Vilnius Lithuania Travel Guide: Old Town & Best Things to Do
Vilnius, Lithuania is one of Europe’s most underrated capitals and home to a UNESCO-listed historic center filled with Baroque churches, cobblestone streets, colorful architecture, and spectacular viewpoints. This firsthand Vilnius travel guide covers the best things to do in Vilnius, including Vilnius Cathedral, St. Anne’s Church, Užupis, and the historic Old Town.
Why Visit Vilnius?
Often overlooked in favor of Prague, Budapest, or Kraków, Vilnius is one of Europe’s most rewarding hidden gems. Lithuania’s capital is home to one of the largest and best-preserved UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Towns in Europe, where colorful Baroque churches, Gothic architecture, cobblestone streets, medieval courtyards, and lively cafés create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors. History lovers will appreciate the city’s rich past as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while photographers will find endless opportunities from Gediminas Castle Tower, Cathedral Square, and the artistic neighborhood of Užupis. Add in affordable prices, excellent restaurants, and a relaxed pace, and it’s easy to see why Vilnius became one of my favorite cities in Eastern Europe.
First things first: Vilnius is absurdly charming
Out of the three Baltic capitals I visited, Vilnius is the one that fully stole my heart — and then sold it back to me in a pastel Baroque frame for €7. The Old Town is huge, photogenic from every angle, and ridiculously walkable. It’s also one of Europe’s best-preserved historic centers, packed with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical architecture all layered together like architectural tiramisu, which is part of why Vilnius is recognized by UNESCO.
You don’t stroll Vilnius. You wander it, spin around at every corner, say “oh wow” twelve times per block, and take so many photos your phone heats up. I was there for two full days. This was not enough. You have been warned.
Plan for more than two days. You’ll thank me later.
(Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania, featuring an outdoor café and the Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower in the heart of the Old Town)
(Vilnius Cathedral and the Cathedral Square Bell Tower in the heart of Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
Purchase the original painting and fine art prints HERE
Cathedral Square: The Elegant Heart of the City
Eventually, all Vilnius wanderers end up in Cathedral Square, because gravity (the Old Town slopes toward it) and also because it’s the social hub. The square is anchored by Vilnius Cathedral — a grand white Neoclassical church — and its freestanding bell tower, which leans just a touch. That tilt? Not your camera. It’s the tower. I checked.
This is where cafés spill out under umbrellas, street life hums, and you realize, oh, wow, I’m in a capital city and it somehow still feels cozy.
Pro move:
- Grab a table, sit outside, and pretend you live there.
- Take forty photos of the bell tower from every possible angle.
- Wonder if you should move to Lithuania immediately.
Cathedral Square also connects a bunch of Vilnius’s main streets, and it hosts markets and events throughout the year (the Christmas market is famously atmospheric, complete with elaborate lights and a huge tree).
(Pastel facades and cobblestone streets in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
Vilnius Old Town is basically a live-action storybook. You’ll walk past curved yellow facades with red tile roofs, quiet side streets paved in cobblestone, and balconies that look like they belong in a 300-year-old opera. It’s not subtle. =
Around every corner: another “wait, I have to photograph this.” If you’re into architectural texture, old brick, baroque flourishes, and mild romantic collapse, you’re gonna have a good time.
I was in constant “this could be a watercolor” mode, which, yes, turned into actual watercolors later. (Vilnius, by the way, is fabulous as painting inspiration — bell towers, curving streets, dramatic light — 10/10 muse.)
(Red rooftops and historic churches in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania, seen from atop St. John’s Church bell-tower)
Street scene of Old Vilnius. Original 11×15″ painting and prints available
See the creation of this painting on my YouTube Channel:
(St. Anne’s Church, one of Vilnius’ most iconic Gothic landmarks, in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania)
St. Anne’s Church: The Red-Brick Showstopper
There are a lot of churches in Vilnius. A lot. But if you only have emotional capacity for one dramatic medieval moment, make it St. Anne’s Church.
It’s a soaring, late Gothic masterpiece built in red brick, full of vertical lines and carved detail. One persistent legend says Napoleon saw it, fell in love, and wanted to carry it back to Paris in the palm of his hand during his 1812 campaign. The less romantic historical reality is that his troops just used it for shelter, but hey — the myth has style.
It’s also a big part of why Vilnius Old Town is UNESCO-listed. The core of the city has stayed remarkably intact for centuries, which is wild when you remember the city has lived through occupations from multiple empires and regimes.
Translation: You’re not just sightseeing. You’re time-traveling.
(Bell tower of St. Johns Church at Vilnius University, seen from a quiet side street in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
Original painting and fine art prints available HERE
St. John’s Church Bell Tower: Climb (or Suffer) for the View
My son and I went to St. John’s Church at Vilnius University. There’s an elevator to the bell tower.
Did I take the elevator? Absolutely not. I refuse. Views must be earned, calves must be destroyed, dinner must be justified.
We climbed. We regretted. We triumphed.
From the top, you get that perfect Vilnius panorama: oceans of red rooftops, steeples, courtyards, and tree-lined pockets of green. It’s an insane view of the Old Town’s roofscape, and you suddenly understand why painters, poets, and people with drones love this place. rfoxphoto.com
Highly recommend:
Bragging later about how you “didn’t even need the elevator.”
Going up near late afternoon for warm light.
Pretending you’re a medieval guard on watch.
(St. Johns Church and the historic courtyard of Vilnius University in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
(The Angel of Užupis and lively outdoor cafés in the artistic Užupis district of Vilnius, Lithuania)
Užupis: Dinner in a Tiny Republic That Takes Itself Exactly the Right Amount Seriously
That evening, we ate in Užupis, the bohemian arts district just across the river. Užupis famously declared itself an independent republic in 1997, with its own playful “constitution,” lots of street art, galleries, and a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet like he’s announcing your arrival. (He might be.)
It’s got outdoor cafés, murals, and a relaxed, artsy vibe that’s part “Paris left bank,” part “student art studio,” part “yes we are our own republic, do you have a problem with that.”
If you want a perfect Vilnius evening: sit at an outdoor table in Užupis, order something comforting, and just watch the light turn gold on the buildings.
(Cafés, cobblestones, and Baroque architecture in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
(Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus in medieval city of Vilnius, Lithuania skyline colorful watercolor painting)
Purchase the original painting and prints HERE
(Watercolor street scene featuring the bell tower of St. Johns Church in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania)
Purchase the original painting and prints HERE
Explore More Baltic Travel Guides
- Lithuania Travel Guide
- Riga Latvia Travel Guide
- Tallinn Estonia Travel Guide
- Kaunas Lithuania Travel Guide
Next: Day Trip to Kaunas Lithunia
Vilnius References:
Hotel
Centrally located, easy walking distance to basically everything you want to see in the Old Town. You can roll out of bed and be instantly in medieval Lithuania, which is a pretty good feature for a hotel.
Other Vilnius Hotels:
On the fancier end. Think “I am the protagonist of a 19th-century novel and I order champagne for breakfast
The dream hotel if you’re feeling extra royal. Historic building, beautiful interiors, and the kind of atmosphere that whispers “someone important definitely plotted something in this lounge in 1794.” If I had the budget, I 100% would’ve stayed here.
Coffee
Unfortunately, most bakeries and coffee shops in Vilnius don’t open until 7:30 a.m. For photographers chasing summer sunrises, that means being up hours before your first shot of caffeine—an impossible situation. I was convinced I’d die of coffee deprivation before then. My advice: stock up the day before on supermarket iced coffees and drink just enough to survive until the cafés open (a strategy I tested and can confirm works).
Tours
Find things to do in Vilnius- day trips (museums and public transport), and more:
https://expedia.com/affiliates/expedia-home.I60h33b
Travel Guides
Here is the recent published Lonely Planet Guide. This is what I used to plan the trip (in conjunction with the all-beloved internet):
Lonely Planet Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania
Another travel guide available for Vilnius (Lithuania):
Insight Guides Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: Travel Guide with eBook
Flights:
I found a cheap flight on Expedia:
https://expedia.com/affiliates/expedia-home.eACF6mk
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Ryan Fox Painting
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