Best way to spend a weekend in Vilnius - everything you need to know!
Here are my top tips for how to spend an unforgettable weekend in Vilnius
Transport
First of all I would say that Vilnius is not a very big city so most of the things will definitely be in walking distance. So as long as you get a place to stay that is close to the city center, preferably close to the Old town, there is not much need for other transportation than your feet.
Here are some places I recommend to stay that is close to the city center:
Hotel Apia & Crowne Plaza Vilnius
Explore the old town
The old town itself has a myriad of small, cozy streets, shops and restaurants. A huge part of Vilnius is the old Town and it kind of reminds me of a village taken straight out of a Disney movie. You could probably spend an entire weekend exploring the old town, but here are the highlights you don’t want to miss when you’re walking around:
- St. Anne's church
- St. John's church
- Gate of dawn
- Vilnius Cathedral and basilica
- The Artillery bastion
- St. Casimir's church
Climb Gediminas tower
Its always nice to get a great view of the city, and in Vilnius you can do that multiple places. One of the best views of the city is at the top of Gediminas tower. You can choose to walk to the top or take a kind of elevator that costs 1 dollar each way. Note that you have to access the hill from the backside, so the opposite side from the old city. It took us a little while to figure out how to find the entrance. When you reach the top of the hill you can choose to enter the tower itself for 8 dollars if you want. Personally we skipped that since we already had such a great view from the top of the hill.
Hike to Three crosses hill
Another great viewpoint is the Three crosses hill which is located in the park on the other side of the city. You can trek up the hill from the park (its not a hard trek) or you can take a taxi, drive yourself from the backside of the hill.
Check out republic of Uzupis
Next up of things I would recommend doing is to visit the small and independent republic of Uzupis. Just a walking distance from the old town you will find this kind of free hippie village. It’s got its own constitution in 14 languages, and a lot of fun laws giving rights to cats and dogs to not obey their masters. Its truly fun to read and check out.
Visit Trakai castle
The last thing I would recommend doing in Vilnius is to take the train/bus out to the Trakai Castle. Even though it is not located in Vilnius, it is definitely worth a trip. It’s not a very long train ride and when you disembark the train, it’s not a long walk and it is a rather cozy one. You can choose to do the walk either through the city or you can go along the river in the park and watch the swans. Its a very nice Sunday walk. If you prefer to have things planned and organized for you I can recommend this daytrip.
When you reach the fortress you will quickly realize how huge it is, and choose to either just marvel at it from the outside, or as I recommend taking a trip inside for a glimpse of how they used to live there. There’s also the possibility of doing a boat ride in this area if you want to.