Your guide to Vilnius, from baroque courtyards to cold pink soup.
1323First mentioned
1994UNESCO listed
40+Churches
5Hills to climb
1River republicStart here
See & DoBest Things to DoOur shortlist for a first trip to Vilnius, from Gediminas Tower and the Old Town to Užupis, the MO Museum, the food halls and a day out to Trakai.Read guide 
Eat & DrinkBest RestaurantsWhere we'd eat in Vilnius, sorted by area, budget and occasion: Lithuanian classics, modern Baltic cooking, places for a date, tasting menus and where to eat well for less.Read guide What's on in Vilnius
Scanorama European Film Festival
Founded in 2003 as a Nordic film forum, Scanorama is now one of Lithuania's biggest film festivals. It brings around a hundred new European films to Vilnius cinemas and towns across the country each November.
Vilnius Christmas Market & Cathedral Square Tree
Cathedral Square fills with wooden chalets, mulled wine and crafts around one of Europe's most celebrated Christmas trees, lit on the opening evening of 28 November 2026.
New Year's Eve in Cathedral Square
Vilnius has rung in the new year without fireworks for several years running, with a video projection on the Cathedral Bell Tower and a midnight light show over Cathedral Square instead.
Planning a trip
Getting in
The airport is only 6 km out. The train takes 7 minutes to the central station and costs €0.70, buses take about 20 minutes for €1, and a Bolt or taxi is €10–15.
Where to stay
In the Old Town you can walk almost everywhere. Užupis is quieter, Naujamiestis is better for going out, and the area by the station is cheapest.
How many days
Two days covers the Old Town, Užupis and a sunset from a viewpoint. With three you can add a museum and half a day at Trakai Castle, 30 minutes away by train.
Browse by topic
See & Do
The landmarks, museums and viewpoints most people come for, plus a few they don't know about yet.
All 180 guides
Eat & Drink
Cepelinai and pink soup, good coffee, market halls and a beer scene that goes deeper than you'd think.
All 244 guides
Neighborhoods
From the baroque Old Town to bohemian Užupis, what each part of the city is like and why you'd go.
All 17 guides
Tips
Money, transport tickets, SIM cards, safety and the other small things that make a trip easier.
All 18 guides
The Iron Wolf of Vilnius
Around 1323, Grand Duke Gediminas was hunting in the Šventaragis valley and, too tired to ride home, made camp where the Vilnia meets the Neris. That night he dreamt of an enormous iron wolf standing on the hill, howling with the voices of a hundred wolves. His pagan priest read the dream without hesitation: build a castle here, and the city that rises will ring with fame across the world.
And so Gediminas did. The tower on that hill still carries his name.
