Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania. It has a beautiful baroque Old Town, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and excellent tourist facilities in all price ranges. It stands on the River Neris in the southeast pocket of the country, the Dzūkija region, and in 2023 had a population of 629,000.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Vilnius has been central to the country's life for as long as there has been Lithuania, but that has often been a tragic tale. Its Neolithic people traded in Baltic amber. In the early Middle Ages five petty kingdoms combined into two then one, when Mindaugas in 1253 became Lithuania's first king and noble Christian convert. The country splintered after his assassination but was re-united under Gediminas, who established Vilnius castle — in legend on the site where a wolf in a dream told him to build. But the real wolves were his neighbouring countries, and finding a powerful ally meant adopting their religion.
Walking is your only choice in Old Town. The old streets are pedestrianised, and even taxis avoid it. JUDU is the portal for city buses and trolleybuses, with timetables, route maps and travel planners in English. There are no trams or metro / suburban railways, but see above for the airport train. For an overview of the routes, see the Vilnius City Public Transport Map. There are some 90 standard bus routes (marked in blue; numbers mostly between 1 and 100), six express buses (in green; from 1G to 6G) and 14 trolleybuses (in red; between 1 and 20). The numbers overlap, but e.g. bus 3, express bus 3G and trolleybus 3 run entirely different routes. They run 05:30-23:00.
Vilnius Pass is a tourist discount card which in 2023 costs €37 for 24 hours, €47 for 48 hours and €56 for 72 hours. This excludes public transport and is frankly poor value, you'll struggle to break even. This starts from the castle and cathedral, and stretches south along Pilies gatve. Halfway down the main street becomes Didžioji, and this area is described below as Old Town south. In 1994 the entire Old Town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. 1 Gediminas Castle, Arsenelo 5 (Lane from south or funicular from north side), ☏ +370 5 261 7453. Daily 10:00-20:00.
1 Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre, A. Vienuolio 1, ☏ +370 5 262 0727. Grand ornate opera house with three or four weekly performances. (updated Feb 2023) 2 Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT), Ašmenos 8, ☏ +370 5 212 2099. Avant garde theatre southwest edge of Old Town,. (updated Feb 2023) 3 Old Theatre of Vilnius, Jono Basanavičiaus 13, ☏ +370 5 262 7133. Creaky but atmospheric old theatre with performances mostly in Russian. (updated Feb 2023) Football: 4 LFF Stadium (capacity 5000) is 500 m east of the railway and bus stations, and hosts the men's national soccer team. It also hosts FK Žalgiris, who play in A Lyga, the country's top tier; the playing season is March-Nov.
1 Vyno Rūselis, Labdarių 2, ☏ +370 604 94536. M-F 10:00-17:00. Traditional from-home Lithuanian lunches. Menu is in Lithuanian only; use your phone to translate. €5.80 mains. (updated Sep 2025) 2 Vegafè, Augustijonų 2-3. Vegan cafe. (updated Sep 2025) 3 Pilies kepyklėlė, Pilies St 19, ☏ +370 673 18248, pilieskepyklele@gmail.com. Daily 09:00-21:00. Café-bakery in the university building near Saints John. (updated Feb 2023) 4 Kamikadzė Japonų virtuvė, Klaipėdos 1, ☏ +370 675 56242. Japanese restaurant with the usual offerings. (updated May 2022) 5 Plus Plus Plus Gastrobaras, Vilniaus 39 (opposite St Catherine's Church), ☏ +370 645 17764.
1 Kiras, Totorių 7, ☏ +370 673 22563, labas@kiras.lt. M-F 10:00-21:00, Sa Su 11:00-20:00. Café in 1970s style, with happy memories of Soviet days: "chaika" a tea-house is a pun on "cheka" the secret police. They have another café at Pylimo 21b. (updated Aug 2024) Beer: the most popular local brand is Švyturys, meaning lighthouse; "Ekstra" is their lager. Other major brands include Kalnapilis, Tauras and Utenos. Vodka in Lithuanian is degtinė. Popular brands include Auksinė and Gera. The town distillery doesn't offer tours. Liqueurs include Midus (honey) and Trejos Devynerios (Three Nines, written as 999). 2 Alaus Namai, Goštauto 8, ☏ +370 5 260 9637.
If you are a person of colour, you may get weird looks or otherwise be looked down upon from the locals. Police (Emergency only), ☏ 112. If you are unsure which emergency number to call, 112 is the central for all such rescue services and will put you in contact with the correct department. Police (Emergency only), ☏ 03. Phone number analogous to 112. Fire (Emergency only), ☏ 01. Emergency Medical Services (Ambulance), ☏ 03. Vilnius is a relatively safe city, but use common precautions like safeguarding valuables and not flashing them in the public.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Vilnius typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 19 rainy days.
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