Hello!
I recently visited Vilnius and would like to share a few impressions. It was a purely tourist trip, so I’ll share what I think is worth seeing if you decide to go as well.
I recommend starting with a public transport pass for several days. It's much cheaper than paying 1 euro for each trip. There's also the option of adding a certain number of trips to the pass, which, when calculated per trip, will still be cheaper than buying a ticket each time separately. And if you buy a pass for several days, you'll be able to ride unlimitedly, any number of trips per day, any routes. That’s exactly what I chose.
You can get from the airport to the city by bus or by train, the stops are right next to the airport. The train might be faster, but the bus took me not just into the city, but straight to the hotel where I had booked a room — so I chose the bus. Another advantage of the bus is that it passes through the city center, so you can get off at any stop. The train, however, only takes you to the station, from where you will need to get to the center by bus... Or walk, which is also an option if you want to start the excursion program right away. But after the plane, I wanted to first settle in and leave unnecessary things in the apartment.
I will not describe in detail the process of how I checked in, in what order I then visited which places, I will simply show some photographs with a description of the places where I would recommend going or traveling.
The TV Tower stands 326 meters tall. From its observation deck—also a restaurant—you get a stunning view. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Probably the most popular tourist attraction in Vilnius is Gediminas’ Tower. These preserved ruins are the remains of the Upper Castle, dating back to the late 14th–early 15th centuries. It is believed that a wooden castle stood here as early as the 13th century. The Upper and Lower Castles were damaged during the Crusader sieges of 1365–1402 and a fire in 1419, but later restored by Vytautas the Great, Gediminas’ grandson. Unlike the Lower Castle, the Upper Castle was not used by the rulers of Lithuania as a residential and representative building, but was an arsenal and armory. With the development of artillery, castles lost their military significance. In the 17th century, the Upper Castle fell into disrepair. For some time, its premises housed a prison for the gentry.
Pushkarsky Slope is a beautiful spot just outside the city, easily reachable by bus.
The town of Trakai lies about 30 kilometers from Vilnius, and it’s convenient to reach it by train. The train takes only half an hour, but from the station you will need to walk to the castle for about another half an hour, almost across the entire city.
Some more photos of Vilnius:
There are many bike rental points around the city, and you can start a ride through a mobile app—a very convenient option for tourists. I am glad that we have started to have something like this too :-)
In the central part of the city you can sometimes see such beauty, it is very impressive.
And finally, here are a few more photos.
