Europe's largest baroque old town, a breakaway artists' republic and rock-bottom prices, walkable in two easy days.
Vilnius works best as a 2-day city break. Vilnius sprawls into the largest baroque old town in Europe, a UNESCO tangle of churches, cobbled lanes and hidden courtyards you can lose an afternoon in. Across the little Vilnia river sits Uzupis, the self-declared artists' republic with its tongue-in-cheek constitution bolted to a wall, a proper bohemian counterpoint to the grand centre. Climb the Gediminas hill or the Hill of Three Crosses for the classic view over a sea of red roofs and spires, then come down for a plate of cepelinai and a craft beer. It is cheap, walkable and cold in winter, and it makes the third stop on the Baltic capitals run, a four-hour bus south from Riga.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
May · Jun · Jul
Mid budget
100 EUR/day
Airport
Vilnius Airport sits only about 6km south of the centre
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Baroque palace design hotel · Old Town (Senamiestis)
A design hotel in a restored 17th-century baroque palace on Didzioji street in the heart of the old town, with a vaulted spa and a courtyard restaurant. It is one of the most acclaimed hotels in the Baltics, steps from the university and Town Hall Square.
from ~220 EUR/night
Check prices
Couples€€Art-themed boutique · Old Town (Senamiestis)
A boutique art hotel on Pilies street in the heart of the old town, with original contemporary works in every room and around the building. It is steps from Vilnius University and Cathedral Square, and a short walk over the river to the Uzupis republic.
from ~110 EUR/night
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First visit€€Skyline tower views · Snipiskes
A tall modern hotel across the Neris in the Snipiskes business district, with a top-floor bar looking over the river to the old town. It is a 15-minute walk over the bridge to the centre and reliably good value for a four-star.
from ~95 EUR/night
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Budget€Old town garden hostel · Old Town (Senamiestis)
A friendly, well-run hostel with a big garden on the quiet edge of the old town, with dorms and a few private rooms. It is a five-minute walk to Cathedral Square and one of the cheapest and most social beds in an already cheap city.
from ~20 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Vilnius was, by legend, founded when Grand Duke Gediminas dreamed of an iron wolf howling on the hill and built his castle there in the 1320s, and it grew into the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, once the largest state in Europe, reaching from the Baltic almost to the Black Sea. Its university, founded in 1579, and its dense baroque churches made it a great centre of learning, and by the 19th century it was one of the most important Jewish cities in the world, the Jerusalem of the North, until the community was destroyed in the Holocaust. Passed between Poland, Nazi occupation and the Soviet Union, Lithuania was the first republic to declare independence from the USSR, in 1990, and Soviet tanks killed unarmed crowds at the TV tower in January 1991 before it broke free. Today Vilnius is a cheap, green, easygoing capital wrapped around the largest baroque old town in Europe.
Vilnius is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two full days is enough for the core of Vilnius, because the largest baroque old town in Europe is still compact and entirely walkable. Almost everything is free to enter, so you spend on almost nothing but a couple of tower climbs and lunch, which makes this one of the cheapest capital breaks in Europe.
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3
days
Three days is the comfortable amount for Vilnius: enough for the whole baroque old town at a slower pace, a proper wander around Uzupis, and a half-day trip out to Trakai and its island castle. The extra day takes the pressure off, so you linger in the courtyards and galleries rather than racing the map, and it stays remarkably cheap throughout, since almost every church and viewpoint is free.
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Vilnius has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Old Town (Senamiestis)
First visit
The largest baroque old town in Europe folds church after church, cobbled lane and hidden courtyard into a UNESCO core you can cross on foot in twenty minutes.
Uzupis
Local life
This bohemian pocket across the Vilnia river declared itself an independent republic of artists in 1997, complete with a mock constitution posted in dozens of languages on a wall.
Naujamiestis (New Town)
Budget
The new town spreads west from the old core around the central station and Gedimino prospektas, the city's main avenue, and it is where cheaper rooms and an up-and-coming bar and restaurant scene sit.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Vilnius on a budget: same trip, around 50 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
2 days is the sweet spot for Vilnius. Almost everything is free to enter, so you spend on almost nothing but a couple of tower climbs and lunch, which makes this one of the cheapest capital breaks in Europe
The best months are May, June, July, August, September. Think twice about January / February: Deep winter with highs around minus 3C, frequent snow and short daylight, so plan indoor stops between short outdoor bursts. Room rates sit at their lowest and the baroque old town looks its best under snow, but pack proper boots and a warm coat as the cobbles ice over.
Vilnius sits around the European average. Plan roughly 50 EUR per day on a tight budget, 100 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 200 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Old Town (Senamiestis) is the safest first-visit base. The largest baroque old town in Europe folds church after church, cobbled lane and hidden courtyard into a UNESCO core you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. It is atmospheric and central, with the Cathedral, the university and the Gates of Dawn all within reach, though it can turn quiet and dark after dinner once the day visitors thin out. Pick it for a first visit when you want every headline sight at your door.
Yes. Vilnius has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Vilnius Airport sits only about 6km south of the centre, so transfers are quick and cheap. A train runs from the terminal to the central station in about 7 minutes for around 1 EUR, which is the fastest and cheapest option if the timing suits you. City buses 3G and 88 also reach the centre for a couple of euros, and a Bolt or taxi covers the same run in roughly 15 minutes for around 7 to 10 EUR, which is worth it with luggage or after a late arrival.
Vilnius Airport sits only about 6km south of the centre, so transfers are quick and cheap. A train runs from the terminal to the central station in about 7 minutes for around 1 EUR, which is the fastest and cheapest option if the timing suits you. City buses 3G and 88 also reach the centre for a couple of euros, and a Bolt or taxi covers the same run in roughly 15 minutes for around 7 to 10 EUR, which is worth it with luggage or after a late arrival. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Vilnius is best known for Baroque old town, The Uzupis republic, Gediminas Tower, The Gates of Dawn, Cepelinai, Trakai Castle. Vilnius was, by legend, founded when Grand Duke Gediminas dreamed of an iron wolf howling on the hill and built his castle there in the 1320s, and it grew into the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, once the largest state in Europe, reaching from the Baltic almost to the Black Sea.