Things to do in Vilnius
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Vilnius
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter, minus 5 to minus 10C with short daylight, cheapest hotels January to March and a major Christmas programme in December.
Spring wakes up fast with Kaziukas Fair and film festival in March, then Pink Soup Fest and terrace season in late May.
Best all round window, 19 to 25C, daylight past 10pm, ballooning, kayaking and outdoor concerts.
Golden parks and mushroom season in autumn, theatre and jazz festivals, November is the gloomiest month to avoid.
Best months overall: late May to June and September for light, warmth, festivals and thinner crowds.
What's on
- Cathedral Square Christmas Market 28 Nov - 27 Dec 2026
Designer tree, markets, ice rink and Christmas train into early January, as European Capital of Christmas 2025.
- Kaziukas Fair The weekend nearest 4 March, St Casimir's Day
Huge St Casimir craft fair filling the Old Town streets.
- Kino Pavasaris March each year, about two weeks
Spring film festival anchoring early spring in the city.
- Vilnius Pink Soup Fest Usually the last weekend of May
Whole festival for šaltibarščiai, the cold beetroot soup.
- Culture Night June
A June night of free events across the city.
- Statehood Day 6 July
Mass singing of the anthem on Cathedral Square.
Best things to do in Vilnius
Old Town walk: Cathedral Square to Gate of Dawn
The essential Old Town spine past the cathedral, Vilnius University and Pilies Street to the Gate of Dawn.
Gediminas Tower
The city symbol and best viewpoint, paired with Three Crosses Hill for a wider panorama at sunset.
Republic of Užupis
Bohemian artists quarter across the Vilnelė with its constitution wall, Angel and riverside cafes.
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
Former KGB headquarters with preserved prison cells, the one history museum to prioritise in Vilnius.
Lukiškės Prison 2.0
Tsarist era prison turned arts hub, with guided cell block tours by day and concerts by night.
St Anne's Church
Late Gothic red brick masterpiece beside the Bernardine Church and the restored Bernardine Garden.
MO Museum
Libeskind designed museum of Lithuanian modern and contemporary art with strong temporary shows.
Halės Market
Vilnius oldest market hall for smoked meats, cheeses and rye bread, ringed by small modern kitchens.
Where to stay in Vilnius
Old Town (Senamiestis)
first trip, all-round base
Everything is under a 15 minute walk, with unmatched restaurant density and lively streets.
Užupis / Paupys
character base, repeat visitors and longer stays
Artists studios, small cafes and a village feel at night, five to ten minutes from Cathedral Square.
Naujamiestis + Gediminas Avenue
value and business base
More local and usually cheaper than the Old Town, still a 10 minute walk into the centre.
Žvėrynas
quiet green stays and families
Leafy wooden house district across the Neris, lovely in summer but thin on restaurants.
Think twice about
- Station district (Stotis)
Visible street homelessness, street drinking and petty crime reports around the stations. Visit Halės Market by day, sleep elsewhere.
- Naujininkai and the airport corridor
Industrial, poorly lit in stretches and a bus ride from everything, with no reason to base there.
- Šnipiškės
Safe modern office district that empties at night, a poor holiday base despite the glass towers.
Best restaurants in Vilnius
Džiaugsmas
Starred modern Lithuanian sharing plates, the crowd pleaser of the starred set.
Nineteen18
Starred sealed menu dinner built around the team own farm, best at the kitchen counter.
Demo
Cafe by day and boundary pushing starred restaurant on set evenings, the food nerd pick.
Gaspar's
Great-value modern European cooking with Goan Portuguese inflections and strong value.
14Horses
Refined farm to table great-value dining sharing a courtyard with Nineteen18.
Ertlio Namas
Historic Lithuanian cuisine from centuries old recipes, served with the story of each dish.
Etno Dvaras
Definitive traditional tavern for cepelinai, potato pancakes and cold beet soup at honest prices.
Senoji Trobelė
Rustic Lithuanian classics in a log cabin interior, beloved for local family dinners and game.
Outdoor things to do in Vilnius
Hot-air balloon flight over Vilnius
Signature Vilnius experience, drifting over Old Town spires or Trakai castle at sunrise or sunset.
Trakai Island Castle
Red brick island castle on Lake Galvė, with lakeside boats and Karaim kibinai pastries nearby.
Hill of Crosses
Hill covered in over 100,000 crosses, a powerful site of peaceful resistance from the Soviet period.
Kayak and SUP on the Neris and Vilnelė
Paddle the Neris at sunset or the Vilnelė past Užupis for the greenest angle on the Old Town.
Cycling Vingis Park and the Neris banks
Flat river paths to Vingis Park forest and on to Belmontas waterfalls, mostly traffic free riding.
European Centre Golf Club
18 hole course at the claimed geographical centre of Europe, welcoming to beginners.
The V Golf Club
Championship length 18 holes with tight fairways at the Vilnius Grand Resort.
Kernavė
UNESCO listed medieval capital with five hillforts above the Neris valley, superb for a hike.
Best hotels in Vilnius
Hotel PACAI
Design hotel benchmark in a 17th century Baroque palace with spa, courtyard and strong dining.
Grand Hotel Vilnius, Curio Collection by Hilton
Grand dame location facing the cathedral and Gediminas Hill in the centre of the Old Town.
Relais & Châteaux Stikliai Hotel
Small antique filled luxury hotel in the prettiest Old Town lanes, the splurge pick.
Artagonist Art Hotel
Boutique art hotel where each room is by a different Lithuanian artist, near Užupis.
Hotel Neringa
Beloved mid century modern landmark, recently restored and excellent value for the quality.
Radisson Collection Astorija
Reliable five star in a 1901 building on Didžioji, often the best value luxury workhorse.
Downtown Forest Hostel & Camping
Budget standout with dorms, cabins and camping in a wooded garden in the middle of Užupis.
Is Vilnius expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €135 a person |
| Splurge | €220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lukiškės Prison 2.0: a few days ahead
- Hot-air balloon flight over Vilnius: a few days ahead
- European Centre Golf Club: a few days ahead
- The V Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Džiaugsmas: weeks ahead
- Nineteen18: weeks ahead
- Demo: weeks ahead
- Gaspar's: weeks ahead
- Balloon flights early in the trip so weather cancellations can roll to another day.
- Lukiškės Prison English guided tours sell out, book ahead.
- Džiaugsmas, Nineteen18, Demo and Gaspar's need reservations days to weeks ahead in summer.
- Hotels book out early for Kaziukas Fair and Christmas weekends, and golf tee times in summer.
Is Vilnius safe?
- Station district is the main caveat, avoid the train and bus station areas late at night.
- Watch for pickpockets in Cathedral Square crowds and at markets.
- Decline invitations from overly friendly strangers to a great bar, a classic inflated bill set up.
- Use Bolt rather than unmarked cars outside clubs. Emergency number 112. Tap water is excellent.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Vilnius travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Amber shops on Pilies Street are heavily marked up, use a reputable Glass Quarter jeweller instead.
- Skip generic Old Town restaurants on Vokiečių with photo menus and touts.
- Gediminas Tower small museum is skippable, the hilltop view is the point.
- Do not get a novelty Užupis stamp in your actual passport, it can cause border control headaches.
Getting around Vilnius: public transport and more
- Walk the centre: Old Town, Užupis and Naujamiestis sights fit inside a 20 minute walking radius.
- Airport is about 6 km away: bus 88 or Bolt, the dominant and cheap ride-hail app.
- Buses and trolleybuses use the Trafi or m.Ticket app, a 1 hour ticket is roughly 1 to 1.50 euros.
- Trains to Trakai and Kaunas leave from the main station.
Who Vilnius suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Vilnius your trip
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