

If you only have time for one, I would recommend visiting either the National Gallery of Art (LAM) or MO Museum.

MO is filled to the brim with contemporary artwork and regularly holds new exhibitions to visit. LAM highlights Lithuanian and international painters through time. 

Browsing an art gallery is something I LOVE to do in cities and I had my heart set on the MO museum. But, unfortunately, I ran out of time. 

39. Hop around the pretty courtyards and streets of the Old Town 

Courtyard shopping or walking down old streets maybe your next favourite hobby while you’re in Vilnius. 

A short walk on Pilies Street could turn into a few hours if you get lost down the small alleys and the labyrinth of laneways in the Old Town. 

Here are a few of my favourite streets and courtyards in the old town;

• Pilies Street  (Above) – Or, Castle Street is as the name suggest a street that leads to the castle or..what’s left of it now.
• Bernardinu Street –  Just of Pilies Street this gorgeous alleyway is packed full of historic buildings, cute alleyways and oil lamps. It’s perfect for those photographers who like to seek out all the photoworthy nooks and crannies.
• Stikliu, M. Antokolskio & Žydu (Jewish Ghetto) –  If you get to the end of Pilies Street opposite the Town Hall, take a left turn and you’ll find yourself in the Jewish Ghetto. 
• Courtyards –  The hidden courtyards in the historic part of town have often been a favourite of photographers. Some popular ones are the Alumnatas Courtyard and the courtyard of Sidabrynas Antique Shop.

Click here to book a courtyard tour of Vilnius

40. Go shopping on Gediminas Avenue

Another famous street that leads off from Vilnius Cathedral Square is Gediminas Avenue. Compared to the Old Town, this street was only built in the 19th century. 

It was made when the railway line between St Petersburg and Vilnius was built and the development of the city demanded it. It was built during the Russian occupation, so it was originally called A. Mickiewicz. It then changed to Stalin avenue and Lenin Avenue. 

Eventually, when Lithuania was granted its independence it was renamed Gediminas Avenue after the Grand Duke Gediminas who founded Vilnius. 

Today, it is the home to many government authorities in Vilnius but it’s also home to hundreds of retail outlets, restaurants, cafés, and the Museum of Occupations. 

There is so much to do on Gediminas Avenue it may take you a while to browse around!

Recommended day trips to take out of Vilnius

So that’s all the things to do in Vilnius, but if you’re here for a few days and fancy a day trip, there are lots to choose from.

Lithuania is a small country and so most big cities and attractions can be reached in less than a few hours from the capital.

During my week here, I got to explore many cities and attractions outside of Vilnius and wrote helpful guides for each of them;

Europos Park

Europos Park is a contemporary art museum founded in 1991 and set in nature. It can be found around 19 kilometres out of Vilnius City Centre.

There are around 100 sculptures that can be found throughout the park all created by international artists. It even has the largest sculpture made by TV sets that earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

You can get there by taking bus number 66 straight to the location of the park. Entrance is 11 Euros an adult. 

Visit the official website for visiting times and prices for Europos Park

Trakai 

Home to Eastern Europe’s only Island Castle, Trakai used to be the capital of Lithuania years ago. It was founded by Gediminas, built upon by his son Kystus and eventually expanded by his son Vytautas. 

The romantic island castle you find in Trakai today in the middle of Lake Galvé is a reconstruction of the gothic one built in the 15th century.

It’s one of the most popular attractions in Lithuania, so you really can’t miss it! Plus its only 30 minutes from Vilnius making it the perfect day trip.

As well as the castle, you can explore Lithuania’s smallest national park, learn about the Karaite community, sample Kibinai pastries and hop around historic mansions.

Read my complete Trakai guide here and the best way to get there here from Vilnius !

Kaunas is often called Vilnius’ quirky brother and, as the second-largest city in Lithuania, it’s well worth checking out. 

Not only does this city have its own epic castle, but there are also some unique attractions to explore like Fort IX, the world’s only Devil Museum , and neighbourhoods covered in street art!

It’s only an hour and a half by train, so I highly recommend getting up early and making the most of it. If you happen to go on a Saturday, there’s even a FREE walking tour!

Read the top attractions in Kaunas here and where to find the best street art

The Hill of Crosses

The Hill of Crosses is one of the most important attractions in Lithuania and is a symbol of light and hope. It’s a testament to the strength of the Lithuanian people despite their dark past. 

There are thought to be over 250,000 crucifixes that have been left at the site. Most to remember loved ones who passed away or to symbolise a body they could not bury. Some leave crosses as a sign of love. 

I went on a day tour to the Hill of Crosses from Vilnius but you can do this self-guided too. Make sure you read my guide all about it below.  

Read my complete Hill of Crosses travel guide here

Heading around the Baltics? 

I love Baltic countries and have had the pleasure of visiting a few during my years of travelling.

If you’re heading around some of the neighbouring countries, make sure you browse some of my blog posts;

How to spend one day in Tallinn

The best views of Tallinn

A photography guide to Tallinn

Top attractions in Helsinki 

A foodie guide to Helsinki

A photography guide to Helsinki 

Moomin Cafe: why you need to visit one in Helsinki !

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Sophie Pearce is the founder of Third Eye Traveller. Always having a restless soul seeking adventure, she has now travelled to over 30+ countries, many of them solo. Leaving her heart in India, which gifted her a "Third Eye", she felt inspired to share her travel stories in the hope of encouraging others to find their inner magic and explore this beautiful world of ours. Even if it's on their own!

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#33 Bernadine Gardens, having visited the gardens myself during spring, summer and autumn, I agree that they are indeed an oasis of green and well worth a visit, whether solo travelling or as part of a group. Belmontas is also worth a visit an opportunity for walking in nature and good quality food.

Thanks for the recommendation Steve! Sophie x

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14 Best Things to Do in Vilnius, Lithuania

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For visitors to the Baltic region , the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius is an essential stop. Like the other capitals of the region, Vilnius has plenty of character and you won’t be short on sights to see. The best things to do in Vilnius range from historical landmarks to modern curiosities, which means even people with different interests should find attractions that intrigue them.

Now, while I saw some of the main Vilnius sights during my first visit, I failed to click with Vilnius the first time around. That made me even more keen to return to the city and form a better second opinion.

Safe to say, my second visit went far better and I think that’s because I explored wider this time around and with more time there, I got a grasp of which Vilnius attractions best reflect the city. I’ve put together this list of the best places to visit in Vilnius so that you too can see what’s special about Vilnius.

Table of Contents

How to get to Vilnius

You can start your Vilnius trip in many ways, depending on where you’re coming from. But it’s especially easy to visit the city if you’re in the region already and coming from Poland, Latvia, or Belarus.

Buses are your best option to get to Vilnius with timetables easily found online . Trains to Vilnius are less useful unless you’re travelling from nearby places in Lithuania, such as Kaunas, or doing a day trip to Trakai .

Flying into Vilnius is another option, but it’s the smallest airport of the three Baltic capitals. One benefit of travelling to Vilnius Airport is that it’s especially cheap to travel from the airport to the city. Just hop on an easy local bus and you can get into the city in as little as 15 minutes.

Where to stay when visiting Vilnius

Vilnius is one of the largest destinations in the Baltics, so the options for places to stay here are seemingly endless. Accommodation in Vilnius isn’t limited to just the Old Town and you may get good value out of staying in a different area of the city.

To help you with that, I’ve put together a guide on where to stay in Vilnius . In it, I break down the different areas of the city and explain the benefits of staying in each.

Vilnius Attractions to Visit

Things to do in Vilnius can be found right across the city. While this means you’ll be covering a lot of ground, knowing where to go in advance will at least let you plan an itinerary that will maximise your time.

1. Gediminas Tower

In terms of symbolic Vilnius sights, the Gediminas Tower may be one of the city’s most important. This lone tower on a hill right in the heart of Vilnius is all that’s left of the city’s Upper Castle. The tower has been a common icon of the city over the years and was where the Lithuania flag was flown in 1988 as Lithuania began its push to become independent again.

To visit the hilltop castle tower, you simply walk past the Cathedral Square and follow the curving path up to the small square outside the tower. On both sides of the hill, you have terrace views of Vilnius below, although the view is better when you climb the tower itself. Inside the tower is a small museum that tells the story of the Upper Castle.

2. The Three Crosses

But that’s not the only hilltop in Vilnius and the Hill of Three Crosses across the lovely Vilnia River offers even better views of the city. Once you climb up the hill you’ll be able to spot many of the sights to see in Vilnius, all in one go. To find the viewpoint isn’t hard as all you need to do is head for the Three Crosses (not to be confused with the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai ).

As its name suggests, this monument is three large stone crosses emerging from the forest that you can see pretty much most places from the Old Town. The crosses commemorate a local legend that tells of friars being executed here for preaching in the 14th century. Whether you know the story behind them or not, you can still enjoy the wonderful panoramic views of the city while you’re up there.

3. Old Town Streets

Down in the heart of Vilnius, the city’s historic centre is where you’ll spend a fair bit of your time. I’ll cover specific attractions in the Old Town will be separately, but for now, let’s talk about the area itself. Stretching from Cathedral Square up to the Dawn Gate, the Old Town is mostly made up of long avenues and smaller back alleys.

With the way Vilnius is laid out, the Old Town is a great place to walk about. I’m a fan of smaller, pedestrian streets and Vilnius has its share of these, which is nice. It’s the kind of city that encourages wandering and getting lost, as some of its prettiest corners are hidden away from the main squares.

Looking around the Old Town it can be hard to gauge how old the centre is, in part because of how varied the architecture is here. All of this is why the Vilnius Historic Centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

To better understand the city, I highly recommend taking a walking tour here. You do have the option of a free walking tour , but there are more personalised tours as well.

4. Neris Riverfront

One of my biggest struggles the first time around in Vilnius was understanding the place of the Neris River in the city. Curving right around the centre of the city, the riverfront is a major feature of the city and yet doesn’t seem to draw much love.

Having stayed across the river on my first visit, I got to see how splendid the Neris riverfront was, but also how quiet it felt too. Whether it’s watching the sunset over the river or looking up at Gediminas Tower, this part of the city offers visitors some great views. It just doesn’t seem to have many venues or places to visit along it which is a rare sight in Europe, although that could always change in the future.

5. Vilnius Cathedral

Taking pride of place on one of Vilnius’ main squares, the Vilnius Cathedral is a sight you’re sure to see. Lithuania is a deeply Catholic country and this cathedral is one of the country’s most important places of worship.

While its neoclassical look dates from 1783, cathedrals have existed here for centuries before. Some of the most important figures in Lithuanian history are buried in the cathedral’s crypt underneath. The cathedral’s belfry, nearby on the square, can be climbed for some nice city views.

6. Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Tucked behind the Vilnius Cathedral you’ll come across the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Visiting now you may be surprised to learn that this palace in front of you was only finished in 2018 and is a reconstruction of the palace that once stood there.

Back in the days of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the palace here was a vastly influential seat of politics and diplomacy. Now though, this reconstruction serves as a museum highlighting the original castle’s history. I’ve yet to go inside but the palace does round out Cathedral Square nicely. Now that it’s all finished, I’ll have to visit next time.

Travellers are often fascinated by bohemian, alternative districts in cities and even more so when they have declared themselves independent. That’s the story behind the independent Republic of Uzupis , a small community across the Vilnia River. In some ways similar to Freetown Christiana in Copenhagen, this artistic neighbourhood declared itself independent in 1997.

Walking around Uzupis it’s obvious that this bohemian, creative community lives there. From plentiful street art to little art and handicraft shops, the atmosphere here is palpable. While there’s a lot to learn about the details of this self-proclaimed republic, the Constitution of Uzupis is probably the most interesting.

Along one of the district’s streets, a series of plaques explain the rights of residents in Uzupis. They range from the “right to love” to the “right to be individual”. If you’re after something a little different in Vilnius, this is where to go.

8. St. Anne’s Church

Spend any amount of time in Europe and you’re sure to see countless churches. Even in Vilnius, you could easily build a long list of them as the city is home to many. But of the ones I’ve seen in Vilnius, St. Anne’s Church distinctly stands out. I’d even go as far as to say that it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in Europe. Just look at it above!

The Church of St. Anne in its current form was built in 1500 after the old church here was burned down. They rebuilt it with this wonderful gothic brick design. It’s said that even Napoleon fell in love with the church when he saw it and wanted to bring it back to France with him. The interior is a little more streamlined and simple but to me, that front facade is the view you won’t want to miss.

9. Presidential Palace

Going about Vilnius, you’ll spot a few palaces here and there. The one that you’ll most notice I think is the city’s Presidential Palace off on its own a little in the Old Town. With the manicured gardens and lawns of Daukanto Square around it, it’s a suitably noble look for the Office of the President.

What has surprised me whenever I pass it though is how quiet it feels in comparison to elsewhere in the city. No protesting, no crowds of tourists or students, just a bit of peace and quiet to admire the stately building.

10. Town Hall Square

Vilnius isn’t a city of many large squares but there’s no other way to describe the Town Hall Square in the city’s Old Town. Lined with churches and restaurants, there’s rarely a quiet moment in this square.

While the square may be named after the Town Hall here, there’s so much more happening on the square that you may not notice the rather unassuming Town Hall. Chances are you’ll see this square quite a bit as some of the best side streets are off the square, not to mention many of the typical tourist restaurants of Vilnius.

11. Dawn Gate

You know you’ve reached the southern edge of the Old Town when you arrive at the Dawn Gate. This sky-blue gate is quite different from other city gates you might come across in Europe. Many city gates in Europe act as watchtowers as well, but instead, the Dawn Gate is also a shrine.

This is the last surviving gate in Vilnius and inside you’ll find a revered painting of the Virgin Mary. This 17th-century painting has been copied in other chapels around the world and is even said to have performed miracles. Not your average gate.

12. Halle Market

One place that I was pleased to stumble upon during my latest visit was the Halle Market. Beyond the edge of the Old Town, I only learned of the market since I was staying across the street. And yet this is the city’s oldest marketplace, which means it should be a place you need to hear about.

Markets have been held here in Vilnius since the 15th century although the current building dates from 1906. The market first caught my attention because of the wonderful smell of baked goods that hit me as I first walked past.

Besides selling various meat, dairy and other farm produce, the market also houses various stores and cafes where you can go to eat. That mix means you can enjoy genuine Lithuanian produce as well as popular everyday foods all in one place. A nice way to learn about life in Lithuania if you ask me.

13. Vilnius street art

Even though Uzupis is labelled the alternative and creative neighbourhood of the city, you’ll find quite a bit of street art elsewhere in Vilnius. The streets immediately surrounding the Halle Market in particular are home to some great pieces that are worth finding.

If you go to most places around the fringes of the Old Town you have a good chance of finding street art in the city. Just another reason to spend time exploring when you visit Vilnius. Another option, if you want to find the latest new murals around town, is to take Vilnius with Local’s free Alternative Vilnius tour .

14. Gediminas Avenue

Starting in the heart of Vilnius at Cathedral Square, Gediminas Avenue is one of the city’s most major streets. Walking down it you’ll be led away from the historical part of Vilnius through to the downtown area of the city. Much of the street is lined with quite grand buildings, although various squares pop up here and there on its northern side.

Whether you’re looking to go shopping, need food or want to get to know Vilnius even better, I recommend taking a stroll down Gediminas Avenue. At the far end, you’ll pass the Lithuanian Parliament and run into the Neris River again, at which point you’ll want to head back again.

Other Vilnius attractions

Even though I’ve shown you many of the best things to do in Vilnius, it’s important to say that this list isn’t complete. Vilnius has plenty more to offer visitors and I haven’t seen everything there. In particular, I know there are quite a few museums, none of which I’ve visited. Then there are all the Soviet-era landmarks that you can see on this city tour .

The National Museum and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights are both meant to be good I hear. Depending on your tastes, both the MO Museum and the Museum of Illusions might appeal to you as well. That should be plenty for your one or two days in Vilnius I think.

Before you go…

If you have larger plans to explore Lithuania outside of Vilnius, you may also find these Lithuania blog posts useful: 

9 Things to Know Before Visiting Lithuania

11 sights to see when visiting kaunas, lithuania.

• Why It’s Great to Hike Aukštaitija National Park, Lithuania
• Climbing the Dunes of Lithuania’s Curonian Spit
• Unwinding in the Green Town of Anyksciai, Lithuania

Have you had the chance to visit Vilnius before? Are there other Vilnius attractions that you would recommend? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Disclaimer: This post contains a sponsored link to Vilnius with Locals.

David is the author behind the Travelsewhere travel blog and is always on the search for the quieter, less-visited corners of the world.

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I’m heading to Vilnius in the fall and just starting my research now… Thanks so much for the helpful post!

No problem Brianne, hope you have a great time!

The Repiblic of Uzupis sounds interesting! I’ve heard of the one in Copenhagen and would love to visit that area. I always like such cool history like this! 🙂

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Vilnius has many faces – its labyrinthine Old Town, its sleek business district, its elegant centre, its many open squares and parks, its historic suburbs – all of which blend together into a seamless complete city. The city’s charm is in its harmonious sense of unity – it just feels right whichever way you look at it.

The historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest old town centres in Eastern Europe covering almost 360 hectares. The Old Town is situated in a picturesque valley of Vilnia and Neris rivers, at the crossroads of trade roads, next to the fort, which was guarded by Vilnius castle in the past.

Vilnius offers different museums of art, nature, architecture, history, science, theatre, music and cinema, literature, as well as memorial museums. Those who love impressive sights should visit Gediminas’ Castle or the Campanile of St. John‘s and enjoy an impressive panorama of Vilnius. The Gates of Dawn is famed for a painting, which is said to have miracle-working powers and the apparition of the Virgin Mary.

To make your visit unforgettable take part in Vilnius walking tours, or be blown away by a bus sightseeing tour. Don't miss the opportunity to take to the air and discover the medieval city centre and beyond with a hot air balloon ride. Touch "Lithuanian gold" (amber) in the galleries and view museum displays, both indoors and outside. Experience extreme fun in adventure parks, take a break with a glass of beer or wine, try out our national cuisine and experience the vibrant nightlife!

Vilnius has always been a city open to dialogues of different cultures. Profound traditions and experiences of ethnic culture are creatively incorporated into modern art forms – theatre, music, visual arts, and dance – and render a new quality of art. Lithuanian artists are known throughout Europe and worldwide.

Lithuanians are a highly cultured people and Vilnius is something of a Mecca for the arts. Vilnius boasts some of the best contemporary theatre in Europe and its innovative productions are routinely sold out. Likewise, barely a week passes without a music festival or major concert taking place, whether it be jazz, blues, classical, rock, alternative music, gospel or...well, the list could go on.

The city is beautiful in all seasons. However, it becomes especially attractive and lively during the time of the festivals. Crowds of people fill the streets, live music is played in the squares, parks, churches and concert halls during the Kaziukas mugė (St Casimir’s Fair), the Folklore Festival Skamba skamba kankliai, Cultural Night, Capital Days, or the Kristupo festivalis (St Christopher Festival).

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Top things to do

Palace of the grand dukes of lithuania.

The residence of the grand dukes of Lithuania was build at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries. During 16th century the palace underwent two reconstructions. It was rebuilt in renaissance style with a closed inner courtyard. In the 16th–17th centuries, it served as a centre of political and cultural life of old Lithuania.

Gediminas' Tower of the Upper Castle

The castle tower named after Grand Duke Gediminas, the founding father of the city, is a symbol of the capital. The museum in Gediminas Castle Tower hosts an exhibition that includes reconstructed models of the 14th–16th mentury. The panorama viewed from the roof of the Castle Tower attracts a lot of visitors.

Ensemble of Vilnius University

Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in Central and Eastern Europe. It was faunded in 1579. The complexes of Vilnius University were formed over several centuries and, as a result, consist of the buildings built in Gothic, Baroque and Classical styles. The exclusive panoramic view of Vilnius can be admired from the highest building in the Old Town – the campanile of St. John’s Church.

Užupis “Republic”

The Vatican is not the only state within a city. Vilnius has its very own Republic of Užupis! Although this republic is not officially recognized as a sovereign state, it does have its own constitution and national anthem. While wandering around you will notice the Užupis Angel, which is considered the guardian of Užupis.

Pilies Street

Pilies Street is the oldest and most flamboyant street in the Old Town of Vilnius. This was the main road to the castle, with its branches finally turning into side streets. Kings, legates of the Pope, and envoys from other countries passed this street on their way to the castle. Noblemen and rich citizens built their houses in Pilies Street. The Botanical Garden of Vilnius University was established in one of the courtyards at the end of the 18th century. The street is distinguished for its architectural variety.

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Vilnius city guide: What to see and do in Lithuania’s pocket-sized capital

A compact, walkable city with a beautiful unesco-listed old town and dozens of well-preserved ruins, vilnius will appeal to every type of traveller, says tamara hinson.

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Lithuania ’s cute capital has the feel of a supersized village. Venture beyond the fortresses and weathered chunks of city wall and you’ll find plenty of reminders of its tumultuous past, whether it’s the Soviet-era architecture or the numerous historic sites – many of which have only opened up to the public in recent years, and which provide a fascinating insight into its darker periods.

As well as a charming old town of convivial taverns and indie shops, there’s hearty Lithuanian cuisine to be found and plenty of quirky sights (art in an ex-prison, a village-sized “republic”). You might even spot a familiar backdrop from the TV show Chernobyl, parts of which were filmed here. There’s never been a better time to go, either – Vilnius celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2023.

If you’re planning a visit to the city, here’s everything you need to know.

Drop by Cathedral Square

For some self-guided exploration, kick things off in Katedros Aikste (Cathedral Square), where you’ll find the Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus – a former Pagan temple and the burial site of Lithuania’s patron saint, Casimir. Feeling lucky? Set into the ground near Vilnius Cathedral is the so-called Stebuklas (“miracle” in English) tile. It marks the endpoint of a human chain formed on 23 August 1989, when two million people across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands to form the Baltic Way – the longest unbroken human chain in history – as an act of protest at Soviet occupation. Legend has it that if you stand on the tile, spin around three times clockwise, jump up and clap once, your wishes will come true.

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• The adventure holiday in Italy tracking wolves and endangered bears – just 90 minutes outside of Rome
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Learn about the Soviet era

The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights – commonly referred to as the “KGB museum”, due to the fact it’s in the Soviet secret police’s former HQ – is a harrowing but essential glimpse into the bleaker parts of the city’s history.  It was also used as a setting for Chernobyl . Head upstairs to check out exhibitions relating to the anti-Soviet partisans, who planned their resistance efforts while living in the forests surrounding the city, before heading downstairs to the cells where the KGB interrogated those who rebelled against Soviet rule. The cells you’ll see include a terrifying padded one used for interrogation, and several contain grisly apparatus such as straitjackets and tiny platforms that prisoners were forced to stand on. The darkest spot is the execution room, where thousands of prisoners were shot.

Spend the day in jail

Lukiskes Prison , which was used as a setting for Stranger Things , opened in 1904 and closed in 2019. It housed a wide range of inmates, including those imprisoned during two world wars, the Soviet invasion and after Lithuania’s independence. It was opened to the public in 2021 and you can now take guided tours around incredibly well-preserved passages – you’ll see hiding holes used by inmates, the graffiti they scrawled and some of the items they made away from prying eyes, including a homemade gun. The central courtyard is now used as a performance space, and you can enjoy a cocktail in a “cellblock bar”. There’s a packed calendar of art exhibitions too, courtesy of the artists who now rent out former cells as studio spaces.

Check out Užupis

Close to the city centre, Užupis is a bohemian riverside neighbourhood which declared itself a republic in 1997. It’s home to artists, writers and musicians, with an ethos that’s summed up in a constitution you can read on Paupio Street – the key principles have been translated into dozens of languages and engraved onto metal plaques. You’ll find a handful of cafes and craft shops here, but the main draw is the neighbourhood’s general quirkiness. Swing by the Užupis Border Control building for starters – it’s an information point and souvenir shop, and you can even have your passport graced by an Užupis Republic stamp.

Where to stay

Vilnius has some gorgeous boutique hotels, including the beautiful (but pricey) Hotel Pacai , set in a Baroque palace in the old town, and with a spa, hammam and glossy marble interiors.

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The Hilton Garden Inn is a funky crash pad with a rooftop terrace and a slick interior. The design firm behind it has given various nods to the country’s past, including a fireplace shaped like a Pagan altar (Lithuania was the last Pagan nation in Europe, finally accepting Catholicism in the 14th century).

Where to eat

For traditional Lithuanian cuisine, it’s got to be the old town. Surprisingly, it rarely gets crowded, and there are some fantastic restaurants here. You’ll find Restaurant Lokys tucked into a medieval merchant’s house, specialising in so-called “hunters’ dishes” – think venison roasts, wild boar and beaver meat stew.

Eating on a budget? Vilnius is famous for its canteens – cheap and cheerful restaurants serving the same dishes they served during the Soviet era. Try Zilvino Restoranas , where a bowl of delicious borscht (a beetroot soup popular in eastern Europe) will set you back €2.50.

For stylish surrounds, try Paupys Market – an airy, fern-filled food hall where you’ll find everything from Japanese delicacies to dishes from Lithuania’s neighbours. The Georgian bites at Chacapuri Bistro are highly recommended – order the Georgian cheese bread garnished with an egg yolk.

Where to drink

Old town hangout Nick and Nora is a tiny cocktail bar famous for its use of local ingredients. Try the quince negroni, made with Lithuanian quince, or the penicillin highball, which uses the sweetness of Lithuanian honey to offset the heaviness of smoked bacon schnapps. Pub-lined Vilnius Street, in the city centre, is the main nightlife drag.

Where to shop

The huge G9 shopping centre on Gediminas Avenue is where you’ll find high street brands such as H&M, but our favourite retail-therapy spot is the old town, which has several fantastic boutiques. Terra Recognita has beautiful jewellery and sculptures made by Lithuanian artist Saulius Vaitiekunas. Many of his pieces incorporate stones fished out of the Baltic Sea.

Baltic amber, formed from pine resin which has spent millions of years at sea being washed ashore, is known as “Lithuanian gold” here, and you’ll see it everywhere, usually incorporated into beautiful pieces of jewellery. For the best quality stuff, head to Gintraka (Ausros Vartu 13).

Nuts and bolts

What currency do i need, what language do they speak.

Lithuanian, although English is widely spoken.

Should I tip?

Around 10 per cent is standard.

What’s the time difference?

How should i get around.

Vilnius is a walkable city, but there are trams and buses to hop on, too. Vilniecio kortele is Vilnius’s version of the Oyster card. A Vilniecio kortele will cost €1.50, and you can then load it up for certain time periods, which range from 30-minute tickets (€0.65) to three-day ones (€8).

What’s the best view?

Summit the Hill of Three Crosses and you’ll be rewarded with views of the old town, the 15th-century Bernardine Garden and the city’s serpentine river. The hill’s three crosses were erected in honour of Franciscan friars who died as martyrs in the 14th century when pagans tied them to crosses and threw them down the hill.

Insider tip?

Vilnius University is an explosion of Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque architecture, but don’t just admire it from the perimeter. At the end of a corridor in the university’s Lithuanian Philology Centre is a frescoed hall painted by famous Lithuanian artist Petras Repsys in 1986. The Dali-esque The Seasons of the Year fresco covers the walls and ceilings of several interconnected rooms and depicts scenes from Lithuanian mythology.

Getting there

There are direct flights to Vilnius from London Luton ( Ryanair and Wizz Air ), Stansted (Ryanair) or City airport ( Lot ).

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• Apr 18, 2023

3-day itinerary in Vilnius

Welcome to Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, where the past and present collide to create a vibrant, dynamic cityscape. To help you make the most of your time in this charming city, we've put together a three-day itinerary that covers the top sights, hidden gems, and must-try experiences.

This itinerary is designed to give you a well-rounded view of Vilnius and what it's like to live in the city. The itinerary is flexible and should be adjusted based on weather, days of the week, and personal preferences. To help prioritize your time, in the last paragraph, we have listed five things that we consider a must during your visit to Vilnius.

Day 1: Exploring the Old Town and City's History

Morning: Once you've had a solid breakfast, start the day wandering the winding cobblestone streets and admiring the beautiful architecture. This is a great day to see and visit some of the landmarks, starting with Vilnius Cathedral, St. Ann Church, Literatu Street, Pilies Street, Stikliu Street, and the City Hall, all within easy walking distance of each other.

If you would like to admire the city's architecture and learn about its history at the same time, we've got you covered. The “ Lithuanian Drive for Freedom ” self-guided tour visits the majority of the landmarks and shares stories about Lithuanian history and why freedom is so important to Lithuanians, highlighting how Lithuanians maintained their national identity throughout several occupations.

Lunch: After a few hours of exploring, you'll likely be looking to take a break and grab a bite for lunch. Knowing that it's your first day in the city, you must be keen to try the local dishes. We recommend visiting Etno Dvaras or Amatininkai, where you can enjoy traditional Lithuanian cuisine. Wondering what to order? Here are a few recommendations .

Afternoon: Let's continue exploring. If you're a history buff, a visit to the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights should be considered a must during your trip. From the second half of 1940 until August 1991, the KGB and other Soviet authorities operated from this building. As part of your visit to the museum, you will visit an internal prison and hear the stories of Lithuanians who were imprisoned here for threatening the regime.

If art is more your cup of tea, consider a visit to the contemporary Mo Museum , where you will find works from local and international artists or the House of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis where you will learn about the life of one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe. The museum also offers an award-winning immersive virtual reality experience that allows you to ‘step inside’ the artist's paintings. Be sure to book your tickets (EUR 8) for the VR experience in advance, as they tend to sell out quickly.

Evening: As the sun sets, you can head to one of Vilnius' many rooftop bars or lively restaurants, or combine both options. Pink and Yellow is a great choice to enjoy stunning views of the city. If the weather doesn't cooperate, Stebuklai offers delicious food and a stunning view of Vilnius Cathedral. For a happening vibe, head to Pachamama .

If you're keen to explore the nightlife scene, head to Vilnius Street - that's where the party is happening. Bardakas and Sanatoria are quite popular among locals.

Day 2: Living in Vilnius = nature, culture & great food

Morning: To start your day, we recommend grabbing breakfast and coffee to go and walking up to Gediminas Castle for a breathtaking view of the city. For the best coffee in Vilnius, stop by StrangeLove Coffee which is conveniently located close to the path leading up to the hill.

Afternoon: Head to the Independent Republic of Užupis. As you walk over the bridge ( location ), you should easily notice a sign clearly identifying the borders of the republic. This area covers about 148 acres (60 ha) and is home to around 7,000 inhabitants, almost 1,000 of whom are artists.

For your first stop, head to Galera / Užupis Arts Incubator ( location ). Take your time to walk around and explore the outdoor art installations. Galera is a great place to get a feel for the spirit of Užupis but to really understand what it stands for, you must read its constitution ( location ). I won't spoil it for you, but I guarantee it'll bring a smile to your face.

Lunch: Stick around in Užupis for lunch, where you can choose from several recommended options, including Užupio Picerija , Le Travi , or the Paupys food hall , which offers a wide range of choices.

On your way back, be sure to visit the newly opened Mekas Square. Here you'll also find Garage 9:11, which showcases a unique private collection of Porsche cars and is open to visitors on Thursdays (advance booking is required). If you're an automobile fan, this is an experience you won't want to miss.

Evening: If you are looking for a trip filled with unique experiences and have an interest in crime stories, then you should definitely book a tour of the Lukiskes Prison 2.0 . This prison was operating until just a few years ago, so you will still feel the daunting aura as you hear the stories about what happened there. During the summer months, the prison hosts many concerts, so be sure to check out their schedule of events .

For dinner plans, if you are a foodie and want to start the evening with a sophisticated meal, then Dziaugmas and Ertilio Namas are excellent choices. It's worth highlighting that fine dining experiences in Vilnius are reasonably priced.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a night of fun and partying, then Mililitrai or Selfish Bistro , both located on the party street, are great options.

Day 3: Day trip to Trakai

No trip to Vilnius is complete without a visit to Trakai, a place beloved by both locals and visitors for its stunning scenery.

Wondering how to get there? You're in luck because there are several options available to you. You can take the train, hail a BOLT ride, or rent a CityBee, either of these options will take you about 30-40min to get you there.

Once you arrive in Trakai, start by taking a peaceful walk around the lake to soak in the stunning scenery, and be sure to visit the castle itself. If you fancy a swim, take a dip in the lake as the water is clean and safe for swimming.

Lunchtime: When in Trakai, you must try the local delicacy - Kibinai. It’s a pastry with veal filling (traditionally), however many variations of fillings are offered. Senoji Kibinine is the most famous, however, all places offer delicious kibinai.

If you have rented a car and are keen to explore the nearby area, Tiskeviciaus Mansion is a popular destination to visit as well.

Afternoon: Hopefully you still have a full evening in Vilnius, as there is more to see and do.

Holidays are for collecting magical moments. For the grand finale of your trip, you could opt for an unforgettable hot-air balloon ride. Vilnius is the only European city that allows balloons to fly over the city. The experience is subject to the right wind conditions and must be booked in advance, but both morning and afternoon options in Vilnius or Trakai are just as enchanting.

If you are looking for something more local and low-key , a beer tasting at Alaus Biublioteka is a great option to sample a range of Lithuanian beers that we're proud of, along with some amazing kepta duona.

Hope the suggestions shared in this itinerary piqued your interest and will make your trip to Vilnius unforgettable. If your schedule does not allow you to pack in all the great things that were suggested, here are 5 things that you should not leave Vilnius without seeing & doing :

Walk the cobbled streets of Vilnius's old town and visit the main landmarks

Try the traditional cuisine : Kepta duona, Šaltibarčiai and Cepelinai are the must-try dishes

Learn about the country's history by either going on a self-guided tour or visiting the KGB museum (taking a guide is recommended)

Visit Trakai and try Kibinai

Visit Užupis and read the constitution

If you are spending more than 3-days in Vilnius, read about the city’s hidden gems and additional restaurant recommendations .

• LOCALS RECOMMEND

2 to 3 Days in Vilnius Itinerary: Things To Do in Lithuania’s Capital

Last Updated on January 25, 2024

by Maggie Turansky

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our privacy policy.

Are you planning a long weekend in Lithuania’s vibrant capital and looking for the ideal 2 to 3 days in Vilnius itinerary?

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has often been ignored when it comes to Baltic tourism . While it tends to be overshadowed by the medieval charms of Tallinn or the vibrant nightlife of Riga , Vilnius in itself is a bustling capital with an incredible history, beautiful baroque architecture, and many points of interest for visitors.

Though it doesn’t share a proximity to the Baltic coast, Vilnius is an incredible city that deserves to be explored!

Table of Contents

How Many Days in Vilnius?

Before visiting Lithuania’s capital, many people may ask themselves how many days in Vilnius is enough to get the most out of the city. Well, Vilnius’ city centre is fairly compact and you can get a good feel for the city with only a short weekend in the city or about 2 days in Vilnius.

However, if you can spend 3 days, this is far preferable as you will be able use Vilnius as a base and take some day trips to the surrounding area.

Getting Around Vilnius

Vilnius actually has one of the largest old towns in all of Europe and most of the city’s points of interest for tourists lie either within or in easy reach of the historic centre. This means that most of Vilnius is largely accessible on foot.

If you want to visit some sites that aren’t within walking distance, then you will be pleased to hear that Vilnius has an extensive and efficient public transport system that consists of both buses and trams.

It is possible to purchase longer travel cards if you believe you will be making more than a few trips on public transport.

Taxi fares in Vilnius tend to be affordable, but it is worth knowing that it is not typical to hail a taxi off of the street in the city and if you do end up doing this, your fare will most likely be inflated. A much easier solution to this is to either use Uber, which is prevalent in Vilnius, or the Bolt app, particularly if going to or from Vilnius Airport.

2 to 3-Day Vilnius Itinerary

Day 1 – old town & uzupis.

The first day of this itinerary sees you mostly exploring the lovely UNESCO-listed Old Town. All of the attractions and activities on this day can easily be reached on foot, which is great to help you get the lay of the land and begin to explore this wonderful city.

Hales Turgus

Hales Turgus is the central market hall in Vilnius. While not nearly as vast as the Riga Central Market in neighbouring Latvia, Hales Turgus is a great place to browse if you want to check out some local Lithuanian produce, are curious about the cuisine, or just want to pick up some great fresh fruits and vegetables.

There are numerous stands in the covered hall selling everything from fresh sausages and seafood, delicious sour pickles, sweet Lithuanian honey, and fantastic Baltic pastries.

There are also a couple of trendy coffee shops and trendy fast food stalls in the market, so it is also a great place to start your day and grab a small bite to eat. It’s also worth making a short detour to the Gate of Dawn – a city gate built in the 1500s that has a chapel inside it.

Free Walking Tour of Old Town

After exploring the market, join a free walking tour with Vilnius with Locals . Their main tour leaves daily at 11:00am from just outside the Town Hall in Vilnius’ main square.

The tour lasts about 2.5 hours (with a short break halfway through) and will give you a great introduction to Vilnius and its history and interesting sites. Note that you do need to book the tour in advance if you’d like to go on it.

The tour takes you past all of the main sites in the Old Town including the Town Hall Square, the old Jewish Quarter, St Anne’s Church, and the bohemian neighbourhood of Uzupis before ending in Cathedral Square in front of the Vilnius Cathedral and the Lithuanian Presidential Palace.

Not only does a free walking tour give you a good “first look” at the city, it is also a great way to speak with a local and get some good recommendations and come up with ideas for what you might want to do with your remaining time in the city.

It is worth noting that, while the tour itself is free, the guides do work only for tips so it is good practice to tip the amount that you feel the tour is worth.

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat after the walking tour, consider Mason Gastropub for modern Lithuanian cuisine or Chačapuri for budget Georgian food!

After the walking tour, take the time to head back to the cool and trendy neighbourhood of Uzupis. Located on the other side of the Vilnia River (that’s what Uzupis means!), this neighbourhood was at one time derelict and crime-ridden.

However, it became a haven for artists and creative types due to the cheap rent prices and low cost of living compared to the rest of the city and in 1997, they declared themselves an independent republic.

While this status is entirely ceremonial, the “Republic of Uzupis” mimics other independent republics within cities, most notably Christiania in Copenhagen . Though on a typical day there is no “border control,” they will stamp your passport as you cross the bridge on their independence day: the 1st of April.

They also have their own constitution which is displayed on plaques in numerous languages on Paupio Street. They release new plaques of the constitution in a different language each year and the flag of the country whose language has been printed is hanging in front of the building just opposite the constitution.

Take the time to read through the whole constitution because there are some amusing “rights” that have been stated here.

There are also numerous great restaurants and cool bars, cafes, and shops in Uzupis along with some of the city’s best street art.

Day 2 – Museums & Gardens

The second day of this itinerary sees you digging deeper and exploring the city further. Head to a museum or two and take some time to get lost in winding cobbled streets. Vilnius has a wonderful laid back atmosphere and today is the day to take advantage of it!

Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

Formally called the Museum of Genocide Victims, a visit to the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights may not be the most uplifting of experiences, but it is still one of the best things to do in Vilnius, especially if you want to learn more about both the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Lithuania and the resistance movements.

The museum is a bit outside of the Old Town but is easily reached by bus or an inexpensive uber ride and entry costs €6 for an adult ticket and €3 for a student/concession ticket.

The museum is excellently curated and really puts into perspective the horrors that Lithuanians had to live through in the not so distant past. It also gives some horrible insight on the effect that the Nazi occupation had on the Jewish population of Vilnius, which was once one of the largest in Europe.

Housed in the former KGB headquarters, there is also a former Soviet jail in the basement of the museum where you can tour the cells and learn more about what being a prisoner during occupation would have been like.

It is not a happy museum to go to, but it is an incredibly important look into Lithuania’s troubled history. Expect to spend at least 1.5-2 hours here in order to see and learn everything. Travellers interested in Vilnius’ Soviet history should also consider joining a Soviet walking tour.

Bernardine Garden & Gediminas Tower

After a chilling morning at the museum, take the time to stroll through the picturesque Jewish Quarter, which was a former ghetto during the Nazi Occupation, and spend some time relaxing in the tranquil Bernardine Garden.

There are many lush, green spaces in Vilnius and if the weather is fine, many locals and tourists alike like spending time in them.

Bernardine Garden is also very close to the Bell Tower in Cathedral Square and the Gediminas Tower, both of which you can climb for fantastic panoramic views of the city.

This area is also home to the National Museum of Lithuania located in the Palace of the Grand Dukes. This museum focuses on Lithuanian history and culture and you’ll need at least 2 hours here if you want to explore many of the exhibitions and collections that it houses.

Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum

If you are curious to learn more about the Jewish population of Vilnius, then a visit to the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum is a great idea. The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions in place that will give a lot of insight into why Vilnius was once referred to as the “Jerusalem of the North.”

Before WWII, Vilnius has one of the largest Jewish populations in all of Europe and was also the capital of the Yiddish language (the language that was once commonly spoken by Ashkenazi Jews).

Almost the entirety of Lithuania’s once-strong Jewish population was wiped out during the Nazi Occupation and this museum does an excellent job of preserving the culture and traditions of Lithuanian Jews.

Although the museum might seem small from the outside, there are several exhibitions so allow at least 1.5 hours to see everything. For those wanting to learn more about Jewish history in Vilnius, consider taking this walking tour.

Day 3 – Trakai Day Trip

If you are only spending two days in the Lithuanian capital, then the first two days of this itinerary are going to be a perfect introduction to the city. However, if you have three days to spend in Vilnius, then the last day should be spent on a day trip exploring some of the Lithuanian countryside outside of the capital.

The lakeside town of Trakai is one of the most popular day trips from Vilnius for both locals and tourists alike. Located only about 30 kilometres from the city centre, this charming area is a fantastic escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Trakai’s biggest selling point is the lovely Trakai Island Castle , a beautiful red brick medieval fortress situated on an island in the lake.

This attraction can get very busy during the summer months with eager day-trippers and tour groups keen to pretend they are in Game of Thrones , but it is still very much worth visiting as the scenery surrounding it and the castle itself is idyllic.

There are several nice lakeside restaurants and cafes around the town and there is also ample opportunity to hire a paddleboat or take a sailing trip on the lake. The water is also quite warm in the summertime and it’s a popular spot for swimming, so be sure to bring your bathers on a hot day!

Though the grounds and the perimeter of the castle are free of charge to visit, there is a €10-12 fee for entry for adults and €5-6 for students depending on the season if you want to have a look inside the castle.

It is possible to visit Trakai by taking a guided half-day tour or you can travel there independently.

Where to Stay in Vilnius

Hotel Rinno – Located close to Cathedral Square and Bernardine Garden in the Old Town, this boutique hotel is one of the top places to stay in Vilnius . They have a range of rooms on offer and also have breakfast included in the room rate.

Old Town Trio – If you’re looking for a great hotel located at the edge of Vilnius’ Old Town, then this is a great choice for you. They have stylish and modern rooms to choose from and there is even an option to include breakfast!

Jimmy Jumps House/Hostel – Located just off of the Town Hall Square, this small hostel with a lively atmosphere is the perfect place to stay if you’re travelling on a budget. They have both dorm and private rooms at affordable prices and also include breakfast in the room rate. They also organise social events in the evening.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Vilnius!

Vilnius is a lively city with a lot to offer travellers. With many interesting places to visit and things to do, spending 3 days in Vilnius will certainly be a great addition to any trip through the Baltic States!

Are you planning a trip to the city of Vilnius? Have you been? Let us know in the comments!

Related Posts:

How Much Will a Baltics Trip Cost?

The Perfect Baltics Itinerary: Explore Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania

Things To Do In Klaipeda: Lithuania’s Charming Port City

About Maggie Turansky

Maggie is a co-founder and writer for The World Was Here First. Originally from the US, she has lived in five different countries and has travelled to dozens more, both solo and with her partner, Michael. She particularly loves exploring Spain and spending time in the Caucasus and the Baltics. Read more about Maggie

I spent 3 days in Vilnius in October on my circumnavigation of the Baltic Sea. Used the bus system. Loved it. Took the direct train from Krakow. (leaves at 4:20 am) I want to go back to the Baltic States. Loved the busses. The windows were clean. (as opposed to the trains of western Europe) and there was a free coffee brewer.

Sounds like you had a great trip, Peter! Thanks for sharing 🙂

In just a 5 min read, i felt like i have visited Vilnius. Nice articles. I have question though. If i am not a fan of museum but would love to travel to trakai, is 2D/1N sufficient?

Hi Fash, thanks for your comment! I think you would be very rushed, but if you want to sightsee in Vilnius for one day and then head to Trakai on the other, I do think it’s doable. You should be able to see the main sites in Vilnius’ Old Town in just one day if you move quickly. Hope you have a great trip!

I am going tomorrow to Vilnius for the first time and your guide is very useful! I noted the various places you wrote about 🙂 Thank you.

Glad you found the guide helpful, Missy! Hope you have a great time in Vilnius 🙂

Wow! Vilnius seem to be amazing. Added it to the list. Thanks for sharing.

Vilnius is a wonderful city to visit! I hope you are able to make it there at some point 🙂

Have been i Vilnius many times, blessed with friends who know history and architecture, as well as they love to just enjoy life! Will come again! But important to know that the rest of the country is wonderful to visit, so many well preserved manors and churches, so many charming villages . . . and museums that teach you a lot about life as it was . . .

Neringa incl Nida. Just fantastic

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Do outgoing legislators ‘shop’ for lobbying jobs in final weeks of the session?

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Departing California lawmakers don’t have to disclose that they’re looking for a new job. Ethics experts say that’s a problem.

With some of the year’s biggest decisions still pending, nearly a quarter of California’s 120 lawmakers may soon be unemployed. Many of them are thinking about their next job as the Legislature wraps up this month.

If past experience is any guide, at least one in five departing lawmakers will end up working for companies or organizations trying to influence state government. In all, 20 incumbents are leaving elected office this year and another 15 are running for other seats.

“August is kind of … the interview period,” departing Visalia Republican Assemblymember Devon Mathis told CalMatters. “You see people that are trying to shop, you know, for a third-house gig or something like that,” he said, referring to lobbying organizations.

A CalMatters review of the 180 lawmakers who left office since 2012 reveals that around 40 of them registered as lobbyists, worked as political consultants or took executive-level jobs with companies or organizations actively lobbying at the Capitol. 

Ethics experts say the prospect of current lawmakers job hunting as they’re voting on bills raises concerns that their future employers could influence their votes in the final weeks of the session.

A legislative ethics committee handout given to departing lawmakers outlines the stakes. It warns that they could face criminal charges if they “take official action in exchange for a promise of future employment (this is bribery).” It’s also illegal if they “use state resources to search for or secure outside or prospective employment.”

No disclosure requirements for job-hunting legislators

Despite the potential criminal consequences, there are no requirements for lawmakers to tell the public if they’re negotiating or actually have a new employment agreement with an outside organization trying to influence state policy.

That’s a problem, said Sean McMorris, the transparency, ethics and accountability program manager for California Common Cause . 

He said powerful and wealthy industries and advocacy organizations love hiring former lawmakers “because they already know the system, and they have access and influence to other politicians there at the Capitol.” 

He said it’s also why California, like nearly every other state , has “revolving door” rules intended to keep companies and organizations from dangling future salaries in front of lawmakers in exchange for legislative favors or state contracts.

The rules include a “cooling-off period” preventing lawmakers from directly lobbying the Legislature for at least a year after leaving office. These restrictions are intended to prevent lawmakers from using fresh insider knowledge to help their new employer game the system. 

But there’s nothing preventing a former lawmaker from taking a job at a company that’s lobbying the Legislature during their cooling-off period as long as he or she is not the one directly discussing policy with their former colleagues. 

“Providing compensated advice to a client, including a lobbyist, lobbying firm or lobbyist employer, is not prohibited so long as the former Assemblymember does not communicate with sitting legislators or legislative staff,” according to the ethics committee handout.

Plus, they can still lobby the governor’s administration and local agencies.

McMorris said it’s time to update the laws to require that lawmakers at the very least disclose when they have a new job lined up while they’re still casting votes.

“Not only would that help the public, just for transparency’s sake,” he said, “but it would also help … just to keep them honest.”

Dan Schnur, the former chairperson of the state’s ethics watchdog agency, the Fair Political Practices Commission, agreed that more transparency is needed.

“You’d hope,” he said, “there would be a way to make sure that the public did have an understanding if these types of (future employment) conversations were (happening) while the legislator was still casting votes.” 

Are outgoing lawmakers job hunting?

There are 20 incumbent legislators who will be out of a job this year because they are termed out of office, they are not seeking re-election or they ran for another office this year and lost in the March primary. Another 15 legislators are candidates for local, state or federal office including 13 on the ballot this November and two seeking statewide office in 2026.

Some might retire from public life, go back to their old careers or consider a 2026  run for another state office. Those who aren’t are probably looking for work.

Mathis is not shy about his career plans when he leaves office this year. Last month, he started a public relations firm, and he agreed to work for an energy company, Origyn International, as a “public benefit project specialist.” He said he checked with state ethics officials to make sure he wasn’t violating state laws. 

Mathis said that as a combat veteran, whose military service included logistical planning, he is a natural fit for the company that works in multiple states to build and finance infrastructure, including for public agencies. As for any potential conflicts with his current job, Mathis says there aren’t any, and there won’t be.

“My work with Origyn is more about helping communities and kind of filling in the gaps where the government doesn’t have the ability,” Mathis said. “So I don’t foresee any, you know, direct impact that would affect their business or help them.”

Origyn hasn’t taken a position on any legislation since the start of the 2023-24 legislative session, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database .

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer , a Democrat from Los Angeles, also is in need of a job after he lost a bid for an LA City Council seat in the March primary. Jones-Sawyer told CalMatters he’s not going to discuss his career with potential employers until he casts the final vote of the session.

He said his personal attorney advised him not to job hunt while still casting votes. Jones-Sawyer said it didn’t take much convincing, given what happened to Curren Price. The Los Angeles City Council member and former state senator has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in a case that included allegations Price voted for measures before the council that financially benefited his wife.

Jones-Sawyer said he could see how easily a lawmaker could get themselves in similar trouble.

“All of a sudden, they have a half-million dollar job in September,” he said. “And … the press is … speculating, ‘Well, that looks a little hinky and suspicious.’ ”

Lawmakers earn $128,215 a year , plus per diem and benefits. Lawmakers will receive their final state paycheck in late December.

Learn more about legislators mentioned in this story.

Brian Dahle

Republican, State Senate, District 1 (Redding)

Democrat, State Senate, District 3 (Napa)

Roger Niello

Republican, State Senate, District 6 (Roseville)

Anthony Portantino

Democrat, State Senate, District 25 (Glendale)

Democrat, State Assembly, District 2 (Ukiah)

Joe Patterson

Republican, State Assembly, District 5 (Rocklin)

Devon Mathis

Republican, State Assembly, District 33 (Visalia)

Wendy Carrillo

Democrat, State Assembly, District 52 (Los Angeles)

Freddie Rodriguez

Democrat, State Assembly, District 53 (Chino)

Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer

Democrat, State Assembly, District 57 (Los Angeles)

Anthony Rendon

Democrat, State Assembly, District 62 (Lakewood)

CalMatters reached out to other lawmakers who don’t have active campaigns to ask them about their career plans and how they are balancing a potential job hunt with the demands during the final weeks of the session. Here are the responses for some of them:

• A spokesperson for former Democratic Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said he has no plans to lobby and wants to spend more time with his young daughter, but didn’t go into details about Rendon’s future career aspirations.
• Ukiah Democratic Assemblymember Jim Wood “does not have any plans for what he will do after he leaves office and has postponed any discussions of that until later this fall,” said his spokesperson, Cathy Mudge.
• Republican Sen. Brian Dahle said in an interview he’s not job hunting and plans to go back to his family farm in Lassen County. But he said he was open to the eventual possibility of working for an organization that could help small businesses benefit from state policy.
• Napa Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd “plans to remain active, and expects to serve the public and his community in some way. For the remainder of his term, he’s focused on his work as a senator and delivering results for his district and California,” said spokesperson Paul Payne.
• Los Angeles Democratic Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo said in an email she hopes “to transition what I’ve learned in the Legislature as a visiting lecturer or professor in a public policy class at the university level, continue to advocate for the issues I am passionate about, and if my local state Senate office were to become available in 2026, I’m all in.” 
• Glendale Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino “has not made future plans,” said his spokesperson Lerna Kayserian Shirinian. 
• Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez , a Democrat from Chino who’s a former emergency medical technician, suggests he may take an advocacy gig. “Assemblymember Rodriguez … looks forward to using his legislative experience and chairmanship of the Assembly Emergency Management Committee to help Californians better prepare for climate change-related emergencies in any way he can,” his spokesperson, Gibson Martucci, said in an email.

How lawmakers can keep voting

Lawmakers are supposed to recuse themselves from any official actions that have “‘direct and significant’ financial impact on an entity with whom they are negotiating employment or who has made them an employment offer,” according to the ethics committee handout.

But state ethics guidelines still allow voting on bills that could benefit a prospective employer. The guidelines say lawmakers can discuss — and vote on — bills that would benefit a “significant segment” of an industry. It’s only a problem if the bill deals specifically with their would-be employer. 

So a lawmaker with a job pending at, say, a major tech company can continue to vote on legislation if it impacts all tech companies — and not just the one that’s going to be paying them.

“Not only would that help the public, just for transparency’s sake, but it would also help … just to keep them honest.” Sean McMorris, California Common Cause

No California lawmaker has been charged in recent memory with violating the rules, according to a CalMatters review. 

Still, Jones-Sawyer said the risks just aren’t worth it for him as a Black man who’s visited prisons as part of his efforts to change the justice system that disproportionately penalizes men like him.

“I don’t want to be that first one,” he said.

California’s recent lobbying defections

In 2017, the Legislature changed the one-year cooling-off period rules to also prohibit lawmakers who leave office during the middle of a two-year legislative session from lobbying the Legislature while the session is ongoing — and for a year after. 

The rule change happened after a couple of high-profile lobbying defections. 

Kern County Democrat Michael Rubio abruptly quit the state Senate in 2013 to work for Chevron, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. He later became a lobbyist for the oil company .

In 2015, Henry Perea, a Fresno Democrat, quit the Legislature to work for a pharmaceutical trade association. He went on to lobby for the Western States Petroleum Association.

More recently, Jim Frazier, a Fairfield Democrat, resigned in 2021 to take a job in the transportation sector after he served as chairperson of the Assembly Transportation Committee. He’s now a lobbyist for the Arc of California , a group that advocates for disabled people.

The most recent mid-term defection was Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, a longtime labor advocate. She left mid-session in 2022 to become the head of the California Labor Federation, one of the most influential groups in the union-friendly, Democrat-controlled Legislature. 

Gonzalez never registered as a lobbyist, and she said she never needed to.

State lobbying rules say that a legislator-turned-advocate only needs to register as a lobbyist if they “spend at least one-third of his or her compensated time in a calendar month engaging in direct communication” with legislators and their staff. Gonzalez told CalMatters she doesn’t spend nearly that much time talking to her former colleagues about policy.

She said that she also made sure not to discuss specific bills with her recent colleagues during her mandatory cooling-off period. 

“Legislators would call me and they’d be like, ‘Can I talk to you about this?’” she told Calmatters. “And I’m like, ‘Well, you can talk to me, but I can’t respond.’ ”

Gonzalez said that after the Labor Federation offered her a job, she knew she was going to leave the Assembly in July 2022, so she decided to resign in January of that year to avoid spending six months recusing herself on bills that she cared passionately about. 

Voting rules obscure formal recusals

When lawmakers do actually recuse themselves because of a conflict of interest from a potential employer — or any other reason —  there’s no easy way for the public to determine if they did.

As CalMatters reported in multiple stories this year, lawmakers regularly stay silent when it’s time to vote on bills. Not voting counts the same as a “no” vote, and lawmakers dodge thousands of controversial votes each year to avoid accountability and avoid angering colleagues or influential lobbying organizations.

The state’s official bill-tracking website only records a non-vote as “NVR,” short for “No Vote Recorded.” It’s recorded the same if a lawmaker had an excused absence or if they recuse themselves because of a conflict of interest. That includes pending job offers. 

California’s 120 legislators have recorded more than 17,000 non-votes so far this year, according to the Digital Democracy database . 

The Digital Democracy database, which uses artificial intelligence to record every word spoken in legislative hearings, could only find two examples of members discussing recusing themselves from votes on bills since 2023.

Republican Sen. Roger Niello , whose family owns car dealerships in the Sacramento area, recused himself on a 2023 bill that dealt with car dealerships . 

Assemblymember Joe Patterson , another Republican from the Sacramento region, recused himself from voting on a 2023 bill dealing with charging ports for portable electronic devices such as smartphones. Patterson’s wife works for Apple.

In both cases, the state’s official bill-tracking website recorded the recusals as NVRs.

Government ethics experts say Californians deserve more transparency. 

They argue that the public has a right to know whether their lawmakers’ non-votes represented legitimate absences, were abstentions, or they were formal recusals due to conflicts of interests, including from pending job offers. “If they conflicted out, it should be noted,” said McMorris of California Common Cause. 

Jessica Levinson , founding director of Loyola Law School’s Public Service Institute, said the public has a right to know “why their representatives aren’t weighing in.”

“Is it because they have something to do that day, because they don’t want to take a position,” she said, “or because, under the rules, they couldn’t?”

Hans Poschman and Thomas Gerrity, members of the CalMatters Digital Democracy team, contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: CalMatters staff are members of a union that’s affiliated with the California Labor Federation.

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Assessing claims about Tim Walz’s military service

Republicans are attacking the Democratic vice-presidential nominee on his retirement timing and with allegations of “stolen valor.”

When Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday introduced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, she lauded his lengthy service in the National Guard: “He is a veteran who served our nation in uniform for more than two decades as a member of the Army National Guard.” Walz played up his service, too: “For 24 years, I proudly wore the uniform of this nation. The National Guard gave me purpose.”

Since that moment, Walz’s record has been under attack by Republicans, with claims that he abandoned his troops on the eve of a deployment to Iraq and that, in an instance of “stolen valor,” inflated his credentials and wartime experience.

Here’s an assessment of those claims.

Abandonment of his troops

“When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”

— GOP vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, Wednesday

The Washington Post reported that at least three former Guard colleagues have publicly voiced bitterness at Walz’s decision to leave their unit shortly before a possible deployment to Iraq — a deployment that, because it was extended, lasted 19 months. The record shows that Walz made his decision to retire after the National Guard announced the unit might be deployed to Iraq. Walz initially issued a news release indicating he would deploy with his unit.

We constructed the following timeline from interviews, National Guard records and news reports.

April 8, 1981 — Two days after he turns 17, Walz joins the Nebraska National Guard.

1996 — Walz transfers to Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery.

September 2001 — Though Walz qualified for retirement at 20 years of service, he said in an interview for a Library of Congress oral history project that the Sept. 11 attacks persuaded him to reenlist.

Aug. 3, 2003 — Walz’s unit deploys for nine months of active duty, based in Vicenza, Italy, to support Operation Enduring Freedom, the war in Afghanistan. The troops provided security for Air Force bases in Turkey, Italy, Belgium and Britain, with some elements deployed to support stability operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, a unit history says . In the Library of Congress interview, Walz said the experience made him more politically aware.

April 2004 — Walz returns to Minnesota.

Feb. 5, 2005 — Walz, describing himself in a news release as “Mankato West High School teacher and Command Sergeant Major in the National Guard,” files paperwork saying he is exploring running for Congress.

March 17 — The National Guard announces possible partial mobilization of 2,000 troops. “The announcement from the National Guard PAO [Public Affairs Office] specified that all or a portion of Walz’s battalion could be mobilized to serve in Iraq within the next two years,” according to a March 20 news release issued by the Walz campaign. “Walz Still Planning to Run for Congress Despite Possible Call to Duty in Iraq,” the headline said.

In the news release, Walz said he “had no plans to drop out of the race.” He also said: “As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington DC or in Iraq.”

March 21 — KEYC, a radio station in North Mankato, Minn., broadcasts a report that highlighted Walz’s “unique position” in light of the National Guard announcement. “He will continue his campaign for the congressional seat, despite his possible deployment to Iraq,” the newscast said. “Walz also says if called to active duty in Iraq, his family will continue his campaign back home in Mankato.”

May 16 — The Harris campaign did not respond to a request to provide the day when Walz submitted his retirement papers, but records show this is Walz’s last day with the National Guard. He is 41. His daughter, Hope, is 4. In the Library of Congress interview, Walz said he left the Guard in April “to run for this office.” He said that “we were concerned we would try to do both” and “I decided to retire to focus full time on running.”

Maj. Gen. Randy Manner , U.S. National Guard (ret.), who oversaw overseas deployments, told The Fact Checker that it usually takes at least 90 days to process retirement requests so “60 days would be extraordinarily fast.” Manner said that the Minnesota adjutant general has the final say and could have blocked Walz’s retirement if he thought it would have had a negative impact on the possible deployment.

A former top official in the Minnesota National Guard at the time, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid being entangled in politics, told The Fact Checker that there was no consideration of blocking Walz’s retirement.

July 14 — Walz’s unit officially receives orders to deploy.

Oct. 14 — Unit is mobilized.

March 2006 — Unit deploys.

November 2006 — Walz elected to Congress.

October 2007 — Unit returns after deployment was extended.

Assessment: Walz knew that he might soon be deployed to Iraq. However, he had served nearly a quarter-century in the Guard and had already announced he was considering a congressional race. He has said he could not do both, and so chose to run for Congress. Whether he abandoned his troops is a matter of perspective, but it is noteworthy that his retirement request was not blocked.

In a statement, the Harris campaign said: “After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families.” The campaign did not respond directly to a question about the timing of his resignation and why he left.

Stolen valor claims

Republicans have cited three examples of “stolen valor” — broadly intended to mean Walz is claiming credit for something he did not achieve in the military. The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 makes it a crime to claim to be a recipient of various military medals or badges — and Walz is not accused of that.

‘Command Sergeant Major’

“Walz referred to himself as a retired command sergeant major in his run for Congress and governor. This is a lie and stolen valor.”

— Ashley Hayek, chief engagement officer, America First Policy Institute, Wednesday

Walz’s biography on his website says: “After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005.” At various times, such as in a 2006 C-SPAN interview , he described himself as a command sergeant major. Republicans say that is misleading because he is receiving retirement benefits for the rank one level below — master sergeant. That’s because he still needed additional training at the time he retired.

“He held multiple positions within field artillery such as firing battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and culminated his career serving as the command sergeant major for the battalion,” said Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, Minnesota National Guard’s state public affairs officer. “He retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.”

The Harris-Walz campaign on its website initially called Walz a “retired Command Sergeant Major” but then updated his biography to say he “served as a command sergeant major.”

Assessment: This is on the line. He did achieve the title he has claimed, for a total of seven months, but it would be more accurate to say he “served as command sergeant major” rather than claim the title outright.

Operation Enduring Freedom

“Tim Walz Falsely Claimed He Served in Afghanistan.”

— Washington Free Beacon headline, Wednesday

Walz’s deployment overseas was in support of the war in Afghanistan, dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom, Augé said, saying “the battalion supported security missions at various locations in Europe and Turkey.”

Generally, Walz makes that clear. “I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” he said in a 2007 C-SPAN interview. “My battalion provided base security throughout the European Theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan.”

But Republicans have pointed to a 2006 news release by his congressional campaign, which called him “a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom” and also a 2004 photo in which he is holding a sign saying “Enduring Freedom — Veterans for Kerry.”

Augé said Walz earned a Global War on Terrorism medal but the records are unclear on whether it was a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal or a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal . A Harris-Walz campaign aide said it was the service medal, which is for individuals who either directly or indirectly supported these designated operations: Airport security, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Assessment: This is also on the line. We can find no evidence Walz ever claimed he served in Afghanistan. He served overseas in support of the Afghanistan war, but sometimes his phrasing might mislead people into thinking he was an Afghanistan veteran.

Carrying weapons

“Well, I wonder. Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?”

— Vance, Wednesday

The Harris campaign circulated a 2018 clip of Walz arguing in support of gun restrictions. “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at,” he said.

There is no evidence that Walz served in combat — and he has not claimed he did. He did receive ribbons for proficiency in sharpshooting and hand grenades, according to military records obtained through an open records request by MPR News .

“In his 24 years of service, the governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times,” a Harris-Walz campaign aide said. “Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.” The aide did not address his use of the phrase “in war.”

On Friday, after this fact check first appeared online, campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa told The Post that “the governor misspoke” in his remarks. “He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them.”

Assessment: Walz’s language was sloppy and false. He did carry weapons of war — just not in war.

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Walz in the National Guard: A Steady Rise Ending With a Hard Decision

In a military career that spanned three decades, Tim Walz achieved one of the highest enlisted ranks in the Army. Some peers took issue with the timing of his retirement.

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By Thomas Gibbons-Neff John Ismay and Kate Selig

In the 1980s, the U.S. military was in the middle of a transformation. The Vietnam War was over, and a force once staffed with drafted troops who had fought and died in the jungles of Southeast Asia was transitioning to ranks filled solely with volunteers.

In Nebraska, Tim Walz was one of those volunteers.

Mr. Walz, now Minnesota governor and the presumptive Democratic candidate for vice president, raised his hand to join the Army National Guard just two days past his 17th birthday on April 8, 1981. In a career in the military that spanned three decades, he battled floods, managed an artillery unit and achieved one of the highest enlisted ranks in the Army. He also navigated a full-time job teaching social studies alongside his part-time military occupation as an enlisted combat arms soldier, a role that trained him for war.

Mr. Walz never went to war. Most of his service covered a period when America was bruised from foreign entanglements and wary of sending troops into combat overseas for long stretches. And it ended when Mr. Walz was 41, as the military ramped up for war after Sept. 11.

Since being picked as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate this week, he has found himself facing allegations previously aired by Minnesota Republicans and newly amplified by JD Vance, former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate.

Those criticisms center on Mr. Walz’s decision to retire from the Army in 2005, the year before his artillery battalion deployed to Iraq. He was thinking seriously about a run for Congress and spoke with other soldiers about being torn between his loyalty to his fellow troops and his desire to move on with his life. At the time, there were vague expectations that the unit might deploy, but actual orders came several months later.

The unit deployed to Iraq for more than one year beginning in 2006. During that time, soldiers in the unit provided security for transportation convoys and other tasks common in a combat zone.

Supporters say he served honorably for 24 years and had long since earned the right to retire from the Guard when he chose.

“In talking with him, it was a hard decision,” said Joseph Eustice, a soldier who served under Mr. Walz until his departure. “The guy I knew in the Guard, I’d walk through a wall for.”

But Thomas Behrends, a retired command sergeant major in his Guard unit, took Mr. Walz’s place for the Iraq deployment and said Mr. Walz was a “sell out” to his unit. “Whatever reason he had, he’s never explained it,” said Mr. Behrends, who wrote an editorial in 2018 speaking out against Mr. Walz during his campaign for governor.

In 2006, when Mr. Walz first ran for Congress, one critic who served in the Minnesota National Guard claimed that he was misleading people into thinking his record included a combat deployment. Mr. Walz pushed back strongly.

“There’s a code of honor among those who’ve served, and normally this type of partisan political attack comes only from one who’s never worn a uniform,” Mr. Walz wrote that year in a letter to the editor of The Winona Daily News, a newspaper in the district.

Even his most vocal opponents in the Guard agree that Mr. Walz was a respected soldier — someone who did his job dependably and could be counted on to take care of his troops.

Mr. Walz was drawn to the military the same way many Americans are: It was a family business. His father was a veteran, and his older sister had joined the military three years before him. His father died of lung cancer soon after Mr. Walz enlisted.

“I think it was instilled in us. It was just something that I think was more of an expectation,” Mr. Walz said in a 2009 Library of Congress interview. “I never really thought of a time when I wouldn’t join some branch.”

On the day he enlisted, the 17-year-old Walz was picked up after a high school track practice. After going to a nearby town, passing cornfields and flat roads, he met a lieutenant in charge of the local Guard unit. From there, he said in the 2009 interview, his 24 years of military service began.

Mr. Walz’s first job in the Nebraska Guard was in the infantry. In the 1980s, that meant Private Walz quickly learned how to fire an M16 and shoot, move and communicate in small units as he completed his training between junior and senior year of high school at Fort Benning in Georgia.

With the threat of war with the Soviet Union still present, Army recruiting commercials highlighted a modernizing American military: Newly formed Ranger units descended from Black Hawk helicopters and Apache gunships buzzed the ground, all with the Army’s famous motto “Be all you can be” blaring in the background.

As Mr. Walz climbed through the lower enlisted ranks, he bounced around the Midwest and the South, taking jobs in Texas and Arkansas before settling on his career path as a teacher. He figured that teaching left ample room in his schedule to train with the Guard. Those requirements frequently called on those in the Guard to show up for one weekend a month and a few weeks a year (sometimes in the summer months and sometimes for longer stretches of time).

“For many of us in the National Guard, there was an awful lot of teachers,” Mr. Walz said in the Library of Congress interview. “It was a very compatible profession. It felt like there was a lot of crossover and skill sets that worked there.”

Throughout the 1990s Mr. Walz performed the standard duties called upon by National Guard units — flood cleanup and recoveries from forest fires and tornadoes. In 1996 he changed jobs from the infantry to artillery and joined 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery in the Minnesota National Guard after he married and moved to Mankato, Minn. A year later he was in Norway on a training exercise.

“He was a good soldier,” said Bill Kautt who was Mr. Walz’s battalion commander during the short deployment to Norway. “I think he was a respected member of the Guard and he did his job.”

Mr. Walz was the chief of one of the unit’s howitzer batteries and joined the exercise as the battalion’s operations sergeant in the command group and worked closely with Mr. Kautt. In their downtime, he recalled connecting with Sergeant Walz as both were social studies teachers at the time. And, they both coached school athletic teams.

“I was very impressed with him,” Mr. Kautt said. “I would consider him energetic. He was dependable and he was willing to do whatever we asked him to do.”

But his time in an artillery unit came at a cost to his health, despite not seeing combat. The deafening booms and shock waves from howitzer barrels and their projectiles, which sound like freight trains as they fly overhead, left Mr. Walz with hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, according to a 2018 report from Minnesota Public Radio . In 2005 he underwent corrective surgery to alleviate the problem, the report said.

As Mr. Walz navigated the duties, training and health issues common in any military unit, especially those in combat arms like field artillery, he managed to keep his dual roles — soldier and teacher — separate.

“He was a coach and a teacher first,” said Noah Hobbs, a student of Mr. Walz in 2005 at Mankato West High School. He added that Mr. Walz did not boast about his military service, nor bring it up frequently in the classroom.

But the fact that Mr. Walz was in the military was common knowledge among the student body.

Mr. Walz’s relatively peaceful time in uniform — having never been deployed as part of operations in Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989 or the Gulf War in 1990 — changed on Sept. 11, 2001, when the terrorist group Al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and Pennsylvania during a brazen strike on American soil.

Emily Falenczykowski-Scott, 41, saw the attack unfold on a television in the lobby of Mankato West High School and remembers Mr. Walz running by. He stopped when he saw her. “Emily, thousands of people have already died. This is war,” she recalled him saying.

In the twilight of his time in the Guard, before he retired in 2005 to run for Congress, Mr. Walz deployed to Vicenza, Italy in 2003. His artillery battalion was charged with guarding entry control points at Air Force bases that were supporting the war in Afghanistan as U.S. forces sought to capture or kill Al Qaeda’s leadership there.

After that deployment ended in 2004, Mr. Walz made the decision to leave the Guard as he considered the run for Congress and as rumors swirled about a potential deployment to Iraq. He had been promoted to command sergeant major — a rank few soldiers reach.

But in the end, he retired as a master sergeant because he never completed the coursework — which would have taken 664 hours online and 86 hours in person to complete — required to keep the rank of sergeant major.

Republicans have accused Mr. Walz of inflating his credentials, reviving a dispute from his past political campaigns over which designations Mr. Walz should be entitled to use as his exit rank.

On the Harris campaign site, he is described as a “master sergeant.” But on his governor’s page bio , he has kept the mention of “Command Sergeant Major.”

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of people killed on Sept. 11 in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. It was nearly 3,000, not more than 3,000. The article also misspelled the last name of a retired command sergeant major who served in Tim Walz’s Guard unit. He is Thomas Behrends, not Behrands.

How we handle corrections

Thomas Gibbons-Neff is a Ukraine correspondent and a former Marine infantryman. More about Thomas Gibbons-Neff

John Ismay is a reporter covering the Pentagon for The Times. He served as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy. More about John Ismay

Kate Selig is a Times national reporter and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their career. More about Kate Selig

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