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.
Vilnius Old Town and the Gate of Dawn
A UNESCO-listed Baroque old town of church domes, arcaded courtyards and crooked lanes, running from Cathedral Square down Pilies and Didžioji streets to the Gate of Dawn. Free to wander and the heart of any visit.
Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower
The free-standing bell tower on Cathedral Square, built on a defensive tower of the old castle, with a climb up past the bells to a view over the Old Town roofs, the cathedral and Gediminas Hill.
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
The rebuilt royal palace behind the cathedral, a national museum that takes you from the archaeological remains of the Lower Castle up to reconstructed Renaissance and Baroque state rooms. The best single museum in Vilnius.
Gediminas Castle Tower and Hill
The red-brick tower of the Upper Castle on its wooded hill above Cathedral Square, flying the Lithuanian flag, with a small museum and a 360-degree panorama. Walk up or take the funicular.
FreeA UNESCO-listed Baroque old town of church domes, arcaded courtyards and crooked lanes, running from Cathedral Square down Pilies and Didžioji streets to the Gate of Dawn. Free to wander and the heart of any visit.
The white neoclassical cathedral on Cathedral Square is free to enter, but the real story lies underneath: a guided tour of the crypts, with medieval chambers, the burial places of bishops and rulers and archaeological finds.
The free-standing bell tower on Cathedral Square, built on a defensive tower of the old castle, with a climb up past the bells to a view over the Old Town roofs, the cathedral and Gediminas Hill.
The rebuilt royal palace behind the cathedral, a national museum that takes you from the archaeological remains of the Lower Castle up to reconstructed Renaissance and Baroque state rooms. The best single museum in Vilnius.
The red-brick tower of the Upper Castle on its wooded hill above Cathedral Square, flying the Lithuanian flag, with a small museum and a 360-degree panorama. Walk up or take the funicular.
A museum of sacred art in the Renaissance Church of St Michael the Archangel, best known for the gold and silver of the Vilnius Cathedral treasury, hidden away before the Second World War and rediscovered decades later.
The bohemian quarter across the Vilnia River that declared itself an independent republic as an artistic joke, with its own constitution on a street wall, a bronze angel, galleries and riverside cafés. Free and full of character.
A red-brick Gothic castle on an island in Lake Galvė, reached by wooden footbridges, about half an hour from Vilnius. The classic Lithuanian day trip, with a guided tour from the city and castle admission on Tiqets.
A sculpture park in the forest north of Vilnius, close to the geographic centre of Europe, with more than ninety large works of contemporary art set among trails, hills and springs. A fresh-air half-day out.
A small hill in northern Lithuania covered with many thousands of crosses, rosaries and crucifixes left by pilgrims and visitors. A full-day roundtrip from Vilnius with an audio guide and a tour of Šiauliai.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Old Town
A design-led luxury hotel in a seventeenth-century Baroque palace on Didžioji Street, with uncovered frescoes, a celebrated restaurant and a spa with sauna and hammam. The splurge of Vilnius.
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$$$Old Town
A five-star classic in a historic building on Didžioji Street at the heart of the Old Town, with a French-Lithuanian brasserie, a bar and a spa. Grand comfort with the Town Hall on the doorstep.
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$$Business District (Šnipiškės)
A modern four-star across the Neris from the Old Town, with views over Gediminas Tower, a restaurant terrace facing the castle and reliable Marriott comfort. Strong mid-range value.
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$$Gedimino Avenue (New Town)
A practical, family-friendly hotel on Gedimino Avenue, the city’s main boulevard, a few minutes’ walk from Cathedral Square, with family rooms, the WINESTONE restaurant and pets welcome.
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$Old Town edge, near the station
A large, good-value hotel at the southern edge of the Old Town, about four hundred metres from the Gate of Dawn and a few minutes from the train and bus stations, with views over the rooftops.
Check rates →The practical primer for a first visit: the few tickets worth booking, the closing days that catch people out, getting in from the airport and how to fit the Old Town, Cathedral Square and Trakai into two or three days.
How to choose your base in Vilnius, from a Baroque palace hotel in the Old Town to family-friendly rooms on the main boulevard and a good-value stay by the station, matched to the kind of trip you want.
