Lithuania
Vilnius
A baroque capital of church domes and hidden courtyards, with its own breakaway republic of artists across the river.
Vilnius is Lithuania's capital, set among wooded hills where the little Vilnia river meets the Neris. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town is one of the largest in eastern Europe, a maze of baroque church fronts, Gothic brick and arched passages into hidden courtyards, watched over by Gediminas Tower on Castle Hill. Layered on top is a long and mixed past as a Grand Duchy capital, a great centre of Jewish learning and a Soviet city, alongside a young, creative present best seen in the self-declared artists' republic of Užupis.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Lithuanian
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Vilnius
The Old Town baroque church fronts, Gothic brick and archways into quiet courtyards, spread over one of eastern Europe's largest old towns
Užupis a riverside artists' quarter that declared itself a republic, its tongue-in-cheek constitution posted on a wall in dozens of languages
Hilltop views Gediminas Tower and the Hill of Three Crosses look over red roofs and church towers to the forest at the city's edge
Food cepelinai dumplings, bright pink cold beetroot soup and Karaim pastries, at prices well below western Europe's capitals
Best time to visit
May-Sep
17-24° days
54.687° N, 25.283° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Vilnius
whenywhere contains ads and partner links that we think are helpful and that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Weather & when to go to Vilnius
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best May-Sep
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Vilnius
November to March is cold and dark, with short days, frost and snow or slush. December still brings the lit tree and Christmas market to Cathedral Square, and early March the St Casimir's craft fair fills the Old Town streets, but come for those, not the weather. April and October are cool shoulder months.
Top things to do in Vilnius
-
Vilnius Old Town - baroque lanes and courtyards
history culture arts 👍 PopularWalk Pilies street to the Town Hall square, then duck through archways into courtyards most visitors miss. Literatų street's wall of small artworks honours writers linked to the city.
-
Cathedral Square and the Palace of the Grand Dukes
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe white neoclassical cathedral and its freestanding bell tower anchor the city's main square. Behind it, the rebuilt royal palace tells the story of the Grand Duchy, with excavated foundations below.
-
Gediminas Tower - Castle Hill and the view
history scenic 👍 PopularThe red-brick tower of the Upper Castle is the city's symbol. Walk up or ride the short funicular for the classic view over Old Town roofs, spires and the Neris.
-
Gates of Dawn - the chapel above the gate
history culture artsThe last surviving gate of the old city wall holds a chapel with a revered painting of the Virgin Mary, visible from the street through the window and a pilgrimage site for Catholics and Orthodox alike.
-
St Anne's Church - Gothic in brick
history culture artsA flamboyant late-Gothic facade of shaped red brick, which Napoleon is said to have wished he could carry back to Paris. The larger Bernardine church stands just behind it.
-
Vilnius University - courtyards and St John's Church
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedOne of the oldest universities in this part of Europe, founded by the Jesuits, with a run of arcaded courtyards, a frescoed old library and the tall baroque bell tower of St John's.
-
Užupis - the artists' republic
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedCross the Vilnia into a quarter of studios, galleries and cafes that declared itself a republic as an art joke. Find the bronze angel on its column and the constitution plaques on Paupio street.
-
Church of St Peter and St Paul - the white stucco interior
culture arts historyA short walk or ride east in Antakalnis, this plain-fronted church hides an astonishing all-white interior of thousands of carved stucco figures, saints, battles and beasts.
-
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights - the former KGB building
historyThe headquarters of the Soviet secret police now tells the story of occupation and resistance, and visitors can walk through the basement cells. A sobering, essential visit for the twentieth century.
-
Jewish Vilnius - the old quarter and the Vilna Gaon museum
history culture artsVilnius was once called the Jerusalem of Lithuania. Walk the streets of the former ghetto around Žydų street, and visit the Vilna Gaon Jewish history museum's exhibitions on the community and its fate.
-
Hill of Three Crosses and Kalnų park
scenic nature wildlifeWooded hills above the Vilnia, crowned by three white concrete crosses, give the widest view back over the Old Town and are a favourite sunset walk.
-
Halės market and Lithuanian food
foodThe old covered market is the place for smoked meats, cheeses and rye bread. Around town, try cepelinai, pink šaltibarščiai cold beetroot soup in summer and kibinai pastries.
-
Hot-air balloon over the Old Town
scenic adventureVilnius is one of the few capitals where balloons regularly drift over the historic centre, and summer evenings often see several over the rooftops. Flights depend on calm weather.
Best areas to stay in Vilnius
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Old Town (Senamiestis)
First-time visitors $$Baroque churches, cobbles and courtyards
Explore hotels in Old Town (Senamiestis) →
Užupis
Couples and creatives $$Bohemian riverside quarter of studios
Explore hotels in Užupis →
Gediminas Avenue (city centre)
Comfort and shopping $$$Grand boulevard of shops and hotels
Explore hotels in Gediminas Avenue (city centre) →
Žvėrynas
Quiet and green $$Leafy wooden villas across the Neris
Explore hotels in Žvėrynas →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Vilnius
Getting to & around Vilnius
Getting there
Fly into Vilnius Airport, about 6 km south of the centre, or arrive by train or coach at the side-by-side stations
Flight
Vilnius International Airport (VNO)
A short train runs from beside the terminal to the central railway station in about 10 minutes, city buses reach the centre in around 20-30, and a taxi or ride-hail reaches the Old Town in about 15-20 minutes.
Train
Vilnius railway station
Frequent trains from Kaunas and Klaipėda, plus international rail connections towards Poland and Latvia
Coach
Vilnius bus station
International coaches from Riga, Tallinn and Warsaw, and domestic coaches nationwide; the bus station faces the railway station, a short walk from the Old Town
Getting around
Walking
The Old Town, Užupis and Gediminas Avenue are all walkable; expect cobbles and a climb to the castle hills
Free
Bus and trolleybus
A dense network reaches Antakalnis, Žvėrynas, the stations and the airport
TBC
Taxi and ride-hailing
App-booked rides are the usual way to get a car and are cheap by European standards
TBC
Bike and scooter
Shared bikes and e-scooters are common, with a riverside path along the Neris
TBC
Day trips from Vilnius
Trakai
Half dayIsland castle and lakes
A red-brick Gothic castle on an island in Lake Galvė, reached by a footbridge, in a lake district made for boating. The town's Karaim community is known for kibinai pastries.
Getting there
train | bus
About 30-40 min by train or bus west
Kernavė
Half dayHillforts and archaeology
A UNESCO-listed archaeological site of five grassy hillforts above the Neris valley, once an early Lithuanian capital, with a museum of finds below.
Getting there
car | tour
About 45 min by car north-west
Kaunas
Full daySecond city
Lithuania's interwar capital, with a compact old town and castle where two rivers meet, a long pedestrian boulevard and an unusually rich stock of 1930s modernist buildings.
Getting there
train | bus
About 1-1.5 hr by train or bus west
Europos Parkas
Half daySculpture park
An open-air museum of large contemporary sculptures set in forest and meadow, not far from one of the points claimed as the geographical centre of Europe.
Getting there
car | bus
About 30 min by car north
Paneriai Memorial
Half dayHolocaust memorial
A memorial and small museum in the forest where the city's Jews and others were murdered during the German occupation. A quiet, sombre visit.
Getting there
train | walk
About 20 min by train south-west, then a walk through the forest
A little history of Vilnius
Legend says Grand Duke Gediminas dreamed of an iron wolf howling on the hill above the river and founded a city there; his letters of 1323 are the first written record of Vilnius. As capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, once one of Europe's largest states, it grew into a city of Catholics, Orthodox, Jews, Tatars and Karaim, and its Jesuit university and baroque churches date from the centuries of union with Poland. It was also a world centre of Jewish learning, home of the eighteenth-century scholar known as the Vilna Gaon.
Russia took the city in the partitions of the late eighteenth century. Between the world wars it was held by Poland while Kaunas served as Lithuania's capital. German occupation in 1941 destroyed the Jewish community, and from 1944 Vilnius was the capital of Soviet Lithuania. In 1990 Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare its independence restored, and the Old Town has since been restored around its churches and courtyards.
Letters of Grand Duke Gediminas give the first written record of Vilnius as his capital
Lithuania adopts Christianity and Vilnius receives town rights
The Jesuit academy that becomes Vilnius University is founded
The city passes to the Russian Empire in the final partition of Poland-Lithuania
Poland takes the city, which stays Polish until 1939 while Kaunas serves as Lithuania's capital
German forces occupy the city; its Jewish community is confined to ghettos and almost entirely murdered
The Red Army takes Vilnius, which becomes capital of Soviet Lithuania
Lithuania declares the restoration of its independence
The Old Town is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+370
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Vilnius
▸ When is the best time to visit Vilnius?
May to September is the time to go, with warm days, long light evenings and cafe terraces spilling into the Old Town lanes. April and October are cool shoulder months. November to March is cold and dark, though December brings the Christmas tree and market to Cathedral Square.
▸ How many days do I need in Vilnius?
Two days covers the Old Town, Cathedral Square, Gediminas Tower and Užupis. Allow three or four to add the KGB museum, the Church of St Peter and St Paul and a day trip to Trakai.
▸ What is the Republic of Užupis?
An art-world joke that stuck: the riverside quarter declared itself an independent republic, with its own constitution, flag and celebrations. Its constitution's playful articles, such as a right to be happy and a cat's duty to love its owner, are posted on a wall in many languages.
▸ Is Vilnius expensive?
No, by European capital standards it is good value. Eating out, public transport and taxis cost noticeably less than in western Europe or the Nordic countries, though restaurants on the main Old Town streets charge more than those a few blocks away.
▸ Is Trakai worth a day trip from Vilnius?
Yes. The island castle on Lake Galvė is the most visited sight outside the capital, and the train or bus makes it an easy half day. Go early on summer weekends, when it gets busy, and stay for kibinai and a walk or boat on the lakes.
▸ What languages are spoken in Vilnius?
Lithuanian is the official language. English is widely spoken by younger people and in tourism, and Russian and Polish are also commonly understood, reflecting the city's history.
More in Lithuania
Curonian Spit (Nida)
Some of the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe, on a strip of land narrow enough to cross on foot.
✓ best Apr-SepKaunas
The interwar stand-in capital whose modernist streets earned a UNESCO listing.
✓ best May-SepKlaipeda
A former Prussian port with a five-minute ferry to the Curonian Spit.
✓ best May-Sep