1 destination · 10 things to do

Lithuania

Vilnius is the quiet surprise of the Baltic capitals: a Baroque city of church towers and courtyards, laid out on hills where the Vilnia meets the Neris, with one of the largest surviving old towns in this part of Europe. For five centuries it was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and you can read that story from Cathedral Square, where the white neoclassical cathedral, its free-standing bell tower and the rebuilt Palace of the Grand Dukes sit beneath the red-brick Gediminas Tower on its hill. Below the cathedral lie crypts of bishops and rulers; across the little Vilnia, the self-declared Republic of Užupis has its own constitution on a street wall. Beyond the city, the red island castle of Trakai floats on Lake Galvė, a forest sculpture park marks the centre of Europe and the Hill of Crosses holds thousands of crosses planted by pilgrims. This guide books the tickets worth booking, points you to the free sights that matter most, and matches you to the right hotel, from a Baroque palace on Didžioji Street to a good-value base by the station.