Exploring things to do in Vilnius? Whether you're visiting for the first time or returning, discover our handpicked places and activities that will enchant you and make you fall in love with our wonderful city.
For bars and restaurants click here
ACTIVE ADVENTURES
Bikes, Kayaking, Hot air balloon flights
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Velo Takas: bike rental, both city and mountai bike tours. Website: velotakas.lt
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Vilniaus Baidarės: Neris day or night tour, Vilnele river tour. Best to book by calling +370 645 43456 | Website: vilniaus-baidares.lt
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Vilnius Adventure: Different river tours, extreme underground and swamp tours. Best to book by calling +37062739146 (also WhatsApp, Viber) | Website: vilniusadventure.lt
NB! kayaking in Vilnele river is considered extreme! Please, evaluate your experience before choosing the route.
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Hot Air Lines: Hot air balloon flights over Trakai or sometimes Vilnius. Website: https://orobalionai.lt/en/
NB! A hot air balloon is completely dependent on the meteorological conditions: cloudiness, visibility, precipitation, wind speed and etc. Due to this, some flights might need to be rescheduled.
FLAVORS EXPERIENCE
- Lietuviški skoniai - they arrange regular guided tastings of locally crafted wines and traditional meads in atmospheric 16th-century Vilnius cellars, led by the producers themselves and enriched with stories of history, craftsmanship, and regional flavors. Located in the heart of Old Town.
TOP MUSEUMS IN VILNIUS
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Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (Aukų str. 2A) - located in a former KGB headquarters and internal prison, exhibitions explain a few important topics of the Sovietisation of the region: from the freedom fights of 1944-1953 to KGB activities and the deportations of local people. IMPORTANT: it’s closed on Mondays & Tuesdays
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The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (Katedros sqr. 4) - covers different topics of the history of the Granduchy of Lithuania. However, the building itself was completely rebuilt and officially finished in 2013. But we think it's still worth your time!
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Castellan’s House ( Arsenalo str. 1) - A short and interesting guide to Lithuania, introducing the main ideas that have shaped Lithuania’s identity. We invite you to discover the face of Lithuania. They have regular tours in english.
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The Holocaust exhibition of Jewish History museum (Pamėnkalnio str. 12) - the exhibition recounts the culture and history of Lithuanian Jews, from their arrival in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to their tragic deaths during the Holocaust.
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MO museum (Pylimo str. 17) - exhibits the works by modern and contemporary Lithuanian artists. The exhibitions change regularly to reflect different artists and themes, so you can come back there every time you visit Vilnius. Is open on Mondays, but closed on Tuesdays!
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National Art Gallery (Konstitucijos av. 22) - or NDG for short, exhibits the most important items in the collection of the Lithuanian Art Museum. The display progresses chronologically from the beginning of the late 19th and early 20th century to the present day. There’s also temporary expositions changing regularly.
NB! All museums in Lithuania offer discounts for students, teachers, elderly individuals, and young children. Please ask about these discounts before buying tickets. Additionally, on the last Sunday of each month, entry to museums and galleries in Vilnius managed by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture is free of charge!
Also, many museums are closed on Mondays, so be sure to check their opening hours! Click Here for the list of Vilnius museums, which are open on Mondays too!
Photo by Mo Museum
WALKING TOURS IN VILNIUS
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Vilnius Free Walking Tour (Old Town & Uzupis) - the main tour to get introduced to Vilnius & Lithuania. Visit Vilnius Old Town & Uzupis with a local guide to get to know the essential information for the first time visitors in Vilnius. If you are short on time, do this tour. Vilnius guides are waiting for you everyday.
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Soviet Vilnius Tour - get to know Vilnius better by venturing out of the Old town to discover the traces of recent history of the city. Vilnius was one od the cities of USSR and if you do not feel that while walking around Vilnius Old Town, local guides are ready to show you what is left from the dark page of Lithuanian history not too far away.
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Jewish Vilnius Tour - Lithuania had a very strong Jewish community until WWII. Lithuanian Jews were even called Litvaks. This tour helps you to understand better the Jewish history in Vilnius Old Town.
ALTERNATIVE PLACES TO VISIT IN VILNIUS
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Paupys market (Aukštaičių str. 7) - loved by locals, but definitely off the beaten track for the travelers. The space houses many different cuisine restaurants, so it’s a good place to visit if you have friends with very different tastes. Also convenient, if you want to explore some hiking paths close to this area.
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Open Gallery (Vytenio str. 50) - the first and so far the only international street art gallery in Vilnius. Open 24/7 all year round. New pieces are added annually around the time of Loftas fest (second weekend of September).
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Sodas 2123 (Vitebsko str. 23) - self-governing, community-based space that brings together creators and researchers from different fields. Check it out if you are interested in the latest cultural, social, geopolitical and ecological issues.
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Lukiškės prison 2.0 (Lukiškių skg. 6) - after 115 year of being an actual prison the complex now serves as an alternative venue for musical, cultural, and artistic events. The interior and the exterior of the prison have been carefully preserved and used as the backdrop for Stranger Things season 4.
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Cold war bunker (Panerių str. 45C-52) - take a guided tour of one of the last surviving soviet civil defense shelters and experience the conditions locals would have had to live in following a nuclear war.
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Vilnius Carillon (Vasario 16-osios str. 11) - Visitors are welcome to listen to musical pieces played daily by the Vilnius Carillon, the largest of its kind in Central Europe! This unique musical instrument, consisting of 61 bells, is installed in the Church of St. Philip and St. Jacob the Apostles. Every hour (from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.), a different melody, "City Clock," created by the renowned Japanese carillon player Toru Takao is played.
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Vilnius TV tower (Sausio 13-osios str. 10) - the tallest building in the country and among the tallest television towers in the world. A unique bistro-bar is located on the Television Tower's circular section at 170 meters height. And if you like something more extreme, there’s also the possibility to visit an open air terrace and sit on the edge of a 170 meters platform!
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The virtual reality experience “Trail of Angels” - The project wowed audiences at the 2018 Venice Film Festival and won the prestigious Lumen Prize for Art and Technology in the UK in 2019. People who see it return for a second viewing bringing friends and family with them. And all those who have shared their impressions unanimously speak of a more harmonious world they have entered, of refreshment and calmness, of inspiration.
Interested to discover more of soviet era architecture in Vilnius? Check our suggestions on top 5 must see Soviet era buildings in Vilnius. Or join our Soviet Vilnius walking tour!
EXPLORE VILNIUS NATURE
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Vilnius University’s Botanical Garden (Kairėnų str. 43) - located on the grounds of an old manor the garden has a vast collection of approximately 10,000 plants and is considered one of the richest in the Baltics. Quite easy to reach by public transport.
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Pūčkorių Educational Trail (Belmonto str. 17) - explore the valley of a winding Vilnia River and the highest exposure in Lithuania (65 meters and its width is 260 meters). The trail with wide stairs, wooden walkways, terraces, tables and gazebos is accessible all year round.
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Žalieji ežerai (Žaliųjų Ežerų str. 148) - or the Green Lakes, actually consist of 6 different lakes, but the most loved one is definitely lake Balsys. Its beach offers a sandy shore, free sunbeds and a sports area. It’s easily reachable with public transport.
Source: https://www.savaitgalis.lt/vieta/zalieji-ezerai/
If you are interested to follow more hiking paths around Vilnius, check our suggestions on hiking trails in Vilnius and how to get there.
Want to refresh yourself and take a swim? We also have a list of all the beaches in Vilnius.
Wondering how to reach all these places? Here are our suggestions for transportation in Vilnius.
GETTING AROUND VILNIUS
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Trafi ( www.trafi.com) - one app for all the means of transportation in Vilnius city. Check it for real-time public transport information, as well as transit tickets. It’s also possible to get Uber, Spark or CityBee rental cars and CycloCity bikes within one app.
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Bolt (bolt.eu) - get a ride, rent a car or a scooter.
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City bee (citybee.lt ) - car rental available in all Baltic states.
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CycloCity (www.cyclocity.lt) - city bike rental available all over the city center. Easy to rent and drop off.
NB! night bus services are operating on weekend nights. The buses will travel at night from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday from midnight every 30 minutes, the last trips from the centre to the microdistricts will take place at 4 o'clock in the morning.
During weekdays there is one night bus, 88N, bus operating all night between the airport and the city. However on weekends it's N8 route.
Wondering where to go for a short day trip outside Vilnius? Check out our suggestions on how to get to Trakai or The Hill of Crosses.
Make sure to share you most favorite pick from the tour on instagram and tag us too @vilniusfreetour !
What do you think? Did we miss something? Let us know and we will update our recommendations on bars, restaurants, museums and other things to do in Vilnius.