Vilnius 7-day itinerary

Start at Cathedral Square — Lithuania's heart. The neoclassical Cathedral is free. Climb Gediminas Tower (€6) for a panorama of the largest baroque old town in Eastern Europe — a UNESCO site. Find the Stebuklas tile, spin three times, and make a wish. Walk down Pilies gatvė — the main artery lined with cafés, amber shops, and buskers. The baroque architecture here rivals Prague.

Visit Sts. Peter and Paul's Church (free) — 2,000+ white stucco figures covering every surface. Walk to the Gate of Dawn — the only surviving city gate housing a miraculous icon that draws pilgrims from across Eastern Europe. See St. Anne's Church — a Gothic masterpiece Napoleon allegedly wanted to carry back to Paris. Lunch at Etno Dvaras for traditional Lithuanian dishes (mains €7–12).

Dinner at Lokys — Vilnius's oldest restaurant in a 15th-century cellar. Wild game is the speciality: boar, elk, and the famous beaver tail (mains €12–20). Then Vilniaus gatvė for drinks — Alaus Biblioteka has 20+ Lithuanian craft beers (€3–5), Bix does creative cocktails (€7–9), and Prohibicija is a speakeasy-style bar with a hidden entrance.

Cross into Užupis — self-declared independent since 1997, with its own president, constitution, and anthem. Read the constitution on Paupio gatvė in 30+ languages. Explore street art, galleries, and studios. The angel statue guards the main square. Once the city's roughest neighbourhood, Užupis is now its creative heart — a place where art and community transformed an entire district.

Visit MO Museum (€9, free first Wednesday) — Daniel Libeskind-designed, covering Lithuanian art from the 1960s onwards. Soviet-era pieces are powerful. Then Vilnius University's 13 courtyards (€1.50) — founded 1579, with frescoed halls and a stunning library. Walk through Bernardinų Garden — a recently restored park along the Vilnia River, perfect for a break.

Lithuanian craft beer is excellent and cheap. Start at Šnekutis for €2 half-litres of local draught. Move to Bambalynė for a wider craft selection in a cozy cellar (€3–5). Then Keulė Rūkė — a converted Soviet bathhouse turned cocktail bar (€7–9) with an interior that's genuinely unique. For dancing, Pablasé or Loftas (a massive creative space) host events and DJ nights.

Bus to Trakai (30 min, €2). Walk to Trakai Island Castle — a 14th-century red-brick fortress on Lake Galvė, seat of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The castle museum (€10) covers medieval Lithuanian history. The setting of red towers on blue water surrounded by forest is extraordinary. This was once the capital of a state stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

Rent a kayak on Lake Galvė (€8–12/hour) for castle views from the water. Explore Trakai's Karaim heritage — a Turkic community brought here in the 14th century. Visit the Kenesa prayer house and eat kibinai — traditional pasties with mutton filling (€3–4 each) at Senoji Kibininė. The Karaim are one of Europe's smallest ethnic groups and Trakai is their spiritual home.

Bus back to Vilnius. Evening along the Neris River — walk from the Green Bridge to the White Bridge as the old town lights up. Dinner at Pilies Katpėdėlė (Meat Dumpling) for handmade dumplings (€5–8 per plate) or Queensberry for a more upscale experience (mains €12–18). End with a quiet drink in Užupis by the river — Tores café-bar has a terrace over the water.

Visit the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (€6) — housed in the former KGB headquarters on Aukų gatvė. The basement cells where political prisoners were held and interrogated are preserved, including the execution room. The upper floors document the Soviet and Nazi occupations, the forest brothers partisan resistance, and Lithuania's path to independence. It's powerful, confronting, and essential.

Walk across the river to Žvėrynas — a quiet, leafy neighbourhood of wooden houses and wide streets that feels like a village within the city. Browse the independent cafés and bakeries. Then walk through Vingis Park — Vilnius's largest park where 300,000 people gathered during the Singing Revolution in 1988. The forest paths, river, and open meadows are perfect for unwinding after the morning's heavy history.

Explore Halės Market (Halės Turgus) — Vilnius's main market, recently renovated with both traditional stalls and trendy food vendors. Try Lithuanian curd cheese (varškės sūrelis) from a dairy stall. Dinner at Gaspar's for modern Lithuanian cuisine using seasonal, local ingredients (tasting menu €40 or mains €14–18). Then Prohibicija speakeasy for cocktails — find the unmarked door.

Early bus from Vilnius to Šiauliai (2.5 hours, €12). Then local bus or taxi (12km) to Kryžių Kalnas — the Hill of Crosses. Over 200,000 crosses, crucifixes, rosaries, and carvings cover a small hill. Destroyed by Soviets multiple times, locals rebuilt it each time as an act of defiance. The rustling of thousands of crosses in the wind is an unforgettable sound. Pope John Paul II planted a cross here in 1993.

Lunch in Šiauliai — a pleasant if unspectacular Lithuanian town. Try Rūta chocolate shop (Lithuania's famous chocolate brand, founded 1913) for handmade truffles and sweets. Walk the pedestrianised Vilniaus gatvė. The Sundial Square has a golden boy statue marking the city centre. Take the afternoon bus back to Vilnius — use the 2.5-hour ride to process the Hill of Crosses experience.

After a full day of travel, keep the evening gentle. Walk through the old town as it empties — Pilies gatvė without crowds is a different experience. Dinner at Forto Dvaras for honest, traditional Lithuanian food at the best prices in the old town (mains €6–10) — cepelinai, šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup), and Lithuanian black bread. A final beer at Šnekutis before bed.

Take the train to Paneriai (10 min, €1) — the forest site where 100,000 people, primarily the Jewish community of Vilnius, were murdered during the Holocaust. The memorial (free) and small museum are sober and essential. Vilnius was once "the Jerusalem of the North" — home to one of Europe's greatest Jewish communities. Return to the city and walk through what remains of the Jewish quarter around Žydų gatvė.

Visit the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum's Tolerance Centre (€4) for the history of Vilnius's Jewish community — from its golden age as a centre of Talmudic scholarship to its near-total destruction. Then walk to Halės Market for a lighter afternoon — browse the food stalls, pick up Lithuanian smoked meats, cheeses, and fresh bread. Lunch at the market's food hall for quick, cheap eats (€4–8).

Walk through the Antakalnis neighbourhood — elegant streets, embassies, and the beautiful Sapieha Park. Visit the Antakalnis Cemetery where Lithuanian soldiers, partisans, and civilians who died defending the TV tower in January 1991 are buried. Dinner at Ertlio Namas for a medieval Lithuanian feast experience in a 16th-century cellar (tasting menu €30) — mead, game, and period recipes.

Final morning in Bernardinų Garden — a beautifully restored park along the Vilnia River near the old town. Walk through the rose garden, cross the wooden bridges, and enjoy the views of Gediminas Tower above the trees. Last coffee at Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories near the university — one of Vilnius's best speciality coffee spots. Walk Pilies gatvė one final time.

Last shopping — Lithuanian linen from stores on Pilies gatvė, amber jewellery from the old town shops, Rūta chocolates, and Lithuanian mead (midus) from Halės Market. Final lunch of cepelinai at Forto Dvaras — because you can't leave Lithuania without one more plate of potato dumplings. Walk through Cathedral Square one last time and spin on the Stebuklas tile for luck.

Farewell dinner at Sweet Root — Lithuania's most celebrated restaurant, focusing on foraged, fermented, and seasonal Lithuanian ingredients (tasting menu ~€55). Or keep it simple at Šnekutis with a final €2 beer and a plate of cepelinai, surrounded by locals and travelers who've all fallen for this quiet, surprising city. Walk home through the old town one last time — baroque spires against a Baltic sky.