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We recently finished our second month-long stay in Vilnius, Lithuania. And we loved it. A lot. It's still one of the lesser-known European capitals though, and we get a lot of shrugs and confused looks whenever we rave about it. So I thought I'd share a little bit about the place, what there is to do there, and why we like it so much. This post is targeted toward travelers - if you'd like to read more about our own experiences, we have in-depth write-ups of this year's* and last year's* stays on our blog. For purposes of this post, all links without an asterisk* are pics included for illustrative purposes.

So, Vilnius! Capital of Lithuania. Not quite as big as Riga, not as small as Tallinn. It was one endpoint of the Baltic Way*, and was the first USSR republic to declare independence on 11 March 1990. It also has one of the largest Old Towns in Europe at 3.6 km².

We got an amazing view of that Old Town from above on our flight out, which perfectly highlights the city's main attractions. This annotated version is a good place to start talking about them.

Vilnius Cathedral is perhaps the most iconic landmark. Impressive mostly for its size and for the ornate Chapel of Saint Casimir.

Gediminas' Tower, the other prominent icon of the city, is unfortunately closed for renovation as erosion has seriously undermined the stability of the entire hill.

Three Crosses hill is left then as the best place left to get a panoramic view of the whole city.

The Presidential Palace has free guided tours* on weekends (must reserve at least 3 days in advance).

Transit is pretty good, and the city is well-connected for how far it is from the rest of Europe. The bus and train station are right next door to each other and to the city center. It's easy and cheap (€0.70) to catch a short train to the airport - served mostly budget carriers Wizz, Ryanair, and airBaltic - or the rest of Lithuania and beyond.

Trakai Island Castle especially is worth a stop, and just half an hour outside of town.

Užupis is probably the most famous neighborhood in Vilnius and where we stayed this year. It reminded us a lot of Fremont in Seattle - historically a hippie/counterculture capital, now increasingly gentrified and hipster. Naturally we felt right at home. Good spot for pubs. There's also a very pretty cemetery tucked away in the back of town.

Bernardine Gardens borders Užupis and is a great place to relax.

The twin churches of St. Anne and St. Francis might be the most beautiful of the countless churches in the city. There are a ton of other good ones too, though.

The most important streets for tourists are Pilies Street (connecting Cathedral Square to Town Hall Square and ground zero for souvenirs and kitschy restaurants) and Gediminas Avenue, which cuts west from Vilnius Cathedral and is a key shopping district. It also becomes a pedestrian walking street at certain times.

Strolls along the Neris River are another great way to get across town. It's popular with kayakers and SUP, with some tours originating on the Vilnia (a smaller and more rapid stream that borders Užupis) and ending on the calmer Neris.

Vilnius is one of the only cities in Europe that allows hot air balloons over the actual Old Town. We didn't avail ourselves, but having a picnic and watching the whole fleet launch at once to catch the golden hour was a fun consolation prize.

That's far from everything there is to do in town. Of course Vilnius has various museums and whatnot. None of them really blew me away, but the National Museum has some good traditional costumes, the National Gallery is perfectly nice and admission is just €2, and tickets to the Money Museum are a steal at "free."

Foods

  • Cepelinai, the national dish of Lithuania, is a big gelatinous potato dumpling stuffed with meat and covered with a rich sauce of sour cream and bacon

  • Kibinai are traditional stuffed pastries similar to empanadas

  • Fried bread is a classic pub snack that is exactly what it says on the tin

  • Potato pancakes, likewise self-explanatory

  • Koldūnai are potato dumplings a lot like pierogi

Drinks

  • Vodka. Lithuania is squarely in the "vodka belt" and they are notoriously heavy drinkers. Recently they've started to crack down by implementing strict new alcohol sale limits and the highest drinking age in Europe

  • Starka and 999, both herb-infused vodka-based liqueurs

  • Meads range in strength from beer-like to wine-like to hard liquor

  • Gira (or kvass)*, a low- to no-alcohol drink make from fermented bread

  • Beer. The most important of all. Lithuania has, if not the best beer in the world, at least our favorite beer in the world. Probably deserves a whole post of its own. Suffice to say the claim to fame are the unique farmhouse ales made in the Lithuanian countryside, using traditional methods and family recipes, that are unlike anything else. But even the more popular craft beers and macrobrews are really, really good.

So besides the stuff I've mentioned, what made it such a great place to visit?

Well, it's walkable - you can literally go from one side of that aerial photo to the other in half an hour. It's also mostly flat and has pretty luxurious sidewalks for a medieval city. So no excuses!

It's inexpensive. The Baltics are getting pricier by the day, but Vilnius remains the most affordable of the three sister capitals. Lithuania is pricier than say, Romania or Georgia, but still a good deal cheaper than Portugal or the tourist hot spots of Croatia.

And it's easy. Lithuania is part of Schengen and the Eurozone, and it has a high percentage of English-speakers (at least in Vilnius). People are easygoing and welcoming. Transit is good and it's a cinch to get around.

As long-term travelers we usually spend one month in each city we visit, and this was the first time we've ever gone back to one for a second stay. Some of our worst stops have been places that would be stellar for a couple days on a vacation, and many of our best could come across as "boring" to the average sightseer. Vilnius is definitely one of the latter. But if you're looking for a low-key city with a lot of charm and some really great beer, I can't recommend it highly enough.

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