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Vilnius Cathedral and its bell tower

No. 99 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Vilnius

Lithuania

Lithuania's baroque capital: church spires, cobbled lanes, the artists' quarter of Užupis and green hills.

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Photo: Scotch Mist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Vilnius is No. 99 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. Lithuania's capital lies where the Vilnia meets the Neris River.

Its Old Town, one of the largest in Eastern Europe, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of baroque churches, courtyards and cafés.

Gediminas Tower above Vilnius
Gediminas Tower above Vilnius. Photo: BigHead, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to go

May to September is mild, with long summer evenings.

Winters are cold and snowy, with a Christmas market on Cathedral Square in December.

Top sights

  • 1

    Cathedral Square

    The neoclassical cathedral and its free-standing bell tower.

  • 2

    Gediminas Tower

    The castle tower on a hill above the Old Town, reached by funicular or path.

  • 3

    Gates of Dawn

    The only surviving city gate, with a chapel and a famous icon.

  • 4

    St Anne's Church

    A small, ornate Gothic church of red brick.

  • 5

    Užupis

    A bohemian artists' quarter across the Vilnia, with its own humorous 'constitution' on a wall.

  • 6

    Trakai Castle

    An island castle on a lake, about 30 minutes west of the city.

Getting there

Vilnius Airport (VNO) is about 6 km south of the centre; trains and buses take 10 to 20 minutes.

Getting around

The Old Town is walkable. Buses and trolleybuses cover the city; ride-hailing apps such as Bolt are widely used.

Practical tips

Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
Lithuanian. English is widely spoken by younger people.
Safety
Vilnius is generally safe. The emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
Lithuania is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and F.

Official information: Go Vilnius (official tourism website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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