Historic places in Vilnius

Historic places in Vilnius

1. See

   Bastion of Vilnius Defensive Wall

   The city walls were built 1503-22 with nine gates (of which only Gate of Dawn survives) and this artillery position. It's now a museum of the city's military history.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €6, child €3

2. See

   Cathedral of the Theotokos

   Dievo Motinos Ėmimo į Dangų katedra

   Like St Anne's, this stands by an entrance bridge to Užupis. It was first built in the 1340s by Grand Duke Algirdas before the country became Christian. It's been destroyed, rebuilt and changed use several times - in the 1820s it was the university anatomy department. The present building is from the 1860s in sort-of neoclassical meets the Byzantine style of Georgia. It's Eastern Orthodox (which calls the Virgin Mary Theotokos, god-bearer) and so is the senior church for Russians and Belarusians in Vilnius.

3. See

   Franciscan Monastery

   Founded in 1334 and it's their monks who are commemorated by the Three Crosses. It's in shabby condition, but you can access the church daily 07:00-22:30.

4. See

   Gediminas Castle

   This is the Upper Castle of a complex of three built from the 13th century, much bashed about, and abandoned from the 16th. (The Lower Castle became the site of the Arsenal, Palace and Cathedral, and the "Crooked Castle" was destroyed in 1394.) You can ascend the cobbled lane and enter the courtyard free for views of the city, and the Three Crosses on the hill east. The ducal palace east side of the courtyard is just a shell, converted into a performance space. West side is the three storey red brick tower, now a museum.

   Daily 10:00-20:00·Tower adult €8, conc or child €4

5. See

   Holy Trinity Church

   Part of a Ukrainian Greek Catholic monastery, and mostly built in the early 17th century.

6. See

   Markučiai Park

   This green area stretches east of the Pushkin Museum, linking with others such as Pavilnys Regional Park to form a greenbelt between the city and its industrial and commuter suburbs. The parks have bosky walks and are dotted with ancient burial tumuli.

7. See

   Money Museum

   History of money, and collection of coins and bills from around the world.

   Apr-Oct Tue–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 11:00-18:00, Nov-Mar Tue–Fri 9:00–18:00, Sat 10:00-17:00·Free

8. See

   Museum of Applied Arts & Design

   Taikomosios dailės ir dizaino muziejus

   This arsenal in the Lower Castle was built in the 15th century and stored heavy artillery. It's now part of the National Museum, displaying the country's pre-history and early history until the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century.

   Tue We & Fri 10:00-18:00, Thu 10:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-16:00

9. See

   Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

   This is in the former KGB headquarters, where over 1000 were put to death. In spite of the plurals, it is specifically the Lithuanian experience under Soviet rule that is described; the experience under Nazism would reveal a very dark corner of national history. And until 2018, it was called the Museum of Genocide Victims, yet almost entirely omitted the genocide against what had been a large Jewish population. Just one small KGB interrogation cell in the basement describes this, as if 190,000 deaths were a dissident version of history to be beaten into confessing that it didn't exist, never happened.

   Wed-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00·Adult €6, child or conc €3

10. See

    New Arsenal

    The New Arsenal was established in the 18th century and mostly served as a barracks. It's now part of the National Museum displaying Lithuania's history and cultural heritage. As of October 2025, it is closed for major restructuring work.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €5, child €2.50

11. See

    Old Arsenal

    This arsenal in the Lower Castle was built in the 15th century and stored heavy artillery. It's now part of the National Museum, displaying the country's pre-history and early history until the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €5, child €2.50

12. See

    Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit

    Re-built in 1753 in Baroque / Rococo. It's affiliated to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit and the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalen, with services in Russian.

13. See

    Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

    This is a modern replica: the original was built in the 15th century, ruined in the 17th and demolished in 1801. A merchant's house was then built, which became part of the Arsenal. In the 1990s after independence the palace was rebuilt to the original plan, somehow without deciding what it would be used for, and to outcry as it blocked the vista from Cathedral Square. It's become part of the National Museum, with displays of palace history and reconstructions of the ceremonial halls.

    Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 10:00-16:00·Adults €10.50, conc or child €5.25

14. See

    Presidential Palace

    An 18th-century palace which is the seat of the President of Lithuania. Guided tours are available at weekends, and the palace is also open to the public on Open House days.

15. See

    Railway Museum

    Presents the history of railways in Lithuania from Prussian times until today. Railway equipment small enough to fit into a room, tickets, staff uniforms and the like are on display in addition to scale models, pictures and videos. Child-friendly.

    Tue-Fri 09:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-18:00·€6, card only

16. See

    Seimas Palace

    This complex houses the Lithuanian parliament. The first building, completed in 1980, was the seat of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, and looks it. In 2007 the new Parliament Hall (or Building 2) was opened. Building 3 was added to house committees and technical services. Exhibitions in Building 2 are open to the public daily 08:00-17:00, and those in Building 1 on Fridays 11:00-15:00. You can also book a guided tour.

17. See

    Vilnius Cathedral

    Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius

    The first cathedral was built here in 1251, reverting to pagan worship in 1263. Fire destroyed a second in 1419, a third in 1530 and a fourth in 1610. Many parts of the fifth survive, notably the baroque chapel of St Casimir, but much was lost when the south tower collapsed in 1769 — did those pagans have a friend on high? What you see now is mostly the neo-classical structure completed in 1801. The crypt has a display of Vilnius through the ages, and you can also tour the catacombs and free-standing 57-m high belfry. Nearby in the square, a tile inscribed Stebuklas ("miracle") marks the end of the Vilnius-Tallinn human chain in the 1989 protest against the Soviet Union.

    Daily 07:00-19:30·Free

18. See

    Vilnius University

    Vilnius University now has faculties across the city and beyond, but this is the baroque core of it, with the library, courtyards, observatory and Church of St Johns (plural: Šv Jono, the Baptist and the Evangelist). You can see the church, four courtyards and Franciszek Smuglewicz Hall free, and guided tours are available for groups of four or more by prior booking. The Adam Mickiewicz Museum displays the university's history.

    Museum Mon-Sat 09:00-15:00·Adult €2, child or conc €1

19. See

    Vingis Park

    Bounds city centre to the west, large and wooded so you could easily lose a small child. It's in a loop of River Neris ("vingis" means bend or curve) and together with other parks north and woodland downriver creates a greenbelt on this side. Enter from the east along Čiurlionio gatve, which spans the busy ring-road: there's a multinational military cemetery by the entrance. The palace has long been demolished - in 1812 it was where Tsar Alexander I learned of Napoleon's invasion, and scarpered with his entourage. The modern amphitheatre west stages rock concerts and other big events.

20. See

    Vilnius Museum

    Small independent museum of city history.

    Tue-Fri 15:00-19:00, Sat Sun 11:00-19:00·Adult €5, child or conc €2.50

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Vilnius (CC BY-SA 4.0).