Vilnius: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 69 - 230 Grotthuss Hotel
 This small, luxury boutique hotel is located on an idyllic cobble-stone street in the heart of Vilnius’ Old Town, within walking distance of all the… MoreEUR 59 - 186 Natalex Apartments
 Located in the charming historical centre of Vilnius, these spacious apartments are ideal for leisure and business travellers who require comfort, pri… MoreEUR 50 - 81 A.V.Goda
 A.V.Goda is a new 3-star hotel in a modern building in Vilnius, located on one of the city's main streets next to the Verkiai regional park, a magnifi… MoreEUR 79 - 148 Dvaras - Manor House
 Dvaras-Manor House is a small, family-owned luxury boutique hotel, ideally situated both for business travellers and tourists in the very heart of Vil… MoreEUR 77 - 201 Mabre Residence
 Mabre Residence hotel is situated within a few minutes walk of the Old Town and the city centre. Located in a former monastery, the modern renovated r… MoreEUR 99 - 174 Shakespeare Boutique Hotel
 XVII century palace with lots of the authentic architecture is still in place, in the very heart of Old Town Vilnius, cultural and shopping centre of … MoreEUR 30 - 82 Old Market Guesthouse
 This newly refurbished guest house is located in the historic Old Town of Vilnius, a stone's throw away from City Hall, the Gates of Dawn and other to… MoreEUR 80 - 278 Novotel Vilnius
 This modern hotel is situated in the heart of the historic and commercial
centre of Vilnius, just 10 minutes from the airport, and houses 7 conferenc… MoreEUR 89 - 640 The Narutis Hotel
 Explore the Old Town of Lithuania's lively capital and discover winding streets, hidden courtyards and ancient church spires. In a prime position on t… MoreEUR 49 - 90 Acappella
 The hotel is an oasis of elegance, hospitality and comfort and is well located, close to Vilnius airport and the exhibition centre.
Our hotel include… MoreEUR 100 - 295 Ramada Vilnius
 We are in the most beautiful part of Vilnius, in the very centre of the Old Town, just in front of the famous Lithuanian National Philharmonics and wi… MoreEUR 49 - 116 Hotel Rinno
 Please be welcome to our business class family-owned hotel Rinno, situated on the quiet Vingriu street of the Old Town in Vilnius.
All the places of… MoreEUR 81 - 259 Artis Centrum Hotels
 This hotel is located right in the centre of Vilnius's old town, in a restored 19th century building.You can take a walk down the streets of Vilnius o… MoreEUR 73 - 130 City Gate
 Ideally located in the picturesque Old Town of Vilnius, close to the City Gates, this warm, hospitable hotel is ideal for tourists and businessmen who… MoreEUR 85 - 170 Hotel Barbacan Palace
 Barbacan Palace is located in the very heart of Old Town. The four star hotel is situated in the very center of Vilnius Old Town, at the crossing of … MoreEUR 47 - 113 Hotel Villa Valakampiai
 The new, modern hotel “Vila Valakampiai” is named after Valakampiai, the prestigious area of Vilnius in which it is located.
Surrounded by natur… MoreEUR 80 - 170 Ratonda Centrum Hotels
 This small cosy 4-star hotel is located in the centre of Vilnius and is perfect for your business or leisure stay.
The hotel is perfect for those wh… MoreEUR 69 - 150 Holiday Inn Vilnius
 The four-star hotel “Holiday Inn Vilnius” is part of the world's famous chain, providing relevant services of high level. The hotel is located in … MoreEUR 59 - 125 Embassy Hotel Balatonas
EUR 95 - 187 Radisson SAS Astorija
 Found in the heart of the Old Town, originally built in 1901 and completely renovated in 1998, this hotel offers sophisticated facilities whilst retai… MoreEUR 43 - 99 Centrum Uniquestay Hotel
 CENTRUM Uniquestay hotel is an architecturally modern building with a spacious glass street lobby always full of city guests. The hotel is tucked away… MoreEUR 42 - 95 Amicus Hotel
 Amicus Hotel is a new 3-star hotel, that caters to all kinds of travellers, including businessmen.
The hotel is not far from Vilnius Airport, toward… MoreEUR 95 - 165 Reval Hotel Lietuva
 Reval Hotel Lietuva is perfectly located in the centre of Vilnius, on the
banks of the River Neris.
A mere 10-minute walk from the medieval old town… MoreEUR 32 - 84 Telecom Guest House
 The Telecom Guest House is located in a quite courtyard within walking distance of the old town and city centre of Vilnius.
There are 10 modern room… MoreEUR 45 - 199 Florens Boutique
 The newly opened Florens Boutique offers stylish and comfortable accommodation in a superb location the heart of Vilnius, right in the historical old … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vilnius: Guide
is the capital of Lithuania with population of over 500,000.
Understand
Inhabited for centuries, Vilnius today is a multinational city with significant Polish and Russian minorities, about 20% each of them. It used to have a strong Jewish minority before World War II, but most of the Jews from Vilnius were exterminated. After the war the Soviet government expelled most of the remaining Polish population of the city and replaced them with Lithuanian and Russian citizens.
Get in
By plane
is the largest airport in Lithuania (beautifully small in other words). Lithuanian Airlines offers good service to most major Euro hubs, British Airways and LOT also fly there. EL-AL operates seasonal services to Tel-Aviv
A taxi is 20LTL. Bus no. 2 goes to downtown Vilnius.
Kaunas is served by Ryanair from Dublin, Stockholm, Liverpool, Frankfurt and London, only an hour from Vilnius.
By train
Trains from major destinations come to the Vilnius Railway Station which links Moscow to Warsaw or Berlin.
By car
Motorways to Kaunas and Panevezys.
By bus
Bus station is beside the train station.
By boat
Get around
http://www.vilniustransport.lt/e_index.htm
The bus or trolley ticket for one time (it's the same ticket for both bus and trolley) costs 1.40 Lt if you buy it in the vehicle, and 1.10 Lt if you buy it in the newspaper kiosk. You may also catch a private bus, which also costs 1.10 Lt bus is actually a bit faster. There is a 50% discount for the tickets for students and elderly people, both in public and private buses. There is no subway or tram in Vilnius; if you need get there fast, you may catch a van-taxi, which may cost 2-3 litas. A regular cab may cost about 10-15 litas if you need to get from periphery of the city to the center. Travelling by car is not very much advised at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, as there are huge traffic jams all over the place, especially in the center.
Bicycle lovers should be a bit disappointed, because in the center it's very hard to find the bicycle tracks to travel around the old town. Lithuanians are not very enthusiastic about bicycles. In the periphery, moreover, the surface is a bit too steep sometimes to cycle. The oldtown, however, is not that big and can be easily walked by foot.
See
]
There are lots of nightclubs in the oldtown, such as Connect, Galaxy, Gravity, Helios, Intro, and others. Just choose.
Vilnius University. Founded in 1579 by Poland|Polish king Stefan Batory, it is one of the oldest Universities in Eastern Europe.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Vilnius". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.
The old town. Many churches and other building built in 13th-19th centuries
Gediminas castle. The red-bricked tower is restored from the Higher Castle erected in the 13th–14th centuries. Best view of vilnius. Can't find it? Look up! If you don't feel like looking up, though, you can climb up to it from the Cathedral Square. If you prefer not climbing, there is an elevator on the other side of the hill, facing the river.
Archcathedral Basilica. Original (wooden) cathedral built in 1251. In 1387 a gothic style cathedral was built. Now it is a classical style cathedral build by the project of Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevicius. The most beautiful part of the Cathedral, the baroque chapel of St. Casimir, was built in 1623–1636. The crypt shows a cross section of Vilnius through the ages, well worth seeing. You can also take a tour through the catacombs under the cathedral.
Outside the Cathedral, in the square, look for a particular tile on which there is written a word "Stebuklas" (means "miracle" in Lithuanian). Stand on it, make a wish and turn around three times. Your wish should come true :)
St. Ann's Church. One of the most beautiful churches in Vilnius and in Lithuania. Very small in size, but very beautiful example of gothic architecture. There is a legend that when during his conquests Napoleon came to Vilnius and saw this church he said he would like to take it on his palm and bring to France.
St. Peter's and Paul's Church. Another shockingly beautiful church. Not so special from the outside, but extremely beautiful inside, with all the interior overcrowded with baroque sculptural works. One of the main places to visit. It is actually a bit outside the old town, you may take a trolley #2 or #14 from the bus stop "Arkikatedra" in Cathedral Square and get out on the bus stop "Antakalnio ziedas", o take a ten-minute walk. When standing in the Cathedral square facing the river you have to take the street to the right and then just walk always straight, after a bit you should see the church.
The only statue in the world for honoring great musician
Lithuanian National Museum. Biggest and oldest source of national cultural heritage in the country, which systematically collects, stores, displays, and popularises the history of the state.
The Centre of Europe. 25 km to the North of Vilnius, in the village of Purnuskes, is the real centre of Europe, marked by The National Institute of Geography of France in 1989. (it has now somehow moved a little closer)
The overpriced European Park. The sculptures, which are the works of sculptors from more than 70 countries worldwide, are exhibited in the open area of 55 ha. Very bad mosquito problem when I went.
Old Arsenal Building
Artilery Bastion of Vilnius Defensive Wall
Three Crosses Hill is a memorable place because seven Franciscan monks were tortured here by the pagans.
, Water castle outside Vilnius
the cemeteries, interesting jewish cemetry in seskine (a little outside the centre) including the grave of some very important rabbi.
By the entrance to Vingis park is a war cemetry with russian, german, turkish soldiers from both wars.
Uzupis district, a bohemian area largely unrestored, an independant republic also.
on Gedimino prospekt (the main st), scary.Do
The main concert and sports events hall is Siemens arena, on the bus stop "Pramogu arena". You are in the basketball country, so don't miss the opportunity to see a basketball game in the real atmosphere.
There are always many extremely interesting modern art exhibitions on CAC (Contemporary Art Center), Vokieciu str. 2.
The fans of classical music should check the offers in the National Opera house, near the Green Bridge (Zaliasis tiltas).
Those who are interested in modern theatre, should go to at least one spectacle of Oskaras Korsunovas Theatre (OKT), www.okt.lt. It is one of the most original modern theatres in Europe, many times the winner of various festivals.Learn
Work
Average wage is around 500 Euros a month while unemployment is virtually nonexistent (according to the Department of Statistics of Lithuania registered unemployment rate in Lithuania was at a rate 2.9% of working-age population as for June 2006).Buy
Amber
Wool socks and hats.
Vilnius is one of the most stylish cities of Europe. Hugo Boss, ZARA, United Colors of Benetton and Escada have all opened and offer very nice quality garmats.Eat
Budget
, Didzioji g. 5, and other locations Pizza, pasta, salads. Medium pizza from 10 LTL to 25 LTL
Cili KAIMAS, same people as above but 'village' food. Try a zeppelin.Mid-range
(White Elephants) - cosy chilly non-smoking vegetarian-vegan cafe, world/reggea music, live concerts in the evenings, Vilniaus str. 41
Piti. Islandijos g.4, tel:852627560. Azerbaijani food. Eg the Spicy Piti dish with beef and potatos in a clay pot. Main courses ca. 20 LTL.Splurge
, Vokieciu str 22, tel: 852616573, fax:862312360, mailto:zemaiciusmukle@takal.lt, french inspired food with house specials such as roebuck with cherry sauce. Starters ca 30LTL, main courses 60LTL, extensive wine list starting at 80 LTL.Drink
(Broadway), Vokiečių St. / Mėsinių St. 4, cozy bar/nightclub.
Prospekto PUB, Gedimino pr. 2/1, fun place with non-trendy music, good drinks and a good atmosphere.
Cozy, Universiteto g. Double floored cozy bar it's a very good place to go if you want relaxing ambient or a good dj play in an extremely cozy environment. Also serves good food and Svyturys, of course.
Prie Universiteto, Universiteto g. right in front of Cozy, its entrance is marked with a big UK flag, but no, it's nor a english people frequented bar. Nice decoration and also serves good italian food for a good price.
, Vokiečių Str. 4, Cozy, friendly and allways welcome place to spend time until 4am. In the summer time there is also a terrace to enjoy warm evenings with a pint of beer, chatting with the friends.
Soleluna, Universiteto g. Starting point for Erasmus students parties! Small but with friendly people.
NATIONAL DRINKS
Most popular local beer is Svyturys (lighthouse), it is a world champion beer. Available in lots of different styles but "Ekstra" is probably the best. The other kinds of beer include Kalnapilis, Tauro, and Utenos.
Lithuanian vodka (Lithuanian "degtine") is of excellent quality. The brand 'Lithuanian Vodka' is quite popular. The gold is the premium version. Cranberry is also nice. Remember excessive vodka drinking can and does kill. Drink carefully.Sleep
Budget
Hostel-Viešbutis, šv. Stepono g. 11, tel: (+370-5) 216 02 54; 35 lt per person per night; TV and kitchen; location between the railway station and the old town.
, Saltoniskiu 56, tel. +370-5-2724013, mailto:hotel@victoria.lt; Nice, small, clean hotel; excellent location, only 7 minutes walk to the center; rooms starting from 30eur.Mid-range
, Pilies g. 10, tel:+370 52107777, mailto:hotel@atrium.lt, good location in the old town.Splurge
Raddison SAS Astoria. Situated opposite town square and near many upmarket shops and restraunts.
President Bush of the United States and Prince Charles have enjoyed the great service offered here.Private Saunas are offered in some rooms.Contact
Stay safe
Vilnius is a safe place but like anywhere you have to use common sense. Try and walk with a confident air and never look lost.
Around the train station is a particularly dangerous area. In the supermarket some drunk tried to pickpocket my girlfriend's phone. Lots of unsavoury types around.Cope
Internet. Abundant free hotspots all over the city, especially in restaurants (Cili Pizza i.e.)
Internet cafe and cheap international VOIP calls. Pilies street in the yard (opposite to the St. John's church).
New free WiFi hotspots on Gedimino street, Cathedral square and Town hall.Get out