Choose from 30 Fun Things to Do in Lithuania
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St. Peter and St. Paul's Church
Legend says that St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church was built on the site of a former pagan temple, but it is known for certain that this masterpiece of Baroque architecture was built on the remains of a wooden church destroyed in the internecine struggles of the 17th century.
This Roman Catholic Church was commissioned in 1668 by Lithuanian aristocrat Mykolas Pacas to celebrate a victory over the Russians. It was designed by Italian architect Frediani Giambattista with a relatively austere ocher-and-white Baroque façade that belies its fantastical interior – unusual for a Baroque church, the entire interior is decorated in monotones augmented with rare splashes of color.
Master Italian sculptor Pietro Perti worked for 30 years to create the 2,000 snowy-white stucco statues of saints and biblical figures that adorn the nave and aisles, and the macabre Grim Reaper statue and spectacularly ornate central dome should not be missed.
Other treasures include the vast altar painting of St. Peter and St. Paul by Panciškus Smuglevicius and the glittering Art Nouveau chandelier in the shape of a silver fishing boat suspended above the main aisle in honor of St. Peter, the “fisher of men.”
Practical Info
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church is open from 6 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Mass takes place six times a day on Sunday with the last one at 6 p.m., and four times a day Monday through Saturday.
Address: Antakalnio gatvė 1, Vilnius 10312, Lithuania
Hours: Daily 6am-6:30pm
From $ 29
Subacius Hill
Accessible by foot through the cobbled streets of photogenic, bohemian Užupis—which declared its independence from the rest of Vilnius in 1997 and even has its own tin-pot army—Subačius Hill provides panoramic views across to Vilnius’s Old Town and the suburban, purpose-built Soviet apartment blocks beyond.
Telescopes and brass information boards at the viewing points on this tranquil little spot help visitors to identify the Baroque churches of St Anne’s and the Holy Spirit, as well as Gediminas Tower on the horizon. After drinking in your fill of the view, take time out on the terrace bar in a couple of the nearby café or declare your feelings for a loved one by attaching a padlock to the wrought-iron railings around the view point.
Practical Info
Subacius Hill is open 24/7.
Address: Vilnius, Lithuania
From $ 12
St. Anne's Church
The decorative brick towers, rose windows and spires of this flamboyant late-Gothic church were finished in 1501, and today it is one of Old Town’s best-loved landmarks.
The church was constructed on the site of an earlier wooden church first mentioned in 1394. St Anne's was designed by either Polish architect Michael Enkinger, who built a church of the same name in Warsaw, or the Bohemian Benedikt Rejt, who had a hand in building Prague Castle. Its ornate multi-patterned façade bristles with arcades, arches, flying buttresses and gargoyles.
Inside, the church’s single nave is surprisingly austere, with high vaulted ceilings and plain walls with little adornment except carved wooden pews and lecterns. Much of the original stained glass was destroyed by Napoleon’s troops when they were stationed here in 1812, despite the apocryphal tale that he apparently loved the church so much he wanted to "carry it home in the palm of his hand."
The freestanding, clumsy Neo-Gothic bell tower to the right of the main entrance to St Anne’s was an afterthought added in 1873; the church close by is St Francis and St Bernadine; together the three buildings comprise the Bernadine Priory.
Practical Info
St Anne's Church is open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the summer months (May through September) and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the rest of the year. Mass takes place Monday through Saturday at 6 p.m., and twice on Sunday at both 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Admission is free.
Address: Maironio gatvė 8-1, Vilnius 01124, Lithuania
Hours: May–Sept 11am-7pm; Oct–Apr 5pm–7pm
From $ 12
Vilnius University
As one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, Vilnius’ seat of learning opened in 1579 and has since been extended to incorporate just about every architectural style, from Baroque to Neo-Classical.
Built around a series of arcaded courtyards, the university also holds Lithuania’s oldest public library as well many suites of ornately frescoed and vaulted apartments. Like many other public buildings in the Baltic, the university has suffered or thrived according to the regime in power at any given time. Initially run by Jesuits, it was transferred to secular power in 1773 but closed in the late 19th century on the orders of Tsar Nicholas I.
The university reopened in 1919 just before Lithuania was annexed by Poland, who ran the university until World War II, when it was administered by the Nazis and subsequently by the Soviet Union. Today it has been safely back in local hands since 1990, when Communism finally collapsed.
Famous students at Vilnius University include the Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz and Nobel prizewinner Czeslaw Milosz. Today there are 15,000 students procuring 5,000 degrees annually and contributing to the buzzing social life so evident on the city’s streets.
Practical Info
Vilnius University is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Admission for tours costs 5LTL.
Address: Universiteto g. 3, Vilnius 01513, Lithuania
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
Admission: Tours: 5LTL
From $ 12
Uzupis
Before World War II, the working-class district of Uzupis south of the River Neris and west of the River Vilnele formed one of the main Jewish communities in Vilnius. This was abandoned during the Holocaust and during the Soviet Occupation between 1944 and 1990, it filled up again with bohemian artists, political rebels and other freewheeling thinkers, in the process garnering a reputation as the Montmartre of Lithuania.
In 1997 this little enclave declared its independence from the rest of Vilnius, in a similar manner to Christiania in Copenhagen. Ever since, the Republic of Uzupis has elected its own president and run its own constitution. The tiny state even has its own national anthem, flag and toy army.
Today Uzupis has some of the most edgy, most vibrant streets in Vilnius, with façades covered in graffiti, pavement cafés, wacky art galleries, underground bars and buzzing multi-ethnic restaurants, while Thursday’s Tymo Market sees organic producers flock into Uzupis from all over Lithuania to sell their ecologically sound goodies. Uzupis Independence Day is April 1, so if you’re planning to visit on that date, take your passport; the republic’s soldiers may ask for your ID before granting you access.
Practical Info
Uzupis is best explored on foot or as part of a guided tour.
Address: Užupis, Lithuania
From $ 12
Trakai
Trakai is a historic city and lake resort 28km (17mi) west of Vilnius and is a popular day trip from the capital.
Dating back to the 13th century, Trakai was unusual in the fact that was inhabited by a number of difference nationalities simultaneously. Historically, Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russsians, Poles and Jews all lived in Trakai. Trakai Historical National Park was founded in 1991 to preserve the city as a center of Lithuanian statehood.
There are 200 lakes in the Trakai region and the town itself is surrounded by water. Originally settled by the Grand Duke Gediminas in the early 13th century (who built the Old Trakai castle, the remains of which lie under the existing 15th century monastery), Trakai passed to Gediminas’ son, who developed the town and built two additional castles.
Today, only the Island Castle remains and is the town’s main attraction, hosting the Trakai Castle Festival and a number of cultural events throughout the year.
Practical Info
Trakai is 28km (17mi) Trakai is 28km (17mi) southwest of Vilnius.
Address: Trakai, Lithuania
From $ 9
Presidential Palace
The official residence of the President of Lithuania is found in Daukanto Square and began life in the 14th century as a luxury home built for the city's first Catholic bishop, Andrzej Jastrzebiec. The building remained the residence of Vilnius's wealthy clergy until the Russian invasion in 1795, when it became the resplendent home of the city's Tsarist governors.
By this time the splendid neo-classical façade had been added and the palace was extended to form one side of today's grand piazza, surrounded by other aristocratic mansions. Although Napoleon briefly sent the Russians packing in 1812, Lithuanian independence from Russia only finally came in 1990. The palace was renovated in 1997 before becoming the official home of the Lithuanian President.
Among the notorious figures that have overnighted in the palace over the centuries are Tsar Alexander I, French King Louis XVIII, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Polish national hero Józef Pilsudski. The national flag is hoisted over the palace whenever the president is in the city, and a flag-changing ceremony takes place on Sundays at noon. The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place daily at 6 p.m.
Practical Info
A flag-changing ceremony takes place on Sundays at noon, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place daily at 6 p.m. The tranquil gardens behind the palace are free to explore.
Address: Universiteto gatvā—, Vilnius 01122, Lithuania
Hours: Changing of the Guard at 6pm daily; flag-changing ceremony at 12pm Sundays
From $ 12
National Art Gallery
The National Art Gallery in Vilnius is a branch of the Lithuanian Art Museum. It is home to more than 46,000 exhibits of 20th and 21st century Lithuanian art. Works of art are displayed chronologically and each of the 10 exhibition halls has a different theme, different period and different point of view, highlighting important events and facts in recent Lithuanian history. Some of the more notable collections include modern art in Lithuania and Vilnius in the first half of the 20th century; works of Lithuanian artists affected by World War II and the Soviet occupation of Lithuania; Lithuanian art and photography in the second half of the 20th century; art of Lithuanians in exile; and contemporary Lithuanian art at the end of the 20th and start of the 21st century. The lobby and the courtyard often feature new art works.
Practical Info
The National Art Gallery sits on the right bank of the River Neris. It can be easily reached from the center of Vilnius across the White or Green Bridges. You can also take bus number 43, 46, 52, 56, 60 or 88, or trolleybus number 9 or 19 to the Nacionaline dailes galerija stop. Guided tours are available in English for 15 Euro. An audioguide app for mobile devices can be downloaded from the gallery website or you can rent an audioguide upon arrival.
Address: Konstitucijos pr. 22, Vilnius, Lithuania
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and national holidays.
Admission: 1.80 Euro
From $ 12
Vilnius Old Town
A UNESCO World Heritage-listed treasure trove, Vilnius Old Town is cradled in the confluence of two rivers and is the best-preserved medieval town center in Europe.
It was created over the centuries in an abundance of architectural styles from Gothic to Renaissance and is centered on the Neo-Classical Cathedral and its airy surrounding piazza. From here labyrinthine cobbled streets abuzz with restaurants, stores and bars lead upward towards the Higher Castle among pastel-painted Baroque churches and centuries-old townhouses constructed of tiny red bricks.
Many of the myriad attractions of Vilnius lie within this district, from the Neo-Classical Presidential Palace to the Gothic St Anne’s Church, the Baroque chapel at the Gate of Dawn and the convoluted backstreets of one of the city’s two former Jewish quarters.
Overlooking all this stands the Higher Castle, which can also be reached by funicular from the Lower Castle next to the Cathedral. Although not much of the castle has survived the wars and revolutions that have marred Lithuania’s history, the Gediminas Tower has become a squat, hexagonal symbol of peace and there’s a panoramic vista across the city from the viewing platform atop the tower.
Practical Info
Much of Vilnius Old Town is car-free, and parking space is at a premium. There is plenty of free parking on Klaipedos gatve, a 10-minute walk away. All sights are within easy walking distance of each other.
Address: Vilnius, Lithuania
From $ 12
Vilnius Cathedral (Arkikatedra Bazilika)
Vilnius Cathedral - or Arkikatedra Bazilika - can trace its history back to the 13th century when the Lithuanian King Mindaugas built the original cathedral in 1251.
Having been burnt down and rebuilt several times over the years, the cathedral’s final reconstruction is in the neoclassical style (1801) according to the design of Laurynas Gucevicius.
Under Soviet occupation, the cathedral was used as a garage and several statues were destroyed. It has undergone several restorations since that time and its elegant colonnaded façade, ornate interior and 57m-(187ft) tall belfry, continue to stand proud as a symbol of the country’s Catholic faith.
Practical Info
Vilnius Cathedral is in bustling Cathedral Square, at the base of Gediminas Hill in the Old Town.
Address: 1 Katedros Sq, Old Town, Vilnius, Lithuania
Hours: Open daily
Admission: Free
From $ 12