If you are wondering if Vilnius, Lithuania is worth a visit especially just as a quick city getaway you've come to the right place!
I was there in April 2025 - let me break down the most important infos and share some tips for your (next) visit 💫
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Can you see Vilnius in a day?
Absolutely! My goal for Easter this year was seeing the three capitals of the Baltic countries (Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn) within 6 days (half a day for travels included).
How to get to Vilnius?
I flew in from Dublin but you can also get there by train or bus.
If you're flying in I recommend checking out Kiwi.com as they have really good deals and it's easy to compare the best flights for you.
From there you can take several buses (e.g. #1, 2 or 88) to the city center (Old Town). It takes about 20 min and the buses go regularly (even on bank holidays like Good Friday!)
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| Airport to Old Town Vilnius - Picture credit: Maps.Google.com |
How does public transport work in Vilnius?
If you want to get to the city center (Old Town) from the airport, take bus number 1 or 2 - there are buses coming every 15 min. You can simply tap your card or phone (if you have your wallet activated) to buy a 60 min ticket (price as of April 2025: 90 cents). If you get into a ticket control simply tap your card/ phone on the device the controller uses for checking the tickets and it will display if it’s still valid. Checks are random but to avoid fines, always make sure to buy a ticket when you use public transport!
Vilnius can easily be explored by foot but if you want to go further or use public transport more regularly, there are several ticket options available [link].
If you choose the tapping option, your ticket is valid for 60 minutes (there is a cheaper ticket for 30 minutes too but you have to book it on the app of ticket machine) and you simply tap again when you get on the other public transport options.
You can download the official transport app [link] however please note that there is a minimum purchase price of 5€ - if you don't plan to buy several tickets or more expensive options it's not worth it for you. Other options include 1 day, 3 day or 5 day tickets which you can either buy through the app, ticket machines or in kiosks.
Is Vilnius a walkable city?
Absolutely! A tourist you will be mainly interested in the Old Town which is easily to get around just by foot! The smaller streets are older and filled with pebble stones - if you plan to with a stroller or by wheelchair stick to the main roads but know that it will not be ideal but the main streets are considerably spacious and easy to use.
What are the must-sees in Vilnuis for a day trip?
Gediminas Castle Tower
Vilnius Cathedral
Glass Quarter (those are only a few streets and they can be easily missed!)
Pilies g. (their main street)
St. John Church
Vilnuis Town Hall
Church of St. Casimir
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Where to stay in Vilnius?
Generally accommodations are fairly cheap but it depends on what your priorities are. I stayed at [link] which was perfect as it is in the heard of the Old Town and close to most of the sight seeings. They have a kitchen if you want to store your own food, free WiFi and reasonable rooms & facilities which were my non-negotiables.
There are a bunch of hostels and hotels on the main streets and neither of them should break the bank.
What to eat in Vilnius?
As a vegetarian with a partner who eats meat, I can recommend the following restaurants & cafés we visited:
The Urban Garden
By far our favorite for breakfast was The Urban Garden Vilnius !! The food was delicious and honestly I would love to have a slice of bread like this every day!! As vegetarian it’s always hard to find well balanced, good tasting food and my avocado toast with halloumi, as well as my smoothie was perfect for starting the day!
Price point: ca. 30€ for 2 people
https://www.instagram.com/theurbangarden_vilnius
Etno Dvaras
We also went to Etno Dvaras in the heart of the city to have some traditional food there. The food was good but due to its location it’s definitely set up for tourists. The menu might not look like it but there are a few vegetarian options and since we were hungry and wanted to try something local we gave it a go.
Price point: ca. 50€ for 2 people
https://www.instagram.com/etno.dvaras/
Alkani
Alkani is more of a controvercial restaurant if you look at the reviews. At the time of written it has a 4.1 star rating on Google which is good but if you walk into the restaurant it’s not very well maintained and there are only 3 tables in the back which was only used by us. While the employee or owner behind the counter isn’t too much into decorating and outer appearance he does have a pizza oven and makes the dough for the falafel pita in said oven. The food is good for a quick lunch or dinner and fairly priced.
Price point: ca. 25€ for 2 people
Beigelistai
Our first breakfast was at Beigelistai which is well located in Vilnius. While they have plenty of options for vegetarians their bagels were fairly disappointing as our orders were incomplete and only average in taste.
Vilnius is not big and I believe this place definitely is a good spot for tourists but honestly I wouldn’t recommend it (hence no additional link).
Price point: ca. 35€ for 2 people
Typical food for Lithuania include:
Cold Beetroot Soup
Fried bread (with local cheese - Not gonna lie, I had it basically every day)
Cepelinai (potato dumplings) filled with curd cheese
How much should you budget for you stay in Vilnius (in 2025)?
Transport: 2€/ day
Food: 5-15€ p.P. per meal (= snack to main dish)
Drinks: 5€ p.P. per drink (= bottled drink, coffee, pint of beer)
Accommodation: 30-70€ p.P. (none-shared accommodation)
Souvenir: 5-10€ per items
As we were 2 people accommodation was obviously shared but this is the breakdown for 1,5 days (2 nights):
Does it make sense to see Vilnius in a day?
Yes but know that it is limited time to see things. If you have more time make us of the different museums such as the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania or the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights or plan a day trip to the old capital of Lithuania Trakai which is only about 40min away from Old Town by train.
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