Vilnius Key Attractions
The sprawling old town was in a sorry state just a few years ago with crumbling facades and an air of general decay. The picture now is completely different with the buildings around central Didzioji positively gleaming. Aimless wandering is usually rewarded and those wanting to get a feel for how raffish the old town used to be should pop over the Vilnia to the Uzupis district, which has still largely to undergo gentrification.
Cathedral
Refurbished after being handed back to the Church (under the Soviets it was used as an art gallery), the cathedral is now back to its stunningly white best. There has been a religious building on the site since the 13th century, with today's incarnation largely the result of 18th-century work. You cannot miss the freestanding belltower that lies between the main structure and Gedimino.
Katedros 1
Tel: (5) 261 1127.
Website: www.katedra.lt
Gediminas' Tower of the Upper Castle
A short walk (or an even quicker ride up the funicular) brings you up to the small mound where the only remaining tower of the city's castle nestles. The original 13th-century fortifications have been modified throughout the centuries and now the castle also houses a museum. The tower offers fantastic views of the city and the region.
Castle Hill
Tel: (5) 261 7453.
Website: www.lnm.lt
Museum of Genocide Victims
The dark days of the Soviet occupation come alive at this chilling museum. The exhibits are housed in the old KGB headquarters, the actual building where anyone who had rankled the authorities was held, tortured and then either executed or condemned to the gulags.
Auku 2a
Tel: (5) 249 7427.
Website: www.genocid.lt/muziejus/en
TV Tower
The TV Tower boasts the most comprehensive views of the city, but is not for vertigo sufferers. There is a small cafe, although it is the views that people come to see. Look out also for the touching exhibition commemorating the sacrifice of 14 civilians who were murdered by Soviet tanks in 1991 during the independence struggle.
Sausio 13-Osios 10
Tel: (5) 204 0300.
Website: www.lrtc.lt
Vilnius Attractions
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Family holidays There is something about the snow in Finland that makes you wonder if the locals sneak out at night and spray it with a coat of brilliant white paint – it
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for
