Lithuania · City break

Vilnius City Guide

Church spires, courtyards and cobbled lanes. Vilnius has one of Europe's largest Baroque old towns. The Gediminas Tower stands above it all, in the middle the tongue-in-cheek artists' republic of Užupis does its own thing. One ready-made day route runs from Cathedral Square up the castle hill to the Gate of Dawn.

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Our walking tours of Vilnius

Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Vilnius, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.

Cathedral, Old Town & Užupis

From the broad Cathedral Square with its neoclassical cathedral and belfry to the rebuilt Palace of the Grand Dukes, up the Gediminas Tower for the panorama. Along the lively Pilies gatvė to the filigree St. Anne's Church and into the artists' republic of Užupis. Back to the neoclassical Town Hall Square and the Gate of Dawn with its revered Marian chapel.

Cathedral Square & Bell Tower. The walk begins on the broad Cathedral Square, the city's heart. The neoclassical cathedral with its temple façade and the free-standing, 57-metre belfry form the landmark; set in the paving, the "Stebuklas" tile marks the spot where you may make a wish by turning around. Behind rises the castle hill with the Gediminas Tower.
Palace of the Grand Dukes. Behind the cathedral stands the faithfully rebuilt Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Once a mighty Renaissance and Baroque residence, it was the centre of one of Europe's largest realms; today the restored state rooms and archaeological foundations tell the story of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Gediminas' Tower. The Gediminas Tower is the last remnant of the upper castle on the hill above the city, Lithuania's national symbol. Reach it on foot or by the small funicular lift; from the platform you get the finest all-round view over the old town's Baroque sea, its towers and the river.
Pilies gatvė. Pilies gatvė (Castle Street) is the old town's lively main artery, a cobbled lane full of cafés, restaurants, amber shops and street performers, running from Cathedral Square into the heart of the Baroque quarter. A good place to soak up lively Vilnius.
St. Anne's Church. St. Anne's Church is a masterpiece of brick Gothic, a filigree red façade of specially fired moulded bricks in many shapes, as playful as lace. Legend says Napoleon was so taken that he wished to "carry it to Paris on the palm of his hand". A delicate landmark amid the Baroque city. Right behind the church lies the Bernardinų garden, a quiet park along the Vilnelė. Perfect for a short breather in the green.
Užupis. Across the little Vilnelė river lies Užupis, the artists' quarter that in 1997 tongue-in-cheek declared itself an independent "republic". With its own constitution posted in many languages on a wall ("Everyone has the right to be happy"). Galleries, studios, cafés and the angel statue on the square make its relaxed, creative charm.
Rotušės aikštė (Town Hall Square). The Rotušės aikštė is the neoclassical Town Hall Square, a broad, bright space with the old town hall and its columned portico as the focal point. Cafés and restaurants line it, and it serves as a stage for markets, concerts and festivals. A relaxed spot halfway to the Gate of Dawn.
Gate of Dawn (Aušros Vartai). To finish, the Gate of Dawn, the only survivor of Vilnius's once nine city gates. Above the archway sits a small chapel with the "Mother of Mercy", one of Eastern Europe's most venerated Marian icons, drawing pilgrims from across Lithuania, Poland and Belarus. A quiet, spiritual end to the route.

Planning your visit

One day is enough. The route from Cathedral Square runs four kilometres past the Palace of the Grand Dukes up to the Gediminas Tower, then through Pilies gatvė to St Anne's Church and on to Užupis. The artists' quarter declared itself a republic of its own in 1997, with a constitution on a wall. Finally it crosses the town hall square to the Gate of Dawn. Seven evening tips are ready, and the island castle of Trakai is barely an hour away.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Skybar (Radisson Blu Lietuva). Bar on the 22nd floor of the Hotel Lietuva with a sweeping view over the Baroque city, the Neris river and the modern skyline across the water. The city's highest drink.

Nightlife quarters

Užupis. The artists' quarter across the Vilnelė with its own tongue-in-cheek "constitution" on a wall, along with galleries, studios, cosy bars and cafés. Vilnius's bohemian heart, atmospheric and lively at night.
Vokiečių gatvė. The broad "German Street" in the heart of the old town is the city's bar and terrace strip, from pubs to cocktail bars and clubs. In summer half of Vilnius sits out here.

Food & restaurants

Etno Dvaras. A rustic spot for Lithuanian home cooking in the heart of the old town, with the famous cepelinai (meat-filled potato dumplings), cold beetroot soup and dark beer. Hearty, cheap and typical.
Lokys. A historic restaurant in a 15th-century Gothic cellar, specialising in game such as wild boar and beaver. An atmospheric, rustically Lithuanian experience.

Bars & clubs

Altstadt-Clubs (Vokiečių & Islandijos). Late on, nightlife concentrates in the old-town bars and clubs around Vokiečių and Islandijos streets. Compact but lively until morning.

Stage & concerts

Litauische Nationaloper. The National Opera and Ballet Theatre on the banks of the Neris stages opera and ballet in a striking Soviet-modernist building. A leading address for classical music in the Baltics.

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Practical information for Vilnius

Public transport

Operator. The municipal company SĮ "Susisiekimo paslaugos", based at Laisvės pr. 10A, operates the Vilnius public transport network of buses, trolleybuses, express buses and night buses. It appears publicly under the brand JUDU, earlier under the name Vilniaus viešasis transportas or via the address vilniustransport.lt, which now redirects to judu.lt. There is no fare union with neighboring municipalities, all city lines follow a uniform, zone-free fare system.

Network. Buses and trolleybuses. The old town is one of eastern Europe's largest and entirely walkable.

Modes of transport. Bus · Trolleybus · Express bus (G lines) · Night bus (N lines)

Operating hours. The individual bus, trolleybus and express bus lines have different first and last departures, which can only be looked up per line via the timetable finder on judu.lt, the operator does not give a citywide figure. What is reliably documented is the start of the night network, which begins at midnight on the nights of Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday and runs into the early morning hours.

Night service. The night network consists of nine lines that run exclusively on the nights of Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday, each from midnight at a 30-minute frequency, with the last departures from the center to the more distant districts around 4am. N1 serves Antakalnis and Saulėtekis, N2 Lazdynai, Karoliniškės and Pilaitė, N3 Žirmūnai, Baltupiai and Santariškės, N4 the Kalvarijų and Pašilaičiai area, N5 Markučiai, Pavilnys and Naujoji Vilnia, N6 Šeškinė, Pašilaičiai and Bajorų kalvos, N7 Žvėrynas, Justiniškės, Perkūnkiemis and Pašilaičiai, N8 runs via the station and Naujininkai to the airport, N9 connects Naujamiestis, Žemieji Paneriai and Grigiškės. Independent of the weekend night network, line 88N runs daily between the airport, the station, the center and Europos aikštė from 10.30pm to 5.30am, at the same fare as during the day.

Buying tickets. The JUDU card itself costs 1.50 euros and can be topped up, among other places, at the Narvesen shop in the arrivals and departures terminal of the airport as well as through self-service on judu.lt. The fastest way to buy single tickets is by tapping a contactless bank or phone card at the validator on board, which automatically books a 60-minute ticket. The m.Ticket app only works with a Lithuanian phone number, while the JUDU app and the Trafi app are available regardless of country code. JUDU also runs a customer center at the main train station, offering tickets and advice on all of the city's modes of transport.

App and payment. At the validator on board, a single tap of the contactless card or smartphone is enough, accepted are Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard and Maestro as well as Google Pay and Apple Pay. This automatically books a full 60-minute ticket for 1.25 euros, a second tap shows the remaining validity. Only one card is accepted per read, holding several cards to the reader at once does not work. Alternatively, the JUDU app or the m.Ticket app books single, day and long-term tickets in advance, with m.Ticket requiring a Lithuanian phone number.

Which ticket. Single tickets are valid for 30 minutes for 1.00 euro or 60 minutes for 1.25 euros, within the validity period a transfer to other lines is possible without a new ticket. The 24-hour card costs 7.50 euros, equivalent to six 60-minute tickets or seven and a half 30-minute tickets, the 3-day card costs 13.50 euros, equivalent to just under eleven 60-minute tickets. Anyone staying a whole month pays 38.00 euros for the 30-day card valid every day of the week, or 35.00 euros for weekdays only, roughly equivalent to 31 or 28 60-minute tickets. For children there is the 2+3 family ticket at 2.10 euros per 30 minutes, the park-and-ride day ticket for drivers costs 1.00 euro. All prices given are without the discounts for students, seniors or children, who receive 50 or 80 percent off.

Fare zones. Vilnius has no fare zones, a uniform fare applies across the whole city and on the airport line 88.

Tip. From the station to Gediminas Tower is twenty minutes on foot.

Getting there

Main station

Location. South of the old town, ten minutes' walk to the Gate of Dawn.

Long-distance trains. The national rail operator LTG Link connects Vilnius main station with the cities of Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai, plus a seasonal connection to the Ignalina lake district in northeastern Lithuania. Tickets for all routes can be bought online via ltglink.lt, in the associated app, at Perlas payment terminals, or directly at ticket machines. A through international train connection from Vilnius, for example to Warsaw, Riga or Minsk, was not included in LTG Link's available timetables for summer 2026, cross-border connections currently run via long-distance buses.

Opening hours. Vilniaus geležinkelio stotis is open daily from 4am to midnight, the same every day of the week. At night, between midnight and 4am, the terminal building is closed, so waiting inside the station is not possible then. The first and last trains fall within this window.

Airports

VNO

Into the city. According to the operator, the train to the main station takes up to 8 minutes and costs 0.90 euros, the platform is a two-minute walk from the arrivals terminal, reachable by stairs or elevator. City buses 88, 1, 2 and 3G also run directly from the airport into the center, though the operator does not give an official travel time in minutes for them.

Frequency. The train runs toward the airport on weekdays from 8.00am, on weekends already from 6.55am, until around 6.30pm or 6.37pm respectively, toward the city daily between 7.10am and 7.20pm, LTG Link does not give a frequency in minutes. Buses 88, 1, 2 and 3G run continuously during the day, plus the daily night line 88N from 10.30pm to 5.30am.

Local quirks

Cashless to the max. In Vilnius, bus tickets are bought by contactless card, JUDU card or app. A tap of a bank card at the validator automatically books a 60-minute ticket for 1.25 euros, with no machine or driver contact needed at all.
The airport train is the cheapest ticket in the city. The regional train from the airport to the main station costs 0.90 euros, less than any regular city bus ticket. The platform is only a two-minute walk from the arrivals terminal and reachable by stairs or elevator.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · F
Time zone: Europe/Vilnius
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 90 km/h, motorway 130 km/h (April–October), 110 km/h (November–March)

Lithuania has two expressway classes with different limits. The automagistralė (motorway) allows 130 km/h in summer, the greitkelis (expressway) only 120 km/h, and in winter both drop to 110 km/h, with the switch taking effect on April 1 and November 1 respectively, regardless of weather. On unpaved rural roads the limit drops to 70 km/h, and novice drivers with less than two years' experience must drive 10 to 20 km/h slower everywhere.

Tipping. Ten percent in restaurants.

Tolls. No tolls and no vignette for cars.