A guide to spending two days exploring Vilnius, Lithuania

A week ago, I was looking for cheap tickets from Amman, and I found a flight ticket for only 32 Jordanian dinars to Vilnius, Lithuania. I went to the office where I work and asked my colleagues who have a Schengen visa. One of my friends told me she had a Schengen visa, and we booked the ticket right away!

After extensive online research about tourism in Vilnius and consulting some friends who once lived there, we packed our bags and set off on a 2.5 day adventure in Vilnius!

Do you also live abroad and would like to share your experience with Explore Earth’s Wonders readers? it’s simple, Just send me a quick email 🙂

First things first: logistics

• location: Europe
• Visa: Schengen
• currency: euro
• Airline: Ryanair
• communications: There are buses everywhere in Vilnius, and taxi apps such as Uber, Bolt and Yandex.Taxi are also available.

stay: As usual we stayed in an Airbnb. One great aspect of Lithuania is that prices are relatively cheap, so you can find apartments and hotels that fit your budget. We found an apartment in the old town, which is the center of the city, for only 100 euros for three nights. The apartment sleeps four people and was very modern and equipped with everything you could need while travelling.

drinking water: Tap water is very clean and safe to drink.

First day

First day breakfast

breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I have no problem eating it four times a day Panama Food Park. The restaurant is basically a greenhouse, and the food is incredibly delicious. The decor is unique and characterful, full of plants, flowers and wood, and best of all, it feels very warm in the winter.

Explore the tourist attractions of Vilnius

We started our first day with A Free walking toura free guided walking tour usually available in most European cities. For those who are not familiar with this concept, the idea is to advertise the meeting point online on the walking tour’s website, with the tour lasting approximately two to two and a half hours. You can choose from several tours, led by an experienced local guide, and at the end of the tour, you can tip the guide.

The great thing about this tour is that you get to see a local guide who is knowledgeable about the history of the area, the best local restaurants, and the best streets for sightseeing and shopping!

Some of the important places you will visit during the tour include:

Vilnius Old Town

Very beautiful, full of most of the historical and tourist attractions that can be seen in Vilnius.

Literature Street

One of the most famous streets of Vilnius, located in the Old Town, is dedicated to Lithuanian authors and poets.

St. Anne’s Church

Built in 1495, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Church of Saint Bernardine

Republic of Ubis

It is one of the most enjoyable places to visit in the Old City. It declared its independence in 1997 and has its own constitution, president, ministers, and national anthem.

Once home to poor poets and artists, this area is now one of the richest and most famous areas of the city.

The Jewish quarter

Gediminas Castle Tower

I always recommend everyone to join this free tour because interacting with the local guide and other tourists is a great experience, and you won’t experience the city the same way if you just read about the places on Google before visiting!

lunch

After our tour, we felt very hungry, so we decided to eat at a famous local restaurant called Itno dvaras. One of the most delicious dishes I had in Lithuania was fried bread topped with melted cheese. This Lithuanian dish can be found in most restaurants there, and it is absolutely delicious!

After lunch we decided to visit a famous library in the old town called Mint Vento. The library is very nice and has a small café where you can enjoy a warm drink while browsing the many books and vinyl records available.

We continued to explore the sights of Vilnius such as:

Church of Saint Casimir

Dawn Gate

Hales Torgs Market:

Food market in Vilnius, containing many restaurants, seasonal and local produce stores, butcher shops, and Lithuanian cheese shops. If you’re someone who enjoys food-related gifts, you’ll love this place. You can buy some excellent cheeses and delicious cold and smoked meats.

Hill of the Three Crosses:

The road to Three Crosses is stunning and is located on a hill within a large public park that runs along a beautiful river.

My advice is to visit at sunset because the view from the top of the hill is breathtaking! The golden sun and pink clouds above the Old City provide an unforgettable sight!

Kava Tau Cafe Shortly after sunset, we went to a small cafe called Kava Tao Cafe Kapha TaoIt is located on another hill in Vilnius. The great thing about this cafe is that all the walls are glass, allowing you to see the view from all sides. In the summer, they usually have an outdoor seating area where you can enjoy the warm sun and sip a cup of coffee while admiring the amazing views of the city from above!

Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater:

I found out about this five days before our trip Website of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater Fortunately, there was a great ballet performance during our stay in the city. For me, this was one of the highlights of the trip! The show lasted three hours, with short breaks. From the ballet dancers to the orchestra, costume design, stage decor, and lighting, it was amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it before!

For dinner we decided to go to the famous Italian restaurant Vapiano. As I write this blog, I realize that in most of my travel blogs, I mention eating there haha. Trust me, I don’t get paid for ads; I just really love the restaurant!

After a long day of sightseeing in Vilnius, we decided to head home to get some rest and recharge for the adventures that awaited us the next day.

Day 2:

breakfast

Everyday toxins The restaurant serves a variety of delicious dishes such as omelettes, smoothie bowls, acai bowls, avocado toast, oatmeal bowls, and other delicious healthy foods. After eating and feeling full, we set off for Trakai Castle!

Trakai Island Castle

Trakai Castle is located near Vilnius, just half an hour from the capital. However, the nature there is really different from Vilnius, with a very distinct feeling away from the hustle and bustle of the capital. The town is small and quiet, full of beautiful wooden houses surrounded by rivers, marshes and trees.

You can get to Trakai Castle from Vilnius by bus, train or car. The journey takes between 25 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic and mode of transportation. It is worth noting that the bus station in Trakai is located 2.5 km from the castle, and you will need to take another shuttle bus or a taxi to get there.

The castle is located on an island (officially known as Trakai Island Castle) and was built in the 14th century. It is one of the most important historical monuments in Lithuania. Inside, the castle serves as a museum, and all rooms are well heated in winter.

The nice part is that you can see the water from almost every window as the castle is built on an island surrounded by the river!

Afterwards we headed to the restaurants overlooking Trakai Castle where we warmed up and enjoyed soup and their famous fried bread with melted cheese.

In my opinion, a trip to Trakai only takes half a day!

Do you also live abroad and would like to share your experience with Explore Earth’s Wonders readers? it’s simple, Just send me a quick email 🙂

shopping

Personally, I am a lover of shopping and I take every opportunity to shop when I travel. After a day full of historical sights, we visited a large mall called… Acropolis In Vilnius. The mall is huge and hosts most international brands. I should also mention that there are two shopping streets in the city centre: one for international brands like Zara and H&M, and the other for high-end luxury brands like Burberry.

What to do in Vilnius at night?

Interestingly, while we were there, the Light Festival was happening at the same time!

The festival was unique in that each art installation was located in a specific location in the city and everyone was provided with a map of the installations, creating a treasure hunt-like atmosphere as everyone was trying to find it!

Two wonderful days full of tourism, exploration and relaxation. The city is small and charming, with the perfect number of things to do on a weekend.

If you’re looking to change your scenery for a few days… book a trip to Lithuania!