Vilna

14 Dec Vilnius

The magnifiscent city of Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. It is located in the southeast part of Lithuania and with its appr. 540,000 residents it is second largest city of the Baltic states.

Vilnius has been the power center since the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and has growth and fortified through the days of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russian regime. The city has been vivid since its founding in 12th century and it has peculiar architectural diversity, with Baroque here is preserved also Gothic, Renaissance and Neoclassical buildings together with the hideous Soviet architecture.

Vilna-skyline

What to do and see in Vilnius

Užupis

This boheme district partially within the Old Town have been inhabited by artists and counterculture people since Soviet era and in 1997 it declared itself as a quasi-autonomic ”republic” with its own constitution, flag, president and the minister cabinet – the constitution includes articles such ”A dog has the right to be a dog.” and ”Everyone has the right to love and take care of a cat.”. In Uzupis can feel artistic atmosphere and relaxed atmosphere in every step.

Old town

The Old Town of Vilnius has been listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1994 and it is greate place for history-lovers and sightseeing walk enthusiasts. Its main hub Pilies Street is known for its cafés and street markets. Here is Gothic Church of St. Anne, National Museum and the Neo-Classical cathedral of the city.

The gate of dawn

Gate of Dawn is the only one preserved of 9 defensive gates of Vilnius built in 1503-1522 and it was the tallest. It is one of the most important religious and cultural monuments of Lithuania. It has a remarkable chapel, which is well-known for its The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy miracle painting.

Shopping

 

  • Akropolis is a huge shopping center including shops which cannot be found anywhere else in Lithuania. The services also include an ice-skating track, a bowling hall, a cinema, a 5D cinema and a casino. There are several restaurants as well.
  • In the shopping center Europa with three floors, located north of the river, there are clothing shops, a gym and some restaurants. From the small shop Narvesen you can buy several international newspapers.
  • The fabulous and small shopping mall GO9 is a glorious building worth of visiting even if you are not going for shopping. It was built in 1948, and the first nightclub of the city was located there. During the Soviet period, the offices of several newspapers worked there.
  • IKI is a shopping mall with three floors, from which can be found a supermarket at ground floor, a handful of outlet shops downstairs and fashion outlets, a shoe shop and a couple of restaurants upstairs.
  • The shopping mall Ozas is full of different shops and several restaurants. From the selections can be found everything from fashion clothes to food. There is a large Prisma supermarket as well.
  • From the cosy shopping center Panorama in the suburb of Žvėrynas can be found retail outlets, entertainment spots and restaurants as well as the first go-carting center of the country.
Mar 29, 2024 - Fri
Vilna, Liettua
broken clouds
10°C broken clouds
Wind 5 m/s, S
Humidity 93%
Pressure 746.31 mmHg

Top 5 Vilnius

  1. Old Town street markets
  2. Uzupis
  3. Vilnius TV Tower
  4. Gediminas Tower
  5. Church of St. Anne in the Old Town

How to get in Vilnius

Basic RGBVilnius has an international airport. Bus routes 1, 2, 88 and 3G goes to city centre from the airport.

 Basic RGBLietuvos Gelezinkeliai trains operate from the airport to main station for ~1€. Train timetables are visible here

bussiEurolines and Ecolines operate bus service between Vilnius and Kaunas, Kaliningrad, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Warsaw. Also Lux Express operates from various cities to Vilnius.

How to get around in Vilnius?

 

There is are large bus and trolley bus network in the city. The traffic starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. Night buses operate on Friday and Saturday nights up to 3 a.m., as well as on New Year´s Eve and some other special occasions. You can buy the ticket from a kiosk or from the driver. Taxi is an alternative, because it is cheap especially if you order it in advance by phone or via an app. Cycling is also possible, because there are lots of cycle paths. You can rent a bicycle from Baltic Cycle.