20 Best things to do in Vilnius
In June 2022 we made a 2-week road trip in the Baltic States. We started in Vilnius (Lithuania), rented a car, and explored as much as we could on the way to Tallinn (Estonia) while stopping by Latvia.
Vilnius was our first stop, and it was a great start in this trip. Vilnius is Lithuania’s capital and has a beautiful baroque architecture in its old medieval town. But buildings lining in this part of town reflects diverse styles and eras, from the neoclassical Vilnius Cathedral to Gothic St. Anne’s Church.
It is a small capital and we spent 2 nights there which gave us plenty of time to explore it. We started by exploring its old town as we arrived in the afternoon. The next morning, we discovered some more of its beauty and in the afternoon, we visited the magnificent Trakai Castle.
If you too are planning a trip to the Baltic states and to Vilnius, then let ‘s dive in these 20 Best things to do in Vilnius.
Table of Contents
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Getting to Vilnius
Getting to Vilnius is quite easy, you can simply fly directly to its international import. Most of the main European cities have direct connection to Vilnius. We personally arrived from Frankfurt airport directly to Vilnius. If you are coming from outside the EU, you can fly to one of EU’s main airports and connect to Vilnius. From the airport, you can either rent a car (which we strongly advise to explore the Baltic states) or take a bus (if you only plan on staying in Vilnius).
There are 4 buses from/to Vilnius Airport: 88, 1, 2 run every 20-30 minutes. 3G runs every 10 minutes. The 88N bus runs throughout the night from 22:30 to 5:30, every 30 minutes
If you are coming from a nearby countries, there are also direct buses to Vilnius. And if you come from Germany or Scandinavia, you can even consider taking a ferry to Klaipeda and from there drive or take a bus to the city.
Moving Around Vilnius
Once you are in the city center, everything can be reach by walking. As mentioned earlier, it is a small city. Only one attraction which is the Trakai island castle will required to take a car or to use public transportation to reach.
By car, it takes only 30min to reach. But if you prefer public transportation:
- Direct train from Vilnius train station to Trakai train station. There are 11 trains per day, and it takes 33min and cost 1.8€ pp. It is also better to directly buy you return ticket directly to get a small discount. and once there you have another 2.8km to walk to reach the castle by the main road or around 4km by the lake side. You can check out more here: https://ltglink.lt/
- Direct bus from Vilnius bus station. It cost 2€ pp and there are around 50 times a day every 10-20min. Once there, you will also have to walk around 2.3km to reach the castle. Check-out more here: https://www.autobusubilietai.lt/
When to Visit Vilnius
You can visit Vilnius all year round but be aware that temperature varies from the extreme 30°C in summer to freezing -25°C in winter. Also, the length of the day varies a lot from 4h in winter to almost 18h in summer.
The touristic season is mostly July and August and is made of local tourism. Vilnius and generally the Baltic states are not the most touristic countries in the world nor in EU.
The best time to visit it in term of weather are from May to September but we would without a doubt recommend June as the best month to visit it. Out of 16 days in the Baltic states, we only got 2 of them with rain. It wasn’t yet too hot and wasn’t too cold and really enjoyed it.
Where to Stay in Vilnius
- (€): Mikalo House
- (€€): Uptown apartments
- (€€€): Hotel PACAI
We personally stayed at Uptown apartments, and it was great. Right next to a supermarket, 10min walking to the old town of Vilinius. Parking in the basement and spacious apartment.
What to Eat
We found 3 authentic places that deserved to be tried out:
- Pirmas Blynas: a must to do in town, a social crepes restaurant located in an old church in the Old Town of Vilnius. Food was delicious, the places amazing and the service is done by people with disabilities.
- RoseHip Vegan Bistro: Great food right next to the old town. With lots of vegan options.
- Alaus Biblioteka | Beer Library: A super cool place with lots of beer to try in a library. Great for a drink as it is quite pricy.
If you are more interested in the local food (Lithuanian cuisine), you can try to find the following:
- Zeppelins: potato dumplings filled with pork and served in a sour cream and bacon sauce
- Beetroot Soup
- Potato Pancakes
- Kibinai: hand pies with a soft crust filled with meat, vegetables, cheese curd…
Best things to do in Vilnius
Vilnius Old Town
Vilnius old town is where all the action will take place. You can just hang around the old town and get out of the main streets to discover really cute smaller one. The old town of Vilnius is Europe’s largest Baroque old town and is a UNESCO monument since 1994. It is quite easy to spend a few hours in it as there are over 3.5km² over 70 streets.
Town Hall Square
Within the old town is the Town Hall square which was the main marketplace of the city for century. It is the heart of the old town and is surrounded by multi-colored 17th and 18th-century townhouses as well as many cafes, bars and restaurants.
Church of St. Theresa
From the old Town Hall square, you can walk up to the splendid St. Theresa church, a roman catholic church completed in 1650. Both interior and exterior are quite nice to visit.
In the end of the church is located a small chapel that stands on top of the gate of dawn.
Gates of Dawn
And right after St Theresa church, you will find the gate of dawn. The last remaining gate of Vilnius 16th century walls. Carmelite monks from St. Theresa’s Church built a chapel inside the gate in the second half of the 17th century. This chapel is quite unique as it displays lots of hearts on all its walls.
Lietuvos staciatikiu arkivyskupija
This Orthodox church was an unexpected discovery for us. As we were walking away from the gate of Dawn, we popped in it by chance. A ceremony was taking place in it. But what made it appear on these 20 Best things to do in Vilnius is its magnificent interior.
For us, this was the end of our first day in Vilnius. We then headed for a drink at Alaus Biblioteka and then to RoseHip Vegan Bistro for a yummy dinner while enjoying the trolleybus of Vilnius.
Užupis
Early morning, you can start by visiting Užupis, a kind of bohemian district filled with street arts located right behind the river. By the way, the name Užupis translates to “beyond the river”.
Fun fact is that this district declared itself an independent republic in 1997 (The Republic of Užupis), with its own flag, unofficial currency, president, cabinet of ministers, a constitution written by Romas Lileikis and Tomas Čepaitis, an anthem, and an army of approximately 11 men since then retired.
St. Anne's Church
From Užupis, you can cross back the river and head for St. Anne’s church, our favourite church in town due to its amazing architecture.
The church is a Roman Catholic one and is a prominent example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles
Finished in 1500 and according to a well-known legend, Emperor Napoleon, after seeing the church during the Franco-Russian War in 1812, expressed a wish to carry the church home with him to Paris ‘in the palm of his hand’.
Bernardine Garden
Behind the church is located a small yet cute garden where you can stroll around. The park dates back to the 15th century.
It is a cool place to take a small break, play chest or even look some ducks messing around.
Three Crosses Monument
Time to get some impressive view of Vilnius. After a 15min walk up some stairs, you can arrive at the Three Crosses Monument from the Bernadine Garden.
7 Franciscan friars were beheaded there. Wooden crosses have been there since the early 17th century, and they became a symbol of the city. As the wood rotted in 1916, a concrete monument was designed. But it was torn down in 1950 by order of the Soviet authorities. A new monument designed was erected in its place in 1989.
Gediminas Castle Tower
Down the Three Crosses Monument, you can walk to the Gediminas Castle Tower. The castle is a ruin that cannot be visited, but the tower built in 1409 can be visited as it houses a museum exhibiting archaeological findings from the hill and the surrounding areas.
Personally, we just went on the huge square/platform in front of it. Which offers pretty much the same view as the top of the tower.
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
This 17th century Baroque style palace was constructed for the grand Dukes and now serves as a museum showcasing pieces of the original castle and palace ruins and some of the most significant archaeological finds.
You can either simply walk around it while exploring the city of visit it.
Cathedral Square
Cathedral square is another main square of Vilnius and is where the city started to emerge in the medieval time. The square is home to the statue of Gediminas, former Grand Duke of Lithuania and legendary founder of Vilnius. But also, to the cathedral and its bell tower.
One of the tiles there is called the Miracle tile and is beautifully decorated. On it the word “stebuklas” (“miracle”). On August 23, 1989, 2 million people joined hands across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to make the longest ever unbroken human chain (600 km) to protest Soviet occupation and demonstrating a desire for independence.
Vilnius Cathedral
The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania. Erected in 1783 it doesn’t look alike other cathedrals.
One interesting fact is that its bell tower is not in it but next to it.
Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
A nice stop to make while strolling around Vilnius is the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania where the president is actually living. Over the years, the Presidential Palace has hosted numerous high-ranking dignitaries, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Tsar Alexander I.
You can explore and sit in its garden and if your timing is right, you can even see soldiers where medieval armour starting their duty and tour.
Church of St. Johns
Church of St. Johns is actually within the Vilnius university and can unfortunately only be visited with a small fee. The place has a nice inner courtyard.
Pilies Street
Pilies Street is a cute, cobbled street in Vilnius old town. It is a rather a short street, running from Cathedral Square to the Town Hall Square.
Literatų gatvė
Another of Vilnius cute street. It is noticeable due to its arts as it serves as an open-air gallery. Made in 2008, it pays tribute to local and foreign poets as well as writers with connections to Lithuania through funky paintings, sculptures, and mixed media art.
Gediminas Avenue
If you want a more modern visit of Vilnius, you can head to Gediminas Avenue, the main commercial street in town.
Frank Zappa
A less touristic things to do, is to walk by the Frank Zappa Statue, a Californian rock legend. A group of local artists wanted to challenge the newly formed democracy of Lithuania and decided to build this statue as a test.
One other nice thing to see right before the statue is a roof with all religious logo on it.
Trakai Island caste
One of our favourite things to do in Vilnius was actually around Vilnius. Trakai is a small fishermen town 30km from Vilnius and is also home to a magnificent island castle that stands on Lake Galvė.
By car, you will need a good 3 to 4h to really enjoy the place. You can visit the castle for 8 to 12€ (depending on the season). Which is totally worth it as you get to walk in a beautiful monument with an interesting museum.
You can then stroll around town and the old fishermen houses and our top things to do there is a picnic by the lake.
More things to do in Vilnius
If you want more things to do in Vilnius, you can consider:
- The Museum of Occupation and Freedom Fights
- Church of Sts. Peter and Paul
- Antakalnis Cemetery
- National Museum of Lithuania
- TV Tower
An amazing 2-day Vilnius Itinerary
Day 1: Afternoon/Evening
- Start by visiting Vilnius Old Town
- Stroll to the Town Hall Square
- Visit the Church of St. Theresa
- Stop at the Gates of Dawn
- Discover the Lietuvos staciatikiu arkivyskupija
- Drinks at the beer library
- Diner at Hip vegan bistrot
Day 2:
- Start early morning at Užupis
- Take a shot at St. Anne’s Church
- Walk in the Bernardine Garden
- Hike to the Three Crosses Monument
- Hike down and up to Gediminas Castle Tower
- Walk along the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
- Stop at the Cathedral Square
- Visit the Vilnius Cathedral
- Walk on Pilies Street
- Make a break at the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
- Pop by the Church of St. Johns
- See some art at Literatų gatvė
- Lunch at Pirmas Blynas
- Walk along the Gediminas Avenue
- Discover the Frank Zappa
Day 2: End of afternoon
- Drive to Trakai
- Visit the Trakai Island caste
- Stroll around town
- Diner by the lake
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Man visa tai graikiška – It’s all Greek to me
Get our full Baltic States Map
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