Vilnius, Lithuania was the third stop in our quest to visit the Baltic trifecta (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia). Each has its own unique charm so I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite.

We drove from Riga (Latvia) to Vilnius which took about 3.5 hours. To break up the drive, we stopped at the Hill of Crosses. Highly recommend.

Hill of Crosses

The origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first crosses were placed there after the 1831 Uprising. Today it’s estimated that there are more than 100,000 crosses. Takes about 15-30 minutes to walk through, depending how detailed you want your visit to be. The photos don’t do it justice. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re driving between Riga and Vilnius.

Dropped off the rental car off at the airport because Vilnius is more of a walking town, and took a 20 minute cab ride to Hotel PACAI. What started as a 17th century baroque mansion has been painstakingly restored and updated into a modern luxury hotel. It is incredibly cool and has high quality amenities (if you care about such things). Plus you know it’s fancy when they offer a glass of sparkling wine during check-in. Breakfast was included with our room reservation and it’s definitely the way to go. They offer a combination of hot dishes to order and a fresh buffet. Coffee is great and there’s sparkling rosé for those looking to get after it first thing in the morning.

We were only in Vilnius for two days (not enough) but we managed to see quite a bit! I know I’m a broken record about this, but I used gpsmycity to find a few good walking tour inspirations.

Day 1: Walked out of Hotel PACAI, and we were basically in Town Hall Square so checked that site off the list straight away.

We were hungry from our travels so we stopped by Queensberry for a glass of wine and some cepelinai. Queensberry has a charming, and more importantly, shaded, back patio. The service took 100 years and the food was just alright. Wine was nice at least. I would maybe go back here again for a glass of wine but, to be honest, there are better places for that. Ok on to the sights!

Literatų Gatvė

**Literati Street** is lined with tributes to various works of literature. We didn’t go out of our way to walk through it, it just happened to be on our way to **St. Anne’s Church**, but its uniqueness makes it an interesting street to pass through.

St. Anne’s Church

Quite photogenic from the outside. I couldn’t tell you about the inside, since we didn’t go in. Like I said, we only had two days so we had to be ruthless about our priorities.

Royal Palace - I mean, yeah, you can’t miss it. Best seen from either Three Crosses or Gediminas Castle Tower. And speaking of Gediminas Castle Tower…

Although there is a funicular, we opted for a bit of exercise and climbed the cobblestone path to the stairs that lead to the Tower. The view is worth the climb, meaning, the climb isn’t too bad and the view isn’t too bad. You can pay to climb the tower but we skipped it for three reasons: 1. It didn’t look like it would improve the view all that much; 2. You have to pay for it; and, 3. We were in a hurry. Luckily we redeemed ourselves the next day because Three Crosses has a better view and a more engaging hike.

Took a nice evening stroll over to Gaspar’s for dinner. It’s a delicious fusion restaurant in a quiet neighborhood. Definitely sit outside if you’re there in the right weather. Started with the seasonal cocktail - Watermelon G&T - to have something to enjoy while we chose our dinner. There were so many good options! We went for the scallop ceviche in a spicy coconut lime broth to start. And although we hate to be “that couple” who orders the same thing, we both ordered the shrimp curry with naan. So flavorful. I wish we could have come back here a second time during our visit.

After dinner, we headed to “the nightlife triangle of Vilnius” at the intersection of Vilniaus, Islandijos and Vokiečių.streets, for a nightcap at Sanatorija - a gin bar. We ordered G&T’s (obvi) and it was a good place to sit outside and people watch. I don’t know if I would recommend this place necessarily. Nothing wrong with it, drinks were fine, location is fine, table outside with an awning was critical because it started to pour. But this area is wall-to-wall bars and restaurants so I’m sure there are loads of good options. We could tell that when it’s not Covid season that this street would be even more of a shitshow.

Scooters are super popular here and we took our lives in our own hands and doubled on a scooter in the pouring rain back to our hotel. I honestly thought we were going to flip over a speed bump and knock our teeth out . Luckily we survived, our teeth survived, and we managed to escape the rain a bit by not walking. Scooter at your own risk on these cobblestone streets.

Day 2: Our only full day in Vilnius and it was absolutely pouring down rain, BUT, the show must go on.

First stop - Cathedral Square. We were the only people there due to the aforementioned rain, which made Vilnius Cathedral and the Monument to Grand Duke Gediminas that much more imposing and impressive. Still don’t understand why there’s a statue of a samurai on a horse in this square….

Keep your eyes peeled for a small stone marking the place where the human chain of the Baltic Way was started; linking Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, this event marked the beginning of national liberation of the Baltic States. Legend has it that if a person steps on the stone and turns around three times, his or her wish will be granted. We missed it. No wishes for us.

Because we haven’t seen enough crosses on this trip, we hiked up to the Three Crosses. It’s a few flights of wooden stairs nearly all the way to the top, and the panoramic view of the Old Town from here is worth the hike. Although the monument isn’t that impressive, the story behind it is. Rumor has it, seven Franciscan friars were beheaded on top of this hill and the wooden crosses were placed atop the hill in the 17th century as a symbol of the city.

On our way down from the Three Crosses we passed through Bernadine Garden but didn’t spend much time seeing as it was raining. It seemed like it could be a nice park to spend some time but I can’t really confirm that.

Wandered through Užupis. What is Užupis you might be wondering? It is a self governing republic giving a bit of a boho vibe but not dramatically different from the rest of the city. Some street art to be found around there and a cool angel statue in the main square.

To escape the rain, we stopped into Grapperia, which is on the edge of Užupis. Wow. An eclectic selection of things I’ve never heard of and never knew I might need: milk vodka, lobster gin, the list goes on and on. They stock some of the wildest stuff and the owner is super nice and knowledgeable.

On our way to our next cluster of sites we stopped to buy a magnet at a shop that also sold t-shirts, jewelry, all sorts of pills and Bitcoin. So really, anything the average tourist could want.

On to the other side of town! Highlights included:

**Façade of theLithuanian National Drama Theater**

Church of St. Casamir - charming pink church

Gates of Dawn - The gate itself is fairly cool, best seen from inside of the town looking out. Apparently there is a Virgin Mary made of gold on the second floor that you can visit but we couldn’t figure out how to get in there and see it…

Lithuanian National Drama Theater - In addition to being a well-known performing arts venue, it’s also known for its façade featuring the Feast of Muses.

Bistro 18 - We stopped here for lunch. Quaint little neighborhood joint with really good food. Very cozy and a great place to step out of the rain for a bit. It’s on Stikliu Street which is lined with boutiques and cocktail bars. Highly recommend hitting this street day or night.

We walked by the Presidential Palace - the President wasn’t there - on our way to Decantus Vyninė - nice little wine bar on the main drag, has a good beer selection as well. Basically we were all out of energy for sightseeing. Rain will do that to a person.

On our way to a cocktail bar (again, no more sightseeing) we stopped by Pinavija Café & Bakery - they make a Lithuanian version of empanadas - some savory, some sweet. We took our order to go, but it looked like a cute place to sit for brunch. Had nice indoor and outdoor seating options and everything looked delicious.

Alchemikas - we missed our chance the first night in Vilnius so we were smart on day two and went just as they were opening. Or you can make a reservation. It’s your journey. Either way, cocktails were really good, vibe is cool and even if it’s raining, you can still sit outside safely under the awning.

Dinner. Ugh. Telegrafas: Set up is bizarre; Stuffy to the point of awkward; Prices were absurd by Vilnius standards; and, the food was just ok. Would never go back. Would not recommend to anyone.

I would 100% return to Vilnius if for no other reason than to experience more of the Cold War history elements, and to hit up the dozen or so cocktail bars that we didn’t make it to. And maybe we’d also get to see the sun shine there just once!

Restaurants on our List for Future Visits

Selfish Bistro Vilnius - Seafood restaurant and lounge
Džiaugsmas - Well rated, modern, a la carte
Nineteen18 - Arguably the best restaurant in Vilnius, sadly they were on holiday when we were there
D'ECO - Cute bistro-type place
Ertlio Namas - Contemporary Lithuanian restaurant, a bit upscale
Pachamama Dinner Club - Looks like a cool spot to hang out in nice weather (which we never got)
Etno Dvaras - Popular restaurant for Lithuanian food, may be a bit touristy

Bars on our List for Future Visits (if you plan it properly with many of these spots you could plan a fantastic bar crawl)

Somm -Well-rated wine bar
The Bubbles. Champagneria - The name really tells you all you need to know
Distilerija - Regular bar, seemed very popular with the locals
Rhum Room - Cool cocktail bar
Apoteka Bar - Looks really good
Garinis Angelas - Weird crazy place for a cocktail right next to Apoteka
Burbulio Vyninė - Wine store and bar
Nick & Nora Cocktail Bar - We passed this on our way out of town and it looked really cool so we had to mark it down
Nomads Cocktail Bar - Sadly it was never open when we were there but supposed to be very good
The Whisky Shop & Bar - Exactly what it sounds like