Things to Do in Vilnius

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.