Parks and the outdoors in Vilnius

Parks and the outdoors in Vilnius

1. Eat

   Belmontas Cafe

   Folk-themed outdoor restaurant by a 19th century mill and waterfall.

   Summer

2. Eat

   Fortas

   This is the original of what has become a chain. They do pub-style food with theme days on different nations' cuisines. Other outlets are at Vilniaus 18 in Old Town and Konstitucijos pr 7A north of the river.

   Mon-Fri 09:00-23:00, Sat Sun 11:00-23:00

3. 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.

4. See

   Museum of the Centre of Europe

   Open-air sculpture park. It's within Europas Park, the rest of which is free and open to dusk.

   Daily 10:00-18:00·Adult €12, student €11, child €8

5. See

   New City Centre

   The modern business district, in Šnipiškės north of the river. Its 21st century glass and steel skyscrapers are visible from afar, including the 148 m Europa Tower.

6. See

   Old Jewish Cemetery

   In use from 1828 to the 1940s - though it was called "New Cemetery" as the first (north of River Neris) was established in the 15th century. The Soviets made sure to destroy both plus the synagogue, so what remains here is a memorial made of old tombstones. A new-new cemetery is now in the northwest district of Šeškinė.

7. See

   St Anne's Church

   Šv Onos bažnyčia

   Small flamboyant church in Gothic style, built by 1500 and little altered since. There is a legend that when Napoleon's campaigns brought him to Vilnius, he declared that he'd like to lift the church on his palm and carry it back to Paris. (Obviously untrue, since given the horrors of his retreat, he'd have been forced to eat it before he reached Warsaw.) St Anne's is not within Užupis but backs onto the river boundary by an entrance bridge.

   Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00

8. See

   Three Crosses Hill

   A monument to seven Franciscan friars supposedly beheaded here by pagans, while seven more were crucified then thrown in the river. The story is nonsense, but Lithuania was the last European country to convert to Christianity, and there was indeed conflict. King Mindaugas was baptised in 1250 but the country as a whole didn't convert until 1485 when the Duchy united with Poland. Wooden crosses have been erected on the hill since the early 17th century. They needed periodic replacement, until the Tsarists stamped out the practice in 1869. Concrete crosses were built in 1916, got rid of by the Soviets in 1950, and re-built in 1989.

9. 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.

10. Buy

    Outlet Park

    Shopping mall for discount stores.

    Daily 10:00-20:00

11. Eat

    Wok to Walk

    This is the main outlet of an Asian cuisine franchise.

    Mon-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri Sat 12:00-15:00, Sun 12:00-21:00

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