Sights and landmarks in Vilnius

Sights and landmarks in Vilnius

1. See

   Angel of Uzupis

   In the main square is a statue unveiled on 1 April 2002 of Gabriel blowing a trumpet. He's probably blowing a raspberry.

2. 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

3. See

   Bernadine Cemetery

   Established in 1810 by the Bernardine monks of the Church of St Francis in Užupis. It became the main city cemetery, with some 14,000 burial plots, but fell into disrepair from 1945. It was restored from 2010.

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   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.

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   Church of Our Lady of the Sign

   Ženklas iš dangaus cerkvė

   Built in Neo-Byzantine style in 1903, this is the Eastern Orthodox church you see when looking west along Gedimino prospekt. It was financed by fundraising around the Russian Empire.

   Saily 09:00-16:30

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   Church of Saints Peter and Paul

   The first church from around 1500 was wooden and burned down, and its successor was wrecked in the 1650s in the war with Russia. The present building was commissioned by Michał Kazimierz Pac (1624-82), begun in 1668 but only completed in 1704 after his death. The exterior is fairly plain, but inside is baroque run riot.

   Daily 07:00-18:30

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   Church of St Casimir

   Baroque RC church completed in 1618. It's been held by various faiths (including a spell as Museum of Atheism) but was re-consecrated in 1991. It often hosts organ recitals.

   Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sun 08:00-19:00

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   Church of St Catherine

   Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčia

   Built in the 18th century in Baroque style and dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, as part of a Benedictine Nunnery. The church is known for its elegant façade, intricate stucco decorations, but many of its artworks were either lost in WW2 or moved to the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.

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   Church of St Constantine and St Michael

   This orthodox church was built in 1913 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, much good it did them. It's a dinky onion-domed building.

   Daily 07:00-20:00

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    Church of St Francis and St Bernard

    Also known as the Bernadine Church, it is next to St Anne's on the riverbank. It's a sturdy Gothic building from the 16th century, incorporated into the city walls, with loopholes toshoot at the Cossacks.

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    Church of St Philip and St Jacob

    Šv Apaštalų Pilypo ir Jokūbo bažnyčia

    Red and white Baroque church of the Dominican order, completed in 1722. It houses a large icon of the Virgin Mary "Hodegetria" - in iconography this means "shows the way" as she points to the infant as the salvation of mankind.

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    Church of St Theresa

    Just north of the Gate of Dawn (indeed serving as the entrance to get up to the gate's Virgin Mary icon) is a Roman Catholic church popular with worshippers also outside mass, completed in 1650.

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    Church of Vytautas the Great

    It's Roman Catholic, redbrick Gothic, dating to 1400 but 19th century in its present form. Also known as the Church of the Assumption.

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    Contemporary Art Centre

    Šiuolaikinio meno centras

    This has a permanent display of Fluxus artwork plus other rotating exhibitions.

    Closed for rebuilding

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    Energy and Technology Museum

    This was the city's first power plant, opened in 1903. It exhibits electricity generation, industrial technologies, child-friendly interactions and transformation, the Tesla-inspired wizardry that enables long-distance transmission of electricity. They also have an Escape Room, €50 for 2-4 players.

    Tue-Sun 10.00-18.30·Adult €7, child or conc €3.5

16. 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.

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    Frank Zappa bust

    Frank Zappa (1940-1993) is commemorated by a bust on Kalinausko gatve. He was never here, but local fans erected it in 1995, donating a replica to Baltimore, Maryland, his childhood home.

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    Gate of Dawn

    Aušros vartai

    The last survivor of the walled city's nine gates, various called Medininkai Gate as the street led south to that village, Sharp Gate, and now Gate of Dawn. It's straddled by a chapel with a large icon of the Virgin Mary, painted in the 1620s, which has become a pilgrimage destination. Mass is held daily in Lithuanian and Polish. Enter the chapel via the Church of St Theresa, just follow the head-scarves. When the chapel windows are opened, you see the icon from the street below, and she can see you and your sins. The alley through the gate is pedestrianised and open 24 hours: south you emerge blinking into a modern world of traffic.

    Chapel daily 07:00-19:00

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    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

20. See

    Holy Trinity Church

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

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    House of the Signatories

    Neo-renaissance mansion where Lithuania's Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918. It's now a branch of the National Museum depicting the story of Lithuania as a separate nation, in which independent spirit it makes few concessions to non-speakers of the language.

    Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat Sun 12:00-17:00·Adult €4, child or conc €2

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    Kazys Varnelis House-Museum

    Varnelis (1917-2020) was an abstract artist who mostly lived in the USA, returning to Vilnius in 1998. His house is now part of National Museum, displaying his studio and works.

    Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €5, child or conc €2

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    Lithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum

    Has little for non-speakers of Lithuanian, though some exhibits transcend language.

    It's open Wed-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-16:00

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    MO Museum

    Museum with modern contemporary art and changing exhibitions.

    Wed-Mon 10:00-20:00·Adult €11, conc or child €5.50

25. 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.

26. 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

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    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

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    Museum of Illusions

    Ames Room, Pepper's Ghost, holograms, all the staples are here. Children will love it.

    Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €12, child or conc €9

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    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

30. 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

31. See

    Museums Centre for Information, Digitisation and LIMIS

    About the digitisation and online curating of museum collections. So if you want to grasp the "principles of the use of ontologies" you've come to the right place, but if you seek physical exhibits you've not been listening.

32. 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

33. 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.

34. 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

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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

38. 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.

39. See

    Pushkin Museum

    Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was often in exile around the edges of Russia: not here, but his son lived in this mansion. His works were translated into Lithuanian and much of the museum is about that literary task, but it has period decor.

    Wed-Sun 10:00-18:30·Adult €1.20, child €0.60

40. 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

Browse all 107 places in Vilnius

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