Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and is the most populated city of the Baltic countries. There are lots of beautiful sites, a protected old town, a unique piece of technology and a great day trip. However at least among the people we know, it doesn’t seem to be very popular. We recently visited while on a tour of the Baltics, so we’re going to give you our tips and experience for the city. And most importantly tell you once and for all: is Vilnius worth visiting?

The capitol of Lithuania is a lovely little city! The old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. It is also one of the best preserved and largest old towns in Europe, so is definitely worth a visit.

While wandering around the old town, keep a look out for the beautiful St. Anne’s Church which was built around 1500. Then make sure to head up Pilies Street which is a main street in the city with a cobblestone path. There are lots of great souvenir shops along this street as well as some great Lithuanian restaurants. We ate at Etno Dvaras, which we recommend for traditional and delicious local food.

If you keep heading south you will eventually get to Vilnius Town Hall, which is a lovely building. The Town Hall Square hosts the ice skating rink over Christmas and is home to the Vilnius Portal. Other things to see in the city are the Office of the President, the Bell Tower of Vilnius Cathedral and the Gates of Dawn.

There’s also some lovely walks along the Neris River, which is pretty especially when it gets cold and completely freezes over. We were there in winter and the frozen river is very impressive! Close to the river you’ll find Gediminas’ Hill which has an easy walk up to Gediminas Tower. This is 3 story brick tower that used to be part of Gediminas Castle. You can go inside the tower for a small fee but it’s also worth the quick climb up there just for the view over the city.

Once you come down, head to the nearby Bernardine Garden which is a gorgeous little green space to relax in for a bit. Right next to the garden is Užupis, a little district that has self-proclaimed themselves the “Republic of Užupis”. A lot of bohemian artists live in Užupis, so there’s lots of studios, cafes, boutiques and street art.

In Town Hall Square you will find the amazing Vilnius Portal, an incredible piece of technology and engineering. It is a circular window with a livestream to other portals located around the world. It was created by a Lithuanian artist and placed in the square in 2021. The Vilnius one was actually the first in the world and connects to 5 of the 6 other portals around the world. These are Dublin Ireland, Lublin Poland, Ipswich UK, Philadelphia USA and Manila Philippines.

It is such a cool thing to go and see and you can easily spend half an hour standing in front of it waving to people all around the world. There’s no sound, but it’s fun trying to communicate through it. We even saw a man on our side and a child in Manila doing star jumps together.

While there are some great things to see and do in Vilnius, after a day of wandering around we felt like we’d seen most of what we wanted. For this reason, we recommend spending half a day going to the nearby town of Trakai. This city was built and preserved by many different nationalities, making is super interesting, and is only inhabited by roughly 5500 people. It is only 28km west of Vilnius and you can easily reach it by public bus or train.

The buses leave from Vilnius main bus station which is right next to the train station. Make sure to check the times on Google Maps and aim for a specific bus because they’re not consistent, especially in the off season. The buses are coach style and we paid for our tickets by card on the bus. It cost around €3.60 per person per way, and the journey only takes 30 minutes. The train is similar in time and seems to be cheaper too but does get in 10 minutes further out in Trakai. You can book tickets here or buy a return ticket at the Vilnius train station in person.

Of course if you want an easier journey between the two cities, there is always a tour. This one leaves from Vilnius while providing informative audio commentary for the journey. You then get 2.5 hours to look around the city, before heading back to Vilnius in a comfortable minibus. There is also an amazing hot air balloon tour that picks up and drops off in Vilnius. You then get a 1 hour ride above Trakai, before having champagne with the pilot. it would definitely be memorable for your time in Lithuania!

Whether you take the bus or the train, you will pass the Rimi supermarket near the bus station. This is the biggest supermarket in the area so if you want to take food into town, get it from there before heading in.

From the Rimi, we recommend walking north along the main road until you get to the Trakai Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just behind it is a little park, where you can then continue your walk north along the water. It’s such a nice little walk and on the way you will pass the Peninsula castle. Eventually you will see the incredible Trakai Island Castle, which is the reason we loved this place so much.

This incredible castle with its orange turrets set on an island out in the blue water is so so beautiful. It is open 10am to 7pm every day over summer, however it shuts on Monday and Tuesday in the lower seasons so check out their website if you want to visit. You can also look for tickets to the Peninsula Castle on their website too. If you do want to go inside the Island Castle, tickets are either €12 or €14 depending on the season. However even if it is shut, you can still head over the bridges and walk around the castle for free like we did!

For food while in Trakai, why not try some Kibinai which is a traditional pastry local for Karaites, one of the ethnic groups in the area. It’s similar to a Cornish pasty or a sausage roll, with a chicken or pork mix in a pastry shell. It’s pretty tasty and you can find them at many restaurants in Trakai. The traditional wooden houses with 3 windows you will see all around the city are also part of the Karaite culture. It really is a lovely place to spend a couple of houses wandering around during your time in Lithuania!

Now it’s time to answer the question, is Vilnius worth visiting? There are definitely some lovely parts of the city like Pilies Street, Bernardine Garden and the view from Gediminas’ Hill. The Vilnius Portal is so interesting and unique and we really enjoyed waving to people from all over the world. We also loved the day trip to Trakai, with our walk around the town and the island castle being our highlight in Lithuania.

Overall, we would recommend a short stop in Vilnius if it’s part of a bigger trip like ours was. We personally didn’t think the city had enough to do to warrant a trip of its own, but that’s just our opinion. We still enjoyed our time in the city, but would prioritise the other Baltic capitals if you don’t have time.

Watch our vlog to see everything we got up to in Vilnius (and also during our time in Riga!):

• FlixBus: The Best Budget Way to Travel Europe Easily
• How to Have a Wonderful Weekend in Wrocław on a Budget