Home › Travel Guides › Europe Travel Guide › Lithuania › Vilnius › Things to see in Vilnius
Image gallery

Vilnius

© 123rf.com

+200
Vilnius Local time

Weather in Vilnius
Partly Cloudy Day
-
1
4
°C
Lithuania

Things to see in Vilnius

Tourist information: 

Vilnius Tourist Office
Vilniaus 22, Vilnius
Tel: (5) 262 9660.
Website: www.vilnius-tourism.lt

There are other tourist information offices at Didzioji 31 (tel: (5) 262 6470) and at the train station, Gelezinkelio St. 16 (tel: (5) 269 2091). Wi-Fi access is available at the main office and at Didzioji 31.

Frank Zappa Statue

This unusual statue of the oddball American musician and alternative thinker is surely the only one of its kind in the world, revealing Vilnius's playful side. It was sculpted by a local artist, Konstantinas Bogdanas, in brass, and unveiled in 1995.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Kalinausko 1, Vilnius, Lithuania
Gediminas Tower

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 upper 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 Vilnius and the region, while the lower castle below is currently being redeveloped as a museum.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Castle Hill, Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: (5) 261 7453.
Website: www.lnm.lt
Hill of Three Crosses

The trio of crosses, which originally were placed here in the 17th century, marked the crucifixion of a group of monks. The crosses, both symbolic of faith and Lithuanian national identity, were destroyed by Stalin's regime, but they were rebuilt in 1989 as the country approached independence. The views of Vilnius are excellent and the walks back down the wooded slopes enjoyable.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Kalnu Parkas, Vilnius, Lithuania
Museum of Genocide Victims

The dark days of the Soviet occupation come alive at this chilling Vilnius 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. A must for anyone with an interest in the city’s darker Cold War past.

Opening Times: Wed-Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Auku 2a, Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: (5) 249 8155.
Website: www.genocid.lt/muziejus/en
TV Tower

The TV Tower boasts the most comprehensive views of Vilnius, but is not for vertigo sufferers. There is a small café, 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.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-2200.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Sausio 13-Osios 10, Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: (5) 252 5333.
Website: www.lrtc.lt
Vilnius Cathedral

Refurbished after being handed back to the Church (under the Soviets it was used as an art gallery), Vilnius’s landmark 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.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Katedros 1, Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: (5) 261 1127.
Website: www.katedra.lt
Vilnius Old Town

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. The year Vilnius spent as European Capital of Culture in 2009 boosted the Old Town further and continued efforts are being planned to restore more and more of the historic buildings.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Old Town, Vilnius, Lithuania

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.