Vilnius, Lithuania: Things To Do In Vilnius

Originally posted Feb 14, 2020

I was in London, England in November and needed to get to another new country. I did not have much time to do it and also needed to find a place that had a cheap fare. After much searching, I found a flight from the last airport in the London area I’ve not logged, Southend (SEN) and I also found a flight on LOT Polish Airlines (LO) returning to London-City Airport (LCY), which is convenient as I’m saying at the end of the runway at London-City Airport.

My trip lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes from the time I landed to the time I departed and it was at night. let’s take a look at what Vilnius, Lithuania has to offer.

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If you’d like to visit, I’ve compiled some facts to help you on your journey.

• Time Zone: GMT -6
• Currency: Euros (EUR)
• Language: Lithuanian (English is spoken as well)

Capital: Vilnius

Visa and Health Information

No visa is required for U.S. citizens traveling to Lithuania. You do need a valid passport for at least 180 days after your last date of travel as well as a ticket for onward journey from the islands. Here is some additional information for U.S. Citizens. If you are not a U.S. citizen, use this link to check visa requirements.

How To Get Here

By Air

The city is served by the Vilnius International Airport (VNO). Below you can see a list of airlines serving the city. The terminal is a mixture of old and new; old being the arrivals hall.

Scheduled Service Airlines Serving Vilnius International Airport (VNO)

AirBaltic (BT), Austrian Airlines (OS), Brussels Airlines (SN), Finnair (AY), LOT Polish (LO), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Ryanair (FR), SAS (SK), Swiss Airlines (LX), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), Wizz Air (W6)

 Airport To The City

There are buses that run between the airport and the city. You can pay 1 Euro on the bus to the driver or you may also buy a Vilnius Pass for unlimited rides for a specific time period on the public transportation.Just exit the arrivals hall and turn right.

 

 

 

You may also rent a car, take a taxi or shared ride service such as Uber and the local company, Bolt. You can sign up for either of these services using your mobile phone. I used the local service as the airport front desk agent suggested they have better rates than Uber. My driver spoke little or no English, so it was a quiet ride to the airport from my hotel.

There is also the Airport Express service operated by TOKSNeo.

By Ferries

Vilnius is accessible by ferries. You can find more details at http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/information/arrival/by-ferry/.

By Cruise Ship

There are several cruise lines with service to Vilnius. Check out Anchors Away and Costa Cruises. 

By Bus

At the time of this writing, there are seven bus companies serving Vilnius:

ECOLines

EuroLines

InfoBus

Intax

LUXExpress

Sinbad

TOKSNeo

Where To Stay

 I didn’t book a place to stay before I arrived, but I did look at what was available. I did notice a Radisson Blu in the city center and a Hilton Garden Inn on the outskirts. I could also stay at the airport as the air inn Vilnius hotel was a few steps away from the arrival hall.

Here is a handy map to find A Hotel

 

So I took the bus to the edge of town and walked in. There were several places along the way that looked nice.

 

I did check a few prices, but they were outside my budget or too close to the Radisson and Hilton of which I have frequent stayer status.

 

I checked with the Radisson (there are two) and it was just over $100 and I also checked with the Hilton which was under $100, but further away. I booked it anyways and walked in the cold night enjoying the city as I went.

Use this search box for hotels in and around the city.

 

 

 

Things To Do in Vilnius

As I do with all new cities I visit, I always stop by the Tourist Board Office at the airport or in the city. It’s a treasure of information and totally worth it on this trip.

The young man there, gave me some really valuable tips on which bus to take (1E, 88 or the 88N), where to get off and what to see in my one night in Vilnius.

 

He told me to start at the Old Town entrance at the Gates of Dawn, Aušros Vartų and walk in from there, so I planned on doing that.

 

 

 

Check out the Vilnius Tourist Board Web site for information on what to see in the city.

You can also find some tours here at my partner Viator.

 

Once I got the information, I went to explore the airport some more as I had time, take a selfie and then waited for the bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was already a cold one, but I was layered up and ready to walk the city at night. 

 

I did also use Google Maps to get the directions and the timings of the bus.

Here are some things to do once you make it into the city.

National Museum of Lithuania

Mindaugas Bridge

Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower

Gediminas Tower and The Hill of 3 Crosses

The Bastion of Vilnius City Wall

 

St Johns’ Church Bell Tower

 

What To Eat In Vilnius

There are many restaurants around the city. I’d suggest just walking around and following your nose :-).

 

Have you made it to Vilnius as yet? What do you think? Leave a comment below and let me know.