Europe’s most Underrated Capital City! A review of my time in Vilnius, Lithuania…
In August 2023 I began a ten day itinerary of the Baltic states — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The first stop on my trip was Vilnius for four nights. Out of the three capitals (the others being Tallinn and Riga), Vilnius seems to be the most “forgotten” city of the three, with many travelers opting to skip it. And now having been to all three capitals, it is certainly true that Vilnius is the least touristy…
It was this mystique that made most excited to visit Vilnius out of all the cities in the Baltics — and I am so glad I did visit! In my opinion, comparing with Tallinn and Riga, Vilnius had the most beautiful old town — gorgeous medieval and Baroque architecture with lovely cobbled streets filled with cafes, restaurant and bars. It’s a fantastic city to wander around in the summer sunshine. I actually have a YouTube video on Vilnius old town that you can check out by clicking here!
My time in Vilnius…
My first two days here were dedicated to exploring the city itself. You can easily lose yourself meandering around the old town — which I certainly did on day one — but after a while I was feeling peckish. I was keen to try some of the local cuisine, in particular the cold beetroot soup and the Lithuanian style dumplings, Cepelinai.
I certainly enjoyed the beetroot soup. But, to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by the dumplings — they just tasted a little bland to me (maybe I picked the wrong choice of filling). I washed them down with a pint of the local beer, Svyturys.
I next visited the Gediminas Castle Tower for some skyline views of the city. I definitely recommend you do this, the views are spectacular! Again I have another video if you click here showing you some of these views. I then headed for the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights; if have an interest in Soviet history, and in particular the effect of the Soviet occupation on the Baltic states, then this is a must-visit museum.
In fact, I’d highly recommend you buy a Vilnius Pass by clicking here! This gives you access to over 60 of the city’s top attractions! There are other tours from Vilnius available from the link too.
My first day was a Saturday, and so I was particularly keen to check out the nightlife on a Saturday night. I recommend checking out the Vilniaus Gatvė strip for pubs, bars and clubs. The whole street was thriving with life and was full of people having a good time… It was even busy and vibrant on the Monday night two days later as well! I have a YouTube short video here of the nightlife in Vilnius on this particular Monday night.
After a little Sunday lie in, I went for a brunch/lunch in a place called Snekutis — it felt like going back in time into an old-school Soviet pub. I again had another attempt at trying some of the ‘Zeppelins’, but again I wasn’t too blown away. I did try some pigs’ ears (strangely) as a side dish — I didn’t find them particularly tasty, but I guess it was an experience! I then headed over to The Hill of Three Crosses for some more scenic views of the city, finishing off with a nice ice cream, and then back to my room for some work.
Day trips from Vilnius…
Two full days is probably enough to explore the highlights of Vilnius, however I had two more days left in Lithuania and I used these for day trips to Trakai and then to Kaunas on the next day. You can also do a day trip to the Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai, however Šiauliai is 2.5 hours away from Vilnius on train (plus an additional taxi ride to the site) and so I opted for Trakai and Kaunas instead.
Trakai is certainly a must-visit if you are in Lithuania! It’s a cute town set around a lake, with a large castle island in the middle. It’s a 30 minute train ride from Vilnius train station. I’d definitely recommend visiting in the summer if you can (as I would with any Baltic destination) — you can go kayaking around the lake, you can sit outside and have a coffee and you can also purchase garments at one of the many quaint market stalls on the pathway to the castle island. Certainly visit the castle and take a guided tour if you’re interested! I have a YouTube video here of Trakai too.
Kaunas, the second city of Lithuania, surprised me! Walking from the train station into the centre, it did feel as I was expecting it to be — a bit of an eerie industrial post-soviet city… But once I reached the old town, it was actually beautiful! I had lovely time roaming down the main boulevard and also through the chilled old town with its cobbled streets. Kaunas, like Trakai, has a lovely castle you can check out sat on the confluence of the River Neris and the River Nemunas. You may wish to book a two hour sightseeing tour to get a deeper feel for the city. Kaunas is about one away on the train away from Vilnius.
General tips…
For travelling around Lithuania, I’d recommend using Train and booking tickets online using the LTG Website, or you can download the LTG App on the Apple App Store. You can also buy train tickets in train stations, but I personally just find it more convenient pre-purchasing tickets online and having the barcode on my phone.
If you are planning to travel onward to the other Baltic states from Vilnius, I’d recommend use LuxExpress buses — they are comfortable, they have free wifi and they charging ports on board. LuxExpress also have an app store app. However, LuxExpress buses can sell out quite quickly if you don’t book them early enough — so also consider booking buses using Flixbus, especially if you are planning to travel to Poland after Vilnius instead.
I think Vilnius is an excellent city in Europe to come to for a weekend break for two full days, especially during summer. I’d personally add on at least an extra day or two for day trips to Trakai, and then either Kaunas or the Hill of Crosses.
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