Vilnius was one of my last minute rush weekend getaways during my last month in Europe to try and see as much as possible. Haven’t been to Lithuania before, so this was meant to give me a taste of the country, people, and culture, and the weekend far exceeded my expectations. Vilnius was a lively happening capital with lots of bars, restaurants, museums, with plenty of lovely spots and attractions to keep me busy. I spent quite a lot of time walking around and exploring, to occasionally make a stop at one of the attractions to rest and see something interesting (e.g., VILNIL Museum of Illusions).
My Airbnb was somewhere between St. Anne’s Church and the very central Vilnius Cathedral, in a lovely old house that had old Lithuanian decoration that gave a feeling of authenticity. I started off with the Vilnius Cathedral, going up the Bell Tower and taking the catacombs tour underground later in the day when I came back. I explored the main streets all the way to the west to see the Museum of Genocide Victims & KGB headed up north to the river front, walking all the way back to the east, to come back walking next to the Energy and Technology Museum and Museum of Applied Art and Design. The next day I explored the southern parts, down to the Gates of Dawn, and the former old Jewish area, where I quickly visited the synagogue (it was Yom Kipper, deep in prayers), and stopped for some fun at VILNIL Museum of Illusions.
Trying to stick to veggie cousin that weekend, I found endless wonderful veggie options – ZATAR falafel & hummus, Vegetariškas šeimos restoranėlis NAMAI, BALTI DRAMBLIAI music pub vegetarian, GYVAS baras, and enjoyed some great jazz music at Jazz Cellar 11.
Was quite the weekend. To sum up the visit to Vilnius, here’s a walking tour of the city, with the various stops along the way…
Cathedral and bell tower…
Some of the local shopping streets…
Energy museum…
River front…
History and art/design museums…
Underground catacombs tour…
Jazz concert…
Hot air balloons and graffiti…
The synagogue…
Jewish quarter…
Local parks…
Location:
Charming city, far more cultural than I thought with lots of great little places to explore.