Travel

What to do in Vilnius, Lithuania

Wondering what to do in Vilnius? These are all my favorite parts of Lithuania’s capital!

What to do in Vilnius Lithuania

Everything here is my own opinion and I received no compensation for this post. It also contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about this, just click here! All content copyright Where’s Emma Now 2012-2025.

I know Vilnius may not be at the top of your travel bucket list, but it’s so worth it! It’s a fun small city, cute and easy to explore on a quick weekend trip. It’s packed with history you probably didn’t learn in school but adjacent to things you did: WWII, USSR, and Napoleon had big roles here.

Plus, it’s one of those locations that always has cheap flights heading there from other parts of Europe! So if you’re trying to plan a multi-stop European trip on the cheap, I highly recommend heading up to Lithuania.

The most beautiful street in Vilnius, Lithuania

Know Before You Go

You can see everything in Vilnius Old Town in one day. However, there are plenty of great places to eat and explore nearby, so consider staying 2-3 days. 

Lithuania uses the Euro, making it easy to keep track of one less currency.

Vilnius’ public transport is easy and reliable, making it simple to get around! Be sure to have cash to buy tickets onboard the buses. 

Want exact bus instructions? Grab them on my Vilnius city guide on Thatch

best views in Vilnius, Lithuania

What to do in Vilnius, Lithuania in Old Town

Don’t forget it’s much colder in this part of Europe! They see snow in April. So pack warmly if you’re not there in summer!

Thinking about what time of year? I’d recommend late summer for the best warm weather or December for the Christmas markets! But as a less popular tourism destination, it’s easy to grab a cheap flight and explore without much prebooking. I went in early April and while it was still winter cold, it was a great time to visit!

Vilnius main attractions

Where to Stay in Vilnius

Vilnius has a good range of options, all at reasonable price points for the quality!

I stayed at Come2Rest and really liked it. This small hotel is perfect for a solo traveler: it’s tucked in a quiet corner of Vilnius Old Town. The room has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and felt really safe!

Another great option is the Shakespeare Boutique Hotel. It’s a nice 4-star hotel inside a 17th-century palace with more of a traditional hotel feel. It has a great breakfast too!

Want more options? I always use booking.com for my hotel searching: their rewards program is great and it’s easy to find the perfect hotel for you!

 
What to do in Old Town Vilnius

What to do in Vilnius, Lithuania

The first answer to “what to do in Vilnius” is easy: a walking tour! I always love a walking tour because you get a real sense of the place and its history. It’s best on the first day of a trip: it’ll get you oriented and guides will always give you their honest expert opinion on which museums or activities are worth the time or overrated.

In Vilnius, you can’t do better than Vilnius with Locals. They lead tours daily and have such great guides! The walking tour covers the Old Town and Uzpiz (more below) and I learned a ton and had fun. It was well-paced and gave me the groundwork to understand what I was looking at in so many of the smaller sites I checked out on my own after.

Vilnius artist quarter

Old Town Must-Sees

Vilnius’ Old Town is historic, beautiful, and the perfect headquarters for exploring for a couple of days.

If you go the walking tour route, note that several of these are included on the tour! But if you don’t do it (or want to have the location names written down after!), here are the must-see spots. 

Town Hall Square acts as one of Vilnius’ central squares. There are often events, markets and fairs here. It’s not the most exciting location but worth mentioning as a reference point for directions. You can visit the Town Hall’s Catacombs if you’re curious!

Gates of Dawn, Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius Cathedral, also called the Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus, is a major Lithuanian symbol. It’s built over a former pagan temple. Lithuania has a funny history of its conversion to Christianity, but I’ll leave it for the guides at Vilnius with Locals to tell. The church is free to enter, so stick your head in to compare to the other (older) churches in the city.

The Gates of Dawn are Vilnius’ only surviving city gates. From the exterior, it looks like the defensible structure they were, but the interior houses a chapel. It’s free to visit and you can even catch a glimpse of one of Lithuania’s most important Renaissance paintings from the window outside!

Literatų g. is a great unique bit of history. Artists revitalized the street with small works of art embedded into the street walls dedicated to different authors. In the past this street was home to a few Lithuanian poets of note as well as being home to the city’s print shops.

The most famous church in Vilnius

St. Anne’s Church is one of Vilnius’ most important and most famous churches. There’s a funny story that says that when Napoleon passed through Vilnius, he loved it so much that he wanted to carry the church home in his palm. The complex actually houses two churches with two different sets of hours, so you may need to get lucky to see both. But even the outside is unique and worth wandering by!

Gediminas Castle Tower sits overlooking the Old Town, so you can’t miss it. It’s mostly ruins of the medieval palace that protected Vilnius. Nowadays, you can enter the tower for a small museum of Vilnius history and artifacts, as well as the highest point around for great panoramic views. Even if you don’t pay to enter, you get great views of the surrounding city, so it’s worth heading up there either way! You can walk up (takes 10-15 minutes, not too strenuous but it is definitely uphill) or take the funicular for 2€ each way.

There are more sights and spots worth exploring in the Old Town: they’re all listed (as well as restaurants, day trips and more!) in my interactive Vilnius Masterlist!

Uzupis is Vilnius' quirkiest neighborhood

Uzupis

You can’t visit Vilnius and not check out Užupis! It’s one of Vilnius’ smaller neighborhoods just across the Vilnele River. It’s now an artist commune that thinks of itself as an independent republic!

Historically a sketchy part of town after its many Jewish residents were killed during the Holocaust, it grew into an artist community in the 90s. They declared themselves a Republic and still have a constitution, currency, cabinet, and more.

If you’ve heard of Copenhagen’s Christiana, it’s a smaller version of that. Their constitution is worth checking out – it’s very much in support of universal human rights and common sense.

The area is small and full of art, which is the best part about walking around here! The bohemian free spirit remains here, even if the area has become one of the most expensive parts of Vilnius for apartments these days.

Uzupiz street art in Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius Museums

Vilnius is small enough that if you like museums, there are a couple worth mentioning!

The Museum of Occupations is a really important one to get a fuller picture of Lithuania’s history within the region. The Soviet Union occupied Lithuania for five decades, and this museum records the USSR’s actions and freedom fighters’ responses over the 50-year occupation. The building itself is the former KGB headquarters and includes the prison. It’s equal parts time capsule of the physical space and record (mostly in documents).

The Palace of the Grand Dukes was the country’s center of government for more than 200 years. Now it holds the national museum. It has cultural, historic, and military artifacts on display, as well as rooms restored to their former glory of the era of the Grand Dukes. It’s a good way to spend a few hours on a rainy day, but if you’re not a museum person, you can skip it.

Street art in Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius is small enough that you can see everything in one or two days. This makes it great as a home base for day trips or a multi-stop northern Europe trip! Check back soon for my rundown on where else to see when you visit Vilnius as well as all my favorite Vilnius restaurants.

Can’t wait? I’m always a fan of checking GetYourGuide for organized day trip options where I don’t have to be in charge and arrange everything. You can also grab my interactive Vilnius Masterlist for everything you need!

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