Vilnius, Lithuania

From the airport:

When you arrive in Vilnius airport, you can take the bus or train to the city centre.  The train is more convenient and comfortable (and faster if I remember correctly), but it’s a little further from the airport than the bus stop.  But still, it’s walking distance.  Both options cost about 1 euro.

Hotels:

I stayed here twice and the first time was ok, but the second time wasn’t so great.  It’s very basic, minimalist accommodation (as is reflected in the price), which is usually all I need, but the last time I was there the cleanliness of the rooms was a bit disappointing.  Maybe they were just having a bad day.  But, there are many, many hotels in Vilnius and compared to other European cities they are generally not expensive. 

Getting around:

The town centre is small enough to go everywhere by foot.  It’s quite flat, with a few streets which incline, but not excessively.

Food:

Restaurants and cafes abound in Vilnius, and you can find almost any cuisine that takes your fancy.  For traditional food, I’ve tried the famous restaurant Etno dvaras where I had Cepelinai (known as ‘zeppelins’ in English), which are made from grated and riced potatoes and stuffed with ground meat or dry curd cheese or mushrooms.  Very tasty and filling.

I also recommend a bar/restaurant called Cozy, which has a more European style menu.  I had beef cheeks, delicious!

But there are many, many different choices of restaurants.

Shopping:

For such a small city, there are quite a lot of shopping opportunities in Vilnius.  There’s the old town pedestrian areas which have a variety of souvenir and other shops.  One of the specialities of Vilnius is linen, so shops selling linen clothes and other linen things are quite popular.  There’s a shopping centre/complex across the river which has a variety of shops, and also Gedimino Pr. street is quite a busy shopping street.  You can also check out Hales Market which has just about everything you need, including clothes, shoes, cosmetics, fruit and vegetables etc.

Sightseeing:

Plenty to see and do in Vilnius.  Lots of interesting old and abandoned buildings, as well as these favourites:

• Three Crosses Monument
• Vilnius Cathedral
• Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower
• Presidential Palace
• Walking Path by the Neris River
• Hales Market

Quirky:

The Frank Zappa memorial – apparently he never visited Lithuania or any of the Baltic states, they just like his music

Recommended for:

Solo travellers, couples, families, senior travellers.  Three or four days are probably enough to see everything.

Top tip:

Take a bus out of the centre of town for a trip to the past.

Vilnius Tourist Information Centre.

If you missed my other 5 minute guides, you can also read about Moscow, Paris, Hanoi, Amsterdam, Hue, Munich and Berlin.

~ Cheryl