The Old Town, Užupis, Trakai & every Michelin star in Lithuania
Vilnius has one of the largest surviving Baroque old towns in Europe, and it is compact enough to walk end to end in half an hour. Most of what you want is inside that: Gediminas Castle Tower on the hill, the Cathedral and its bell tower below it, Pilies gatvė running south through the middle, and the Gates of Dawn at the bottom.
Two walks are worth doing in their own right. Gates of Dawn up through to Cathedral Square takes you the length of the Old Town. Cathedral Square through Bernardine Garden and across the river to Užupis takes you from the formal centre into the self-declared bohemian republic, constitution and all, in about twenty minutes — and from the garden you can branch off up through Kalnų parkas to the Three Crosses, which has the best view over the Old Town of anywhere in the city and costs nothing.
This is also where most of Lithuania's Michelin scene sits: four of the country's five stars are in or just outside the city, along with six of the eight Bib Gourmands and several Main Selection entries. Worth knowing the difference — a star means outstanding cooking at a price to match, while a Bib Gourmand means genuinely good food at a fair one, which for most visitors is the more useful list. The starred restaurants need booking weeks ahead and several close Sunday through Tuesday; the Bib Gourmands are easier, though B'ARN Bistro is tiny and books months out.
Trakai Island Castle, thirty minutes out by car or train, is the best half-day trip in the country and easily combined with a Vilnius stay. Allow three days if you want the Old Town, Užupis and Trakai without rushing.
One thing worth checking before you fix your dates: the National Opera and Ballet runs a season from roughly September to June, and tickets cost a fraction of what an equivalent evening does in Western Europe. There is nothing on in July or August, so if a night at the opera appeals, plan around it rather than hoping.
Places we would actually book ourselves.
A literary-themed boutique hotel in a grand historic house on a quiet Old Town street, right by Bernardine Garden — St Anne's Church and Užupis one direction, the Cathedral and main shopping street the other. On-site parking, genuinely charming, if a touch reserved on service.
A large, reliable international hotel with a genuinely great rooftop Sky Bar — good views and a solid choice if you want a familiar chain experience.
A dependable, well-located chain hotel right on Gedimino prospektas, an easy walk from the Old Town — good for business trips or anyone who wants a known quantity.
A private cabin up in the trees in the Dzūkija forest, adults only and built for two, with a wood-fired ofuro tub outside under the canopy. Beautifully designed — the newer cabins especially — and genuinely remote in a way almost nothing else in this guide is.
A five-star boutique hotel in a beautifully restored historic palace — one of the most talked-about places to stay in the Old Town, with a well-regarded restaurant attached and an award-winning spa on site.
A boutique hotel in a converted historic building close to the Old Town — small pool and sauna, though reviews note it's an older property without a lift.
A genuinely excellent, centrally located five-star hotel right in the heart of the Old Town — consistently outstanding reviews for service and location, with an indoor pool, sauna, steam room and spa.
A five-star boutique hotel on Subačiaus gatvė in the Old Town, a short walk from Gates of Dawn — a historic building renovated in 2005, with its own spa, gym, hot tub, and a well-regarded restaurant and California Tapas & Wine bar on site. Booking.com guests rate it 9.0 from 993 reviews. Breakfast draws particular praise: generous, many options, and a full breakfast package available for around €28 per person if you are not already on a plan that includes it.
Marriott's first hotel in Lithuania, and a genuinely striking one — 271 rooms right beside the Old Town, built around the historic Church of Sts. Philip and James. The restaurant, Saint Jacob's, does Basque cuisine, which is not something you find twice in Vilnius. Underground parking, a proper gym, EV charging. Booking.com guests rate it 9.4 from 871 reviews, which is very high.
Restaurants, cafés and bakeries worth the detour.
An upscale, design-led restaurant right by the cathedral — creative modern dishes, though reviews are mixed on consistency. Featured in the Michelin Guide (Main Selection, not starred). Worth booking ahead.
A charming Old Town café-bakery — excellent pastries and cakes, a lovely spot to start the day. There's a second branch out in Panorama shopping centre if you're near there instead.
A colourful, deliberately photogenic café known for waffles and elaborate drinks — popular, cosy, and very much built for a treat rather than a quick coffee.
A genuinely excellent specialty coffee spot with good vegan options — a bit of a wait for food at busy times, but the coffee itself is consistently well-reviewed.
Widely considered one of the best cafés in Vilnius — right across from Bernardine Garden, with a lovely two-floor interior and a garden terrace out back.
An open-air food-truck court and bar set right in Bernardinų Gardens — a relaxed spot for a drink and something to eat outdoors, best in warm weather.
Widely rated the best fine-dining restaurant in Vilnius — a 10–11 course tasting menu, seasonal, and consistently outstanding reviews. Featured in the Michelin Guide (Main Selection, not starred). Book well ahead.
A well-known traditional Lithuanian restaurant with multiple Old Town branches — cepelinai, cold beetroot soup, and hearty classics in a rustic, folk-styled interior. A safe, popular choice for a first taste of the cuisine.
A greenhouse-style restaurant in a quiet residential part of Vilnius — popular for both everyday dining and weddings, known for its garden setting and quality food.
A small, highly-rated dessert café in the Žvėrynas neighbourhood — excellent cakes and cinnamon rolls, a nice detour from the Old Town crowds.
A well-regarded Italian café on Vokiečių gatvė in the Old Town — good coffee and genuinely good people-watching from the tables outside. Family and pet friendly.
An outdoor food hall by the White Bridge that locals genuinely pack out in summer — bring rollerblades, people do. A wide spread of cuisines under one roof as takeaway-style stalls rather than a sit-down restaurant, so treat the food as convenient rather than the best you'll eat in Vilnius.
A specialty coffee shop on Vasario 16-osios gatvė, a good stop if you're walking to or from the White Bridge.
A restaurant in Žvėrynas with a genuinely relaxed, casual feel and its own children's play area — house-made pasta is a highlight. Book ahead, it fills up.
A small, exceptional brunch spot near the train station — six tables inside and a few out, so it fills up. Generous plates, very good espresso, and genuinely warm service. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Enormous, well-priced pancakes in a converted church in the Old Town — and a social enterprise that employs people with disabilities, which you feel in how welcoming the place is. Good vegan options, and the staff will ask rather than assume. Open daily.
Modern plant-led small plates blending Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours, in a pared-back room on Didžioji gatvė with vintage sideboards and faux-candle chandeliers. Three plates each plus a dessert is about right. Lovely courtyard terrace. Closed Sundays.
Sister restaurant to the starred Nineteen18, tucked in the Senatorių Passage — sleek, relaxed, and built around produce from its own regenerative farm. A set menu lets two people try most of it. Closed Sunday and Monday.
A genuinely authentic osteria in Užupis run by a chef from Genoa — nonna-style Italian cooking across two small rooms. Book ahead, it fills up midweek. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
A neighbourhood restaurant on the edge of the Old Town where chef Gaspar Fernandes — born in Goa, of Portuguese heritage — cooks a genuine blend of the two. Won Michelin's Service Award in 2024, and the chef runs the floor as well as the kitchen. Closed Sunday and Monday.
A Mexican place that will make you forget you are in Lithuania — big sharing plates, duck tacos, quesabirria with lamb. Genuinely fun rather than worthy. Covered terrace, though it can be draughty. Open Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
A tiny bistro with an open kitchen you walk past on the way in, and the highest guest rating of any restaurant in this guide. Dishes are built to share. Genuinely small, so book well ahead — people reserve months out. Good vegetarian options. Wednesday to Saturday only.
Awarded a Michelin Star in 2026. Chef Andrius Kubilius builds a tasting menu around childhood memories and family recipes, using ingredients largely from the restaurant's own farm. Closed Sunday–Tuesday; book well ahead.
Holds a Michelin Star. A storytelling-driven tasting menu from chef Tadas, seasonal and idiosyncratic, in a calm, uncluttered dining room inside Demoloftas. Closed Sunday–Tuesday; book well ahead.
Holds a Michelin Star. A polished, romantic tasting-menu restaurant on Vilniaus gatvė — reviews single out the wine pairing and the beef ribs. Closed Mondays; book well ahead.
Holds a Michelin Star. An elegant tasting menu built around Lithuanian flavours and ingredients, with an open kitchen and a well-regarded sommelier — ask for the chef's table if it's available. Closed Sunday–Tuesday; book well ahead.
Newly promoted to a Michelin Star in 2026. A genuinely different experience from the other four — a working farm about 1 hour 40 minutes north of Vilnius, farm-to-table cooking in a converted barn, with accommodation on site if you'd rather not drive back that night. Closed Sunday–Wednesday; booking required, often weeks ahead.
Beaches, parks, viewpoints and walks.
A large, genuinely lovely park behind the cathedral, with a river running through it, a musical fountain in summer, and plenty of benches to just sit.
The main artery of the Old Town, running from Cathedral Square down to Town Hall Square — cafés, restaurants, souvenir shops, and the best people-watching in the city.
A short, steep walk up through Kalnų parkas to three white crosses on the hilltop, with what is probably the best view over the Old Town — better than Gediminas Tower, and free. The crosses commemorate Franciscan monks said to have been killed here; the Soviets demolished them in 1950 and they were rebuilt in 1989 as independence approached. An information trail runs up the hill explaining the siege that happened on this spot.
The main shopping street outside the Old Town proper, running east to Vilnius Cathedral — the eastern stretch in particular is where most of the shops are.
What happened here, and what is left to see.
The red-brick tower on the hill above Cathedral Square — climb it (or take the funicular) for the single best panoramic view of Vilnius. Small museum inside; 35–40 minutes is plenty.
Not actually in Vilnius — this is roughly 2.5 hours north, near Šiauliai — but it's the kind of place people build a Vilnius trip around anyway. Tens of thousands of crosses left by pilgrims on a single hill, a genuinely moving, unique sight with a long history of Soviet-era defiance behind it.
A 52-metre bell tower right on Cathedral Square, dating to the 13th–16th centuries. Climb for the view and to see the bell mechanism up close — try to time it for a chime.
A self-declared 'independent republic' across the river — bohemian, artsy, and home to the famous Constitution, dozens of tongue-in-cheek articles cast on metal plaques along a wall. Genuinely funny and worth reading properly, not just photographing.
Underground tunnels and restored fortifications from the old city wall, with a genuinely engaging museum inside — ask about the guided tour if one's running.
An interactive optical-illusion museum — good fun for kids and adults alike, staff help with photos, and it doesn't take more than an hour or two.
The country's main opera and ballet house, five minutes' walk from the Old Town on A. Vienuolio gatvė. Founded in 1920 in Kaunas, moved to this 984-seat building in 1974, and refurbished for around €10m before the 2023/24 season. The building is unapologetically Soviet-modernist and won't be the prettiest opera house you have been to — but the productions are strong and the tickets cost a fraction of what the same evening would run to in London, Paris or Vienna.
A genuinely lovely small gallery on A. Goštauto gatvė, close to the river and a short walk from the Old Town. It houses the collection of Vytautas Kasiulis (1918–1995), a Lithuanian painter who became part of the École de Paris and gained international recognition there — around 950 of his paintings and his personal archive were gifted to the state by his family, forming the core of the museum. Also worth knowing: several visiting reviewers specifically mention the Litvak painters and Chagall pieces on display alongside Kasiulis's own work. Wheelchair and pushchair accessible.
A restored 300-year-old Baroque palace with a free ground-floor exhibition and a small museum upstairs — genuinely striking architecture, especially lit up in the evening.
A striking modern building housing contemporary art, mostly from Europe — a deliberate architectural contrast to the Old Town around it. Lift access throughout, with activities for children on the ground floor and most of the art one floor up.
A real, working Soviet-era prison until 2019, now a guided-tour venue, bar and concert space (yes — it's where parts of Stranger Things season 4 were filmed). The two-hour tour is genuinely one of the best in Vilnius, mixing prison history with the wider story of the city. You get a mugshot-style Polaroid at the end. Not wheelchair accessible.
Lithuania's most photographed landmark: a red-brick castle on an island in Lake Galvė, connected by wooden bridges, about 30 minutes from Vilnius by train or car. Easily the best half-day trip from the capital.
The last surviving gate of the old city wall, with a small chapel above it holding a revered icon of the Virgin Mary — a genuine, active pilgrimage site, not just a monument. It's a working place of prayer, so keep your voice down and don't expect to take photos inside.
This is one of four regions covered. The interactive map and the ready-made itineraries cover all of them together.