Vilnius travel guide

Vilnius, the least known and visited of the three Baltic State capitals, had for decades reclined in the shadows, but all that has changed with Lithuania joining the European Union and in 2009 being European Capital of Culture, which has really opened up the capital's charms.

The city's historic core is stunning, centred around a well-preserved and expansive baroque old town that is fringed by the Vilnia and Neris Rivers. A riot of church spires reach for the heavens; just how many churches Vilnius has can be appreciated by climbing up to the city's castle or visiting one of the parks that dot this green metropolis.

On the north bank of the Neris, a new Vilnius is taking shape, a 21st-century collage of glass and steel skyscrapers geared towards the burgeoning business community, a world that offers a complete contrast to Vilnius and Lithuania before the break from the Soviet Union and the ditching of communism in 1991.

Add in the buzz that the large local student population injects into the old streets, and Vilnius today is a thrilling, energetic and rewarding place to visit.